USR/Ace Mini-Allegro Build

Got my Mini-Allegro a couple of days ago. Pulled out the parts tonight and everything looks pretty good. Nice old school cluster model. Very clean laser cut bulkhead for the motor tubes. Fins are cut and then sanded to create curve trailing edge (originally thought they were laser cut). Nice, thick body tubes. And big balsa nose cone.

Two things I’ll change: substitute rail buttons for launch lug (only because the clubs I fly with have mostly changed to rails) and change out plastic parachute for nylon (purely a personal preference).

Build will go quickly. Especially since it’s just too cold to fly right now. But for now here are some photos.

 

Two pairs of body tubes got a light sanding and glued together with wood glue. One of the 18mm tubes is slightly shorter than the other three. A quick trim with my razor will fix that once all four tubes are glued together.

Big screw eye was glued into the balsa nose cone. Nice feature is a small plywood disk is added to reinforce the attachment.

Now to wait for glue to dry.

 

Nice, do you have a paint scheme in mind yet?

 

I haven’t even painted the Allegro I built in the 90s. I really need to come up with something. my Swarms are yellow and black. Maybe these will be black and white. Maybe throw some metal flake in the black. Better do something nice before my first MDRA launch (which won’t be this weekend. Still got too much a Georgia in my blood to be on the field when temps are in the 40s).

 

Last post for today. Got the four 18mm motor tubes glued together. Glued the motor bulkhead on. Now it’s time to set the assembly aside to dry. Tomorrow, the motor assembly gets glued in two inches inside the main body tube.

 

Where did you get the kit?

 

US Rockets - http://v-serv.com/usr/aceseries.htm

 

Motor tubes and main tube are assembled. Going old school with tri-fold paper and elastic shock cord. Going to substitute 1010 rail buttons for the ¼” launch lug. Might put the launch lug on the opposite side of the model.

 

Options are always good!

 

Fins are glued on. Shock cord attached. Launch lug next. Decided on paint scheme (which I’ll also use for my old Allegro that’s somewhere in the workshop). Overall white, top third red with a band of red above the motor tubes, and red accents on some of the fins. Then I’ll add the white 1010 rail buttons.

but first it is going to need to get a bit warmer around here.