How Would YOU Build This Weird One?

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jmmome

jmmome

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I saw this photo of a Gary Larson-inspired rocket recently. The post said the rocket was six feet tall, and flew well.

My initial thought was- if this was to be a 6" dia. rocket, then the central motor/ parachute tube would be 3" or maybe 2.56". The 6" dia. body tube would be cut at an angle somehow- a compound miter saw maybe (which I don't have). Past that- I haven't figured out the next steps.

I thought this would be a fun project to undertake. Love to hear your thoughts as to how you would accomplish the build.

vyhnp81c6wp51.jpg4e2c8909f787a1a8ed9a074bc27683d1.jpg
 
I'd take that 3" center tube all the way to the nose cone. Then judicious use of centering rings to hold all the 'bent' sections to the central main tube. Doesn't exactly need to be perfect cuts on the bent section, I mean..... that's kinda the point.

-Hans
 
I've been meaning to get one of these. Seeing this thread and looking at the photo gallery (didn't know that it was here til now) I pressed the button, defied the Mrs and purchased not one, but TWO!
I'll build both of them, decorate one myself and let the 6 YO run wild with the other.
(We've done a few low power kits together, I don't think he is quite ready for this one yet!)
 
If I was doing an upscale, rather than reworking all the geometry and math I would just enlarge all the centering rings and shroud templates by the amount of the upscale. Buy a kit, enlarge everything, start cutting.
The old Fliskits site had different skins for the Acme spitfire, including a Mercury Redstone skin.
Don't know if they are archived in the Wayback Machine, I'll do a fast check.
 
jmmome said:
I saw this photo of a Gary Larson-inspired rocket recently. The post said the rocket was six feet tall, and flew well.

My initial thought was- if this was to be a 6" dia. rocket, then the central motor/ parachute tube would be 3" or maybe 2.56". The 6" dia. body tube would be cut at an angle somehow- a compound miter saw maybe (which I don't have). Past that- I haven't figured out the next steps.

I thought this would be a fun project to undertake. Love to hear your thoughts as to how you would accomplish the build.

View attachment 445725View attachment 445726
Click to expand...
What's weird about it? That's the way all my rockets look:).
 
HHaase said:
I'd take that 3" center tube all the way to the nose cone. Then judicious use of centering rings to hold all the 'bent' sections to the central main tube. Doesn't exactly need to be perfect cuts on the bent section, I mean..... that's kinda the point.

-Hans
Click to expand...
I will take the 3" tube(s) all the way to the nosecone. I figure, with the nosecone, it will be about 7 feet tall using an 8" dia. Sonotube (a bit taller than the scale I measured from the photos.

My mental challenge now is to figure out how to make this a DD rocket. I'd love to keep the 3" central body tube intact for structural support. Probably fiberglass standard 3" cardboard tube(s) for rigidity.

Maybe a drogue and JL Chute Release from the nosecone end. Still like to use an altimeter deploy at apogee- that is really my challenge- to figure out how to include an altimeter in this design. Maybe I can include a traditional avionics bay in the bottom half of the rocket.
 
Well, it was me who built THIS weird rocket, which is indeed an ACME spitfire upscale (approx 4.5 feet tall). I scratchbuilt using the available decals a model size version then decided a 6" steampunked fibreglassed cardboard postal tube version was the way forward!

The central tube was 54mm phenolic which forms the backbone and goes from the nosecone right the way through. The rest was CAD designed, ply centering rings and the nose cone was 3d printed out of PLA with lead sheeting inside the structure to give enough nose weight to stabilise the flight.

First flown purely relying on motor ejection at Midland Sky Rocketry weekend (UK) September 2020 where the top tube was zippered by the parachute cord. After replacing that section it was flown for the second time using an I297 5 grain skidmark Cessoroni in a 38mm motor adapter with some electronics and an altimeter added to ensure the nosecone came off at apogee a couple of weekends ago at Midland Sky 2021.
 

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I had just grabbed mine off the shelf to repair (some storage damage) for the next launch! I had customized it to break apart for added KenECoyote effect. If I build another, I would consider trying through the wall fins and larger internal bt {at least for the upper chute section), but that's my preference. Even stock, the kit is great fun and quite a crowd pleaser.

WEC8.jpg

WEC6.jpg


ACME "SplitFire":
BreakawayACMESpitfire1b.jpg
 
neil_w said:
I didn't know you had modded yours into a breakapart recovery... that's awesome. :cool:
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Haha, thanks! I've launched it a few times with Coyote on there, but it's a tough balance since there's very limited space in the internal tube, the rocket became much heavier with all the mods and the fin can doesn't take to landings well in this configuration (more sideways landings). I had also added a "HELP!" sign under his right hand and ropes tying him on.

I've lost the pic, but I had one of it on a dirt mound (after launching and landing) where Wile E Coyote actually looked dazed. 🤣

This thread makes me want to do an upscale next year without the break-apart. :)
 
KenECoyote said:
Haha, thanks! I've launched it a few times with Coyote on there, but it's a tough balance since there's very limited space in the internal tube, the rocket became much heavier with all the mods and the fin can doesn't take to landings well in this configuration (more sideways landings). I had also added a "HELP!" sign under his right hand and ropes tying him on.

I've lost the pic, but I had one of it on a dirt mound (after launching and landing) where Wile E Coyote actually looked dazed. 🤣

This thread makes me want to do an upscale next year without the break-apart. :)
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I've seen your version of this before, love the mods and the ideas! Brilliant build.
 
