I don't do much building these days since my storage space is limited, but I couldn't resist this one that was just released last month. The So Long's sleek looks and the estimated altitude of 3600' on 2 F motors got me.
Estes rates this as an "advanced" build which I believe used to be called SK3. The build I felt was quite easy, but it was the finishing and decals that were a challenge for me.
This is a MPR since it launches on E15 and F15 but it has some characteristics of a LPR build. For example the fins are surface mounted 1/8" balsa; not thru the wall. Also the BT is also the MM so there are no centering rings to deal with. So it is like building an Estes Wizard or Hi-Flier only larger. The staged motors are CHAD mounted. The rocket has a payload bay. It uses a dual streamer recovery.
The Estes color scheme is attractive with the big colorful decals so I went with it. This is where I had some trouble. The surface mount fins require beefy fin fillets. That wasn't hard just time consuming with long wood glue cure time. But when I was painting the black fins on both the booster and the sustainer I got considerable paint bleed under the tape that I had masked over the fillets with since the fillets aren't uniform. I hand brushed the black fins thinking it wouldn't do that but I was wrong. After the paint had dried I went to work scraping and retouching with a small brush to get the lines fairly straight. Not perfect but I'll go with it. The decals I got lucky with. Nearly blew it with the wraps.
I'll be launching the So Long Next month--on E motors! It has to be on a BIG field if I have any chance of seeing it again. A slender rocket like this will be hard to see at 3000+ feet.

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Douglas

Well, whatever challenges you may have had during the build, they don’t seem to show in the photos. Good job…and good luck in getting it back!! I once got a 54mm (about 2”) minimum diameter L750 powered rocket back from just shy of 19,000 feet, so it is possible to do! That was out in the desert (Black Rock), so that does help somewhat….

Earl

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Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

That design is starting to grow on me. I may just have get one, but will wimp out on the motor mounts: 24mm for the sustainer and maybe even the booster.

I like 1.67x upscales; that 1.21" tube scales up to just under 2"...it will have to wait until there is a core-burning BP motor or I may choose to cluster two E12s... Unfortunately, Estes does not sell long 2" tubes; I would have to go with SEMROC LT-200 even though it is a scoche larger.


Bill

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It is well past time to Drill, Baby, Drill!

If your June, July, August and September was like this, you might just hate summer too...

Please unload your question before you ask it unless you have a concealed harry permit.

: countdown begin cr dup . 1- ?dup 0= until cr ." Launch!" cr ;

Give a man a rocket and he will fly for a day; teach him to build and he will spend the rest of his days sanding...

Looks great Douglas! I picked up 2 at the LHS, figuring it's unlikely I'll get multiple flights. Has anyone here flew one of these yet?

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Paul
If we weren't all crazy, we would go insane - Jimmy Buffett
NAR #87246 www.wooshrocketry.org