Dr. Zooch Saturn V

[luke strawwalker]

Well, one good build thread deserves another, so I'm going to detail my recent construction of the Dr. Zooch Saturn V while on holiday in Indiana.

The kit is based on a BT-60 main body tube with a BT-50 S-IVB above the transition. The kit consists of these two tubes, an engine tube, various motor mount parts, centering rings, a second BT-20 tube which becomes the conical section Saturn V engine fairings, a couple wrap sheets for the body tubes and F-1 engines, service module, capsule, tower, LES motor nozzle fairing, a wooden LES rocket on top of the capsule (which appears to be a surgically altered golf tee), balsa nosecone, balsa transition, sheet balsa for fins, and surprisingly, a decal sheet. The ubiquitous Dr. Zooch comic instructions are a given...

So, lets get started. First off was construction of the motor mount. This rocket is powered by a single 18 mm motor in stock form, and that's what I went with for the build. It's a typical motor mount in all respects. The motor mount consists of engine tube, engine hook, reinforcing band to prevent hook ripouts of the tube, centering rings, and an engine block ring. Somehow I managed to forget to glue in the motor block ring until after I installed the completed motor mount inside the longish BT-60 main body tube, so I had to surgically install it using a very specialized highly sophisticated installation tool (OK, so it was a magic marker taped to a foot long marking aluminum angle with the ring slipped on the end, but it was kinda ingenious and got the job done!) Once installed the motor mount and body tube is set aside to dry.

The nosecone occupied my next attention. It's rather unusual in that it's flat on top. You pull it out of the box and you're faced with something that looks like the S-IVB spacecraft adapter section that housed the LM, which is a long tapering adapter topped by a cylindrical section like the Apollo Service Module, with a flat, chopped off top with a small 1/4 inch by about 1/16 inch deep dimple drilled in the end. A wrap simulates the cylindrical SM at the top of the nosecone, but the lower half is painted white to look like the Spacecraft Adapter. So, this half of the nosecone needs to be filled and sanded. First you have to make sure that there is a distinct line sanded in the nosecone where the cylindrical SM section starts to taper as the LM Adapter-- it tends to be a bit rounded from the factory but a couple passes with 220 grit or a small sanding file will quickly make a sharp transition between the two. I carefully measured the SM wrap and then marked the nosecone all the way around where the sanding line needed to be, then worked my way around with a sanding board a few times sanding up to the line to make the sharp transition. Next, I hardening the nosecone with thin CA glue. A quick sanding with 220 grit takes off any hardened fuzz and sawdust/CA rough crud. Next I brushed on a layer of thinned Elmer's Wood Filler to cover the grain and smooth the nosecone out, and when dry sanded most of it off with 220 grit paper. Next came two heavy coats of gray W/M Colorplace 98 cent primer, another sanding with 220 grit, and then a followup with 600 grit wet/dry paper using a bit of water to prevent the paper from clogging and remove the sanding mud. With an hour of work the nosecone now looked like plastic and was ready for paint. The entire rocket is 'mocked up' at this time (stacked using the transition, body tubes, and nose cone) and painted W/M Colorplace Flat White enamel. The transition requires no surface prep, as it's covered with a paper wrap to simulate the look of the stringers on the tapering S-II/S-IVB stage adapter transition complete with roll patterns and retrorockets. This is cut from the wrap sheet and carefully glued together, clamped with a smooth-jawed hemostat and set aside to dry for later installation over the balsa transition. At the same time, the F-1 engine bells are cut out of the wrap sheet and glued up with white glue. Each F-1 engine consists of an upper and lower engine bell half, so there are ten to do. Set them aside to dry.

Here's a few pics-- more to come... OL JR

 

[Saluki]

This is going to look real good setting on Dr. Zooch Launch Umbilical Tower when he gets it done. I'm sure he is working on it at this very minute. You think?