So....where was I?:cool: After several months of delays- the worst being a broken bone in my eye socket while diving to (unsuccessfully) catch a softball in my senior softball league, I've finally gotten back to the 8" dia. project at hand.

I completed the fin/motor section. Fiberglass-wrapped 8" concrete forming tube with a flaired skirt that makes the bottom diameter 12". Painted the fins blue & the body tube silver to stay true to the Far Side drawing. 36" tall so far- just the silver painted section.

The weirdest part of this weird build is that I will have a breech-loading ejection charge configuration. The second photo shows the upside-down top of the altimeter bay. Note the 5" dia. O-ring that I trust will protect the A-bay from the ejection charges. The 3" main chute tube/rocket spine is secured into the 3/4" thick A-bay top with a generous amount of epoxy, some wood screws parallel to the tube outside, & a 4" dia. section of Blue Tube filled with epoxy to a depth of about 2". All that, along with structural-strength expanding epoxy, should hold the 3" chute tube in place.

The third photo is of the ejection charge canisters mounted on the breech-loading bulkhead, which will fit inside the A-bay.

The fourth photo shows everything assembled, with four wingnuts compressing the O-ring to assure a good seal. Again, this is all showed upside-down. The unpainted 8" dia. body tube section in the first photo will be the outside of the A-bay. The rocket will separate at the painted/unpainted joint to deploy a large drogue chute.

I now need to fiberglass the 48" long body tube, which will be cut into several angled pieces. I also need to create a template so that I can draw the already-measured cut lines on that body tube. Off-center centering rings & structural expanding epoxy foam will hold the cut pieces together. I'll also use fiberglass tape in the seams of the joined body tube pieces.

IMG_5806_1.jpgIMG_5807_1.jpgIMG_5808_1.jpgIMG_5809_1.jpg
 
jmmome said:
the worst being a broken bone in my eye socket while diving to (unsuccessfully) catch a softball in my senior softball league
Click to expand...

Softball and baseball are underrated sources of injury. At 16 I copped a nice fast baseball pitch to the knee. Fractured patella which I had wired back together. Still looks a bit weird.

Blow-out fractures to the orbit are one of the worst softball injuries. Hope you're doing okay.
 
Cape Byron said:
Softball and baseball are underrated sources of injury. At 16 I copped a nice fast baseball pitch to the knee. Fractured patella which I had wired back together. Still looks a bit weird.

Blow-out fractures to the orbit are one of the worst softball injuries. Hope you're doing okay.
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Doing just fine -thank you! Actually landed on the side of my face while diving for the ball. Safety sunglasses transferred the energy of the impact and broke the bone. No surgery needed, but a nice shiner for several weeks.

238872672_10165337409935417_1095579491251424031_n.jpg
 
Epoxied the COUPLER altimeter bay to the top of the bulkhead/main chute tube configuration. The bottom half of the coupler will fit into the fin section, which will contain a two feet dia. nomex drogue chute. The coupler altimeter bay will be secured inside an upper body tube section by stainless steel machine screws & structural expanding epoxy foam.

The top of the unpainted body tube in the third photo, which will have the coupler altimeter bay secured inside, will be cut at an angle, which will start the "zig-zag" body tube sections. Off-center centering rings and structural expanding epoxy foam will secure everything to the 3" dia. central spine/main chute tube.

It's fun to get back into this "figure it out as I go along" project- but I don't proceed until I've figured each step out.

6" dia. Mercury-Redstone and Honest John projects await. I miss living in FL and launching monthly with Tripoli Tampa!

IMG_5810_1.jpgIMG_5811_1.jpgIMG_5806_1.jpg
 
The "zig-zag" main parachute tube is finished. A 48" long, 3" dia. Blue Tube is surrounded by 8" dia. cardboard tube strengthened with fiberglass cloth/epoxy. The whole structure is secured inside with structural-strength expanding epoxy foam and "off-center" centering rings.

The outside of the tube is a bit messy with expanding foam overflow. But it's not supposed to look too perfect anyway, so the blemishes will probably stay.

The rocket is about 8 feet tall so far. The weighted nosecone should make it about 9 feet tall and it should weigh around 40 pounds without the motor.

IMG_5813_1.jpg
 
Finished the nosecone- about 15" tall and 10" max. dia. Weighted with BB's, epoxy and expanding structural foam epoxy. Spray-painted the rest of body silver on a warm enough day. The whole rocket will be about nine feet tall and about 40 pounds at motor burnout. L1520 Blue Thunder will propel it, so it will have plenty of thrust off the launch pad.

Nosecone, zig-zag body tube, and fin sections will each come down on separate Top Flight parachutes. Chutes will deploy at apogee, which I estimate will be about 1,200 feet.

Mobius Actioncam will be installed on the upper part of the body tube looking down, so hopefully we'll see drag separation of the fin section before it reaches apogee (fin section skirt goes from 8" dia to 12" dia....... I'm not smart enough to calculate if drag separation should happen).

Hoping for an April launch at Three Oaks MI, South Charleston OH, or Amherst OH. Just have to install the two altimeters, switches, properly-sized sampling ports and BP wells.

Piston deploy for the nosecone & zig-zag body tube chutes. Fin section chute will be in a Nomex deploy bag attached to the bottom of the zig-zag body tube section (the chute itself is of course attached to the fin section below it). If drag separation doesn't happen, a BP ejection charge will separate the fin section & the Nomex bag will protect the chute.

Will be looking for "the kindness of strangers" wherever I launch, since carrying a 45 pound rocket by myself is beyond the capability of this 68 year old body. :cool:

IMG_5894_1.jpg
 

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