Semroc Starfire Build

[JAL3]

I've enjoyed posting a build thread on my Fliskits Stingray so I decided to try another one. That project is ongoing and waiting for things to dry so I started an easy, level 1 project.

That may seem unusual for this forum but I figured it can't hurt, it might help someone and somebody might give me some good advice.

I got this rocket just before Christmas. It is a reproduction of the 1966 parachute duration champion. I'll never use it for that purpose but it seems to be a neat little kit.

The material were typical high quality Semroc.
It consited of:
1 Body Tube ST-880
1 Body Tube ST-730
1 Balsa Nose Cone BC-848
1 Sheet of Laser Cut Fins FV-20
2 Centering RIngs CR-78
1 Thrust Ring TR-7
1 Launch Lug LL-122
1 Screw Eye SE-10
1 Elastic Cord EC-118
1 Kevlar THread SCK-24
1 Plastic Parachute RC-12
1 Tape Disc TD-6
1 Shroud Line SLT-6
1 Decal DKV-20
1 Cardstock Shroud IKV-205
All parts were present and accounted for.

 

[JAL3]

The instructions were also high quality.
They are printed in a booklet, have generous illustraions and are very clear.

Constructions begins by inserting a thrust ring in the end of the motor mount and gluing it in place.
The Kevlar thread is then knotted, slipped through one of the centering rings and glued into place clush with the end of the motor mount tube.
I'm glad I thought ahead on the next step.
A mark is made 1 1/8" from the opposite end of the motor tube and the other centering ring is mounted flush with it.
Normally, I figure there is some "give" in the measurements of simple rockets.
That is a bad assumtion.
This centering ring needs to be in the right palce for the boattail.
I'm glad I remembered in time.

 

[JAL3]

The next step is to mark the body tube for the fins using the fin guide printed in the instructions.
An angle is then used to lengthen the line by at least 2 inches.

The fins practically fall out of the sheet.
A light sanding is all that is needed to remove them.
I Sanded a bevel on all edges except the root edge.

 

[JAL3]

If there is a tricky part to this build, it is in installing the motor mount to the BT.
1/16" of a gap from the rear centering ring needs to protrude out from the BT.
Getting it mounted and spaced correctly before the glue starts to grab is doable but was not done by me.
I dawdled too much and had to use some excessive force.

The boattail too is a simple affair.
It is cut from the cardstock and glued along the tab.
In order to do away with the unsightly seam, I was going to try rubber cement but that was uneeded.
The seam line will be covered up when the fins are installed.
Mounting the boatail is a simple matter of applying some glue and sliding it on.

 

[JAL3]

Mounting the fins also was simple.
I used an Art Rose fin jig to make sure they were straight.
I also perforated the root edge of the fins with a safety pin to form glue rivets.
Then its just a matter of waiting and getting some sleep.

 

[Fred]

A great build thread. Looks like you are moving along nicely That fin jig looks very cool Where did you get it if you don't mind my asking?
Cheers
Fred
PS cut up that mat or pour some glue on it. You are making a lot of us look like the slobs we are :lol:

 

[JAL3]

A great build thread. Looks like you are moving along nicely That fin jig looks very cool Where did you get it if you don't mind my asking?
Cheers
Fred
PS cut up that mat or pour some glue on it. You are making a lot of us look like the slobs we are :lol:

I first heard about the Art Rose Fin Jig in G. Harry Stine's book on reocketry but was unable to find anything other that fleeting refferences to it on the net. When I rejoined the NAR, there was a coupon in on of the mags sent to me for a discount on the jig for new NAR members. I cannot remember the name of the company but it did not have the name "Art Rose" in it. I tried another net search just now and did no better than I did last year when I first tried.

I'f you're really interested, I'd try getting in touch with Jim Flis. I think he contacted Art Rose when putting together his Rose a Roc kit.

Sorry I couldn't be more help.

