Video Build Thread - The Quest Superbird

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Great videos Daniel!
Try clamping your tube cutter down. It'll stabilize movement and you can concentrate more on holding just the tube and blade.
I've also found on my tube cutter (after cutting hundreds of tubes) - Use just the tip of the blade (not the flat) to score and cut the tubes.
On a turning tube cutter like this it goes through the tube cleaner with fewer passes.
 
I just watched all of your videos on my Kindle Fire because the server at work blocks Youtube :(. Anywho... I've enjoyed them. You've got a clear speaking voice and you've edited them properly to eliminate any "dead space". Good job.

I wanted to comment on your Kuhn Tubing Cutter in regards to your attempt to cut the 1/4" wide pieces for your centering rings... It defeats the purpose of your attached ruler because you'd have to mark the tube with your desired dimension, but you could have just set the wood block to the other side if your blade and still used the vertical wall of the cutter to stabilize the tube as you rotated it. :wink:

Good point. I can't believe I didn't think of that. Now I've got another way to use it. Thanks!
 
Great videos Daniel!
Try clamping your tube cutter down. It'll stabilize movement and you can concentrate more on holding just the tube and blade.
I've also found on my tube cutter (after cutting hundreds of tubes) - Use just the tip of the blade (not the flat) to score and cut the tubes.
On a turning tube cutter like this it goes through the tube cleaner with fewer passes.

I try to do that, but sometimes it's hard to resist the temptation to press too hard. As I cut, the tube sometimes pulls the blade forward so I'm cutting with the flat of the blade. I mostly get it with just the tip, but sometimes (as when I'm in a hurry, like in this video - or maybe it's because I knew I was "being watched") I get less than perfect results.

When it works, it works great, though.
 
I press down too hard while cutting too. However, (haven't tried it yet) if you were to attach a piece if wood to either side of the blade slot so an extendable knife blade (adjustable for different tubes, cheap, long lasting, and lightweight) slips back and forth without jiggling, hinge the knife from the hole in the plastic body and rubber band it to add slight pressure, would it work? That way you just spin the tube and don't have to concentrate on cutting.
 
K'Tesh, here's more info on the NC.

Length: 4 1/8 inch
Cylindrical portion: about 1.5 inch
Tangent ogive: 2 5/8 inch

The spherically blunted tip has a pretty large radius, as you can see.

DSCN3562.jpg

The mass (including tape) is 18.2g. Luckily, the CG seems to be right at the spot where the cylindrical part becomes the tangent part. So the mass could be easily divided between those bits, and the CG of each overridden to be at the aft end of the tangent part and the forward end of the cylindrical part.
 
Looking ahead at some of the stuff I shot, a lot of key stuff is out of frame. Ugh... I need a better system, or maybe just to move the camera back again.

So, I'll probably re-shoot some stuff with a different tube - especially the tube spiral filling. Might be good stand-alone video anyway. But it's a bummer that most of it didn't come out.
 
Okay, so the most recent installment is finally done. I shot it just a day after the last one, but it was so long, and I didn't have time to edit it down to a reasonable length until now.

The bulkhead - kind of a part 1 of 2.

[video=youtube;tOhiV5ug9i0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOhiV5ug9i0&feature=youtu.be[/video]
 
A concern I have for the method you're showing in the video is the mass of the payload possibly moving with enough force either from ejection, or parachute deployment, and breaking out that balsa.
 
A concern I have for the method you're showing in the video is the mass of the payload possibly moving with enough force either from ejection, or parachute deployment, and breaking out that balsa.

Well, the method I use for attaching the screw eye will be seen in an upcoming video, but I guess we'll see. In any case, it's not going to be a heavy rocket, so if the bulkhead breaks, it won't pose a danger. It'll just break the rocket - not a tragedy, since it's been a bit of a hassle to build, but a good learning experience. But I've seen bulkheads for LPR made with card stock. We'll see.
 
For my sim of the SuperBird, I've obtained this scan of the decals, however, there's a couple of problems...

Quest SuperBird (2010) Decals (raw).png

One problem is that the die cut for the colors isn't aligned with the image (there's an overlap).

Also, there's no ruler to help me scale my sim's "decals". If I could get the width (not length) of one of the colors in the body tube's wrap, I can move a little more forward on this sim.
 
