Estes Crossfire ISX "E" custom build.

[86mustang408w]

I couldn't wait to start the Estes Crossfire ISX "E". So last night I started it, already did a normal one so it was easy plus I didn't use have Estes parts most are mine I had from their kits, leftovers, or bought exactly for this build. First thing was to get the forward motor ring it, and did that. I've mocked every next step up about 4 or 5 times before I glue, and use thin CA to take things in place. But got a ring and drilled, we pushing a drill bit thru it, then ran the rest of what I had from my 135# kevlar shock cord spool from RocketryWorks($.99 24mm 3D motor retainer is from him also)thru that hole which was about 4 feet long im gonna keep it that long for now, knotted it, then used an E motor to push the ring in here it had to be for the motor retainer to fit on, then used CA to hold the ring in place, it took a while O mocked it several times like said. But after that fought with my medical syringe the end was still clogged bc I didn't clean it good enough after I used it, that BTW I've used since 2013 on my builds. You just fill it with glue OR 30 min epoxy and use it inside the tubes and such. Then glue squeeze what you dont use back into the bottle or expos you just keep washing and using it with hot water. But its tricky epoxy can run. Them the first time. So think of them as disposal use for epoxy. But glue you can soak it in hot soapy water. But the syringe got messed up and it was about 4 or 5 inches nows its half...So I used that to out glue on each end of the ring, from each side letting it dry, then let it dry until today. So while I used JB weld on the motor retainer) I'm letting it cure for 24 hours before I resume the build)I cut out the fins, rhen mocked them in to clear the retainer, labeled them, filled the gaps where the little fins are supposed to intersect, but im gonna fill that in and just have the little one go on. I'm going to have to trim down the fin tabs and while I glue the upper edges to the body tube ill put frog tape over the slots so no glue gets in the tube as its really the motor tube. So after that MR cures, all do the fins, the tiny ones are the ones I chopped off the main fins Im gonna put those by the nosecone above the main fins. Gonna be chute recovery, probably with a massive spill hole. And def epoxy fillets for the fins. Wanted to do epoxy for the forward Green little motor ring, but used Titebond II instead. Gonna fly it on A and B motors around here but its gonna fly on an E July 29th with SPAAR in PA. So much fun, its gonna be the colors as they are, I love it like that..

And I'm prob gonna use JB weld with the fins because of its heat resistance. Then epoxy or Titebond Thick n Quick for fillets. I still wanna use the tube slots and fin tabs, but its gonna be down to the thousandths of an inch contact with the fins tabs going into the body tube...

 

[Hobie1dog]

I built one last year, but haven't launched it yet.

 

[PDawg]

Since an E motor will make it a Minimum Diameter rocket, are the fin tabs flush on the inside?

 

[86mustang408w]

I built one last year, but haven't launched it yet.

Cool, I have one that flies on A thru C, great rocket. Did some mods to it like a chute swivel, Kevlar shock cord, etc.., Ill post few pics in a bit!! I think it's under my new builds post on here somewhere...

 

[Art Upton]

I added a Payload bay to mine, a clear one in fact.

 

[86mustang408w]

Since an E motor will make it a Minimum Diameter rocket, are the fin tabs flush on the inside?

Yes, they will be. The tube is a little distorted bc I'm not using the fins tabs to the motor tube. First one I built normally I put labels on the tabs, bad idea. had a hard time getting them in.... Best idea is to wrap a label around it, then cut out the tabs. I'm going to put tape on the inside to keep the "motor" tube smooth but going to trim down the tabs then prob use JB weld to attach them, then epoxy fillets.. I'll post updates! Very busy!!

 

[86mustang408w]

I added a Payload bay to mine, a clear one in fact.

Pics?? This one on a E should be awesome. Doing another baby Bertha E also. Will have flight videos after July 29th!

 

[Art Upton]

Pics?? This one on a E should be awesome. Doing another baby Bertha E also. Will have flight videos after July 29th!