 

[luke strawwalker]

Next, we get to work on what is probably the most ingenious part of this kit--the F-1 engine fairings. These consist of four semitriangular sections cut from the wrap sheet. These are then curled into a roughly half-conical shape and white glue is applied to their backs, and then they are glued in a staggered fashion around a small section of BT-20 motor mount tubing. Once dry, these are then carefully cut from the tubing, giving a nicely curved, fairly thick-walled conical fairing which pretty well simulates the four fairings around the bottom of the S-IC stage. Using a hobby knife I carefully removed the paper from the outside of the fairings where the fins will glue to the fairings so they could get a better grip on the tube itself. I also scraped away most of the tube's glassine coating in these areas for better adhesion.

Next, the Apollo Command Module capsule is cut from the wrap sheet and glued up into a simple cone shape with white glue. I put a smooth hemostat on it and set it aside to dry. The LES motor nozzle shroud is also cut from the wrap sheet and similarly glued up at this time, as is the tower. The tower on this kit consists of a cardstock printout much like a conical transition, with the four faces of the tower printed side by side. Using a steel rule, I cut the tower out carefully, and then carefully and sharply creased the tower at each of the four legs to make it's square cross-section nice and sharp, and then carefully glued it up, clamped it, and set it aside to dry. Later I test fitted all these parts on the tower golf-tee dowel; they are slid over the dowel one at a time and stacked up to look like the capsule, tower, and LES motor skirt. I found trimming a tiny inverted "V" sliver off the base of the tower between each leg let it conform to the conical capsule below much better and look nicer. Then it can be test fit to the balsa nosecone.

The instructions said to "insert the dowel into the hole drilled in the nosecone" and the pictures in the instructions show a hole that looks approximately 1/2 inch deep. Looking at my nosecone it was readily apparent that the hole was at most 1/16 inch deep on my nosecone, so I got online and wrote a quick PM to Dr. Zooch asking if this was correct or if I got a "Monday morning nosecone" that hadn't been drilled properly. Wes responded quickly that yes this WAS correct; that the drawing was accentuated to enhance the visibility of the hole and the installation of the tower by exaggerating the depth of the hole. Satisfied that this was the correct location and placement of the tower, and turning off the part of my brain that sees drawings as blueprints for awhile, I test fitted everything together. I found that the dimple was a TINY bit off center, which was quickly rectified with a hobby knife trimming the hole side closest to the center to true it up. I could also then mark the exact position to glue the capsule, tower, and shroud onto the LES rocket dowel to account for the depth of the hole. Once satisfied everything would fit properly, I applied the glue and slid everything into place on the golf tee (LES rocket). The instructions recommend repeatly filling the inverted capsule with white glue to make it a solid piece, which I did. So, this part resided in a clamp on the workbench, periodically refilled with white glue as the build progressed. I removed the masking tape I had put on the nosecone where the cylindrical SM wrap would go, applied the glue, and carefully put the SM wrap on the nosecone.

Next, I cut the fin template from the wrap sheet, traced the fins on the balsa stock, and cut the fins out. I stacked and sanded them, and decided to deviate from the instructions slightly and paper the fins. First I sanded the fins into the typical wedge shape of the Saturn V's fins. I actually made them have a wedge shaped leading edge and left them a bit thicker so they would be a bit stronger. I cut strips from printer paper, cut them into four rectangular blocks, spread a large drop of glue on the paper into a thin film, and then pressed the fin down on the paper firmly with the leading edge in the middle of the rectangle, and started folding the fin over at the leading edge, keeping the paper tight to the wedge shape as I went. Once folded over, I worked the excess glue out and burnished the paper down firmly onto the fin ensuring the paper was tight against the leading edge and wedge contour, and then used the ruler edge to burnish the paper down all the way around the edges of the fin. These were then set aside to dry, and later carefully trimmed out of the excess paper using a SHARP hobby knife blade, and the edges of the fins finish dressed by lightly drawing the fin's edge across a sheet of 220 grit sandpaper at a slight angle to remove any stray fuzz. I then smeared a bit of white glue around the unpapered edges to seal the balsa and start the double-glue joints. The fins are then carefully glued onto the conical engine fairings.

