RED NOVA & ESAM-58 Double Build

With the loss of 3 rockets during the last Bond Park Rocket Day and the potential family launch in a few weeks I decided to do a double build. Not sure if the cousins are going to have rockets to fly so I wanted to make sure my fleet is large enough so everyone can launch. I am in the process of building a Red Nova and Esam-58 at the same time.

They are very similar in size and build so the process does seem to be going very well in tandem. At this stage the Engine Mounts and Shock Cords have been attached to the BodyTtubes. What is left is Fin sanding and attachment, fillets, sealing and painting.

Deciding on a color selection is always hard and fun at the same time. To be honest sometime I fall asleep thinking about it (which is better than thinking and stressing about work or other things).

Did some quick mock-ups in Word and right now I'm thinking...

RED NOVA

...I guess more like Yellow Nova

ESAM-58

EPIC II Complete

Didn't take any pictures of the progress, just the finished product.

With this model I decided to take the extra step to seal the balsa wood. I used Elmer's Wood Sealer. The Apogee Components video suggested sealing prior to gluing to the body tube. I debated back and forth on this and finally decided to seal after gluing. The main reasoning was that the fins were so thin I couldn't get a wire into them to hold them during application or drying without causing damage. I think I made the correct decision and the application and sanding went smoothly. To be honest I enjoyed the sanding portion even though it seamed to take forever.

My wife has family visiting in about a month and I am trying to coordinate a trip to the field for the cousins. Excited to hopefully launch my first 2 stage rocket.

Wood Filler

Took another cue from Apogee Components after watching their Sealing & Smoothing Balsa Fins video. I am going to try using Elmer's Wood Filler to seal the balsawood fins on my next build. Probably going to be the Epic II.

Ebay Purchase - ROGUE VOYAGER

I'm not always a fan of buying rockets over the internet. I purchased a Goblin off Amazon that had some tube crushing which I assume was from shipping. Even though it was packaged in a corrugate case, the shipper they used was just large enough for the kit and the case corrugate was very low strength. I was able to smooth out the tube and after panting it was unnoticeable but it still bothered me.

 

I took a chance on eBay. A seller had several discontinues models and the Rogue Voyager (Estes 7223) with it's multiple tubes really grabbed me. A asked a few questions ahead of time about warped or damaged fins and of course crushed tubes. $14, free shipping and free returns; I thought it made sense to give it a chance.

So glad I did. The seller was awesome. Quick response to questions, fast delivery, package properly and exactly as described in new condition.

Now the problem is what rocket to purchase next.

Rocket Day - Bond Park October 2019

Another Rocket Day at Bond Park and it was eventful. Two rockets were lost and another was damaged.

The first launch was my Crossfire ISX. I didn't compensate properly for the wind and it was snagged just at the edge of the tree line. Kinda bummed because it had a nice dark green and black color scheme.

Towards the end of the event I lost my Amazon to a tree after overcompensating for wind. My son really like the Amazon because it was big and had a sporty orange and black color scheme (I opted not to use the hokey large sticker).

Funny, because the Crossfire ISX and Amazon were the first two rockets I built after restarting this hobby. The Amazon became one of my favorites, because of its size take-offs were dramatic and was fun to watch come down with it's large parachute. Both came together in the Tandem X launch set.

The showboat of the day was my son's Flip-Flier. It was the most exciting one to watch come down. We had no issues with the parachute catching during ejection. Thinking I may need to look into some more helicopter recovery systems. We were so excited about launching and watching it that I didn't take any pictures. Maybe next time I can get a video of the recovery.

Another highlight of the day was the first launch of my Nike-X.

The final launch was the my Hi-Flier. The first launch about midway through the day resulted in a partial crack in one fins. I repaired it with some superglue and decided to put in a C motor. Since I had already lost two rockets why not a third. We were able to recover it but the fin ended up splitting all the way through and the piece was lost.

