Virtual Build Pile

[jqavins]

There's the build pile, physical kits one plans to get around to building one day, and there's the virtual build pile, ideas to try or kits to buy that one thinks about, one of these days, maybe.

I have lots, and some potential scratch builds are in a half baked ideas thread. One that doesn't belong there is on my mind at the moment: has anyone done a two stage conversion out of an Estes Red Nova?

More important, who else has either design ideas or kit desires on the virtual build pile?

 

[dr wogz]

Motorize recumbent offroad trike..

oh wait, rocket build wants..

3" or 4" Sentinel upscale..

 

[Cape Byron]

Around 12 notebooks of drawings and ideas for the last ~30 years. Some come to life many years down the track.

Gestation can be long. It took 16 years for the BT-56 based rocket design on the left to become our final iteration final rear-eject Apanina kit.

 

[David_Stack]

There's the build pile, physical kits one plans to get around to building one day, and there's the virtual build pile, ideas to try or kits to buy that one thinks about, one of these days, maybe.

I have lots, and some potential scratch builds are in a half baked ideas thread. One that doesn't belong there is on my mind at the moment: has anyone done a two stage conversion out of an Estes Red Nova?

More important, who else has either design ideas or kit desires on the virtual build pile?

Couple of threads here in the forum documenting 2-stage Red Novas…

One example: https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/estes-red-nova.171646/#post-2255253

 

[SolarYellow]

My Word doc list where I dump rocket build ideas so I can temporarily stop thinking about them is somewhere in the 40s. Probably high 40s at this point. I also delete things from it when I decide they aren't good ideas.

One that doesn't belong there is on my mind at the moment: has anyone done a two stage conversion out of an Estes Red Nova?

When I looked at that most recently, I kinda assumed it was a two-stage. If it's not, it should be. With the extra space in the booster, it should be set up for Es. Maybe even air start composites. I would definitely sim it that way.

Crap, another one for the list...

ETA: Stopped by HL tonight on the way home and made them OOS on the Red Nova. Checked condition carefully, contents of the bag are good. Now to find @K'Tesh's .ork file. Jumping to the conclusion that because it's an interesting Estes kit and readily available, he's done one.

 

[DigBaddy]

I keep a folder for openrocket designs. Once it's built, the file moves into the fleet folder. Lots of stuff in that designs folder that won't see the light of day, but definitely not going to delete any files.

This is right now looking like a build. Just started goofing with the nosecone and fin template. Tube from a roll of ziplock vacuum sealer bags (I think). Thick and super stout, and happens to be same ID as BT55. Purpose is to be able to drop it quickly on a frozen lake. Given the heavy tube and papered basswood fins, that should work....

 

[cbrarick]

1900 cubic feet of actual build pile. Don't have room for virtual ones.......

 

[SolarYellow]

1900 cubic feet of actual build pile. Don't have room for virtual ones.......

The 1s and 0s are already sitting on your hard drive anyway. Might as well arrange them in interesting ways.

 

[tsmmiller]

I have so few actually built and fewer yet in the build pile.
So few in fact that I feel like an infant compared to 98% of the forum. My virtual pile consists of maybe 3 rockets. Two that I wish for some day.
One is From a notorious vendor that we shall keep nameless. The next is a Daedalus 54 TSR.
The other I keep tinkering with in OR and mock ups. I just can’t come up with a way to build the straklets that I am happy with, and that is a scratch built RIM 162. If I were to go to Level3 I want that rocket in full scale.

 

[mh9162013]

Most of my virtual build pile involves projects that require custom decals, which I don't know how to make right now. I know there's special paper, Cricut, etc., but that's a lot of time and money which I'd rather spend on things like body tubes and glue...

 

[NateB]

I have a few designs in Open Rocket and a few more ideas sketched in a notebook. Halfway fleshed out ideas include a 2 stage Loc Tomahawk with the Terrier booster leading the way to clustered airstart build. I've also been thinking about building a small fleet of tube fin rockets in various sizes to test sugar motors.

 

[cbrarick]

The 1s and 0s are already sitting on your hard drive anyway. Might as well arrange them in interesting ways.

my 1s and 0s have a really bad habit of turning into projects.
Don't ask how much 42 feet of carbon 4 inch tube costs, the last time I played in rocksim after Another Bad Idea flew at URRF

 

[lakeroadster]

... has anyone done a two stage conversion out of an Estes Red Nova?

More important, who else has either design ideas or kit desires on the virtual build pile?

