Reaper Rerun

[SteelyEyed]

Back before the big TRF crash I had posted a build thread for an original design I called the "Reaper." I flew it recently at the first launch of the year for SPARC (Spokane Area Rockety Club) and last week I received an email request for more info about the rocket, so I thought I would share it more broadly if anyone happens to be interested. An upscale might be cool too.

It is a 4 inch airframe with a 54mm MMT and it utilized a Rowe's conical nozzle retainer. It is a zipperless, baffled design. I also did a custom set of decals for it. (The vinyl graphics file will be posted later in this thread.) Previously, a number of TRF folks had expressed interest in this design hoping it might be available as a kit. Well the kit is not going to happen for this one, so I thought I would post the RockSim file and the link to a photo gallery of the build. If anyone wants to build one... have at it. There are no instructions written for it and there's not a lot of detail of the build in the photo gallery, but you can probably figure it out from the photos and the RockSim file if you're so inclined.

Here's a link to the build photo gallery...

https://s138.photobucket.com/albums/q273/steelyeyed/Reaper%20Build/

View attachment ATS X-54 Reaper.rkt

 

[SteelyEyed]

I tried to upload and attach the CorelDraw file that contains the decal art and I get an "invalid file type" error message. If you want the decal file, PM me with your email address and I will send you what I've got. Or you could order a set printed and cut from Scott Binder at Binder Sign and Design (he made the set for mine)...

 

[Pantherjon]

Very cool! Where did you get the canopy nose cone?

 

[Rocketjunkie]

I tried to upload and attach the CorelDraw file that contains the decal art and I get an "invalid file type" error message. If you want the decal file, PM me with your email address and I will send you what I've got. Or you could order a set printed and cut from Scott Binder at Binder Sign and Design (he made the set for mine)...

You can either zip it or change the extension to a valid file type like .txt with instructions on changing it back to whatever CorelDraw uses for a drawing file.

 

[sandman]

THAT is a seriously cool model!

Try printing it as a pdf with a 1" square for scale.

It works when I post CAD drawings.

 

[SteelyEyed]

Very cool! Where did you get the canopy nose cone?

_____________________

If you take a look at the build photo gallery, you will see that the canopy is made from a piece of a 1 liter plastic Mountain Dew bottle. I cut it to shape, filled it with about a 1/4" thick layer of JBWeld, wrapped my nosecone in wax paper, then taped the partially cured canopy to the wax paper to shape it to the nosecone. After it set up, I pulled it off the wax paper, epoxied to the nosecone and filled the gap around the edges with Bondo. It turned out pretty nice.

SE

 

[SteelyEyed]

You can either zip it or change the extension to a valid file type like .txt with instructions on changing it back to whatever CorelDraw uses for a drawing file.

___________________________

Thanks, I'll give that a try... tomorrow. Gotta get some sleep for now.

SE

 

[SteelyEyed]

THAT is a seriously cool model!

Try printing it as a pdf with a 1" square for scale.

It works when I post CAD drawings.

_______________________________

Thanks Sandman, for whatever reasons I get most of my satisfaction out of this hobby doing original designs. I like building better than flying, but I really like flying them too... I just love this hobby.

The Reaper flies great too. I almost lost it in a tree last weekend. It hung up about 15 feet off the ground in a big pine tree at the SPARC launch. My son climbed the tree and safely recovered it...

SE

 

[Pantherjon]

_____________________

If you take a look at the build photo gallery, you will see that the canopy is made from a piece of a 1 liter plastic Mountain Dew bottle. I cut it to shape, filled it with about a 1/4" thick layer of JBWeld, wrapped my nosecone in wax paper, then taped the partially cured canopy to the wax paper to shape it to the nosecone. After it set up, I pulled it off the wax paper, epoxied to the nosecone and filled the gap around the edges with Bondo. It turned out pretty nice.

SE

DOH! Yeah, would help if I had looked at the build photo gallery before posting!

 

[Indiana]

Very nice.

 

[SteelyEyed]

Here's a 2D graphic that shows some internal detail...

 

[SteelyEyed]

And another photo that shows the fins (wings and canards) better...

 

[SteelyEyed]

And the nacelle tubes...

