Build thread: NewWay Angled Invader

[neil_w]

GLUING THE PODS

Several minutes were spent sanding the tab edges of the wings to get a good flush fit into the pods. Still dealing with the aftereffects of the initial CWF sanding on the root edges.

The little cardstock slot covers form a nice little pocket for gluing the pods.

Double-glue joint is applied, and everything goes back in the same jigs that were used for the wings. First one...

...and then the other. To get everything perfectly level, I needed to put a few sheets of paper under the pod jigs, and hold the body down firmly with a couple of aluminum angles.

Because the jig openings are perfectly square but the body tubes are not, there is a bit of play and I found it takes some fiddling to get everything positioned exactly right.

The usual filleting process was followed. I did a second round of Quick and Thick because it really looks to me like the pods are going to take the brunt of the landing impact (including the square dowels).

 

[BABAR]

. I did a second round of Quick and Thick because it really looks to me like the pods are going to take the brunt of the landing impact (including the square dowels).

just a thought. Soda straws taped to dowels sticking down 3 or 4 inches? Maybe with a cut down one side up to the wrap point? These will bend or break on touch down (frangible recovery), hopefully in lieu of the dowels or fins, removed for display, and replaced for each flight. Could even paint a bunch of them fluorescent orange!

Reinforcement with carbon fiber strips would be another option.

 

[neil_w]

REMAINING FINS

First the two little side fins that go in front of the wings. I found that I only had one, which means I inadvertently tossed one when I was doing my ill-fated breaking apart of the CWFed balsa sheet. So I cut myself a new one, no biggie.

Alignment marks are made by resting a ruler against the wing.

Then I removed the primer and re-marked:

Then little guys are glued on and filleted in routing fashion:

Finally, the dorsal and ventral fins are glued into their slots...

...and exterior construction is complete.

I then went over the whole rocket with some sandpaper to remove various glue boogers and smooth out the fillets.

Now it is ready for (*gulp*) masking.

 

[neil_w]

Weight before paint: 2.8 oz.

That's a bit heavier than I would have expected; final model would project to be a bit over 3 oz. It's also a surprising amount of weight for such a small rocket, but the square tubes, with their thick walls, are quite a bit heavier than the equivalent standard round tubes.

Also my papered wings and the coat of filler/primer and the painted pods all add a bit of weight. I don't think I used excessive glue anywhere, but as always you never know how your own build practices compare to the "reference" builds used to determine facecard weight.

 

[BABAR]

Weight before paint: 2.8 oz.

That's a bit heavier than I would have expected; final model would project to be a bit over 3 oz. It's also a surprising amount of weight for such a small rocket, but the square tubes, with their thick walls, are quite a bit heavier than the equivalent standard round tubes.

Also my papered wings and the coat of filler/primer and the painted pods all add a bit of weight. I don't think I used excessive glue anywhere, but as always you never know how your own build practices compare to the "reference" builds used to determine facecard weight.

Yeah, the geometry and thickness of the tubes does make these heavier. Nice to have the Estes C5 and the Quest Q-Jets in the toolbox.

are there still no good workarounds on Open rocket for square tubes and pyramidal nose cones?

 

[neil_w]

Yeah, the geometry and thickness of the tubes does make these heavier. Nice to have the Estes C5 and the Quest Q-Jets in the toolbox.

are there still no good workarounds on Open rocket for square tubes and pyramidal nose cones?

No, nor will there ever be.

 

[BABAR]

No, nor will there ever be.

Well, I guess @Daddyisabar will appreciate that there will always be a place for the Jedi MindSim and @lakeroadster will likewise appreciate that Swing Tests will never go completely out of style!

 

[jqavins]

No, nor will there ever be.

Never say never.

 

[neil_w]

Never say never.

I’m quite comfortable with my statement. And I would love to be wrong, because it would mean that literally every other possible useful feature has already been implemented.

 

[lakeroadster]

 

[jqavins]

And I would love to be wrong, because it would mean that literally every other possible useful feature has already been implemented.

