My Estes flew like a champ!! I also have the LOC 4" Phoenix, used it for my Level 1 cert. Flew straight as an arrow. Will use it for my Level 2 in April. Have a scratch built 3" Phoenix, a bit longer than scale, but it also flew well.
Madcow
- Thread starter David Schwantz
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Hello, I am fairly new to HPR and to the Forum - great stuff! I did my L1 this summer using a MC 4" cardboard Little John. The kit arrived with an airframe looking like it had hives (numerous 1/4 to 1/2 inch air bubbles under the spiral cardboard) and one fin had large patch of missing wood in the outer layer, looked like a laser cutter gone wild or something. MC replaced the parts quickly, but I had to ask a couple of times, and I had to wonder why they would even ship such parts out in the kit. But they also answered a bunch of questions, so I was impressed enough to order a 4" FG Nike Smoke during the BF sale a couple of months ago (for my L2 next summer). Between MC and my club guys, I learned a lot with the Little John (3 flights in one afternoon). One lesson learned was not to order the parachute the same time as the kit. A kit weight of 39 ounces turned into a build weight of 62 ounces without the motor. I had to add a lot of nose weight to get the CG correct with the weight of the motor in place (I used rolls of quarters to simulate that). I needed a larger chute than what was recommended on the web site. Anyways, a bunch of the FG kits disappeared from their web site this past fall, and they told me they were re-working a number of molds and that all kits be offered again - we will see. I really appreciated the above link to the Darkstar build, I will hopefully learn a lot from that. I guess I had better open the plastic bag on the Nike to make sure everything fits! It looks like I need to upload a picture or image to my Forum profile.
Got my first Madcow fiberglass kit today. Ordered a Mini DX3. It will be the last Madcow kit I buy. First off everything is different materials, looks like they just threw in a bunch of junk that they had laying around on the bench. Centering rings are made G10 and the other set is made of fiberglass, neither the same. As are the bulkheads. Both bulkheads are drilled 1/4" for the eye bolt and the ones sent with the kit are 10-24. So that's not going to work. Centering rings do not fit the MMT, allow it to wiggle damn near 1/16th".The fins are of different size, not by much, but not the same. Will need to be sanded . The fins slots are not even close, if I try to install them the way they are it will split the tube. The coupler and motor mount tube weight 3 times what the airframe does. None of the cuts are straight, big gaps between payload and booster and NC when assembled.Bulkhead for the NC is worthless, 1/8th" dia to small, will need to make a new one. Glad I bought a less smaller kit to begin with.
FIVALDROOD
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I picked up a Mini DX3 kit when they had their mini sale. Everything I got was as expected, other than the nosecone bulkhead is a bit small, nothing a bunch of epoxy can't fix.
I would be really interested to see pictures of what the problems are. The outer bulkheads for the AV bay/coupler are black fiberglass while the rest is clear(at least mine)
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I did finally have time to open my 4" FG Nike Smoke, my first FG kit. I was kind of worried after reading some of the above thread entries. Overall, the tubes have nice square ends, with even cuts, and the tubes, nose cone, motor tube and centering rings all fit perfectly, snug with no play and no gaps, except that the nose cone bulkhead disk is a bit big to fit into the nose cone shoulder without sanding. The fins are all exactly the same size and shape, and fit the slots well, except that one slot will need a bit of sanding. The slot lengths and alignments are good. The forward centering ring was not yet drilled for the eye bolt. I think this is very acceptable quality control. I can't wait to build it this winter! I will replace the standard eye bolts with forged/flanged eye bolts for better strength. I am considering epoxying a thread rod into the nose cone so that I can maybe put in an instrument sled to add a GPS later, to be used with a forged eye nut. The LOC Precision style adjustable nose weight set up is also tempting. The long taper of the Nike Smoke nose cone should accommodate either one of these nicely.
blackjack2564
Crazy Jim's Gone Banana's
Pretty much like I mentioned.Most of the time you get stuff that fits fine,BUT every now & then ya get lemon needing building skills and extra parts to make it work.
Luck of the draw.
Having been on both sides of kit making/building....sometimes things fall through the cracks...sometimes total failure.
David just experienced total failure [unfortunately].Give MC a chance to make it right ,then decide what you think of them.
Luck of the draw.
Having been on both sides of kit making/building....sometimes things fall through the cracks...sometimes total failure.
David just experienced total failure [unfortunately].Give MC a chance to make it right ,then decide what you think of them.
I don't know what that means. G10 is fiberglass.
cavecentral
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Rings, fins, and plates should be G10 fiberglass (woven cloth and resin). Tubes G12 (filament wound). Nosecone G12 or G10 shell with gel coat.
Fins slots usually required filing the slot with a needle file for the fit. That is a bit of a pain.
