Vertical Assault build

[Kehoes23]

I'm finally getting ready to build the Vertical Assault rocket kit from Giant Leap Rocketry.
I've bought this kit a few years ago but had to sell it due to life and bills and never got a chance to build and launch it.

 

[Kehoes23]

All weights are in grams.

 

[Kehoes23]

Parts getting a bath. The adhesive I'll be using for the build.

 

[Kehoes23]

The total weight with and with out the slim line 38mm-54mm motor adapter.
With adapter 3,206 Grams.
With out adapter 3,101 Grams.

 

[Kehoes23]

Got some building done today, I'm at the point I can't go any further I'll have to wait for the epoxy to dry. Got some pics of the rocket.

 

[Kehoes23]

Got the fin can and rings dry fit to mark lines on tube for sanding then epoxy.
The fin can fits loosely due to it to fit other manufacturers motor tubes, because of this it's suggested to use strips of masking tape to get a tighter fit. I did vertical strips for a better fit.

 

[Kehoes23]

After I got the tail cone, centering rings and fin can epoxied on the motor tube I then put the completed motor assembly in the body tube to finish setup and dry, this is not in the instructions I do this for peace of mind so everything fits perfectly and straight. As you can see I'll have big gaps to fill once the motor assembly is epoxied in the airframe. I ordered a quart of micro glass filler to do the fillets for it.

 

[Kehoes23]

I then used red permanent thread locker for the AV bay assembly, this isn't required but I do it for peace of mind.

 

[Kehoes23]

Getting the AV bay ready for the ring.
Had to use more masking tape on the AV bay and the 38mm-53mm motor adapter.

 

[neil_w]

All weights are in grams.

How did you convince the forum to let you attach 25 pictures to one post? It's always limited me to 10 in the past.

 

[Kehoes23]

How did you convince the forum to let you attach 25 pictures to one post? It's always limited me to 10 in the past.

Maybe it's the length of time that I been a member of TRF? Not sure.

 

[OZRoc]

It's good that you have the FG version. I've got an old magnaframe one which I've had to replace with FG from just above the fin can. Magnaframe kept swelling and peeling. Still flying today in fact I'll be taking up to Mullaley this w/e. Word of advice. You do not need huge fillets on the fins. The fin can is virtually indestructible. And it's too late now but I would have lightened up the fin can with some 1" - 1"1/4 holes as per their High Performance style.
Cheers and happy flying, Mark.

 

[Kehoes23]

Got the hard point recovery system anchor put together. Again I used thread locker for peace of mind

 

[Kehoes23]

Got this for when I do the fillets. Any advice on this would be appreciated.

 

[cerving]

GLR makes great rockets, and the FG ones are nearly indestructible. My only beef with them is that they don't give you switch bands... which makes it harder to line up the shear pins.

 

[jFlds]

Build looks great.

The first GLR kit I ever built was a magna frame version of this kit. Great flier. That acme fin can is damn stout.

Still flying her today.

Of note, West Systems now makes a great thickened epoxy called Six/10 ( in a caulk tube of sorts) that I wish was available when I built mine. It would make the fillets on the fin can super easy and ultra clean. Stuff is great if you can find it.

Happy flying!

 

[Handeman]

GLR makes great rockets, and the FG ones are nearly indestructible. My only beef with them is that they don't give you switch bands... which makes it harder to line up the shear pins.

You can always use index pins. I drill holes at the joint with a brad point bit and glue in a piece of composite rod (you can use wood dowels too). That way the tubes are always positioned exactly the same. Drill the shear pin holes after the index pins and they will always line up exactly. I use the index pins for the nose cone and av-bay bulkheads also. Not only do they prevent getting the lids on the wrong ends, but between the booster, payload, and nose cone, it keeps everything aligned to the rail buttons. If you do have a switch band, using one index pin for the booster and two for the payload, it will prevent ever putting the av-bay in upside down and deploying the main at apogee. With everything aligned, you never have a pull pin or screw switch aligned to the rail and a GPS tracker won't be facing the rail and not be able to pick up satellites.