While working with the balsa, I also cut out the two triangular ullage motors for the S-IVB and the two auxiliary power units for the S-IVB. These consist of two small triangles of balsa for the ullage motors, and two small pentagonal bits for the APU's. The leading edges of the ullage motors are rounded (I had the balsa split on one while sanding it-- not an easy task on such a tiny bit of balsa, so I cut another and worked a little slower and they worked fine.) I DID decide to paper the ullage motors to make them a bit smoother and stronger. Using a bit of printer paper, I spread a drop of glue into a film on the paper, pressed the ullage motor onto the paper, folded over at the leading edge, and pressed it down again, and burnished the edges, and set aside to dry. Later they are cut out with a SHARP hobby knife and trimmed, and are ready to glue onto the rocket. The APU's are a bit more sophisticated, so they have to be shaped with sandpaper or a sanding stick. I found trimming the basic shape using the hobby knife easier, followed by rounding the leading edges and doing a bit of finish sanding as needed to the APU's. They are then ready for a coat of white paint (along with the ullage motors) and are ready to glue on the rocket when called for.

More pics and more to come... OL JR

 

[luke strawwalker]

Now we come to the wraps. First off you'll need a reference line down the length of the rocket. I used my aluminum and brass angles to put a vertical line squarely down the length of the tubes, but a doorjamb will do if necessary. The wraps DON'T cover the ENTIRE surface of the rocket like most other Dr. Zooch kits, so I measured the wraps' widths and locations and carefully marked the body tube so there wouldn't be any unsightly marks or lines on the painted part of the rocket. Then, carefully cut out the wraps from the sheet and apply them one by one. Start at the bottom of the rocket and work your way up. Be sure to use white glue for this; it dries clear and will prevent any unsightly glue stains on the paint or wraps. The edges of the wraps are aligned with the reference line and they are carefully rolled onto the tube and burninshed down with the barrel of a sharpie or some other firm smooth rounded tool. The instructions give a helpful diagram of the locations and placement of the wraps; read it several times and refer back to it as you go so you get them right the first time. There are several wraps up the length of the BT-60 main tube to represent the intertank and interstage stringers of the Saturn V's S-IC and S-II stages, so this takes a little time and care. The instructions also recommend referring to https://apollomaniacs.web.infoseek.co.jp/apollo/indexe.htm for additional details in placing the wraps and details in the build. I found the site to be IMMENSELY helpful and informative.

Next the conical S-II/S-IVB interstage wrap is glued on the balsa transition. Then the S-IVB wraps are glued to the BT-50 S-IVB tube at the top and bottom. The tube can then be glued to the transition.

When the Apollo capsule has been completely filled with dried white glue, the tower and capsule can be glued to the top of the nosecone above the SM wrap. Carefully align the dowel and hole, and test fit everything. Make sure you turn the nosecone and look for 'wobbling' in the tower to ensure it sits straight up. Once you do any needed trimming for a good fit and are satisfied, go ahead and apply a healthy layer of white glue to the capsule and dowel bottom and the nosecone top and join them together, and rotate the assembly again to ensure it's straight and square and won't wobble.