 

[Fred]

I first heard about the Art Rose Fin Jig in G. Harry Stine's book on reocketry but was unable to find anything other that fleeting refferences to it on the net. When I rejoined the NAR, there was a coupon in on of the mags sent to me for a discount on the jig for new NAR members. I cannot remember the name of the company but it did not have the name "Art Rose" in it. I tried another net search just now and did no better than I did last year when I first tried.

I'f you're really interested, I'd try getting in touch with Jim Flis. I think he contacted Art Rose when putting together his Rose a Roc kit.

Sorry I couldn't be more help.

No worries it looks like you are putting it to good use
Cheers
Fred

 

[JAL3]

The Starfire was taken off of the fin jig and the fins were filleted for strength using yellow glue.
I know the yellow glue shrinks but I usually make up for that with filler at the end.

 

[JAL3]

The launch lug was attached with yellow glue in the normal way.

 

[JAL3]

After that, it was time to start filling.

Elmer's Fill 'N Seal was used to fill all the balsa and to fill the gap between the BT and the boattail.
That gap was a result of my not moving fast enough to mount the motor tube and was quite unsightly, especially on one side.
The high quality of the balsa meant that relatively little was needed on the fins or the nosecone but the transition from BT to Boattail needed a lot.

Then it was a matter of waiting.

 

[Gym_Class_Hero]

Nice, but wouldn't it have been easier to fill the parts seperately and then glue them together?

 

[JAL3]

Nice, but wouldn't it have been easier to fill the parts seperately and then glue them together?

You're absolutely right in general. I did not know that, though, when I began building rockets and the old habit is still in the process of being broken.

In this case, the space between the boattail and the BT is what really needed filler desperately. I supposed I could have filled it, sanded it and then glued on the fins but I wonder about the glue joint over the fill n seal. I really don't know the answer. (one of the reasons for my doing these build threads in the first place!: soliciting advice)

 

[JAL3]

Today's progress consists of little more than sanding and then spraying with white primer. There are no photos for this exciting bit.

I'm going to spend the rest of the evening working on the Stingray.

 

[JAL3]

My first impression from the face card was that the rocket was basically white with purple fins and nosecone.
On closer examination, I was shown to be only partially correct.
Two of the fins are purple but one is black.
I thought I would like that so I decided to go with it.

I gave the entire rocket 2 coats of white spray and then maked the body and 1 fin.
I sprayed the NC and two fins purple.
Now I just had to wait overnight so see the first stage of the results.

 

[Pantherjon]

Looks very nice! Good job on filling the BT/tailcone transition, very smooth!

 

[JAL3]

Looks very nice! Good job on filling the BT/tailcone transition, very smooth!

Thanks, but that's mostly because I got to choose from which side to take the picture!

 

[Fred]

Looks very nice! Good job on filling the BT/tailcone transition, very smooth!

Like Jon said
Cheers
fred

 

[JAL3]

Like Jon said
Cheers
fred

Thanks,

Now I'm going to get too full of myself

 

[JAL3]

The purple paint came out looking fine except that it wa a good deal darker than I expected.
I'm not sure it will provide much contrast with the black I am using on the fin opposite the launch lug.
In any event, I masked for the black fin and sprayed it with 2 coats.
I think I like the result but the color distinction is much clearer in a photo than in person.

 

[JAL3]

I had a couple of problems with the decals.
The first may not be a problem, just a matter of perception.
The facecard and the website graphic both show the decals as being purple.
When I got around to actually looking at them, they burned out to be blue.
This was after I had already painted parts of the rocket purple!
This was my fault for not looking sooner but...I like purple.
The decals themselves consist of a star pattern that wraps around the BT, a :Starfire logo and 3 small Semroc logos.
The quality of the water slides is high and they went on without any problem except for the wrap pattern.
It went on fine too but was not quite big enough to wrap all the way around the BT.
There is a gap.
Yuk!

I generally expect better from Semroc because I have always received better from Semroc.
Their first class products and first class treatment of me mean that this is easily forgiven.

After the decals set, I applied a coating of Future and am now waiting for the 8th of March so I can fly it.

Sorry about the fuzzy closeup of the decal. If my camera has a way to manually focus, I have not found it.