Well, now there I can't argue (I wasn't really arguing in the first place), provided one small modification: "it would mean that literally every other possible useful feature then conceived has already been implemented."

Anyway, acknowledging that I have no dog in this fight, and that there's not really a fight anyway, I would think that in the unlikely event that there should be a loud clamor for it from the user community then the steering committee or whatever would go for it., wouldn't they?

 

[neil_w]

Well, now there I can't argue (I wasn't really arguing in the first place), provided one small modification: "it would mean that literally every other possible useful feature then conceived has already been implemented."

Anyway, acknowledging that I have no dog in this fight, and that there's not really a fight anyway, I would think that in the unlikely event that there should be a loud clamor for it from the user community then the steering committee or whatever would go for it., wouldn't they?

Loud clamor + understanding how to do it => maybe.

0 for 2.

 

[jqavins]

Loud clamor + understanding how to do it => maybe.

0 for 2.

Maybe = never say never.

 

[BABAR]

Loud clamor + understanding how to do it => maybe.

0 for 2.

I WANT SQUARE ROCKETS IN OPEN ROCKET!

1 for 2

okay, now we just need the “how to” part.

 

[neil_w]

MASKING, PT. 1

I need to mask the interior of the pods before I can start painting (never mind now that the weather has finally turned cold I have no idea when my next paint opportunity will be). I had an initial plan and it went like this:

1) Cover the interior with blue tape, but not out to the edges.

2) Finish the rest with Tamiya tape, folding over the edges (I'll hand-paint the edges black at the end)


The problem, apart from the fact that it is a truly miserable job, is that getting the tape into the corners is shockingly difficult. It's all too easy to leave a gap in the corner.

I didn't try to get the blue tape in there, but I surely did try with the Tamiya tape, and really can't be sure if I succeeded.

After tediously completing three of the four edges, I had a different idea and tried it out on the last untaped end.

1) Apply tape over the ends

2) Trim, not too tight to the edge

The tube walls are almost a full mm thick...

...which doesn't sound like much but it feels like it should be enough to get a good tape barrier. Or is it? I'm not sure. I mean, with a normal good mask you won't see the paint seep a full millimeter into the tape... it should stop right at the tape edge. But then you're normally taping to a flat surface, not perpendicular to a thin edge like I've done there. Anyone have any opinions if this is a good idea or not? It sure was a billion times easier, and this way I can be sure that the corners are at least as well sealed as everything else. Should I trim the tape tighter? I'm wondering if I'm giving the paint an opportunity to dam up along the tape edge.

I think there is a good chance the white primer will seal the edges of the tape, and if a bit seeps under into the pods then it'll be easy enough to paint over it with the orange. Just don't want to get any black in there.

Opinions welcome. I'd like to get this right on the first try, and not need to do a bunch of paint clean-up afterwards.

 

[mbeels]

I don't think I've ever tried to do exactly that, but my guess is that it will probably work fine. Especially if you're painting the white primer first, that will help seal the tape and prevent the black from getting under.

What could happen is that the white primer forms a bit of a lip because it dams up against the tape, and after you paint the black you'll get a slightly more pronounced lip. It'll be a bit fragile, and bumps and knocks to the corner will reveal the white primer underneath. But that's talking about things that will happen at the thickness of the paint, so I don't think it is too much to worry about. Actually, that is all probably stuff that would happen regardless of how you mask and paint it.

 

[Daddyisabar]

Well, I guess @Daddyisabar will appreciate that there will always be a place for the Jedi MindSim and @lakeroadster will likewise appreciate that Swing Tests will never go completely out of style!

Not long until all the old dudes are replaced by A I. The computer will simply give the correct answer, no need to listen to all the "back in my day" stories! It will be awesome!

 

[jqavins]

Opinions welcome. I'd like to get this right on the first try, and not need to do a bunch of paint clean-up afterwards.

First, probably the same as you, I think it's very probably fine, but that doesn't stop me being uneasy about it. The primer seal is especially relevant there.