Now we can work on the F-1 engines. These are BEAUTIFUL pieces of micro-paper engineering, and I really take my hat off to Wes at Dr. Zooch for his creation of these-- they are REALLY works of art when done! First, fit the upper and lower halves of each engine bell together. If you were careful in aligning the glue tabs and clamping them up to dry, they should be a perfect fit. Gently slide the upper halves inside the lower halves of each engine until the seams almost meet, and apply a layer of white glue, and set them aside to dry. It takes a bit of time, having five to work on (the fifth is a spare that Wes includes with the kit in case one is lost or damaged in flying the kit-- very handy and thoughtful!) Next we come to, for me, the most problematical part of the build-- FGP, or Funky Glue Putty. This is the recommended material for molding the complicated double-tapered round curved turbine exhaust duct around the middle of the F-1 engine between the upper nozzle and nozzle extension. On the real engine, the upper nozzle was regeneratively cooled by the fuel, the lower nozzle extension was cooled by the flow of 'relatively cool' (say 2000 degrees instead of 6000 degrees) turbine exhaust from the turbopump's heat exchanger. This "cool" gas was ducted into a tapered duct around the F-1 and injected through slots into the rocket exhaust midway down the nozzle, forming a cooler 'film' of exhaust gas between the face of the nozzle and the EXTREMELY hot rocket exhaust from the main combustion chamber and nozzle above. That "cool" gas being mixed with the extremely hot and bright rocket exhaust a few feet behind the F-1 engine is what causes the engine to look like the flames are 'licking' back up toward the engine when the Saturn V first took off... Anyway-- this FGP is the best way that Wes came up with making this complicated shape to attach to the engine bells. I know what he's talking about-- most of us do... work with white or wood glue for awhile and wipe away a little excess a few times and pretty soon you have a 'second skin' of glue goo on your fingers which you can roll off and which tends to form little turds of glue crud all over the workbench after awhile... After trying for the better part of an hour and going through probably a shot-glass amount of glue trying to make the stuff "on purpose" (seems I'm plagued with the stuff when I'm trying to work, but can't create it on purpose for love or money!) I finally switched tactics and added a 'filler' to the mix-- I tore a few bits of Kleenex off a tissue and worked it into the wet glue, adding a bit of tissue or glue as needed to modify the viscosity of the mix. I worked this back and forth repeatedly until it was a bloody pulp and firmed up as the glue "dried out" a bit and then formed two of the turbine exhausts. This probably took about 30 minutes or so per engine, and working on the third motor my KGP (Kleenex Glue Putty) batch went to pot and determined to stick itself irreparably to ME instead of forming into a workable mass, and I thought "there's got to be an easier way" and so I broke out the Mighty Putty and cut off a sliver and started working it together, formed the duct and put it on the motor, and went on to the next one. This cut the time down considerably. I set them aside overnight to dry and went to bed. Next morning I discovered I'd probably been a little tired, because the putty ones were definitely oversize, but I found I could easily trim them down to size and contour with the hobby knife; with some careful carving they can be almost perfectly shaped and rounded to the desired size, shape, and contour. I then went over the ducts with a layer of smeared on white glue to make sure everything was securely glued together. Next, we cut the "poly-coated Popielium" supplied in the kit into five strings as stipulated in the instructions-- these are then wrapped around the nozzles to simulate the reinforcing 'hatband' rings around the rocket nozzles. I carefully installed these and allowed them to dry, then rubbed another layer of white glue over the whole motors to ensure everything was glued down tight and strengthen it up a bit. The turbopump exhaust heat exchangers come next. These consist of five 1/4 inch long bits of dowel, one for each engine, which is wrapped with a small 'pennant' shaped bit of paper cut from the kit instructions (or a copy thereof as the case may be since I file all my instructions when I'm done and don't like chopping them up). The "pennant' is wrapped and glued around the dowel to make the tapered semi-cylindrical shape of the heat exchangers, which are then glued on top of the F-1 nozzle extension ducts from the last step. Make sure you trim them to fit so the top of the heat exchangers are exactly level with the tip of the F-1 nozzle so the engines will sit level when glued to the bottom of the Saturn V. After another thin glue layer to toughen things up had dried, I then painted the F-1 engines the recommended Testor's Enamel #1180 Steel per the instructions, and painted the nozzle interiors with gunmetal. Now sit back and behold the beauty of these tiny works of art!

Next we start the hard part... detailing... OL JR

 

[luke strawwalker]

Now the hard part... DETAILING!

The kit comes with a supply of small dowels-- about 3/32 inch or so, which is used to make the many protruding details of the Saturn V.

First off, we paint the fins Testor's Enamel #1180 Steel and allow to dry. Mask off the tank between the lowest wrap and the one above it (S-IC intertank) and paint the stripes black with Testor's Flat Black Enamel to align the vertical stripes on the S-IC fuel tank with the stripes on the engine fairings and lower wrap. Then, cut some small decals out of the instruction sheet (or copy thereof for previously explained reasons) which consist of two of each "A", "B", "C", and "D" for each side of the fins. The instructions explain the location and placement of these decals to the fins and their significance, and refers you to https://apollomaniacs.web.infoseek.co.jp/apollo/indexe.htm for additional details if you so choose. There are also four small decals trimmed from the instruction sheet for the "I", "II", "III", and "IIII" marks between fins used to designate sides of the rocket. The instructions describe their placement and function. Now to the doweling...

