
op:
Will definitely be following your build FM!
Funny, but I was just talking to my brother the other day and he said his all-time favorite rocket was MY Scissor Wing! I have to say that it jumps out in my memory too.
I have been thinking about building a clone. I had the original in what, 1974? I was a kid (fifth grade) so I'm sure it wasn't a museum quality build, but it looked great to me! It flew great too! Long arching boost, a quick loop when the wing deployed and then long, lazy circles down to a "lake bed" landing (We flew at the local school - flat sandy playground. Kinda looked like Edwards if you used a little imagination!).
As far as simplifying the build, I'm not sure you really need to. As I recall the instructions made it look a bit intimidating, but once I got started on it the parts all seemed to make good sense and fit well. I remember the wing swivel mechanism was all plywood and dowels. It looked a bit dodgy to me at the time, but proved to be simple and quite robust. After all it not only survived flight, but the inevitable rough handling and "playing with" that goes with being owned by a ten year old and his little brother!
Okay, gotta go download the plans....
Mugs