Centuri UFO sighting
 

This is a cardstock / downscale combined model.

The Centuri Alien Scoutship Flying Saucer has always been one of my favorite kits. I had a couple when they came out years ago. The design to me was so well thought-out. Centuri gave us the basic flying saucer that most flying saucers have been designed on since.

So I set out to clone the Centuri UFO. I know, others have done this. I decided to take a different approach to my clone.

First, I decided to draw the elements that had originally been embossed.
Second, I down-sized the scale to fit on a 8.50 X 11.00 sheet of card stock for printing.
Third, I wanted to share this design with anyone who would like to build their own.
At the end of this build thread I will send the PDFs to Scott so he can post them for sharing. It's all right with me if anyone wants to recolor or add their own touch to the drawing. All I ask is share it here.

The size of the craft is around 75% the size of the original Centuri UFO. ( 7 inch in diameter)

I used the BT-20 engine tube. If you want to fly on a smaller engine use an adapter.
Some parts are printed on 110 cardstock, and some parts are printed on adhesive-backed shipping label paper as noted in the thread.

Here are a couple shots of my UFO sighting.

Cool. Looking forward to it. I just finished painting my original and I'm trying to decide if the original decals would survive application.

I don't know why, but I hate doing the engine holder. So I'll do it first.

Take a piece of BT-20 tube cut it 2 3/4 inches long. Put the tube on the engine marking guide, and mark the tube with the appropriate letter for each line. Make the lines the full length of the tube. Label the lines C or L on the tube.

On label paper print out the L and C brackets. I used a cereal box cardboard to attach the L and C brackets to. On the back of the cereal box with the writing on it I put two layers of label paper to cover it up.

Now cut out the brackets.

Locate the engine lock, thrust ring, and mylar lock ring. Cut a slit 1/8 inch in the engine tube 1/4 inch down from the top. Place one end of the engine lock in the 1/8 slit. Slide the mylar ring over the engine lock and about half way down the tube to hold the engine lock. Check to make sure the mylar ring is not in the way of gluing the C braces in place. If it's ok, glue the mylar ring in place.

Glue in the thrust ring.

After the glue has set up on the engine tube, the C brackets can be attached to the engine tube. Make sure the C brackets are properly spaced apart.

Very nice. Looking forward to the files

Awesome! I've got an original in excellent condition that is too rare for me to fly so I've wanted to clone it for some time. I've never got around to it with all the other things going on in life, not to mention the mile long build cue I already have. I've thought about upscaling and downscaling, but unlike you, I've never gone past printing a few templates or gone past a mental exercise of how I wanted to show detail. I'm looking forward to your progress! :cool:

Thanks for the kind words friends.

This is not a hard clone to build. The hardest part is when you get to putting the sub-assembles together. You have to do some sanding, and a little fine cutting to get the L and C braces to fit inside the saucer. The nice thing is if you mess something up you just print the pieces out again and start again.

Got a full day tomorrow. Well try to get a couple post up then.

This looks pretty cool.
I'm not a fan of of saucers, but I am of Centuri.
I'd be interested in the plans to print to give it a try.
Feel free to email me the file when you have time.
adams.johne@outlook.com
Happy Thanksgiving!

Really cool so far - looking forward to your build.

The first thing to do is print out the page with the Core Tube Halves on it on 110 cardstock.
Find the two Core Tube Halves cut them out with an X-Acto knife or scissors.
Join the two halves together and let the glue set up. When the glue is dry, with the printed sides up, pull the two ends together and glue these ends together to form a tube. (Make sure the printed sides are facing the inside of the tube.)

You got that right. I cloned a full size UFO last year and noticed that if you tried to build it according to the Centuri instructions you would run into misfitting sub-assemblies.

I also downscaled the UFO to use a bunch of A10-PT motors I have lying around. The printed cardstock is waiting on the build pile.

Looking forward to it!

Thanks Scott,

Next print out the Main Shroud on 110 cardstock. You can use an X-Acto knife, or scissors. If you cut about 1/4 inch on the outside of the cutting lines first, it will make less resistance when cutting the details. (Cut close to the shroud pattern line but not ON the pattern line.) Once you have this done you can start cutting on the shroud line.
After you have the shroud cut out, glue the ends together to form a cone shape. Set aside to dry.

Thanks for taking the time to draw this up!
I'm also looking forward to the PDFs.
Downsizing the UFO makes great sense. Lighter and smaller to fit
on an 8 1/2" X 11" sheet and better performance.

Good hearing from you, Chris, Thanks.

Take the Core tube and add masking tape strips around the top of the Core tube.
Turn the tube over so the top of the core tube is facing down with the sticky side of the tape facing up.
Get the main shroud, slide the shroud down over the core tube lining up the joint of the Core tube and shroud. Slide the shroud down to the bottom of the Core tube. You can turn over the Core tube and shroud to see if the top of the shroud and Core tube is aligned. If you are satisfied with the shroud and Core tube assembly, turn the Core tube and shroud back over and spot glue to keep the two pieces together.

It isn't the weight on the Flying Saucer that keeps the altitude low, it is the high drag that this design generates. I have one that I built back in the early 80s that I still fly on occasion. Any lighter and it would fly more like a feather than it already does.

Find the Ring. Print it out on a self- adhesive sheet. Take the backing off the self- adhesive sheet
place it on the cardboard from a box of cereal or something similar. If there is any printing on the back side of the cereal box, cover it up with a few sheets of label paper.

With an X-Acto knife cut the Ring out.

Locate the 110 card sheet that has the Minor shroud and Detail strips. Cut them out and glue the Minor shroud together.

Now that we have the subassembly done, it's time to put them together.