There are two cable tunnels up the sides of the S-IC stage directly opposite each other. Cut the dowel to the described size per the instructions, sand or carefully carve the ends down to rounded over shape described, painted them white, and carefully glue them on. I found some rubber bands helpful to hold them in place and aligned for this step. I had actually already cut most of the details fo the upper stages at this point and found myself short of dowel material and could only construct one S-IC cable tunnel. I didn't want to rob material from another kit, and the hobby shop did not have any materials the size of that doweling, so I did the next best thing... I broke down and went to the Chinese buffet in Bremen, Indiana and ate a few of those chicken skewers. After picking the chicken off the sticks, I carefully placed them in my shirt pocket so I wouldn't forget them, and finished my lunch. After I left I tossed them onto the dash of the pickup so the sticks could dry out thoroughly for a few days, and instructed my wife not to throw them away if she went anywhere in the truck. Later I sanded them lightly, carved one to the length and shape necessary, painted it white, and then glued it to the model-- How many rockets have parts that were on a Chinese buffet??? It worked perfectly and now I have a couple spares as well...

The S-II is probably the most complicated detailing job. There are four ullage motors on the S-IC/S-II interstage, which are cut from short lengths of doweling, one end sanded or whittled to the desired shape, painted white, and glued on. The S-II has five liquid hydrogen tunnels that covered the liquid hydrogen fuel lines that ran outside the stage, down, and back into the thrust structure at the base of the stage. These tunnels consist of five pieces of dowel cut to the described length, their ends sanded or whittled down to offset points, and are then painted and glued on the model in the appropriate locations as described in the instructions. I modified the directions slightly here and whittled a thin shaving off the full length of the back of these fuel line tunnels to give them a slight "D" cross-section so they'd lay flatter on the side of the S-II stage. Carefully follow the instructions here or refer to https://apollomaniacs.web.infoseek.co.jp/apollo/indexe.htm for details here, as these tunnels are NOT evenly spaced around the Saturn V and have definite locations in regard to the roll pattern and reference line. There are also two cable tunnels running most of the length of the S-II on opposite sides, which are aligned differently than the S-IC tunnels and in specific placement with regard to the fuel tunnels just mentioned. These are cut to length, ends appropriately shaped, painted, and glued on where indicated.

The triangular balsa ullage motors and APU's previously mentioned in an earlier post are now ready to be installed on the S-IVB. Refer to https://apollomaniacs.web.infoseek.co.jp/apollo/indexe.htm for precise information, as the instructions are a bit sparse here. I also took note of some details on apollomaniacs that isn't in the instructions and added a few additional details, specifically the two cable tunnels down the side of the S-IVB stage, one which is nearly the length of the stage and the other is significantly shorter, which are fairly close together on the stage. I cut these from left over wrap material, since these cable tunnels are rather thin and flat instead of the large round ones on the lower stages, and glued them on. I also took a bit of leftover dowel about 1/4 inch long and rounded it's ends off to make the small liquid hydrogen line duct tunnel on the side of the S-IVB stage connecting the hydrogen tank to the thrust structure and the J-2 rocket engine inside. This was then painted and glued on the S-IVB, and appears as a little round 'bump' near the bottom of the stage on one side between the APU's and ullage motors.

Once all the details are installed and dry, we can do the decals. There's a "first motion" pattern on the S-II stage, specifically placed as per the instructions and website, and four "United States" decals placed around the stage. There are four American flags on the S-IC and four red lettered "USA" decals on the S-IC. Once all that is installed and dry, the rocket can be clearcoated to protect everything (which I have yet to do actually).

The shock cord is installed with a trifold mount-- cut a piece off the edge of the now empty wrap sheet, grab the elastic from the kit, and make the mount, clamp it up, and glue it in the main body tube when dry. Install the screw eye in the transition, put glue in the hole, and screw it in. Tie off the shock cord, make the trash bag chute, and glue the nosecone on top of the S-IVB properly clocking it's position in relation to the roll patterns and SM RCS nozzle details.

