Der Big Red Max questions

[Gunstar]

The Der Big Red Max is listed as having a weight of 14.5oz. The Executioner however, which is much taller and only a littler narrower is 8oz and flies on a D engine.

Why is the DBRM so heavy? It is a lot easier for me to get to a place where I can launch a D rocket than something that takes E or above, so I would like to fly a DBRM on a D if it can be made light enough.

 

[K'Tesh]

The Executioner is a BT-80 kit (2.6" OD)... The new DBRM* is 3". The BT-80 is a thinner wall construction (0.021" thick) than the 3" tube (0.035" thick**). The Executioner's nosecone is slightly over 8" exposed. The DBRM is around 12", as such, it's likely much heavier. And while the Executioner's motor tube is much longer (almost 8"), it's also much thinner walled (0.013" thick) than the DBRM's 4.5" (0.04" thick) tube*.

That said, being so much heavier, the DBRM might not even fly as high as the Executioner.

* There was an older kit with the same name. It was a BT-60 based kit with an 18" long body tube. The original version was issued with a two-piece injection molded nosecone.
** Presuming that Estes hasn't changed their tube's dimensions from when they made the 3" PSII kits. I don't have a sample in hand... yet.

 

[Gunstar]

Is the nosecone for the DBRM plastic or balsa?

 

[K'Tesh]

Plastic