here's a picture of a Lawn Dart Rocketry "Cog Aero" LLV-201. I finished gluing it last night.
I bought the kit for $3 from Peter Clay, who won it from his Rocketry Challenge contribution ... seems Lawn Dart Rocketry went OOP just recently, maybe a year ago? Anybody know the story? Seems like Lawn Dart Rocketry had a bunch of pretty neat kits.
Does it fly? Dunno for sure but it passes the swing test. the theory is: laminar flow around the foam ball gets funnelled through the "cargo pods", the tube fins below the ball. I think the "landing pads" also give some fin-action but mostly just look cool.
oh yeah, since this is the kit review section: plus points for interesting, innovative kit. plus points for printing color pictures in the instructions. plus points for price Plus points for the awesome ASP mylar chute with swivel clip.
minus points for missing parts (the foam ball, eye bolt). big minus points for confusing, incomplete, and contradictory directions. Maybe these were from a pre-production kit.
probably rates a skill level 3 because of all the sticks that have to be custom cut and glued. I put it together with yellow glue but CA would be a lot faster.
The package blurb reads:
"A True Spacecraft! the LLV201 represents the next generation of lunar transport. Designed to operate only in the vacuum of space and the lunar environment, it needs no streamlining or unncessary smooth skin. The cargo pods are exposed and only the pressurized crew quarters are closed. An emergency escape vehicle nestles in the nose of the craft.
The LLV 201 will confound your friends when you fly it. It appears to break all the rules of atomospheric roctry, but wll give a firm straight launch and recovery."
I bought the kit for $3 from Peter Clay, who won it from his Rocketry Challenge contribution ... seems Lawn Dart Rocketry went OOP just recently, maybe a year ago? Anybody know the story? Seems like Lawn Dart Rocketry had a bunch of pretty neat kits.
Does it fly? Dunno for sure but it passes the swing test. the theory is: laminar flow around the foam ball gets funnelled through the "cargo pods", the tube fins below the ball. I think the "landing pads" also give some fin-action but mostly just look cool.
oh yeah, since this is the kit review section: plus points for interesting, innovative kit. plus points for printing color pictures in the instructions. plus points for price Plus points for the awesome ASP mylar chute with swivel clip.
minus points for missing parts (the foam ball, eye bolt). big minus points for confusing, incomplete, and contradictory directions. Maybe these were from a pre-production kit.
probably rates a skill level 3 because of all the sticks that have to be custom cut and glued. I put it together with yellow glue but CA would be a lot faster.
The package blurb reads:
"A True Spacecraft! the LLV201 represents the next generation of lunar transport. Designed to operate only in the vacuum of space and the lunar environment, it needs no streamlining or unncessary smooth skin. The cargo pods are exposed and only the pressurized crew quarters are closed. An emergency escape vehicle nestles in the nose of the craft.
The LLV 201 will confound your friends when you fly it. It appears to break all the rules of atomospheric roctry, but wll give a firm straight launch and recovery."