"Virtual Build Pile": As a scratch builder, everything I design is in that pile. I do have an inventory of body tubes, some 4x4 Redwood posts with nose cones hidden in them, and the Basswood at the local Hobby Shop I could call kits.

Here's my two stage Red Nova design: It's pretty low on the priority list though. Feel free to make it your own Joe.

https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/lakeroadsters-2-stage-red-nova.169144/

​

 

[jqavins]

Most of my virtual build pile involves projects that require custom decals, which I don't know how to make right now. I know there's special paper, Cricut, etc., but that's a lot of time and money which I'd rather spend on things like body tubes and glue...

FYI, by way of encouragement not noodging, you should know that the time and expense for printing your own decals on that special paper is not very great. Doing the art, that's a different story, and depends entirely on you but the paper doesn't cost much and the print takes as long as printing on regular paper. (There can be a bit moe to it, and I'm not the real expert.)

Here's my two stage Red Nova design: It's pretty low on the priority list though. Feel free to make it your own Joe.

https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/lakeroadsters-2-stage-red-nova.169144/

View attachment 555411​

Where's the booster?

I actually thought of you as I wrote. So what scratch ideas do you have on the back burner, not yet in the design phase, just kicking around in your head?

 

[mh9162013]

Doing the art, that's a different story

I have a feeling I'd need special software and free or not, the necessary software will have a steep learning curve.

Nothing I can't handle, but if I only have 2 hours a week for model rockets (give or take), figuring out custom decals (for now) is near the bottom of my hobby-related priority list.

Practically everything I want to do (virtual build pile-wise) requires custom decals, though...

 

[tsmith1315]

I have a feeling I'd need special software and free or not, the necessary software will have a steep learning curve.

Inkjet waterslides require nothing beyond some clear coat and the forethought of how to handle white.

 

[jqavins]

Couple of threads here in the forum documenting 2-stage Red Novas…

One example: https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/estes-red-nova.171646/#post-2255253

I wouldn't call that a conversion. That's more "inspired by".

Here's my two stage Red Nova design: It's pretty low on the priority list though. Feel free to make it your own Joe.

https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/lakeroadsters-2-stage-red-nova.169144/

View attachment 555409View attachment 555410​

I remember this one. Definitely a good start if I do it, though I'd leave out the flutter tabs.

 

[mh9162013]

Inkjet waterslides require nothing beyond some clear coat and the forethought of how to handle white.

How well do they handle UV fading? I'm guessing that inkjet ink fades like it's nobody's business...

Also, I am unaware of any inkjet cartridges that don't dry out if not used for several months at a time.

 

[AndrewGil]

Currently on my mind for a virtual build list is:

4" Punisher
6" Ultimate Punisher
Ultimate Wildman
LOC Bruiser EXP

I currently have a Jr. Punisher in a box somewhere that needs to be built, but currently my L3 5" Punisher is taking priority.

 

[tsmith1315]

How well do they handle UV fading? I'm guessing that inkjet ink fades like it's nobody's business...

Also, I am unaware of any inkjet cartridges that don't dry out if not used for several months at a time.

Use a clear coat with UV. Most may have that now, I'm no expert there. @neil_w has done some beautiful waterslides, how are they holding up, Neil?


Standard ink cartridges are used, nothing special required. Hobby Lobby sheets are small, I cut a sheet of copy paper to size and do test prints for size and position before running the decal paper through. Other papers may be full size.

 

[neil_w]

Use a clear coat with UV. Most may have that now, I'm no expert there. @neil_w has done some beautiful waterslides, how are they holding up, Neil?

My inkjet waterslides are all clearcoated with Krylon UV-resistant clear, and then (in most cases) covered with multiple coats of Future. The oldest rocket with inkjet-printed waterslides in my fleet is now about 4.5 years old (IRIS-T). Thus far I have observed absolutely no fading or yellowing.

My rockets are all stored in my basement, with relatively little UV exposure over time.

 

[mh9162013]

My inkjet waterslides are all clearcoated with Krylon UV-resistant clear, and then (in most cases) covered with multiple coats of Future. The oldest rocket with inkjet-printed waterslides in my fleet is now about 4.5 years old (IRIS-T). Thus far I have observed absolutely no fading or yellowing.

My rockets are all stored in my basement, with relatively little UV exposure over time.

What printer and inkjet cartridges do you use?

 

[neil_w]

What printer and inkjet cartridges do you use?

Canon MX920 using standard Canon ink. I have not has as good luck with my current HP printer, that is a subject for further experimentation.

One additional note re: inkjet waterslides: I do not particularly enjoy the process of printing/clear-coating/praying that they don't run when soaking. However, the results are very good, and when trying to do full-color nothing else really comes close. Nowadays I mostly try to use laser when the design doesn't demand that level of color fidelity.