 

[Kehoes23]

Got to epoxy the centering ring on the 54-38mm motor adapter, since the ring was a loose fit I had to put some masking tape for a snug fit then used jb weld to epoxy the ring on the tube.
I did the same for the hard point recovery anchor system. I cut a hole in a piece of 2x4 so I can put the motor mount assembly with the aft end facing up so the JB weld epoxy will flow towards the front of the motor tube and not flow back towards the aft end of the rocket, the reason for this is so there is no obstructions when inserting a motor into the tube.

 

[Kehoes23]

I put the motor assembly inside the body tube to mark the outside so I know where to sand the inside of the body tube. I'll epoxy the motor assembly inside the body tube over the weekend.

 

[Kehoes23]

I drilled three 1/8 holes and put in three screws to firmly attach the hard point recovery system, this is not in the instructions, this was just for peace of mind and a stronger attachment point, I also put a generous amount of JB weld, then I'll be able to epoxy the motor assembly inside the body tube.

 

[Kehoes23]

Got the motor assembly epoxied inside the body tube. Had to make sure to attach the kevlar shock cord to the hard point recovery system before epoxying the motor assembly inside the body tube. I used tape to keep pressure on the aft body tube against the centering ring for better adhesion. Then it will be time to do the fillets.

 

[Kehoes23]

Checking the 54/38 motor adapter fit, and the snap rings fit.

 

[Kehoes23]

I first taped the AV bay to upper body tube, then I marked three locations for the rivets, I drilled a 1/8 pilot hole then a 1/4 hole for the rivets.

 

[Kehoes23]

I'm at the point that I can do fillets, but since I have other projects to do around the house, I'm unable to do them right now. I did however order some shear pins from bolt depot, I got a 100 for the price of 20, once I get them, I'll drill holes for them on the rocket.

 

[Hobie1dog]

thanks for the pictures

 

[Kehoes23]

I measured and measured and measured some more, and when I was ready to drill the vent/switch hole for the altimeter bay, I went back and measured a few more times and when I was satisfied with my measurements I went ahead and measured some more, I then thought about when the rocket was finished and on the pad ready for its first flight, I thought about where the vent/switch hole will be located, the reason for all the measurements and thought process, I made the mistake of putting the vent/switch hole on the same side as the rail buttons, with that rocket I had to arm the recovery altimeter first then put the rocket on the launch pad, not a good idea to do that, so this is why I measured and made sure to drill in the right spot. Once I get the shear pins I'll drill holes for them, just not sure if I should use 2 for the drouge and 2 for the main or 3 for drouge and 3 for the main.

 

[Kehoes23]

So, instead of doing the fillets, I decided to measure and drill holes for the shear pins, I decided to use three pins for the drouge and main. I taped everything together so nothing moves. I don't have any metal angle but I do have 3/4 cold roll chanel to mark my lines on the rocket body and paper to mark the vertical lines. I cut three small pieces of metal to epoxy on the nose cone to better cut the shear pins.
Has anyone done fillets on the vertical Assault rocket? If so any and all advice and tips will be appreciated. I do have micro glass balloons to thicken the epoxy, just not sure how to use it .

 

[Kehoes23]

So, instead of doing the fillets, I decided to measure and drill holes for the shear pins, I decided to use three pins for the drouge and main. I taped everything together so nothing moves. I don't have any metal angle but I do have 3/4 cold roll chanel to mark my lines on the rocket body and paper to mark the vertical lines. I cut three small pieces of metal to epoxy on the nose cone to better cut the shear pins.
Has anyone done fillets on the vertical Assault rocket? If so any and all advice and tips will be appreciated. I do have micro glass balloons to thicken the epoxy, just not sure how to use it .

I used a scrap pice of PVC pipe to drill holes for the shear pins, I did this so I didn't drill the wrong size hole.

 

[Kehoes23]

Getting ready to do my first set of fillets. The epoxy is amber in color when mixed, but with the micro glass it's white. I sanded the area with 220 grit sandpaper and cleaned with denatured alcohol. Since the fin can is molded one piece and nearly indestructible, the fillets are to fill in the gaps of the body tube and fin. For the most part, the fillets came out looking really good, I know there will be some filling to do and sanding as well. Since this was my first time using micro glass for the fillets, I made way too much and the extra I had left I used for fillets on my Estes big daddy rocket.