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Rockyt

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OK...So have you ever had a project that fights and fights you..right up until the end, and it seems totally worth it? Here's mine. It started out as a project in Open Rocket, sheet balsa, a sunward nosecone, a 2 foot BT-20 body tube

and now...

<WARNING: RANT>
After 3 years, 1 set of fins glued to waxpaper during compression between cookbooks, 4 fin repairs (3 outright snaps, 1 inexplicable chips during painting), 2 ripped streamers, a surprisingly easy nosecone modification, followed immediately by a crack from gluing to the supplied shoulder and the realization that the nose weight is now too large for the nosecone opening, a superglue fiasco in the nosecone involving fishing weights and the lack of realization of a hole in the base of the nosecone shoulder, gouging of cockpit to accommodate launch rod, interesting interactions of spiderwebs during paint curing,the loss of 3 decals to sausage finger use and a lack of knowledge of microsol/microset, and 3 separate colorful language while applying decals demonstrations later...
<RANT OVER>

I present to you....CATO SACKHOFF

WP_20160811_18_09_04_Pro.jpgWP_20160811_18_09_45_Pro.jpgWP_20160811_18_13_11_Pro.jpg

It's an original design and a bit tweaked, but computationally stable for OR. The cockpit is floral foam, coated in CWF and then a layer of Superglue, and the decals are sandman. Hence, the small sandman decals logo under the left cockpit (Well, that and my family's from Michigan...so, it's cool). The sad news is I think this is the model that killed Sandman Decals. the metallic strips were reprinted (Awesome for him to do that), but 2 days later sandman posted he was done for a print issue. I do apologize if this is the case.

Now I have 1 question...
given the issues building her and her being named 'cato' for expected flight issues (based on luck, again, OR says she's stable)...should she fly, or is she a hangar queen? I have the designs and one more set of decals.

I do like the finishing, and you can see a bit of progress in my skills from 3 years ago to now, but if she doesn't fly...is she a rocket?
 
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Don't beat yourself up too much regarding the decals. Gord has been battling those ALPS printers for quite some time in an effort to continue to print stuff. It wasn't so much your job, as it was everyone's, and time. He's been "out of the decal business" several times now, only to come up with a work around for a while. It just so happens that this time seems more permanent...

Model looks great, BTW.
 
Cute name & nice work! I also say fly it though the forward lasers struts are prone to snapping, at least on the Estes version.
How about a Mk.II from NuBSG? :) :) :)
 
Cute name & nice work! I also say fly it though the forward lasers struts are prone to snapping, at least on the Estes version.
How about a Mk.II from NuBSG? :) :) :)

Most excellent Name !

If the lasers snap off you can add a little length attached to nose cone and call it a RECON VIPER .

Very cool !

Kenny
 
Oh, one of the laser tubes has already snapped off. Easy fix, considering and I almost did a 'sandwich papering layer' to repair, but the wing was on the model already and I was already a bit chuffed by it overall.

And in this case, the Mark II will be a 'MoreRockets Super viper.'

I am a bit curious as to whether I can scratchbuild a Mark 7, now though...hmmm
 
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Oh, one of the laser tubes has already snapped off. Easy fix, considering and I almost did a 'sandwich papering layer' to repair, but the wing was on the model already and I was already a bit chuffed by it overall.

And in this case, the Mark II will be a 'MoreRockets Super viper.'

I am a but curious as to whether I can scratchbuild a Mark 7, now though...hmmm

It would be a cool build for sure. I hope you like foam and fiber glass. I don't think there's a straight line on it anywhere !!--Viper_Mk_VII-1.24.jpgviper-mk-vii-29.jpgviper-mk-vii-33.jpg--H
 
Well, that may be true....but I already have some plans in my head and building Cato Sackhoff, here, actually gave me some good ideas. just think "Snarky" crossed with "Scorpion" and you'll be in the same head space as I. It won't be perfect, but it will work. . .

...However, I think I need to build a few bagged kits before I get into that...(partially based on parts in bag versus parts needing to be bought :D)
 
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