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- Jan 27, 2009
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I wanted to share a prototype F-104 Starfighter rocket kit that Robert McNamee sent me a while back to do a beta build and give feedback. BT-80 based with ABS plastic 3D printed parts and machine cut ply fins. It's for 29 mm motors, most likely f class, you provide the 29 mm motor tube about 10 in Long and the 16 inch body tube and recovery system. It's a really slick design, and while you have to cut two slots for the wings, they're very easy to mark and cut using the slots in the 3D printed centering rings as guides. The wing tabs lock into the printed centering rings front and back, the tail fin locks into a slot molded into the tail cone and the T tail is slotted together as well. I just used CA glue to assemble it and it came out really strong and nice and straight. It has a slick motor retaining ring that looks like an afterburner nozzle, and the nose cone is three pieces where the front piece inserts and twist locks in place that allows you to add nose weight and then twist it into place and fine-tune things before you glue it permanently or leave it adjustable. His kit can come with the extra 18 mm motor tube in the tail for the rocket assisted NF-104, or with a long or standard tail and with drop tanks or sidewinder missiles I decided to go with clean wingtips and I'm going to paint it as one of the NASA f-104s. It's a nice big size about 34 in long and 2.6 in diameter. The motor mount is offset toward the top of the body tube to counter the drag of the T-tail and based on videos of his smaller version it should fly really straight. No this one won't glide. Finally getting around to finishing her and see if I can find some better priming and painting weather. It's right at 13 Oz without nose weight motor or parachute or paint should be around 18 and a half ready to fly with ballast and go around 700 ft on an f-27. I drilled into the shoulder of the tail cone and the forward centering ring and mounted standard rail buttons on the bottom of the model, I'm going to use Kevlar external recovery line attachment behind the rear wing so the model comes down horizontal and gets rid of the risk of zippering or landing on the tail.