This rocket uses a mix of decal types. The big plasma decals in the middle are inkjet, and boy were they a pain. Good results though.


I have also purchased some Koala no-spray paper, that allegedly doesn't require any clear-coating, but haven't tried it yet.

 

[mh9162013]

I'll keep an eye out out for Canon inkjet printers and ink, thanks.

Also considering Cricut and vinyl, too.

 

[lakeroadster]

I actually thought of you as I wrote. So what scratch ideas do you have on the back burner, not yet in the design phase, just kicking around in your head?

When those ideas do appear...
I'll post 'em up here (on TRF).

 

[SolarYellow]

ETA: Stopped by HL tonight on the way home and made them OOS on the Red Nova. Checked condition carefully, contents of the bag are good. Now to find @K'Tesh's .ork file. Jumping to the conclusion that because it's an interesting Estes kit and readily available, he's done one.

Found someone else's .ork. Spent time last night making it a clean two-stage. Some interesting sim results. Will post up a thread when I eventually get it built and validated.

 

[bad_idea]

My Word doc list where I dump rocket build ideas so I can temporarily stop thinking about them is somewhere in the 40s. Probably high 40s at this point. I also delete things from it when I decide they aren't good ideas.

I move mine to a separate doc or segment of a doc so as to keep notes around to remind me why they didn't work out. More than once (not speaking only of this hobby), this has saved me from going down a dead-end rabbit hole I'd already been down years before.

 

[SolarYellow]

Speaking of virtual lists, I now have a list of everything rocket-related that I've bought. Organized by categories and subcategories. I know what I've bought, when and where I bought it, and how much I paid.

Don't ask.

The good thing is, I can just look at the list and know what should be in inventory, rather than rummaging around through boxes or old emails trying to remember whether I actually bought that thing or just thought about it. So when I'm contemplating a scratch build or a kit bash, I can really quickly determine whether I have the stuff I need to get started without first going shopping, placing orders, and waiting. The big idea behind this was stocking up my "personal hobby shop" so I can be at the point where everything I'm likely to need is here and ready to go, and I can just work when I have some time. I can design around the materials, hardware, supplies and equipment I have, rather than every project requiring an exploration of what/where/when/how much$ is available. Of course, there's been a whole lot of that latter part in context of the "virtual build pile" to get to this point.

An accompanying goal is to get the physical inventory organized in a similar fashion, so I can just pick out the stuff without rummaging through boxes and having to move boxes that are piled on top of each other.

ETA:
I just realized there's a distinction for me between the "kit pile," i.e., the bagged Estes SKUs I have on hand, and the "build pile," which is the virtual list that I intend to actually build. The "kit pile" is really closer to the "kit bash pile" or the "economically purchased nose cone/body tube" pile with a bunch of random rocket parts mixed in. At least that's how I see it when the plan is to use different fin materials, motor mounts and recovery gear for nearly everything.

 

[SolarYellow]

Had an epiphany today. The "virtual build pile" / "build list" (which is an actual Word document(s), in my case) is like my personalized rocket catalog. It is a whole bunch of things that would be cool to build, personalized perfectly for me. I don't have to build everything in the catalog, I can just pick and choose what I think is coolest, though they are all cool, fun, and interesting to think about.

Like the Estes catalog, what is in my build list now is different than what was in it a year ago. And what is in it a year from now will probably be significantly different. Some things fall off it without me ever building them, lots of things get added, some will remain perpetually until they happen - perhaps several times.

There are even "series." When I get a good basic idea, lots of permutations of that idea happen. It's worth writing them all down and making notes, as it spurs the creative process to arrive at the best ideas.

And there are categories. The "whoosh-pop" category currently has 44 items, with a couple of sub-series: the 13mm-powered "park flyer" (not like LOC's park flyers) series, the "variations on the Alpha because I got a bulk pack for really cheap" series, and the "cluster" series. Beyond Whoosh-Pop, there's the MD-G80 series, the "flying motor" series, the scale series, etc. Crossing over several different series is, of course, the Goblin.

The key takeaway from this way of thinking about it: They don't all have to get built. In fact, although each of them is a good idea on its own, trying to build them all in even a period of several years would likely be quite a bad idea. I can pick just one or a handful and explore a concept. Give myself time to burrow into an area and figure it out. If good ideas are lost in the stream of time and never happen, that's OK, as long as I am having fun with what actually does happen.

 

[bad_idea]

Banzan's rocketeer.