I started my first downscale project today, after doing some scale calculations in an Excel spreadsheet. It's also my first scratch project, though I have bashed a kit or two.
It's going to be a 1:4.1 downscale of the <a href="https://www.rocketreviews.com/reviews/kits/dga_armageddon.html">DG&A Armageddon</a>. I really like the look of the Armageddon and mini-Armageddon, but I've stated repeatedly that I'll never ever get into high-power rocketry. I've also said that I don't plan to ever use anything bigger than an 18 mm motor.
So... what to do? Ah, downscale, of course!
The body will be an Estes BT-50 tube, which is what determined the scale factor. The Armageddon uses a 4" OD BT versus the 0.976" OD of the BT-50. I've got an Estes PNC-50YR nose cone, so that's what I'll be using. It's almost *exactly* the right scale length, which is a nice plus (scale NC length is 4.098", actual NC is 4.125" long).
The fins will be made of 1/16" basswood, because I have a 3" x 24" sheet of it that I bought a few months ago and haven't used. The root edge of the fins will be 7.75" long, so this big sheet of basswood will be perfect for cutting out 4 of them. This will be my first project where I've had to cut out fins from scratch, too.
I'll post progress reports as progress occurs, and hopefully I'll remember to take pictures once in a while, too.
Stay tuned!
It's going to be a 1:4.1 downscale of the <a href="https://www.rocketreviews.com/reviews/kits/dga_armageddon.html">DG&A Armageddon</a>. I really like the look of the Armageddon and mini-Armageddon, but I've stated repeatedly that I'll never ever get into high-power rocketry. I've also said that I don't plan to ever use anything bigger than an 18 mm motor.
So... what to do? Ah, downscale, of course!
The body will be an Estes BT-50 tube, which is what determined the scale factor. The Armageddon uses a 4" OD BT versus the 0.976" OD of the BT-50. I've got an Estes PNC-50YR nose cone, so that's what I'll be using. It's almost *exactly* the right scale length, which is a nice plus (scale NC length is 4.098", actual NC is 4.125" long).
The fins will be made of 1/16" basswood, because I have a 3" x 24" sheet of it that I bought a few months ago and haven't used. The root edge of the fins will be 7.75" long, so this big sheet of basswood will be perfect for cutting out 4 of them. This will be my first project where I've had to cut out fins from scratch, too.
I'll post progress reports as progress occurs, and hopefully I'll remember to take pictures once in a while, too.
Stay tuned!