Finally, glue on the paper heatshield to the bottom centering ring around the motor tube. Be sure to clock the F-1 engine mount holes centered with the engine fairings, apply a layer of white glue over it to protect it, and then glue on the F-1 engines. Make sure they are square and level while the glue dries, and go back and carefully fillet them with a little extra white glue when they've dried to give them a little extra strength. You'll have to use a toothpick to put the glue in there. Cut the launch lug in half and glue it on the reference line, and that pretty well finishes her off...

The finished product looks AWESOME for such a small rocket! Sit back and enjoy!

This is a NEAT kit and you really need to experience a 'fun' little Saturn that you can make look really nice without sweating bullets about whether it will end up rotting on the powerline or in the top of a tree like you would with a nearly hundred to several hundred dollar kit that takes weeks or months to build... and for $25 bucks this certainly fits the bill!

More pics and more to come... OL JR

 

[luke strawwalker]

Now I took the build shots a couple weeks ago when I was building her in Indiana. I didn't realize til I got home that I didn't take any money shots of her, so I broke out the Pad 34 Z (Z for Zooch) and went out in the blazing Texas sun to get some money shots, and did a few on the table in the air conditioning of some of the details. So here's the glamour shots... enjoy!

Later! OL JR

 

[luke strawwalker]

Here's a few more... Enjoy! OL JR

 

[luke strawwalker]

This is going to look real good setting on Dr. Zooch Launch Umbilical Tower when he gets it done. I'm sure he is working on it at this very minute. You think?

Yeppers... this kit just SCREAMS for a LUT...

I have word from the Doc that he IS working on it... and about a million other things so it seems...

So, hopefully, oneday soon...

Later! OL JR

 

[Fred22]

Thats an awesome looking build you have there Luke. I am a big sat v fan. Be sure to get a flight picture
Cheers
Fred:wave:

 

[dwmzmm]

Thats an awesome looking build you have there Luke. I am a big sat v fan. Be sure to get a flight picture
Cheers
Fred:wave:

Agreed, Jeff! Can't wait to see it fly on Saturday!

 

[luke strawwalker]

Thanks guys... looking forward to it myself...

Hopefully it won't be triple digit heat...

Later! OL JR

 

[Mikus]

Gorgeous. Can't wait to see her fly.

 

[luke strawwalker]

I sent up my Saturn V as part of the club launch this weekend (Challenger 498). After Dave Montgomery's heartbreaker with his superdetailed Estes Saturn V dropped it's upper section from apogee nose first onto hard packed dry baked clay cowpasture down here at Needville, I wanted to put up a good flight with my Zooch Saturn V to commemorate the Apollo 11 anniversary, but I had a few butterflies because I'd had some bad mojo earlier in the day after both my Zooch Discoverer Thor and Mark II came down hard with the chutes still in the tubes from weak ejections. I switched from Quest B6-4's to Estes B6-4's for my 'test flights' and reloaded the dinged Mark II for another 'test' flight before committing the Saturn V. The Estes B6-4 was in fact one from my 'pre-BAR' stash of leftover rocket motors and had a build date of July, 1989. The Estes motor popped the chute perfectly (not a packing problem, as I packed it precisely the same as the other flights-- just the Quest motors have weaker ejections and I'm going to have to learn how to prep them to account for this.) Anyway, having a successful Gemini Mark II flight under my belt and feeling confident I had shaken off the bad ju-ju from earlier, I prepped the Saturn V.

I loaded her up with an Estes C6-3 for the first flight, and took her out to Pad 34Z (Z for Zooch) and got her ready. At the appointed time she lifted off arrow straight to apogee, spilled her chute for a perfect deployment and damage-free recovery about 150 feet from the pads for a beautiful flight.

Here's some pics... Enjoy! OL JR

 

[luke strawwalker]

Here's a couple more...

