Estes V2 Kit Mods

[Fred Garvin]

I built an original 3228 for my scale entry in NARTREK Bronze. I took a lot of time and did my best on it....paid off with very high marks in judgement and a near perfect flight....slow liftoff, gradually accelerating, straight and true with no roll. That flight and the high marks earned the bird a spot in my fleet display, and I haven't wanted to fly it again for fear of losing it. But I really liked the way it flew, so I'm building another with a few mods to make it a frequent flier.

First off I installed the Pro II 24mm retainer system, no block or hook so it will fly on the 24/40 and 24/60 reloads. I built a baffle system with an extra coupler, 24mm block spacer and epoxy coated balsa wafers: base wafer, 3/4 moon, 3/4 moon, top wafer drilled. Coated with a combination of CA and epoxy, it's strong and passes the "puff" test easily. I replaced the stock shock cord with the Pro II style and ordered an 18" bright orange Chute and nomex protector from Rocketchutes.

i haven't decided what yet to do with the fins....strengthen the supplied ones or replace with ply....

Sorry for the crappy pix....I have an old iPhone 4 and the camera is going....

Any suggestions or ideas appreciated....especially with the fins.

 

[dr wogz]

Paper the fins or ply (but heavy)
Go with a length (long length!) of Kevlar for your shock cord
Baffle or chute protector.. I would go with just the chute protector

Most of all, since you're changing the kit parts, double check your CG/CP for stabability!

 

[Fred Garvin]

Decided to go with birch ply for the fins...got a sheet at the hobby shop. Took about 3 hours total to lay the fins out, cut out from the ply sheet and get them trimmed up. Next up is edge beveling, sanding and final fit adjustment of the tabs through the boattail to the motor tube.

 

[Rex R]

I suggest a chute protector. reason ap motors will tear through balsa baffle plates the ejection charge well cap packs quite a wallop.
Rex

 

[Fred Garvin]

Even reinforced? The balsa wafers are epoxied in place and coated with epoxy. It's the same design I've used in all the Pro II kits I've built, with great results. That baffle is pretty solid.

I use a Chute protector to wrap nylon chutes even when I also pack a non baffled bird with barf....just an extra insurance against the possible errant spark....plus it helps keep the Chute clean. I do the same with 1 or 2 sheets of wadding around a plastic chute. Just in case the wadding or barf shifts in flight. I lost a chute on my Ventris once from this. Not enough damage to render the chute useless, but put an ugly burn hole in it.

 

[Rex R]

there isn't a lot of space in a V2 to put in a baffle and leave room for the chute...those plates will break only question is when. normally I would have suggested 1/8" birch ply for the bottom plate(with a coat of white glue)...but you were building faster than reporting , hence the suggestion for a chute hankie. good luck, hope it turns out well.
Rex

 

[Fred Garvin]

Got the fins sanded, shaped and final fitment completed. Installed #1 and #3 tonight, 2 hours apart and left to allow the epoxy to setup overnight.

Tracking email shows my Rocketchutes order to arrive tomorrow.

Now I just need to decide on a paint scheme. I already have one with the yellow/black roll pattern....was thinking about doing one of the camo patterns of the deployed birds....or maybe save that for another stock build as I have 2 more in the pile. (Love the V2) Might just do a cool color combo to make it unique...plus won't worry too much over flying it if I put all that effort into a camo pattern. I would like to put a Frau im Mond on it, so maybe the black/white roll pattern.

Decisions.....Decisions.....

 

[The_Lone_Beagle]

Great pictures! I was trying to decide between the ASP V2 and the Estes V2, and decided yesterday I'll just get both...

I was going to do the same mod with the engine retainers...

re: baffles, I used them a lot on earlier models, and then decided (as others pointed out) it prevented me from using longer reloads, & also restricted the space for a chute. If you want to use baffles, I like using the 1/8 and 1/4 inch plywood bulkheads from Rocketarium.

 

[James Duffy]

Surprised that no one has yet mentioned the most obvious modification opportunity for the Estes 1/25 scale V-2: the fins. Trimming to kit fins down to a more scale-like appearance is trivially simple, and a handy template for making the change it attached here.