Here is the one I used:
https://www.asp-rocketry.com/ecomme...e-50-Long.cfm?item_id=845&parent=83&navPanel=

 

[Art Upton]

Some of these I have not put the decals on yet. The long rocket with a orange bottom and black top is a Semroc copy of the FSI OSO. That flys on E9s very well out of site and was lucky to get it back.

 

[Art Upton]

Correct link for the long one: https://www.asp-rocketry.com/ecomme...e-50-Long.cfm?item_id=845&parent=83&navPanel=

 

[86mustang408w]

I built one last year, but haven't launched it yet.

Here's mine and a launch with a kevlar shock cord and chute swivel. With epoxy fillets. Thr new E won't be so much different, just Flys on an E motor if it wants too. I'm gonna have to upload it to YouTube then post a link its too big of a video to post...hold on again...

 

[86mustang408w]

Correct link for the long one: https://www.asp-rocketry.com/ecomme...e-50-Long.cfm?item_id=845&parent=83&navPanel=

Think the Nova Payloader has the same clear tube...cool!!

 

[86mustang408w]

Some of these I have not put the decals on yet. The long rocket with a orange bottom and black top is a Semroc copy of the FSI OSO. That flys on E9s very well out of site and was lucky to get it back.

View attachment 590658

Whats the orange one all the way to the left?? Some of mine i do decals if they aren't waterslide, but if not I just paint them ood colors sometimes.

 

[86mustang408w]

I built one last year, but haven't launched it yet.

Here a link to the Crossfire ISX I built last month. Watch how nice the shock cord is, it was my favorite that day just bc of the flight and recovery. It's by far one of my favs and I did think I was gonna like it..

 

[Hobie1dog]

Mine left the rod today and took a hard right turn and went horizontal. Chuck said the one launch lug being up 1/3 from the bottom did that. So I'm going to add another lug down near the bottom, so it will have 2 launch lugs.

 

[86mustang408w]

Mine left the rod today and took a hard right turn and went horizontal. Chuck said the one launch lug being up 1/3 from the bottom did that. So I'm going to add another lug down near the bottom, so it will have 2 launch lugs.

I'll keep that in mind!!!

 

[Hobie1dog]

On future builds, my rockets will have either 2 lugs or a long single lug. maybe some bean counter at Estes figured they would save X amount of dollars by only giving you 1 small lug

 

[86mustang408w]

On future builds, my rockets will have either 2 lugs or a long single lug. maybe some bean counter at Estes figured they would save X amount of dollars by only giving you 1 small lug

Yeah who knows!! I've been using the paper packing straws they give you in Zig-Zag wraps..

 

[86mustang408w]

Got some more done, ill add text later on..

 

[86mustang408w]

Still working on this, I'm still debating what to use for fillets..Once I make up my mind this will be very close to done.

 

[86mustang408w]

Finally got back to this and did the JB Weld fillets. I might have been better to not tape it, I still can do it that way. Probably would have been better make the tape in the center of the body tubes between fins a little smaller, ill just wait and see how this dries. In about 15 mins I'll take the tape off. And while thats going on, I need to nake a trip out to the garage and cut the nosecine shoulder off and get that eyelet and epoxy started.

 

[SolarYellow]

I'm tempted to pick up the launch set from Hobby Lobby that has one of these in it. Mostly to get the Amazon, as that's the last way I know of to get any useful length of BT-56 tubing. But that got me looking at the Crossfire's fins and I kinda want to performance-optimize it in OR by hacking the fins down. That PNC-50BB with the extra straight section is well suited for mounting an Eggfinder Mini. The reason not to is too many rockets already, and do I really need a third Estes LPR launcher? I suppose I could set it up to use an external battery for multi-clusters or something.

 

[86mustang408w]

Messed around with lug placement, I'm also putting on 1010 rail guides but not yet.