Take the Core tube and Main shroud assembly and turn them over. Position the ring over the core tube so it is in contact with the main shroud. Make sure the Hatchway lines up with the wide portion between vents on the ring. Apply glue to each of the 6 locations where the ring touches the core tube. Let dry.

With the glue dry, turn the assembly over and glue the main shroud to the outside of the ring.
In my picture I used little strips of masking tape to hold the shroud down on the ring while I applied glue to the main shroud and ring around the hold assembly.

After the glue on the shroud and ring is dry, position the minor shroud over the core tube. Align the plain portion of the minor shroud with the wide portion between the vents on the ring. Apply glue to minor shroud and let dry.

The next part of the assembly takes time , some sanding, cutting, and patience. The C and L braces may need some sanding / cutting to get a proper fit.

Position the engine mount assembly into the core tube. Try to align the C braces with the tick marks on the top and bottom of the core tube, Apply glue to the C braces/core tube. Fillet each side of the C braces. Allow to dry.

Take the L braces and dry fit them to get a proper fit between the core tube and engine mount before gluing in place. Once you have a good fit, glue them in the same manner as the C braces using a fillet on each side. Use the tick marks on the core tube and alignment line on the engine tube.

Glue each of detail strips to the outside of the lower portion of the core tube, below the minor shroud. Align these strips so they are straight. Allow to dry.

After this post I'll send Scott the PDF.

Cut out the Hatch cover and glue on the ring in the wide space between the vents. Glue the launch lug along C brace/engine tube joint. Make sure the launch lug is properly aligned and allow to dry.

Hope this build is helpful. I had fun doing it, and I hope you will to.

Sorry the launch lug didn't load.

Here are the Centuri UFO PDFs.

Hope to see some recolors, feel free to do so.

Frank.

Thanks
Download complete

Very nice job, I definitely plan to print and build this mini saucer, to go with my original full size version. It was a big hit at our last Cub Scout rocket launch.

The bare elliptical space between the lines on that one side just begs for the Centuri logo.

Another possible way to fill that space: A single Star&Bar and the following text:

U.S. AIR FORCE
SPACE PROBE NO. 1

and then you have just entered, the Twilight ZONE! (apologies to Rod Serling)

P.S. - what about the aerial antenna/landing gear wires?

Thank you kindly Frank for going to all this work and sharing it with us all.
It will give me a good reason to buy another ream of card stock for business cards.
And a package of full sheet sticky paper.
Mine will be black and white unless I use markers.
I don't have a color printer, just an old brother MFC9600 laser all in one.
I'm sure it will fly just the same.

I made a Centuri Saucer clone last year and used the handles from chinese food takout boxes. I thought the wire would be hard enough but it was not, as it bent over on every landing. I recommend you use music wire or the spring wire from suction cup "jumping" toys.

Sorry I didn't make the wire landing legs , but most of the saucers don't have them these days.
For me there a pain in the butt to make, and I'm sure it will land all right with out them.

Fore the ones who want to do a recolor. Here are the black and white sheets.
This should make it easier to color, or add marking. Be sure to share with the rest of us.

Thanks for this. Definitely one of my favorite saucers. I added antenna made from .032" music wire. I felt it was a necessary part of the iconic design.
[IMG] Scout Ship top.jpg[IMG]

Blades, you did a great job on your build. With the wire antenna it looks just like the centuri UFO.
I know I made the patterns for the craft, but the builder still has to make them fit. Not so easy, but you lave done a great job. My hat is off to you.

Hope your fly's good. Thanks for giving my litter saucer a try.

Frank.

Frank, or anyone that's done this 75% saucer,

How does it fly? With the 18mm mount staying full size, it sticks out the back and changes the CG a little. The wire landing gear of the original doesn't weigh a lot, but it's forward of the saucer body and helps the CG ever so slightly, but I didn't have any music wire and didn't add them to the model.

I'm thinking about modding a B4-2 or B4-4 into a B4-P for first flight, if I have any left in my stash.

Hi, tbzep,

I did fly this saucer. I made 3 flights on B engines and they were somewhat wobbly but at the time there was a little wind an I chalk it up to the wind. I gave the saucer to a guy at the field that day and haven't made another one since then. Sorry.

I had a couple of the original Centuri UFO back in the days. They were great kits. I wish ESTES would find the tooling and reissue it. I know that will never happen.

I’ll plus that on the original Centuri kit. I built one about six years ago. Fun and challenging build. I can see this kit took some development time by Centuri and is not quite as simple of a kit as it might first appear.

Good job on your project there, Tim!


Earl

Fortunately, I still have the one that I built, and I still fly it once in a while. Yes, the Centuri Flying Saucer was a great kit. I would like to see someone reissue it one day.

Estes did offer it a couple years after merging officially with Centuri in 1983. Think they kitted it somewhere around 1985 or 86.

Given that the templates have been posted here, you can also get embossing templates and clone a pretty close replica of it.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:702871

You are probably thinking of the plastic version. See ‘Flying Saucer’.

http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/ca...85/85est36.html

Didn't realize that one was plastic.
Just thought it was the Centuri one with different decor.
I only have the Centuri one.
I have flown mine with regular non-booster engines such as the C6-7, B6-2, etc.
It just blasts the ground a bit after landing and hops into the air a bit from the ejection charge.
Don't do it if conditions are very dry, a grass fire could start.
Flies best on the no-longer available C5-0S Centuri SuperC booster, but the C5-3 that has returned works just as well.

tbzep industries can easily manufacture the C5-0 or C5-P now that proper supplies are available. ;)

tbzep-
I LIKE tbzep industries !
A B8-0 could also be created by removing the proper amount of propellant.

Any relation to Drax Corporation or Zorin Industries ?

Totally independent. 007 will never shut me down!

Good answer !
Just dont get any component ingredients from Acme or Ajax.