Centuri Taurus upscale

[Fishhead]

Since my recent Taurus clone is, at least for the moment, unflyable, I thought I'd embark on a new project. This is a 1.35x upscale using parts from BMS, Thrustline and Red Arrow. It will be a 3x18mm cluster and I hope to put to use all of what I learned on my original clone.

 

[Fishhead]

Another view, this time of the engine mounts. The project is actually going a lot faster than I expected. I plan to start attaching the fins tomorrow.

 

[Lugnut]

That looks awesome!

 

[dtomko]

Beautiful!

 

[jetra2]

Ooooh...pretty!

Great work so far - cain't wait to see that thing finshed!

Jason

 

[Fishhead]

This is the fin can, finally finned.

 

[Fishhead]

And a shot with the fins and pod mounts attached.

 

[Micromeister]

Lookin good fishhead:
I've overlooked the old Taurus in my micro downscale effors, I may just have to add it to the list...Maybe a downscale 3 mircro cluster Nah, l'll have to take to better look at the plans

 

[Fishhead]

Originally posted by Micromeister
Lookin good fishhead:
I've overlooked the old Taurus in my micro downscale effors, I may just have to add it to the list...Maybe a downscale 3 mircro cluster Nah, l'll have to take to better look at the plans

I gave some thought to a BT-50 to BT-20 downscale with BT-5 pods, but I haven't even checked to see if the parts are available for something that looks vaguely Taurus-ish. I think my next project after the upscale is finished is going to be another 1:1 with all Semroc parts.

 

[Fishhead]

I found myself with some extra time recently, so I've made some progress on the Taurus upscale. This is the bottom end, fresh from the masking tape.

 

[Fishhead]

Now with the middle section attached.

 

[Fishhead]

And finally, complete except for the pods and decals. (Tomorrow's projects.) I'm hoping for a weekend launch with Saturday currently holding the weather nod.

 

[dtomko]

Bill,
Looks beautiful! I like the back drop, too. I'm going to ask my wife if we can do our kitchen in early Taurus.

Drew Tomko

 

[Fishhead]

I was temporarily displaced from my normal kitchen table workspace by middle school homework.

 

[Rob Fisher]

That's a really cool paint job! The black & white look really good together. You just can't rush a good paint job though, which I have found out the hard way.

 

[jpasqual]

Bill - Love the work - excellent paint job - can you give more pics when your completely done - pods and all. I gotta build one of these !!!!

 

[Fishhead]

I'm hoping to finish it this weekend, but I may have run into a problem that the 11 I got on my math ACT is to blame for. I'm afraid that I built it on the wrong scale, but I have some ciphering to do before I'm sure. Somehow I got it into my head that the original Taurus used a BT-60 as it's main tube. (Upper and lower sections, that it.) It was actually a BT-56. I'm in the process of figuring if I built it as a 1.35:1 scale or correctly as a 1.65:1 scale. I may be starting over. :kill:

 

[centuriguy]

Originally posted by Fishhead
I'm afraid that I built it on the wrong scale, but I have some ciphering to do before I'm sure. Somehow I got it into my head that the original Taurus used a BT-60 as it's main tube. (Upper and lower sections, that it.) It was actually a BT-56. I'm in the process of figuring if I built it as a 1.35:1 scale or correctly as a 1.65:1 scale. I may be starting over. :kill:

Bill,

After bashing the numbers around with my Windows XP built-in calculator (and a Centuri/Estes comparison spreadsheet), it looks like you managed to cut your BT-60 and BT-70 tube lengths to 1.35X.

But as you mentioned, the correct scale from ST-13/BT-56 up to BT-70 is 1.65X. (However, scaling a Centuri ST-8 up to an Estes BT-60 is actually 1.80X. ARGH!) And increasing a BT-5 to a BT-20 is an upscale of 1.36X, while going to BT-50 is 1.80X, too. (heavy sigh)

So it looks like your correct tube lengths for a 1.65X (or 1.65:1) Centuri Taurus (using BT-60 and 70's) are as follows:

BT-70 upper tube: 3.75" L
BT-60 middle tube: 9.5" L
BT-70 lower tube: 13.25" L
BT-20 pod tubes: 6.6" L

And I'm sure you can do the 1.65X math for the nose cone and transition lengths.

Sorry, buddy. Hope this helps, despite the (apparently) correct calculations coming in too late. :kill:


Cheers,

--Jay

 

[Fishhead]

Originally posted by centuriguy
Bill,

After bashing the numbers around with my Windows XP built-in calculator (and a Centuri/Estes comparison spreadsheet), it looks like you managed to cut your BT-60 and BT-70 tube lengths to 1.35X.

But as you mentioned, the correct scale from ST-13/BT-56 up to BT-70 is 1.65X. (However, scaling a Centuri ST-8 up to an Estes BT-60 is actually 1.80X. ARGH!) And increasing a BT-5 to a BT-20 is an upscale of 1.36X, while going to BT-50 is 1.80X, too. (heavy sigh)

So it looks like your correct tube lengths for a 1.65X (or 1.65:1) Centuri Taurus (using BT-60 and 70's) are as follows:

BT-70 upper tube: 3.75" L
BT-60 middle tube: 9.5" L
BT-70 lower tube: 13.25" L
BT-20 pod tubes: 6.6" L

And I'm sure you can do the 1.65X math for the nose cone and transition lengths.