Later! OL JR

 

[dwmzmm]

I took a couple of closeups of Jeff's Saturn - V before launch; BTW, Jeff, your Saturn's flight was picture perfect! Congratulations!

 

[luke strawwalker]

Thanks Dave...

Sorry about your Saturn; MAN she was a BEAUT!!!! I was just about sick when I saw the upper half dropping and turn nose straight down and streamline in... just heartbreaking...

You'll have to do a repair thread-- that would be VERY informative!

Have a good one! OL JR

 

[timothyterpsalot]

Just out of curiousity, to what scale is this kit made?

 

[dwmzmm]

Thanks Dave...

Sorry about your Saturn; MAN she was a BEAUT!!!! I was just about sick when I saw the upper half dropping and turn nose straight down and streamline in... just heartbreaking...

You'll have to do a repair thread-- that would be VERY informative!

Have a good one! OL JR

Oh Jeff!! Maybe I never told you, the damage you saw on Saturday is NOTHING compared to what happened to my 2nd K-36 Saturn that crashed back in 1970; the entire engine mount assembly (D13-3, when the Estes D's were the famous D13's) blew out at ejection (instead of the Apollo capsule with the three chutes) and the whole thing lawndarted into the very hard Louisiana clay soil. The damage to everything above the SII stage was far, far worse..... Sorry I don't have any pics of that one.

 

[Fred22]

Here's a couple more...

Later! OL JR

Great shots If you want slightly clearer shots pal ask the good doctor about a minimal motor power for a flight then jack up up your shutter speed as high as it will go on a shutter priority mode. The only reason i am suggesting this is your rocket looks great and this would help to show that a little better in your flight pictures. That thing hums along like all the good doctors products which makes it a difficult shot Once again a great rocket and terrific launch
Cheers
fred

 

[Dr.Zooch]

Just out of curiousity, to what scale is this kit made?

1 cubit = 77 rods

 

[luke strawwalker]

Just out of curiousity, to what scale is this kit made?

Dr. Zooch answers with "ant-scale", a version of semi-scale tweaked slightly for the best (most reliable) flights, easiest build, and make use of commonly available parts to the extent possible. When pressed he'll also come back with some rather gibberish answers about 1 fathom = .098 furlongs or something to that effect, as he does NOT want to get into scale arguments with some folks who are 'excessively obsessed' with absolute scale perfection and 'counting rivets', getting things accurate to the nearest thousandth of an inch, etc. (NOT that there's anything WRONG with being that obsessed about scale perfection; I'm simply BLOWN AWAY when seeing the quality of scalers going to NARAM's and the Internats must be an absolutely AMAZING thing to see firsthand! It's just that for a 'sport scaler' this level of detail is NOT what it's all about-- fun flying IS the objective and the primary motivation in the Dr. Zooch products, even over perfect scale fidelity).

A little simple math will suffice. This kit uses a BT-60 tube. That is 1.637 inches in outside diameter. The real Saturn V was 33 feet in diameter across the first stage, which is 396 inches. Dividing 1.637 by 396 gives us 241.9, so roughly it is 1/242 scale.

Hope this helps... OL JR

 

[luke strawwalker]

Great shots If you want slightly clearer shots pal ask the good doctor about a minimal motor power for a flight then jack up up your shutter speed as high as it will go on a shutter priority mode. The only reason i am suggesting this is your rocket looks great and this would help to show that a little better in your flight pictures. That thing hums along like all the good doctors products which makes it a difficult shot Once again a great rocket and terrific launch
Cheers
fred

Thanks for the tips Fred... I might do that at some point. It was H O T ! at our launch and I did enough fiddling with camera settings as it was, and didn't put it in shutter priority, sport mode, or anything else, and with the huge white clouds and brilliant sunshine I think it kinda played heck with the camera anyway, judging from some of the shots. I've had some better shots back in the spring so maybe cooler weather, a little more patience, and a little less 'stuff to do' on launch day might yield better pics hopefully.