I've got a Superbird in the build pile K'Tesh.
I won't be getting to it any time soon though.
When I do, I'll send you everything you need.
I'm hoping that my centering rings are not incorrect.
But who knows?
Thanks lcorinth for doing the video!
You are doing a fine job of it.
I really like the looks of the rocket.
I probably will do an upscale some day to take a 29mm Engine Mount and use Blue Tube.
 
I've got a Superbird in the build pile K'Tesh.
I won't be getting to it any time soon though.
When I do, I'll send you everything you need.
I'm hoping that my centering rings are not incorrect.
But who knows?
Thanks lcorinth for doing the video!
You are doing a fine job of it.
I really like the looks of the rocket.
I probably will do an upscale some day to take a 29mm Engine Mount and use Blue Tube.

Thanks! That would be appreciated.

One thing that I'll need for this kit is a scan of the motor clip (PN 49000). I don't have any samples of Quest's engine hooks and from what I can see in the video and from the instructions I've downloaded, they are not a match for anybody else's that I can find. They do, however, resemble Estes' hooks, but seem to be missing the end of the finger tab that Estes' has.

My sim's launch lug and body tubes seem impossibly thick... Could I get a measurement on those?

I also need details on the plastic Black Coupler (PN 21086) and the Coupler Base (PN 21059). I don't know the width of the exposed section, nor the lenght/diameter of the shoulders.

Funny you should mention 29mm. I was wondering what this would do with a "F" motor. :grin:
 
Here's what I've got so far...

There's a lot of guesswork involved here, and until I can clear those questions up to my satisfaction, this is where it'll have to stand.

Quest SuperBird (2010)(Best Guess So Far).jpg
 
Here's what I've got so far...

There's a lot of guesswork involved here, and until I can clear those questions up to my satisfaction, this is where it'll have to stand.

View attachment 324864

Oh, wow... I haven't checked this thread in a while, and didn't realize how much work you'd done on the sim!

I've been procrastinating with the editing because the next few videos have several clips, and stuff that's out of frame, and piecing it together has been a pain. I'll try to get back on that.

As for the clip, I'm not sure where it is, but I'll see if I can find it. It looks pretty much like the Estes clip, but a bit lighter.
 
One thing that I'll need for this kit is a scan of the motor clip (PN 49000). I don't have any samples of Quest's engine hooks and from what I can see in the video and from the instructions I've downloaded, they are not a match for anybody else's that I can find. They do, however, resemble Estes' hooks, but seem to be missing the end of the finger tab that Estes' has.

Here's some pictures of the Quest engine hooks from past builds.
They always seem to bend easily and stay bent, they aren't made from spring steel.
I always replace them with hooks I make from the spine from used windshield wiper blades.

Q Engine Hook 1.jpg Q Engine Hook 2.jpg
 
I was wondering what the name of that rocket was. I was given a kit a couple of years ago, and built it with a 29mm mount and a set of "D" baffles in the coupler. First flight, the parachute and nosecone snapped off and thermalled away. The body tube is not an Estes standard size. I glued a short piece of tube inside the top end and now use one of the long, pointy conical Estes nosecones. Looks pretty good!
 
Thanks hcmbanjo for the images of the clips.

I should also say thanks to LW Bercini as he sent me a scan of his. He also gave me the thickness and width of the clip (width =3.05mm, gauge = 0.71mm).

Also some thanks needs to go out to Charles Savoie (ATGM) for the decal scans.

With these, I think I can start moving forward again.
 
Any chance I could get someone to put some calipers on the launch lug? I need to know the diameter, and its thickness. I know it's 2" long.

I also need to know how much of the black plastic coupler is exposed (and what the shoulder lengths are), as well as info on the launch lug that is molded into it.

Thanks!
 
Ok... How does this look to everyone? Are Quest hooks really so long?

Quest  Motor Clip (PN 49000).png

Apparently, they are, as this was created by using the image that hcmbanjo posted, and scaled using the thickness from LW Bercini. As it is, the SuperBird won't be able to stand on its fins as the hook protrudes too far below them to allow that.


BTW, I know that it looks a bit pinched where the finger tab is located. I think it's an optical illusion caused by the thickness of the hook's shadows.
 
I've finally uploaded the sim of the SuperBird (2010). I've got my sample (purchased from Woody) in hand, and it has the plastic coupler, but I've been busy and haven't had time to put that to the calipers. The Icarus (2006) I bought has the cardboard tube coupler and bulkhead which is much simpler to sim up. So, I decided to upload the older versions of both. You can download them from my OpenRocket Files thread.

 
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