Need Input - Delta IV Kits

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Details (Heavy & Medium) and Separating Heavy Boosters?

  • Captive Heavy Boosters and detailed external parts

  • Captive Heavy Boosters and colored wraps showing details

  • Separating Heavy Boosters and detailed external parts

  • Separating Heavy Boosters and colored wraps showing details

  • Medium with detailed external parts

  • Medium with colored wraps showing details


Results are only viewable after voting.

Delta-IV

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Awhile back I listed some options and now that I am getting very close to kitting these I thought getting some feed back would be a good thing.

I am planning on two configurations;
1. Medium (5+4) 4 captive 18mm SRMs
2. Heavy

The poll asks about detailed or simple wraps which applies to both the Medium and Heavy, and whether the Heavy should be captive or separating.

Some on the TRF have not agreed with my separating technique citing the possible consequences of one strap-on not igniting. I have had this happen on three occasions, the remaining Core and strap-on have actually flown in a low but recoverable trajectory.
 
From a financial and skill-level point of view, the wraps showing details would probably work best for me.

And I'd be more likely to go for the non-separating CBC's, for the same reasons.

I'm assuming, of course, that there would be a noticeable increase in price for the detailed external details and for the separating CBC's.

I would also assume that if you went with detailed parts versus wraps on the Heavy, you would also go with the same treatment on the Medium, or vice versa. Would it be too complicated/expensive for you to offer options one way or the other?

These are BT-80 scale, is that right?
 
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From a financial and skill-level point of view, the wraps showing details would probably work best for me.

And I'd be more likely to go for the non-separating CBC's, for the same reasons.

I'm assuming, of course, that there would be a noticeable increase in price for the detailed external details and for the separating CBC's.

I would also assume that if you went with detailed parts versus wraps on the Heavy, you would also go with the same treatment on the Medium, or vice versa. Would it be too complicated/expensive for you to offer options one way or the other?

These are BT-80 scale, is that right?

Yes, this is a BT-80 scale, Heavy flies on 2 D12-3 (D12-0) and an E9-4. The Medium on an E9-4 optionally 2 or 4 B6-0's.

Cost wise the external details would probably be about ~$10-15 more.

I am considering both options too, especially if the interest is about 50/50 or so.
 
Verry Cool. If you have a list put me down for one of each!:)
 
The heavy with external details would be my choice. Beautiful rockets. Looking forward to the kits.
 
On the medium version will the builder have the option of having the srb's seperate?Maybe a small section in the instruction sheet?I am interested in both kits so it will not matter either way but I would like to be able to build it with seperating srb's.
 
what I find most exciting about the Delta IV is the separating SRBs.
You can avoid all of the potential liftoff hazards by holding them on via a thread over the engine nozzle, so that if they don't ignite, or ignite late, they still stay attached.
I think it would be a shame to put all the effort into making beautiful SRBs if they didn't fall off... Thats 3/4 the fun.
 
On the medium version will the builder have the option of having the srb's seperate?Maybe a small section in the instruction sheet?I am interested in both kits so it will not matter either way but I would like to be able to build it with seperating srb's.

That is very possible. On my prototype I had them separating and lost two on one flight. My spotters and I can't really blame them watched the core fly out then tried to find the SRM's. Unfortuneately, tall grass was in the field and with 4 foot mylar streamers we still couldn't find them???

I can add some info on how to allow them to separate as a builder's option.

Thanks,
 
what I find most exciting about the Delta IV is the separating SRBs.
You can avoid all of the potential liftoff hazards by holding them on via a thread over the engine nozzle, so that if they don't ignite, or ignite late, they still stay attached.
I think it would be a shame to put all the effort into making beautiful SRBs if they didn't fall off... Thats 3/4 the fun.

Yes, that is indeed my personal feelings too. It is one of the methods that was tried once on my prototype, but on that flight all three ignited as they should.

Thanks,
 
I think a photo of separating boosters would be outstanding so I would be very interested in such a kit at the sizes you mentionned :)
Cheers
fred
 
That looks awesome :) Which is the booster with the circular ring of solids around it :) Maybe another project for you :)
Cheers
fred
 
The Initial Medium 5+4 Kit Build is complete. With the interest in including separating boosters being high I installed the mechanism to separate them (dowells and launch lug tubes). I also gen'd up a plywood launch rod mount to hold the boosters on.

I was planning on a captive and a separation test flight this Saturday, but the weather forecast is windy, cloudy and highs near 40 (That feels like a blizzard here in Florida) at the NEFAR launch. Looks like I might delay a week, these bones don't like the cold anymore.
 
I decided that since the weather is going to be very bad here in Central Florida tomorrow I played "hooky" from work and went to Palm Bay to do two test flights.

Both had 4 empty and captive SRMs. I used a D12-3 for the first flight and an E9-4 for the second flight. The following link will take you were you can see photos and details of the two launches. Video's coming soon.

https://www.delta-iv-rockets.com/index.php?view=rocket&rocket_id=12

The D12-3 flight was way low. I will not recommend using that motor with even 4 empty SRMs. My altimeter registered only 177 feet. The rocket rolled slightly counter clockwise as it gained speed and flew straight. We had 5-10 mph winds from the south.

The second flight using an E9-4, it reached an altitude of 357 feet and also had the slight CCW roll. The parachute deployed perfectly at apogee and drifted about 200 feet and landed softly in the dormant grass.



In order to release the kit, I need to do some SRM powered flights. I plan to use JonRocket.com as my vendor at least initially. I do not yet have pricing info but the Medium will be considerably cheaper than the Heavy due primarily to the custom nose cones and nylon parachutes.
 
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...you can see photos and details of the two launches...
If you step through the video of the launch frame by frame you can see something separate from the rocket just after it leaves the launch rod and fall back to the ground. What was it? Beautiful launch, by the way.
 
If you step through the video of the launch frame by frame you can see something separate from the rocket just after it leaves the launch rod and fall back to the ground. What was it? Beautiful launch, by the way.

Oh, that was my little launch rod mount I built to hold the SRM's in place. I went ahead and used it, even though I wrapped the SRM dowells/lugs in vinly tape for the captive flights. Don't know why it traveled up the rod...after the launch I was looking for it and couldn't find it. It was unpainted basswood and the field had all of that tan-ish dormant grass. I played the video back and then was able to go find it about 15 feet away. Good eyes there Gus..I didn't know if anyone would had noticed it.

Thanks,
-Carl-
 
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Thanks for the update on your progress Delta. Great photos. You're really whetting our appetites! :clap:
 
Nice pictures, good work. It's weird seeing the rocket ranch with out other people there.

Looks like someone cut the grass recently too!
 
Any more word on when kits will be available?:D

I am finishing up the instructions on the Medium. I got delayed a bit, I had to take a week off. The wife made me go on a cruise, it was a tough thing to do. ;)

I hope to wrap it up this weekend and have it available next week. For those that have replied, I'll send a PM with the ordering info. The first batch will be very limited hoping to improve it with good feedback (good and bad gladly accepted).

Thanks,
-Carl-
 

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