TimothyG
Well-Known Member
Just helped my mom build her first high power rocket. Happens to be the Madcow arcas 2.6” with 38mm. Went together like a breeze during the holidays and just needs fillets sanding and painting. Awesome kit that sims as stable with even the 1080 J motors from Aerotech. I personally own a number of Madcow projects and have been nothing but happy with them.
DX3 4”
DC3XL4”
NikeTomahawk.
Fire Flyer 2.6”
AGM-33 4” cardboard
38mm godevil
And now I’m getting an Avalanche I’ve drooled over for 6 months.
DX3 4”
DC3XL4”
NikeTomahawk.
Fire Flyer 2.6”
AGM-33 4” cardboard
38mm godevil
And now I’m getting an Avalanche I’ve drooled over for 6 months.
I am glad others have had good luck. I had built one of their cardboard kits earlier and it was fine. But this did look like it was thrown together out of "stuff". Already have filled the drilled too large holes with aeropoxy, will redrill. Made shims out of 1/64" ply to center the centering rings on the MMT. Have matched and sanded all the fins. Still need to make new NC bulkhead. Opened up the fin slots. Not that I cannot do these things, but I feel when you buy some thing, you should not have to.
Two different types of glass structure. One was G10 the other just green glass. I got parts that , I think from different returned kits. Some were yellow, some were green, some were white. None of them fit well. Some appeared damaged, as in edges looked as if they had been sanded to repair them.
Cory
Well-Known Member
I have had similar experience to Crazy Jim. I should say I have barely used MC since they acquired RW, but I used RW regularly. I built the 2-stage "Double Shot" kit, and decided to lengthen the sustainer. I had ordered the kit from RW, but by the time I built it MC had aquired the company. I needed two 54mm couplers and a short section of 54mm AF to accomplish my design. Both couplers were not only different colors, but different in OD and weight per inch SIGNIFICANTLY. Had to sand one coupler down between 1/16th-1/8th" to fit AT ALL and the other is so loose the sustatiner cones terribly.
That said the MC 2.6" ARCAS I built several years ago is one of my favorite rockets to fly. The ARCAS accounts for my first supersonic rocket, first rocket to break 1 mile AGL, and first to fly an EX motor.
Hopefully these issues are temporary and one day all the kits from both MC and RW will be readily available with high quality parts. In the meantime, I plan to enjoy that purdy red fiberglass from Wildman.
That said the MC 2.6" ARCAS I built several years ago is one of my favorite rockets to fly. The ARCAS accounts for my first supersonic rocket, first rocket to break 1 mile AGL, and first to fly an EX motor.
Hopefully these issues are temporary and one day all the kits from both MC and RW will be readily available with high quality parts. In the meantime, I plan to enjoy that purdy red fiberglass from Wildman.
What do you mean "red" fiberglass???????????? Where can I get me some of dat stuff?
Nytrunner
Pop lugs, not drugs
Hey Nyt, will you paint that?
Nytrunner
Pop lugs, not drugs
*not my parts.
I am absolutely the wrong person to ask. My modus operandi is to do my own designs, but I also only do cardboard rockets so far.
Many swear by gentle sanding and clear coat only on colored fiberglass or carbon fiber, so the pattern shows
I am absolutely the wrong person to ask. My modus operandi is to do my own designs, but I also only do cardboard rockets so far.
Many swear by gentle sanding and clear coat only on colored fiberglass or carbon fiber, so the pattern shows
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Common finishing of colored tubes is to use dyed RP or 4500 for fillets, then use a clear coat of choice on the tubes. I recommend against lacquer clear, though, as it's not really tough enough without an underlying mechanical bonding (primer/paint) and will often chip off, although Montanna Gold makes a wonderful gloss clear that seems to hold up to rocket use nicely. My preference is for the automotize 2 part clear in the rattle cans.
The fiberglass kits that I personally purchased came from Rocketry Warehouse. Fitment issues generally meant parts needed sanding to fit from being slightly oversized. The one kit I have purchased from Mad Cow (since they acquired Rocketry Warehouse), had the same issues... parts merely required sanding to fit. My understanding is, Mad Cow is very easy to work with, and will make right anything found to be unsatisfactory.
Colored tubing is of no concern to me, as I generally imagine a paint scheme for a vehicle as part of the decision to purchase the kit...
Colored tubing is of no concern to me, as I generally imagine a paint scheme for a vehicle as part of the decision to purchase the kit...
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The Wild Thing Extreme is clear coated WM red glass. The Punisher next to it is raw glass. This picture doesn't do the red glass justice. It's really pretty with a good clear coat. See the crappy picture HERE...
slothead
Slothead Tom
Mad cow sells four or five different colors of FG in their tubes at least. Look under components in the product list.