RIP

BOND PARK

OCTOBER 19, 2019

 

CROSSFIRE ISX

AMAZON

HI-FLIER

As we were packing up a boy and his mother came up to ask us about the hobby. I gave them a run down of the what model rockets were, how to get started and what they would need to buy for repeated launches. I took a 'card' out of a packaging of motors so they would have the Estes name to do some research.

 

Flip Flyer Build

To replace the recently lost Power Patrol my youngest chose the Flip Flyer. I turned it into a money learning experience and had him put $2 towards the purchase. He brought is wallet (which is actually a small metal piggy bank) and he handed the cashier the coins with the understanding that he would get the rocket in exchange for the money.

This was a quick and easy build. Just had to be careful with the glue on the pins that allow the blades to pivot. I think this will be a fun rocket for him to launch.

I did notice that the parachute my catch on the coupler during ejection but I think that clever wadding placement will handle that issue.

 

 

 

BB-IIIC-C19

This is an idea that I've been developing. Taking the new Boosted Bertha and turning it into a 3 stage rocket. I would need two kits to do this and modifications to the plans would be required for the second (middle) stage to make it work properly. Nothing beyond what this engineer can handle. With 2 kits I could buy a coupler and use both Body Tubes to lengthen the rocket. I am also considering replacing the Nose Cone as I have never really liked the rounded shape of the original.

CHEROKEE-E Build Part 2

How many weeks later...and I finally finished. I have a tendency to lean towards darker colors and I made a conscious effort to make this rocket brighter and have a lighter more sporty fun feel.

As always I applied a priming layer of white and let it sit for a day.

While the white dried I made stencils for the fin color scheme based on my sketches. I retained the balsawood and traced it on paper to layout the color blocking then used a wall of a tissue box to create the shapes.

 

Using colored Sharpies I traced the lines onto the model. The paint coated the Sharpies so I had to keep scribbling on the corrugate (as you can see) to free them up. Think next time I may try colored pencil.

Filling in the specific areas on the fins and body tube.

I decided to move the Magenta ring down from just below to Nosecone. Placing it with the Magenta on the fins nicely continues the color across the Body Tube. I'm glad I did as I like the Magenta, White and Green blocking at the lower end of the rocket.

The finished model...

 

CHEROKEE-E Build Part 1

So I decided to keep the Cherokee-E kit. Took advantage of the long weekend and decided on this kit of the 4 I have waiting to be built. For me assembly is a long process that usually will take at least a couple weeks. I'm pretty patient when it comes to allowing the glue to cure and paints to dry. With work and interruptions within the family drawing my focus away a kit can easily sit idle M-Th.

In the past I relied on LocTite Super Glue for certain parts (ie Fins to Body Tube). After reading a few blogs and watching the Apogee Components YouTube channel I decided to give Titebond III Ultimate Wood Glue a go. I'm very happy that I did. It appears to have a very strong hold and did have a longer work time to ensure the Fins were perfectly aligned.

Since this is a D or E powered rocket I decided to add a little weight to the nose cone. I needed to open the hole a little. I used sandpaper to smooth out my expansion and to cleaned up all the flash around the Nose Cone loop.

One trick that I do for Nose Cone weight is to form the clay (Sculpey in this case) into a snake and apply some super glue to the end. As I lower it into through the opening I wiggle it to some of the super glue is applied towards the tip and then pack the clay down in. The intention is to secure the clay in place.

I used the double glue method discussed in the Attaching Fins Apogee Components YouTube video. And it worked really well. The work time was nice as it allowed me the freedom to move the Fins and Launch Lugs to ensure correct placement. The dried glue is it a bit darker than Elmer's but with a primer of white then color it should be a non issue.


Another trick I have is to use a pencil to double check the straightness of the Launch Lug to my guideline.

I usually place a little super glue to secure the Engine Hook to the tube at the location where the clip goes through the Engine Mount Tube.

 



 

Engine Mount...

 

 

 

Checking fillet shape and gaps between the Fins and Body Tube.

 

Next steps will be gluing Engine Mount to the bottom Tube, then paining. I think I am going to paint the separate Body Tubes prior to Gluing. And I am thinking at this moment of White, Green and Pink.