R1 Knight

[tjkopena]

Quick little build thread for this little quick-build rocket:



This is the R1 Knight. Originally the R1 was a super simple 18mm rocket I put together one evening out of a ~25 year old parts in an Estes Designer's Kit. My daughter had just put together her very first flying rocket and I wanted to have a backup rocket on hand in case we lost hers on the first flight the next morning. I wasn't going to do anything further with the design, but I like the basic styling of it and have a finish in mind that might be interesting. The world doesn't lack for simple 18mm rockets, but what it does arguably lack is micro-rockets that kids can easily put together. So I downsized it to fly on Micromaxx and here we are!

 

[tjkopena]

The parts and necessary tools: Just a hobby knife, something to cut on, and some glue. A bit of sandpaper is useful but not strictly necessary. I used a liquid CA here because it was 2in closer on my workbench, but with a young rocketeer I'd use a gel. Much easier to control.

 

[tjkopena]

I generally like to do as much cutting and basic sanding as possible before anything else, so first step is just slicing the tabs holding the fins on the frame. These came out clean so I only did the most modest of sanding to file off the tabs.

In this prototype cut I included my usual simple glue stick but it's not going to be used.

 

[tjkopena]

Next step: Test that the fin canister fits well into the body tube. Then tie the Kevlar recovery line to the anchor point on the fin canister, dab the knot with glue, and run the line through the body tube.



Now slide the fin canister into the body tube. The integral launch lug goes into the long cut and aligns the fin slots of the body tube and canister.


I put a thin bead of glue around the bottom of the fin canister just before pushing it in all the way, but it's not critical.

 

[tjkopena]

Test that the fin tabs fit easily but snugly into the slots. Take them back out and one by one put a bit of glue into the fin canister pocket and the root edges of the fin, then gently push it in and make sure it sticks out straight from the body tube.

 

[tjkopena]

Next-to-last is tying the recovery line to the nosecone. A tiny tweak on my previous designs, this nosecone has small slots to make it totally straightforward to loop the thread around the anchor bar.

 

[tjkopena]

And finally the last step, attaching the streamer. Affix the sticker so it's about half on one end of the streamer. Place the recovery line along the end of the streamer about an inch or two down from the nosecone, and fold over the sticker to hold it in place.

 

[tjkopena]

All done---another micro-rocket ready to fly!

 

[user 35280]

Will this rocket kit be available soon on your website?

 

[CoolRockets]

Um, I’ve got the unicorn one with the same engine mount piece, the engine is stuck in and I can’t get it out, can you tell me how to get it out?

 

[tjkopena]

Um, I’ve got the unicorn one with the same engine mount piece, the engine is stuck in and I can’t get it out, can you tell me how to get it out?

I assume it's stuck after a flight? The engines expand when used so it's not uncommon for it to be a tight fit. Try this: Use a pair of needlenose pliers to grasp the engine. Hold the rocket by putting fingers on either side of the engine against the bottom of the body, so that the fin canister motor mount (including the launch lug) is taking all of the force. Slowly and firmly twist and pull the engine out with the pliers. Be careful to not pull or press on the fins or upper body tube, but the motor mount can handle a lot of force in this direction so you can pull the motor pretty hard. It's a spent motor, so jam one of the jaws of the pliers into the nozzle to get a really solid grip if you have to.

 

[CoolRockets]

Thanks

 

[CalebJ]

What's the latest on the R1 being available for purchase?

 

[tjkopena]

What's the latest on the R1 being available for purchase?

This weekend or die trying!

We're headed to a PARA launch on Sunday and are pretty committed to having them on sale there, which entails they'll also be up in the webstore then. Announcements on TRF for sure when that happens.

 

[tjkopena]

Party on!

 

[CoolRockets]

Nice!

 

[Scott_650]

Slightly off topic but related question - will there be another run of the R5 Hawkeye in the near future?

 

[CoolRockets]

Will there be any other kits after the r1

 

[CalebJ]

Will there be any other kits after the r1

Did you try looking at the website??

 

[CoolRockets]

Yes, it’s just the r1 and everything else

 

[tjkopena]

Slightly off topic but related question - will there be another run of the R5 Hawkeye in the near future?

Absolutely! @WillMarchant just grabbed the last one this morning. A new batch is substantially complete, just need to cut more tubes, which is perhaps surprisingly the easiest part of production. I'm planning to get those out along w/ the Solar Warrior downscale in the very near future.

Will there be any other kits after the r1

You mean other new kits and items for 2023? Yes, batches of the R10 Solar Warrior and R8 Obsidian are largely manufactured and just awaiting instructions. So they should be out soon. I'm also hoping to fly prototypes this weekend of R1's counterpart, R9 Dragon, and get that out in the foreseeable future.

 

[CoolRockets]

Thanks man

 

[Scott_650]

Awesome!!! I’d forgotten about the Obsidian - nice.

At least my procrastination saves me some money on shipping!

 

[WillMarchant]

Absolutely! @WillMarchant just grabbed the last one this morning. A new batch is substantially complete, just need to cut more tubes, which is perhaps surprisingly the easiest part of production. I'm planning to get those out along w/ the Solar Warrior downscale in the very near future.

I got the order and thanks very much for the great kits, quick shipping, and for the nice goodie!