Let's Build A Rock-it!

[Pantherjon]

Well, was able to wrap up work early tonight, so I got home early....Anyways, when I got home I mentioned to my step daughter I needed to decide on what to build next, not that the Spitfire is pretty much a wrap..She said, 'I will decide for you' and reached into the cabinet in the workshop here and pulled out the Estes Rock-it kit..She said it look coooooool..lol..So anyways here we go!

1) Picture of the kit bag

2) All the parts pulled out on the workbench

After the fins were cut out of the balsa..well, 'freed' as they were laser cut but I think they had the laser on low because it didn't cut all the way thru the balsa, all the way around each fin..weird..But gave me a good groove to run my blade thru tho!

Then I built the motor mount..Typical stuff here..Glue in the thrust ring..attach the engine hook and glue the retaining ring on..Then glue the centering rings on..Interesting placement for the 2 CR's tho..One just above the top of the engine hook and the other at the top of the tube..Never seen them arranged in that fashion..Oh, that is picture #3..lol..

4) Motor mount is then glued into the main body tube..Pushed all the way in until the engine hook is even with the end of the tube..Then it is stood up for the glue to dry(picture #5)..Which is where we will leave off for the night..

This IS a pretty cool rocket, I mean Rock-it..Got some of the Rustoleum 'hammered' paint that I think will look good on this..


Oh, wheee! I figured out my camera and can get my pictures in under the 100k file size limit!..LOL

 

[o1d_dude]

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have picked this kit up at the hobby shop and then put it back on the rack. Must be something about the funky nose cone and creatively-shaped tail feathers.

Either this thread will stop me from doing that by vicariously living the build experience through you or the more likely case is that it will inspire me to actually buy the kit.

I'll be watching this thread!

 

[Boosterdude]

I've built two Rock-it's, they are very good flyers. The second one I built I added a fourth fin, and installed an E motor mount. It gets some serious altitude on an E motor.

 

[Pantherjon]

Well, prepped the fins..Since it is getting the 'hammered' paint grain filling wasn't too much of a concern but I went ahead and dry rubbed some wood filler on them..Also noticed that the 3 fins are all of different shapes..Cool Pic 1

The the fins get glued on to the body tube..Using the 'double glue' method..Smear a thin coat of wood glue on the root edge and let tack up for 5 minutes or so. Then apply bead of glue and stick to the body tube..Glue 'grabs' pretty quickly using this method..In pic 1 I had just applied the first part of glue on the root edges and they were 'tacking up'..Pic 2 shows the fins on the tube..

In the process of applying fillets right now..

One mod I am for sure doing is ditching the too short rubber shock cord and going with a much longer piece of some fancy red elastic some dude named Ed gave me awhile back!

 

[Balsa Bob]

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have picked this kit up at the hobby shop and then put it back on the rack.

Same here. If I ever do buy this thing I'll want to distress the body tube and fins with a ball peen hammer to complement the nosecone.

 

[Micromeister]

I've always thought it was a petty nifty adaptation of the sorta big Bertha design.

A long time ago while doing some finishing studies, I did something sort of along those lines with a very rough finish and polished finish. I called the rough finished verison the "rock-it". it was a fun study.

Sure which the Rock-it had been around back then it'd have made tracking a lot easier

 

[UMRS]

Whats the story with the "Wizard Of OZ" VHS Tape? (upper left corner)

 

[hcmbanjo]

I thought I would throw this into the mix.
We (our Orlando R.O.C.K. NAR section) are having a "Fly The NAR Section Logo Rocket" this next Saturday. You are supposed to build any rocket from any NAR logo from around the country.
I understood the rules, but thought it be fun to actually fly the "stone-cut" R.O.C.K. logo. It's a long BT-5 sized model to be flown with an A10-3t. A little nose weight and a little luck!

Hans "Chris" Michielssen

 

[Pantherjon]

Whats the story with the "Wizard Of OZ" VHS Tape? (upper left corner)

WOW! Keen eyes!..Was a gift I received a while back..Don't have a VHS hooked up at present, so set it there and promptly forgot about it! One of those things that 'it's there but you don't pay attention to'...

 

[Pantherjon]

Well, construction got wrapped up this morning..Cut out a length of some red shock cord and glued it into the body tube using the tri-fold method..Tied on the nose cone and attached the parachute with a swivel hook..

Next up is painting! Which will have to be this weekend..Little too much wind(14-20mph) and a tad chilly(46) to paint..

Here is the Rock-it ready to be buttoned up and prepped for paint

 

[dpower]

I heartily recommend plasti-kote fleck-stone paint for this kit. Use a couple coats of clear, then the decals can carefully be applied. Flies great on a D12-5. Mine went bye-bye on an E9, though it was a great flight! This is a fun rocket that gets lots of comments at launches.

 

[o1d_dude]

I really am going to have buy one of these.

 

[CharlaineC]

yep your making me want one too.

 

[Rocketjunkie]

Next up is painting! Which will have to be this weekend..Little too much wind(14-20mph) and a tad chilly(46) to paint..

Are you going to Orangeburg this weekend? Hoping to see you there.

 

[Pantherjon]

Are you going to Orangeburg this weekend? Hoping to see you there.

No, unfortunately I will not be able to make it Had some car repairs done yesterday that has really put my budget in a tizzy!Things that were needed so I didn't end up damaging the motor and be out another set of wheels to go to/from work..sigh...one of these days I will get caught up!LOL Add to that what I owe you for the K805G you let me use last launch....

 

[Mike Howie]

I thin you need to add this decal

 

[Pantherjon]

I thin you need to add this decal

Absolutely! That is cool! LOL

 

[CharlaineC]

omg the hanna barbera wacky races i used to love that cartoon