 

[JAL3]

I finally got to fly it today.

For the maiden flight, I used an A8-5. Even with that light motor, the results were incredible. The rocket was prepped in the usual manner and I used dog barf for wadding. The motor was friction fit and a little masking tape was needed to make it snug. When the rocket took off, it screamed off the pad. I was sure I had put the wrong motor in it and thought I might lose it. Ejection occured right at apogee, perfectly with the nose cone up. The chute deployed and then I really got to worry. It opened right away and just hung there as if the law of gravity had been suspended. The wind caught it and continued to move it down range but it never seemed to get any lower. I was not timing it but I know it stayed up for at least 2 minutes. When it finally did come down, it was a LONG way away. When I got the rocket back, sure enough, it was just an A8-5.
Wow.

I would have liked to fly it again but RSO duties called and there was a bit too much wind for me to want to risk losing it.

 

[dwmzmm]

Nice build and launch, John. Just made an order to SEMROC yesterday, too, and had a tough time trying to decide if I should get the Starfire or the Javelin kit (also ordered the Little Joe - II & Golden Scout, with the Rawhide
as the bonus kit). I ended up getting the Javelin as I've never had one since
I started the hobby back in 1969, and several buddies of mine back then got
started in rocketry with Centuri (while I was the Estes "guy"). They got the
Centuri Starter Set that came with the Javelin & Payloader kits, and pressed
me into doing the build for them since they had no model building experience
whatsoever. I remembered how well the Javelin flew, and told myself I need
to get me one of those one day. Well, that "one day" arrived....

 

[Indiana]

I looks great John. I like the picture of it under chute, looks like a beautiful day in Texas.

 

[JAL3]

I looks great John. I like the picture of it under chute, looks like a beautiful day in Texas.

Thanks

It started out cold but turned out nice.

 

[JAL3]

Nice build and launch, John. Just made an order to SEMROC yesterday, too, and had a tough time trying to decide if I should get the Starfire or the Javelin kit (also ordered the Little Joe - II & Golden Scout, with the Rawhide
as the bonus kit). I ended up getting the Javelin as I've never had one since
I started the hobby back in 1969, and several buddies of mine back then got
started in rocketry with Centuri (while I was the Estes "guy"). They got the
Centuri Starter Set that came with the Javelin & Payloader kits, and pressed
me into doing the build for them since they had no model building experience
whatsoever. I remembered how well the Javelin flew, and told myself I need
to get me one of those one day. Well, that "one day" arrived....

Enjoy the Javelin. It on my one of these days list too.

I just got the Golden Scout myself on Friday.

 

[Fred]

Great looking launch and an apt finale to a cool build thread
Cheers
fred

 

[JAL3]

Great looking launch and an apt finale to a cool build thread
Cheers
fred

Thanks

 

[DeWain]

John,

Great job on the Starfire. I picked up one recently, and plan on doing in one of the paint schemes shown in the 1974 Centuri catalog (the one that I remember as a kid).

Check out the links to the catalog from the Ninfinger site. The Starfire is shown in red, white, blue and yellow on the left:
https://www.ninfinger.org/~sven/rockets/catalogs/centuri74/74cen12.html

The illustration on the right here shows a sharp paint scheme... but man... would that ever be a pain to mask:

https://www.ninfinger.org/~sven/rockets/catalogs/centuri74/74cen22.html

So many classic rockets to build... so little time.

 

[DeWain]

Oh, I was going to mention that if you love classic Estes and Centuri kits, check out Semroc's laser cut fin selection at:

https://www.semroc.com/Store/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=64

There are a lot more fins that have been added that are not part of released Semroc kits. Cherokee-D, Orbital Transport, Sprite, Black Widow, Long Tom, Mercury Redstone, Centuri Quasar... . Check it out. Carl had said a while ago that he wanted to have laser cut fins available for every classic kit. Even if he doesn't reach that goal, there is still a huge selection of kits that one can clone with Semroc parts.

I think I see a build queue that is growing out toward 2018.