 

[SteelyEyed]

You can either zip it or change the extension to a valid file type like .txt with instructions on changing it back to whatever CorelDraw uses for a drawing file.

_____________________________

Okay, as you suggested I changed the extension from .cdr to .txt
I no longer have CorelDraw on my PC so I cannot test to see if this works, or even check to see if it is a valid file that CorelDraw can read. I need someone out there with CorelDraw to download this file and change the extension from .txt back to .cdr and then see if the file will open in CorelDraw.

SE

View attachment Reaper Decals.txt

 

[dlb]

And here it is back at you in PDF format 1=1



View attachment Reaper Decals.pdf

 

[SteelyEyed]

And here it is back at you in PDF format 1=1

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Thanks loads dlb, I appreciate the extra effort on your part. Now that I see the contents of the file (it's been a couple of years), I see it does not include the full set of graphics. I will have to contact Scott Binder and see if he still has the complete vinyl graphics file.

SE

 

[BsSmith]

Nice design, it almost looks like it's designed off of the Bomarc.

 

[SteelyEyed]

Nice design, it almost looks like it's designed off of the Bomarc.

_____________________________________


Thanks BsSmith. I guess the paint scheme reminds me a bit of the Bomarc, but I did not have the Bomarc in mind when I designed the Reaper. My favorite style of rocket has always been the futuristic space plane type. In this case I was trying to come up with a design that was a sequel to the “Top Secret,” a rocket I designed back in the 70’s (https://www.spacemodeling.org/JimZ/eirp_78.htm ). I wanted it to include the primary design features of the original TS, two tube fins (or nacelles), a cock pit canopy, and wing/rudder style fins. And I also wanted to add canard fins. Those were the design elements rattling around in my head with the Reaper came out…

 

[luke strawwalker]

VERY cool.... OL JR

 

[sandman]

Nice design, it almost looks like it's designed off of the Bomarc.

To me it looks like a cross between a BOMARC and an X-15.

 

[luke strawwalker]

Very Bomarc-y-Interceptorish... LOL

Try to say that fast five times... OL JR

 

[rosko_racer]

SE:

Every big brother has to have a little brother... Here is "The War Hog", an 18mm version of the Reaper. I finally got to finish this today after two years of it being part of my "unfinished fleet". Took a little liberty with the decals to give it my personal touch... What do you think?

 

[SteelyEyed]

Raul, that is a beautiful rendition of the design. Nice work. It's almost too pretty to fly. Are you gonna fly it, or just admire it?

Bret

 

[rosko_racer]

Thanks Bret!

I'm flying it next weekend. I am getting together with some members and friends of NARHAMS next weekend for an "all day" sport lauch at a hay field in northern Maryland. I will be flying about 7 new rockets and among those is the War Hog. Rocksim puts it over 300' with a B6-4 and over 700' with a C6-5. Right now I am "custom" making a 16" diameter parachute out of a black trash bag to go with the finish of the rocket. I am following instructions found in the 2nd Edition of the Centuri Model Rocketry Design Manual to make the parachute... I have not made a parachute since... since... thinking... since........ ah, since at least 1979 (I think...) :confused2: It turned out to be a heavy bird: 2.3 oz. Most of the weight is on the NC which is 1.07 oz due to the cockpit modification.

 

[kandsrockets]

Bret,

Very sweet design. Have you thought about stretching this and making it dual deployment.

 

[SteelyEyed]

Bret,

Very sweet design. Have you thought about stretching this and making it dual deployment.

____________________________

Thanks for the compliment. No, because this is a zipperless baffle design I never really considered converting it to DD. However, I am working on a modular avbay for my 3" airframe Bolaero-Endgame (which is also a zipperless baffle design). The modular avbay receives the coupler at the bottom end and it has a coupler on the upper end that plugs into the forward airframe. Maybe I'll build a similar modular avbay for my 4" fleet...

Bret

 

[rosko_racer]

SteelyEyed: The War Hog (the Reaper's 18mm little brother) flew this weekend on a B6-4. Stable and straight flight... about over 300 feet I think. Proof that it can be down scaled!!! Check the flight pictures here. The thread is here.