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  #21  
Old 07-07-2021, 04:25 PM
erik442's Avatar
erik442 erik442 is offline
The Alpha Kid
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: central PA
Posts: 419
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AstronMike
Hey, looiks like you used Solar Sailer truss decals for the nose of Drei Maxx!! How'd you end up with *that* many sets to do that? Print your own somehow?

I was wondering if anyone would catch that.
I had several sets made up on white label stock years ago by a buddy who runs a local print shop.
Eight of those decals fit perfectly around a Red Max nose.
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  #22  
Old 07-07-2021, 06:10 PM
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erik442 erik442 is offline
The Alpha Kid
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: central PA
Posts: 419
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TigerHawk
What all did you upgrade your scratch built Maxi Alpha with to handle the 29mm motors?

Airframe and motor mount are thick wall tubing from LOC/Precision.
I made the centering rings from birch plywood and the fins are basswood, recycled from my catoed 1291.
Fins mount TTW and are glued to the rings.
Small triangular braces connect the fin tabs to each other and are glued to the motor mount tube and rings.
The stuffer tube interior is coated with JB Weld.

The motor retention was the most interesting part of the build. It's made from sink trap parts.
I found a web article detailing the process. The PVC pipe threaded stub is cut off and epoxied to the motor mount tube.
An E-clip fits over the motor nozzle and a metal compression ring holds it all together. Brilliant!
It was the ideal solution since I didn't want to invest in an alloy thrust plate and I don't think the Estes retainers were on the market yet.

It has a baffle of my own design and an eyebolt in the top anchors the 1/2" wide elastic shock cord and 6" x 6" nomex blanket.
My wife got me one of those swivel X-Acto knives for Christmas so I used it to make the decals from glossy sign vinyl.
The launch lugs are just kraft paper and glue rolled around an appropriate size round pencil.
The nose has a custom detachable bottom and a long 10-24 machine screw inside to allow for weight addition at the tip.
On an F motor it is perfectly balanced without extra weight in the nose.
It returns on an 18" nylon chute. It tended to drift too much with a 24".
Dry weight is 19 oz. RTF weight is about 24 oz.
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  #23  
Old 07-07-2021, 06:28 PM
erik442's Avatar
erik442 erik442 is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: central PA
Posts: 419
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffyjeep
What a delightful thread! I love the photos and the descriptions of each flight!

As for landing on asphalt--I can relate. MY personal nemesis is water. If I launched a model rocket on a 1/2A at the geographical center of the Sahara it would STILL somehow land in water.

To this day my saddest water landing was an Astrocam 110 with 15+ exposures on the roll. Swallowed by a retention pond in Naperville, IL.

This old seadog cried like a little girl.

Thanks, JJ. Glad you enjoyed it.
Too bad about your Astrocam. Would have been neat to see if the pics turned out.
I still have one around here somewhere.
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