kit bashing?

[bjphoenix]

Does kit bashing fit into this subforum or another one somewhere else?
I've done a lot of this in the past and I think it's fun. Mostly I've taken a kit that I have or can get and modified it to look like a rocket design that I like.

I have an Estes Esam in the garage that I've just started working on. It struck me that its nose cone is much longer than typical, then I wondered if I could kit bash it into an Aerobee-Hi. I pulled out Peter Alway's book and compared proportions- the Esam nose cone is close to the Aerobee but not quite as pointed, and the Esam body tube really needs to be a couple of inches longer. If I can find a scrap of BT60 then I could do that part. I would just have to scale the fin proportions to BT60 and start building.

I'm always interested in what other classic rocket designs can be easily made from available kits.

 

[BABAR]

I’d say this is the best forum for kit bashing. Probably anytime you are going significantly outside the instructions, thus is as good a place as any, and better than most,

of course, if you are going for scale designs, the scale section would be good too.

looking forward to pics!

 

[jqavins]

Kit bashing, if you ask me, is using parts from a kit to do a scratch build.

 

[bjphoenix]

I like the size of the ESAM plus it's very economical for the parts it contains. Now it strikes me that I can kit bash it into another old design that I like but I'm not going to say until I've got it underway. So I need to go to my local stores and try to score 2 or 3 more of these kits.

I need to check the proportions of the Hi Flier XL to see how it matches my new ideas but it's 24mm and for small field sport flying I prefer 18mm in this size rocket. I've never tried a 24mm C, maybe I could buy some of those.

 

[jqavins]

If you're scratch building, with or without parts not taken from a kit, it's easy enough to change a motor mount from 24 mm to 18. Or to make an adapter and have both options.

 

[neil_w]

Choosing which forum to post something (especially build threads) is very often a judgment call, since there is a *lot* of overlap in the forum definitions. Could make for an interesting Venn diagram, although you might need to work in 4 or 5 dimensions to get it right.

Occasionally there are threads that are really badly misplaced, and in those cases sometimes the mods will move the thread to the correct location. But if you can get close enough you're OK. This forum is as good as any for a kitbash, presuming that there is some non-trivial amount of new design or part fabrication involved.

 

[jqavins]

Choosing which forum to post something (especially build threads) is very often a judgment call, since there is a *lot* of overlap in the forum definitions. Could make for an interesting Venn diagram, although you might need to work in 4 or 5 dimensions to get it right.

Is it really all that complicated?

(Size of regions does not reflect number of threads.)

 

[neil_w]

Is it really all that complicated?

You left out a few...

 

[jqavins]

Fair enough. Maybe I'll give it another shot. More likely not.

 

[Scotty Dog]

Fair enough. Maybe I'll give it another shot. More likely not.

I wish you would.

 

[Strongarm]

I'm thinking about this. A 4" MadCow Little John, and a 4" LOC Precision V2. I am just not a V2 fan, and have had the kit a long time. So I am thinking about putting the two together. Just thinking still....