Unique Rocket find at Michael's

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AKPilot

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Here's a score that I thought people might want to see or pick-up.

Found this while wandering the aisles in Michael's:
Michael's Rocket

It's a balsa birdhouse, that can easily be convered to 24mm, D's or E's. You'll have to fill in the bird entrance hole. You'll probably have to redo the fins, possibly as they're currently about 1/4" thick and stubby. By eye-balling they don't seem large enough to provide stability. The n/c portion of the rocket easily comes off to where nose weight could be added. And the body provides very adequate room for a recovery harness/chute.

Price was approximately $8.50 or so. With a 40-50% off coupon, you can do as I did and pick this up for less than $5.00. They're located in the unfinished balsa/wood selection area.
 
Yup I grabbed three a while back :) The one that brianc linked to is a retro-looking birdhouse. AK is right, the fins provided are not near enough, so I added some clear ones. For the second birdhouse, I removed the fins and am making a goonified HoJo. Both are named in homage to the Raygun Gothic Rocketship that appeared at Burning Man.

When I bought mine, I whipped out the coupon and they said I couldn't use it...they were on sale already for about $3.50. So I bought three and used the coupon for a pack of C11s :D

I don't know exactly what they are made from but its not balsa. Maybe some variety of pine?
 
Here's a score that I thought people might want to see or pick-up.

Found this while wandering the aisles in Michael's:
Michael's Rocket

It's a balsa birdhouse, that can easily be convered to 24mm, D's or E's. You'll have to fill in the bird entrance hole. You'll probably have to redo the fins, possibly as they're currently about 1/4" thick and stubby. By eye-balling they don't seem large enough to provide stability. The n/c portion of the rocket easily comes off to where nose weight could be added. And the body provides very adequate room for a recovery harness/chute.

Price was approximately $8.50 or so. With a 40-50% off coupon, you can do as I did and pick this up for less than $5.00. They're located in the unfinished balsa/wood selection area.
That's so awesome! Great rocket!
 
Great minds think alike. Mine is painted similar to what was one the attached tag. Since it was a birdhouse, the opening in the side has Woody Woodpecker with a helmet. Ironically I found the link to that picture on Dick's website. As you can see from the pictures, it has a tendency to get hung up on the launch rod. I changed it to a brass tube that I'm going to try next Saturday.

I enlarged the fins by gluing larger plywood skins over the exiting fins and put a lot of lead shot in the nose. I think it weighs around a pound and flies nicely on E30's and E28's.

It spent about four days in a tree at NARAM. It took a 50' pole and four or five determined people to get it down.

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Bill, do you have an up close photo? I have a 1/4" lug on mine and went hog wild with huge clear fins. What size rod did you use?
 
Well as often happens, I'm behind the curve ball on this find. :rolleyes:

Oh well, as long as everyone's enjoying their builds and mods that's great! And for those that didn't know, well here ya go . . .
 
Bill, do you have an up close photo? I have a 1/4" lug on mine and went hog wild with huge clear fins. What size rod did you use?


The first time I flew it I used two screw eyes as the launch lug and it worked although the flight had a bit of an arc to it. The next time it jammed on the rod so I opened up the screw eyes and put in a 1/4" lug and it flew straight as an arrow. I tried it again last week. The lug was tight, probably from getting wet, and even after sanding and lubing the rod (1/4" 6') it got stuck again. As you can see in the picture I've replaced that with a brass tube that's a loose fit on a 1/4" rod.


I extended the fins about 1/2". The guys in my club kept trying to convince me that I didn't need to enlarge them. I'm not sure if they thought it would work or they just like to see me fail.

woody1.jpg

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I like your fins, maybe I'll do something similar with my third one. You mind estimating the CG location for me? Like I said, my fins are big and I'm sure I could get by with smaller ones.
 
I like your fins, maybe I'll do something similar with my third one. You mind estimating the CG location for me? Like I said, my fins are big and I'm sure I could get by with smaller ones.

It's just about at the widest part of the body. I'll get a more accurate measurement when I prep it this week.
 
It's just about at the widest part of the body. I'll get a more accurate measurement when I prep it this week.

Thanks, that's where I put mine to get 1 caliber of stability per RockSim. Being short and fat, this much is not needed but I thought what the heck.
 
that's cool I'll have to look for that at my non-rocket supplies carrying Michael's,

I think they should carry whatever I tell them since they are using my name but that never seems to carry enough weight.
 
How did I manage to NOT see that? That is seriously cool!


The first flight attempt at NARAM was Sunday August 9 at 10:14. It hung on the rod. The successful flight was the same day at 11:12. The times are from the time stamp in the digital camera file.

I waited until it was relatively quiet on the sport range because I wasn't all that sure that it was going to fly well.
 
Thanks, that's where I put mine to get 1 caliber of stability per RockSim. Being short and fat, this much is not needed but I thought what the heck.

I was just reading your blog. I'm pretty sure 4 oz. of lead is exactly what I used. I drilled a large hole in the wood disk that's under the cone, poured in some epoxy, the lead shot and then more epoxy.
 
The store in the town where I work doesn't stock model rocketry items. The other Michael's near me does however. Someone keeps buying up all the C11s and D12s. (Probably me!):cool:
 
Ok had to try it, $5.19 with 40% coupon, including tax.
Trying to use fins that came on it, will let eveyone know. Plan on 24mm
Sorry for the quality of pictures, but the only Digital I have working is a little hand held.

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Hope to fly this next weekend, filled the nose with clay, total weight with Estes E9-4 13oz.

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Evidently launch lug alignment is important. This was with an F32.

normal_woody~0.jpg
 
On sale this week for $3.99.

Mikeyd, did you fly yours with the "as issued" fins?
 
Wow I was given one for my birthday in July. The thought crossed my mind to actually fly it. But that is as far as it went.

I guess it's time to join in the fun..

I love the Walace and Gromit to cool. I'm thinking Calvin and Hobbs
 
Picked one up a few weeks ago when it was previously on sale. Anyone have pictures of the mod process or the internal arrangements?
 
On sale this week for $3.99.

Mikeyd, did you fly yours with the "as issued" fins?

I did, but the D12-3 Cato'd, without leaving the pad, so I rebuilt the motor mount with a 6" funnel on the bottom, to add some "drag" or cone stabilzation, have not had an opertunity to try again yet.
 
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