Thanks again! OL JR

 

[luke strawwalker]

Oh Jeff!! Maybe I never told you, the damage you saw on Saturday is NOTHING compared to what happened to my 2nd K-36 Saturn that crashed back in 1970; the entire engine mount assembly (D13-3, when the Estes D's were the famous D13's) blew out at ejection (instead of the Apollo capsule with the three chutes) and the whole thing lawndarted into the very hard Louisiana clay soil. The damage to everything above the SII stage was far, far worse..... Sorry I don't have any pics of that one.

Man you ARE a glutton for punishment aren't ya?? :bangbang::jaw:

I think I'd have been too gunshy to ever put up one of those big beautiful Saturns like that ever again, ESPECIALLY a super-detailed one! I was nervous enough with my Zooch Saturn, because I REALLY don't want it to get dinged! I do the best I can to make them look as good as my meager talents allow, and would HATE to see that much work go POOF! I was slightly miffed as it was that my DiscoTHOR and Mark II got dinged! At least I ended the day two fer two with my Saturn V and Shuttle flying well...

Have to put up the Titan IIIC MOL next month... OL JR

 

[Fred22]

Thanks for the tips Fred... I might do that at some point. It was H O T ! at our launch and I did enough fiddling with camera settings as it was, and didn't put it in shutter priority, sport mode, or anything else, and with the huge white clouds and brilliant sunshine I think it kinda played heck with the camera anyway, judging from some of the shots. I've had some better shots back in the spring so maybe cooler weather, a little more patience, and a little less 'stuff to do' on launch day might yield better pics hopefully.

Thanks again! OL JR

Ya I hear ya My problem comes in when i try to shoot at -40
Cheers
fred

 

[MarkII]

Ya I hear ya My problem comes in when i try to shoot at -40
Cheers
fred

Fahrenheit or Celsius? (OK that's a trick question.)

Yeah, at -40, you can't feel the shutter button! And in triple digit heat, you can't seem to get your thoughts organized enough to shoot a picture!

Great, great thread, BTW. Also very timely for me, at least. I just started building one of these toda-, errr, yesterday. My first Dr. Z kit.

MarkII

 

[Fred22]

Fahrenheit or Celsius? (OK that's a trick question.)

Yeah, at -40, you can't feel the shutter button! And in triple digit heat, you can't seem to get your thoughts organized enough to shoot a picture!

Great, great thread, BTW. Also very timely for me, at least. I just started building one of these toda-, errr, yesterday. My first Dr. Z kit.

MarkII

It's a great kit with a unique character you will enjoy
Cheers
Fred

 

[MarkII]

It's a great kit with a unique character you will enjoy
Cheers
Fred

I already am enjoying it, and I haven't even progressed to the second sheet of instructions yet. (OK, I get a little bit obsessive about my paint jobs.) This version is similar in size to the K-39 that I had back in my salad days, but it looks like it is going to be much, much better in every possible way. (Other than approximate size, there is just no comparison.) Back in 1969, my Semi-Scale Saturn V was actually the biggest rocket in my modest fleet. In 2009, Dr. Zooch's Saturn V will not be anywhere close to being the largest rocket I have (when I finish it), but I anticipate that it will be one of the coolest.

Looking forward to the release of the Atlas Agena.

MarkII
Squirming Hatch-Blowers Are People, Too

 

[Dr.Zooch]

Atlas Agena is in release- see Uncle Mike's! He'll be happy to sell you one.

 

[MarkII]

Hmmm, Atlas or MOL? Atlas or MOL? Atlas or...

MarkII

 

[luke strawwalker]

Hmmm, Atlas or MOL? Atlas or MOL? Atlas or...

MarkII

Hey, get em both! You know you want to!!!

I've got a whole CRATE of Zoochies waiting for their turn on the bench... I'm hoping to start another one next week, after having finally settled in and caught up with business after being gone so long. Of course my daughter starts swim lessons next week so it'll have to be an after-lunch endeavour...

Anyway, I can tell you for a FACT that the MOL kit is WAY KEWL!!! I have the Atlas and it will most likely be the next one I build (I smell a thread coming on!) and from having read the instructions it looks like a cool kit too...

Heck ya only live once... buy em both-- Zoochies are cheap enough!

Later! OL JR