Sorry, buddy. Hope this helps, despite the (apparently) correct calculations coming in too late. :kill:


Cheers,

--Jay

These are the same numbers I came up with tonight. Problem is, these are the calculations I came up with when I started this project:
(taken directly from my in progress review)
3" T-70 upper body tube (BMS)
7.75" BT-60 center body tube (Red Arrow)
10.8" T-70 lower body tube (BMS)
3 - 5.4" BT-20 pod tubes (Red Arrow)
Yup. 1.35x. I think I can work around everything but the existing paint job. Looks like it was all for naught. Me and my "math skills". The parts are all dry-fitted right now, so it will be possible to add the correct amount of tubing to the bottom and middle sections, and cut a completely new top section. The thing that worries me is the fins. No way to add whats missing to them. I may just peel the whole bottom section down to get at the motor mount and start over.
If you'll excuse me now, I think I'd like to throw up. (We really need a "PUKING" smilie on that list.)

 

[stevecarr]

I've seen some of your creations fly. You'll probably loose it on the first flight anyway. Maybe it will land next to the road and someone will pick it up before you get to it. Maybe we could spend a half hour looking for it and have someone find it a month later all water damaged. Don't sweat it. It will be gone after the first flight. :kill:

 

[Fishhead]

Originally posted by stevecarr
I've seen some of your creations fly. You'll probably loose it on the first flight anyway. Maybe it will land next to the road and someone will pick it up before you get to it. Maybe we could spend a half hour looking for it and have someone find it a month later all water damaged. Don't sweat it. It will be gone after the first flight. :kill:

Hmmm. "Bite me!" is the only thing that comes to mind as a response. I must be losing my touch. I'd hate to see my vocabulary follow the same path as my math skills. People would mistake me for a NewCath grad for sure if that was ever the case. I'd only be fit to screw in light bulbs for a living like you.

I was scaling new fins this morning. Looks like most of the work will be in the fin can section. I think I'm going to try removing and replacing the fins and adding the extra section of tubing necessary. If that doesn't work, I'll start again from scratch. The other tubes will just be a matter of adding a bit to the middle section and cutting a new upper section.
So, what have you been up to? Built any rockets to sacrifice to the Rossford Tree Gods lately?

 

[Fishhead]

Since discovering the error of my math ways, I've managed to rescue the remnants of the aborted Taurus upscale and have begun anew. Well, almost anew. All of the BT-70 for this project will be new, and I'm hoping to have a little time to attach the main fins tonight. The new cluster mount from Thrustline arrived today, so installing that is high on the list of things to do for tomorrow. This is a pretty simple process, so I'm hoping to have it at least in primer by Wednesday.
The center section is finished and ready to prime. All it needed was an additional inch+ of BT-60, and I've even managed to hide the repair seam. Well, almost. You never really hide anything under a metallic finish.
The top section of BT-70 is all new, but since it's just a section of tube I didn't have to do anything special except paint it, prime it, and attach it to the TA-6070 transition that I scavenged from the first attempt at this project. Overall I'd have to say that finding out my mistake has improved this project greatly by adding overall length and greater fin area. I have more room between the engine mount and the exhaust baffle, and more room to pack a chute into up top. I had to buy a new engine mount from Thrustline and I exhausted my supply of BT-70, but I saved all of the high $ parts by not gluing things together. (i.e. Dumb luck.) Decals are going to be a challenge, but I have a new computer that's loaded with a graphics package, so I'm hoping that will solve that mystery, or at least provide a clue for me to move ahead with.
As for the old bottom section, it has the cluster mount installed and the paint came out looking great, so I'm thinking about coming up with an idea for something different above the TA-6070 that I'll need to eventually buy from BMS. I might make a clustered payloader out of it since I have a payload section or two to work with in my parts box.

 

[laseradam]

What type of silver paint did you use. I am working on a second Taurus clone. Pointed pod type and I like how your metalic came out.

 

[Fishhead]

I'm pretty sure it's plain ol' Valspar Silver Metallic. Lowe's house brand.
I just ordered the parts from Semroc for a pointed pod 1:1 clone last night at work. I'm going to be overrun with Tauri in a little while.

 

[stevecarr]

Are you sure you did your fractions right?
Are your paper towel rolls the right brand?
Just don't eat all of the paste. Somethings got to keep your
rocket together.

 

[Fishhead]

Who lifted your rock?
I'm going to try to get this thing in the air this weekend, hopefully Saturday. Any plans to hit VOA, or did the wife ground you for drawing Patriot plans on the living room wall again?

 

[Fishhead]

This is a side by side photo of the two bottom sections of the Taurus. The too-small section is on the left. (And it was painted so nicely.......)

 

[Fishhead]

And the dry-fit of the near complete rocket. I plan on using the rest of the long weekend to at least get the paint finished.

 

[Fishhead]

I put a lot of work into this on Friday night and all day yesterday. Thing looked good for a first flight today, with temps pushing 60, but the winds wouldn't cooperate and the club launch was scrubbed. This is a big and little Henry size comparison.

 

[Fishhead]

And this is just after final assembly. The pods have since been attached, but it was too late and I was too tired to take a picture.