Skunk Works 5.5" Nike Smoke

[matt_taylor]

Hi Guys
has one here had any experience with the Skunk Works 5.5" Nike Smoke, i have purchased the kit but with custom centering rings one 54mm and 4 29mm outboards, it should be here next week. first flight is plan for a J250 hypertek and 2 G64s at 1 second using a perfectflite timer in a bay between the upper 2 centering rings and a RRC2x40k in the nose cone/or with the timer I'm not sure yet. If anyone has build this do you have any tips on building it or a rocksim file

thanks
matt

 

[jetra2]

Originally posted by matt_taylor
first flight is plan for a J250 hypertek and 2 G64s at 1 second using a perfectflite timer in a bay between the upper 2 centering rings and a RRC2x40k in the nose cone/or with the timer I'm not sure yet.

DROOOL!

That'll be pretty sweet! I hope it flies good for you!

Jason

 

[lalligood]

One of the guys in my club has the Skunk Works Nike Smoke 5.5. I've seen him fly it 2 or 3 times on I435Ts... WOW Impressive rocket & it appears to be extremely sturdy. It would be a great choice for a L2 rocket if you don't mind paying a few extra $ for the pre-'glassed airframe. Enjoy

 

[wwattles]

I've seen several of the Skunk Works kits, and I can tell you, they are ALL top-quality. Andy does very good work with those things, and they are worth the money. I saw a custom nose cone he built just a couple weeks ago, made entirely out of high-temp epoxy and fiberglass, specifically for going past Mach 2. The thing looked like something from a military tech manual!

WW

 

[thehawk]

I have one and it is great. It is very easy to assembly. Great quality parts and flys great. Ive flown it on J330,s J315 redlines and k240 Hypertek. It flys perfectly straight, no twisting at all. I would recommend it or any other of Skunkworks kits. I have attached a picture of it.

 

[rbazinet]

I am considering a Nike Smoke myself. What are you guys doing for deployment, single or dual? I was told the dual deployment option was an additional $50, I am trying to figure out what the $50 buys me.

-Rob

 

[daveyfire]

I highly recommend Andy's kits... we saw a guy fly one of these Nike Smokes on an M1315W a while ago, unmodified except for the MMT, to over 10K and it flew like a champ!

 

[eugenefl]

Originally posted by TheHawk
I have one and it is great. It is very easy to assembly. Great quality parts and flys great. Ive flown it on J330,s J315 redlines and k240 Hypertek. It flys perfectly straight, no twisting at all. I would recommend it or any other of Skunkworks kits. I have attached a picture of it.

"TheHawk", GREAT looking Nike Smoke! I bet you just cringe when it hits that hard packed dirt! By chance was this a maiden flight pre-flight picture? It looks too shiny and blemish free. Nice rocket. We'd love to see more of your work.

WELCOME TO THE ROCKETRY FORUM.

 

[gerbs4me]

That looks like one awesome kit.
DROOL

 

[matt_taylor]

Hi guys
well its going to cost me a bit more than what i expected, i was hoping it would go USPS parcel airmail post but it is too big, so it has to go with expensive Fed Ex, i am getting the dual deployment version too and i have thoughts on flying it on a full load Full K center with 4 29mm I motors , hmm that will need a bit of nose weight Wow The hawk your kit looks great.

matt

 

[matt_taylor]

thanks for the replys guys!
Does anyone have any suggestions on if or how much renforcement i should do to the fins, since they are just plywood, i was thinking about one layer of 5.7oz carbon fiber and a 1.4oz fiberglass veil, do u think thats too much? im trying to keep it light as possilbe but still not get cracked or dented if i lands on a rocky patch or if i fly it on a quick EX load( dont ya love copper oxide)


matt

 

[wwattles]

Matt,

If you really are stuck on something, feel free to e-mail Andy. He's pretty good about replying in a timely manner.

WW

 

[gerbs4me]

Matt

fiberglassing would be a good idea, its better to have a well built and sturdy rocket
don't forget to post construction pics

 

[matt_taylor]

ok i have changed my mind and now im just going to use some light 4.1 oz kelvar and a .75oz fiberglass veil, but does anyone know if you can fit a davey fire e match into a G64W??

thanks
matt

 

[Ray Dunakin]

Hey, the last time I was over at Andy's house, he had just boxed up a Nike-Smoke that was going to "some guy in New Zealand"!

You're going to love it -- Andy makes awesome kits, really sturdy and go together pretty quick.

 

[matt_taylor]

Well here it is , also for those who wanted to know what the dual deploy kit was : the tube it cut near the top and there is a coupler and 2 Bulkheads with a machined lip to fit the coupler and 2 bits of all thread with wing nuts and washers and a mounting plate and a extra length of TN.

 

[matt_taylor]

well ive epoxy up all the centering rings and ran 1/4" AL tubing for air-starts through them no problems yet, i have sanded and primed the nose cone to a smooth finish read to go with the rest of the rocket to the car paint shop in town to get a nice paint job.
Just one question are Redlines harder to ignite that WL or BL.
Pics to come tomorrow.

matt

 

[Ryan S.]

I know redlines are harder to light. I am not sure which are harder though

 

[daveyfire]

Ease-of-ignition order for AT (best to worst):

Blue Thunder
White Lightning
Redline
Blackjack

AMW's propellants: green is harder to light than red which is harder to light than orange which is about equal to blue. I'm not sure about Skidmark, but from what I've seen it's similar to green in ignition characteristics. As a rule, when a motor has burn rate catalyst added (e.g. Iron Oxide or Copper Oxide), it will light easier. Hope that helps!

 

[matt_taylor]

Update:
i haven't taken many pics due to my camera needs fixing but ive almost finished it. I it just needs quick final sand and the launch lugs attached and then it will be off to the paint shop, I'm getting it painted professionally at a friends bike Restoration shop and some custom United States decals to top it off.

i will get my camera fixed soon for some finished shots

matt