 

[86mustang408w]

I'm tempted to pick up the launch set from Hobby Lobby that has one of these in it. Mostly to get the Amazon, as that's the last way I know of to get any useful length of BT-56 tubing. But that got me looking at the Crossfire's fins and I kinda want to performance-optimize it in OR by hacking the fins down. That PNC-50BB with the extra straight section is well suited for mounting an Eggfinder Mini. The reason not to is too many rockets already, and do I really need a third Estes LPR launcher? I suppose I could set it up to use an external battery for multi-clusters or something.

Hi! I have a Aerotech Interlock launch controller I bought over 10 years ago and getting back into this hobby recently got it back out. It needed a new part as the warning tone wouldn't beep. But I used to have a battery for this, but got a jumper pack from Walmart recently. Its definitely enough to do clusters, and lites them right away... Its only rated to G motors but know it would set off an H, it has the current. Another thing um doing is putting all 3/16" or 1/4" lugs on my rockets. That way its one rod or the other. I also picked up a 1010 rail for a launch setup. I have no idea what happened to my old setup.

I'm also looking at Eggfinder stuff, I recently picked up a GPS dog tracker that's very small. Thing is you need a subscription but its 3.99 a month. I found one more thats cheap coming too, says no subscription so its that's good. I'm going to buy a few and take them apart. Fit them into the rockets for tracking. It works with your cell too...

 

[SolarYellow]

I'm tempted to pick up the launch set from Hobby Lobby that has one of these in it. Mostly to get the Amazon, as that's the last way I know of to get any useful length of BT-56 tubing. But that got me looking at the Crossfire's fins and I kinda want to performance-optimize it in OR by hacking the fins down. That PNC-50BB with the extra straight section is well suited for mounting an Eggfinder Mini. The reason not to is too many rockets already, and do I really need a third Estes LPR launcher? I suppose I could set it up to use an external battery for multi-clusters or something.

Did some OR work simming this and the tweaks I'd make to it. Definitely will need a tracker if I put it up there on an E. I was pleased with how perfect the matches are to the delay time on C11-7, D12-7, E9-8 and E12-8. A really clean, "pretty" set of sims. Oddly, it ends up right in between available delays with Quest motors.

But I also realized I don't have any other specific plans for the PNC-50BB NC that came in the NC-50 kit, and I have plenty of BT-50 and fin stock. Those and the decals are the only parts from the Estes kit I'd use, and there are good enough scans out there to print the decals on laser decal paper. Plus, once you are going MD, it seems like the TTW construction is making things more difficult without making them better. So this got added to the scratch-build clono-mod list.

Some of these I have not put the decals on yet. The long rocket with a orange bottom and black top is a Semroc copy of the FSI OSO. That flys on E9s very well out of site and was lucky to get it back.

View attachment 590658

That Crossfire looks a lot better with the additional length of the payload bay. I might also use it to get traditional DD going with a Quark for some composite motors.

 

[86mustang408w]

Did some OR work simming this and the tweaks I'd make to it. Definitely will need a tracker if I put it up there on an E. I was pleased with how perfect the matches are to the delay time on C11-7, D12-7, E9-8 and E12-8. A really clean, "pretty" set of sims. Oddly, it ends up right in between available delays with Quest motors.

But I also realized I don't have any other specific plans for the PNC-50BB NC that came in the NC-50 kit, and I have plenty of BT-50 and fin stock. Those and the decals are the only parts from the Estes kit I'd use, and there are good enough scans out there to print the decals on laser decal paper. Plus, once you are going MD, it seems like the TTW construction is making things more difficult without making them better. So this got added to the scratch-build clono-mod list.



That Crossfire looks a lot better with the additional length of the payload bay. I might also use it to get traditional DD going with a Quark for some composite motors.

Well im finally going to get back to this now that flying season is over, and done focusing on my L1. Going to take the time with this over the winter, but updates will resume soon. I've kind of held off as I'm still thinking about it.