Random COVID Rocket Builds

[CoachSteve]

Staying at home leads to builds. Not really a build thread, more of a sharing of some of the things that happen due to all the extra time at home . Here are a few builds I have been working on lately - all are in paint stage now. Hope you enjoy this hodgepodge of crazy:

Up first: Foam board 24mm upscale of an Art Appelwhite saucer:

 

[CoachSteve]

Next is a 13mm straw fin "Sputnik Lander"
Made from some crashed rockets and spare parts.

 

[CoachSteve]

Third is a 3" Castle Turret (Rapunzel tower)
Hand made pyramid nose

 

[CoachSteve]

Fourth is a 3" upscale Centuri Mach 10 glider
24mm fun

 

[Hobie1dog]

Well you sure are a fast builder

 

[CoachSteve]

Fifth is a NewWay Starship Deceptor
Some pretty cool Open Rocket modeling on this one

 

[CoachSteve]

Well you sure are a fast builder

well, we have been in COVID restriction (work from home) for almost a year I just haven't shared in a while

 

[Hobie1dog]

Keep the pictures coming

 

[CoachSteve]

I am currently building the new 3" Red Max too

 

[CoachSteve]

Paint pile

 

[buddah3360]

Those are awesome!

 

[SCooke123]

I really like the upscale Mach-10 Curious to hear how it flies!

 

[Cape Byron]

I really like the upscale Mach-10 Curious to hear how it flies!

Prolly like the standard one, with a 'heads-up' loop on launch!

 

[BABAR]

Third is a 3" Castle Turret (Rapunzel tower)
Hand made pyramid nose

I am a big fan of pyramid nose cones. Easy and cheap to make. Assuming they are made of paper or cardboard, I think they are safer than all except big bertha type cones, since if things go bad, they crush on impact, dispersing the impact force!

 

[CoachSteve]

I fould some 1/24 scale stone wall vinyl sheets - we will see if i can actually make the tower one actually look line a castle turret

 

[icyclops]

Fifth is a NewWay Starship Deceptor
Some pretty cool Open Rocket modeling on this one

Aren’t you a little worried about that round tube near the top....seems like that would act as a fin and weather vane the rocket around....unstable? I always found out the hard way to never put any sizable fins near the top.

 

[neil_w]

Fifth is a NewWay Starship Deceptor
Some pretty cool Open Rocket modeling on this one

Did you create that or did NewWay provide it? Nice work either way, although I wouldn't trust the sim results as far as I could throw 'em.

Aren’t you a little worried about that round tube near the top....seems like that would act as a fin and weather vane the rocket around....unstable? I always found out the hard way to never put any sizable fins near the top.

I've avoided putting rings forward on a rocket for that exact reason... However, I would assume (hope?) that Rick has tested this design out and that it flies fine.

I'll note there's also relatively little fin area in the tail of this one, although the tubes embedded in there are probably acting as tube fins and picking up the slack (despite partial blockage in front and back).

 

[CoachSteve]

Yes, the NewWay kit is built per the instructions - that forward ring is part of the kit. I will say this, the NewWay kits are super high quality - some of the nicest LPR kits I have ever built. From the quality of the parts, the instructions the packaging and the little extrs in the pack, other kit manufacturers need to step it up

 

[icyclops]

Great, let us know how it flies. I don’t trust sims either ever since I had the same problem unfortunately with a design (my own) using a ring like that before the CG. Sim said it was OK, swing test said no way...tried it and swing test was right. Looks like a cool rocket though.

 

[CoachSteve]

I send all of my builds up at leased once - some of them only once

 

[Daddyisabar]

Ohhh, fins at the front of the rocket, where they should be on oddrocs!

 

[CoachSteve]

Here is the packaging for the NewWay rocket

 

[CoachSteve]

Chrome vinyl wrap - turned out pretty good:

 

[CoachSteve]

Castle Turret:
1:24 scale printed paper 3M spray adhesive
Clear coat and rail button install is all that is left
looks pretty good

 

[neil_w]

 

[CoachSteve]

3" Estes Red Max - custom "Top Secret" vinyl decal (Ebay $3)

 

[CoachSteve]

adding a Estes Jetliner to the mix - couldn't leave well enough alone though:
The engine pods just were not going to cut it so I did this:

I added a offset tail cone and bumped it up to 18mm
To counter the drag of the pods and the offset engine I canted the small fins and added a slightly canted top fin. this one will get tested out on an A first

 

[CoachSteve]

came out pretty cool for inexpensive Estes kit

 

[SCooke123]

Wow - turned out nice. Can't wait to hear how it flies.