The kit fins have been generously oversized to allow for an additional stability margin and lawsuit resistance, but this kit will fly stably with accurately scaled fins provided that care is taken to build light. It is also a good idea to stay away from heavier engines such as the E9, and maybe to add a bit of additional nose weight.

James
View attachment V-2 Fin Estes Corrected.pdf

 

[Fred Garvin]

Thanks for that. I'll print it out and take a look. All 4 fins are on, but it wouldn't be an issue trimming them down.

 

[Pointy_end_up]

I'm in the middle of building this kit too. I cut the fins back. Not to perfect scale but 3/4 the difference between stock and scale. I modeled everything to make sure it would work and the clay weight provided should be enough but I'm going to redo the model once it's built to verify CG.

 

[Rocket2Russia]

Fred,
Did you have any trouble using the Estes motor retainer? I read that you have to extend the motor mount below the end of the rocket in order to use it. There are other retainers which appear to have slimmer profiles. Would they be better to use? Could you snap a photo of the Estes motor retainer installed?
Thanks! I am slowly turning into a V2 geek. I am a fairly recent BAR and I am about to get started on my second Estes V2 kit.

 

[Huxter]

I built an original 3228 for my scale entry in NARTREK Bronze. I took a lot of time and did my best on it....paid off with very high marks in judgement and a near perfect flight....slow liftoff, gradually accelerating, straight and true with no roll. That flight and the high marks earned the bird a spot in my fleet display, and I haven't wanted to fly it again for fear of losing it. But I really liked the way it flew, so I'm building another with a few mods to make it a frequent flier.

First off I installed the Pro II 24mm retainer system, no block or hook so it will fly on the 24/40 and 24/60 reloads. I built a baffle system with an extra coupler, 24mm block spacer and epoxy coated balsa wafers: base wafer, 3/4 moon, 3/4 moon, top wafer drilled. Coated with a combination of CA and epoxy, it's strong and passes the "puff" test easily. I replaced the stock shock cord with the Pro II style and ordered an 18" bright orange Chute and nomex protector from Rocketchutes.

i haven't decided what yet to do with the fins....strengthen the supplied ones or replace with ply....

Sorry for the crappy pix....I have an old iPhone 4 and the camera is going....

Any suggestions or ideas appreciated....especially with the fins.

Fred, how did the baffle work out? Did the baffle's yellow tube just insert/glue into the top of the motor tube? Can we see it!? I'd like to baffle mine and liked how you did yours.

Thanks alot!

Pat

 

[jhill9693]

Surprised that no one has yet mentioned the most obvious modification opportunity for the Estes 1/25 scale V-2: the fins. Trimming to kit fins down to a more scale-like appearance is trivially simple, and a handy template for making the change it attached here.

The kit fins have been generously oversized to allow for an additional stability margin and lawsuit resistance, but this kit will fly stably with accurately scaled fins provided that care is taken to build light. It is also a good idea to stay away from heavier engines such as the E9, and maybe to add a bit of additional nose weight.

James
View attachment 306829

Are there any modifications to the air frame or tube needed to bring it into scale? Or just trim the fins?

Also, you wouldn’t happen to have an OpenRocket file for this would you?

 

[fyrwrxz]

See! All that is old is new again! I can't wait to be 15, page 2. Good times, good times!

 

[James Duffy]

Are there any modifications to the air frame or tube needed to bring it into scale? Or just trim the fins?

Nah, just trim the fins. If you really want to get obsessive, figure out how to modify the tip of the nose cone from the rounded profile to a more scale-like pointed tip.

Also, you wouldn’t happen to have an OpenRocket file for this would you?

Nope. I generally adhere to the TLAR ("That Looks About Right") school of flight simulation.

 

[samb]

Are there any modifications to the air frame or tube needed to bring it into scale? Or just trim the fins?

Also, you wouldn’t happen to have an OpenRocket file for this would you?

Submitted for your consideration:

A bit of cardstock, epoxy, and Bondo make a more pleasing nose profile.


https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/this-is-my-estes-v2.63141/


Love a good thread resurrection.