Second, below is a way to get the interior tape into the corners. (Unless it's what you've already done without success.)

Third, being a nefarious Nervous Nelly, I'd do both the interior tape and the cap. Belt and suspenders. The interior tape is sure except in the corners, and the cap helps with that last little bit.

Finally, if you do end up having to sand away bleeds, and since these are flat walls, I think you'd benefit from a flat version of your sanding sticks. Glue the sandpaper to popsicle sticks or tongue depressors, or use those disposable nail sanding boards.

OK, for the interior corners, try placing a sharp edged tool like the back side of snap off blade inside the tube. After the tape is started on one inside face, use the tool to push the tape into the corner and push it down all the way to the corner before moving on to the next face. You might also find the tool handy to "squeegee" the tape firmly against the sides. All this is only necessary for the Tamia strip at the edge, of course. (If the tool is in fact the back edge of a blade, put a layer of tape on the sharp edge to protect your fingers.) That should give you an improved belt, and I'd still add the suspenders.

And, you've probably thought of this and done it, burnish the end cap by turning the tub on end and rubbing it on a flat, smooth surface.

 

[neil_w]

I decided to go with this approach.

Here's my biggest concern: if I paint in cold-ish weather, the air in the pods will contract... could it contract enough to pull the tape loose? It will bare watching.

 

[gdjsky01]

I ordered two of the MMX New Way rockets... not sure what to expect (and two MMX Hawks - THOSE should be fun).

Wonderful build thread, as usual!

 

[neil_w]

Well, I would expect high quality kits. Post your builds!

 

[gdjsky01]

Their web site is underwhelming... glad to hear their kits are not.

 

[kuririn]

Their web site is underwhelming... glad to hear their kits are not.

The NewWay section at erockets has the latest kits and full assortment.
I don't think the webpage has been updated in a long while.

 

[gdjsky01]

The NewWay section at erockets has the latest kits and full assortment.
I don't think the webpage has been updated in a long while.

Yes eRockets is where I ordered from.
Still it would be nice to be able to... oh I don't know... call me crazy... browse the instructions... get a better look at the parts... see a complete product list... let your mind go wild

 

[neil_w]

Ready for paint. No idea when I’ll have an opportunity, though. And I just discovered I need some more white primer.

 

[kuririn]

Yes eRockets is where I ordered from.
Still it would be nice to be able to... oh I don't know... call me crazy... browse the instructions... get a better look at the parts... see a complete product list... let your mind go wild

You forgot download the Rocksim file and browse the build video.

 

[Bluegrass Rocket]

I agree, my website is underwhelming. When I started the NewWay venture, I knew nothing about websites and I still don’t. A friend of mine said he would take the lead on the website, and he did, for a few months. He grew tired of messing with it and stopped doing it. I had put all my energy into figuring out how to make kits, learning nothing about websites. I’ve had others try to help, but the same issue arises. I’ve never really made enough to justify spending a bunch on the site, nor have I learned enough to do it myself. So, regrettably, the site stands still and extremely outdated. The silver lining could come in the form of my son who has just finished a coding course, which he learned some website stuff. I may be a benefactor of his newly gained knowledge. My fingers are crossed and holding on for a future fix.

 

[gdjsky01]

Where was that?

https://www.erockets.biz/newway-flying-model-rocket-kit-micro-2x4-micro-nwy-29/
or

https://www.erockets.biz/newway-flying-model-rocket-kit-micro-c-thru-micro-nwy-31/


Guess I missed that.


Heal thy self please

 

[gdjsky01]

I agree, my website is underwhelming.

Thanks dude for the post... too bad others had to... never mind. Thanks... Hope the MMX kits are interesting. I like MMX. And K's!

 

[Bluegrass Rocket]

http://modelrocketbuilding.blogspot.com/2020/07/new-way-mmx-c-thru-build-part-1-parts.html?m=1
Chris Michielssen did a build on his Model Rocket Building Blog.