Tuesday, April 8, 2025

(BAR-45) Sci-Fi F1 ZER0 Racer

This is a design I found on the Internet: Sci-Fi F1 Zer0 Racer.

It's got an F1 vibe going, yet it's got enough rear mounted fins to make a good simulated flyer.

I'll need to use my oval tube forming technique for the body, starting with BT/C-204 and forming the nose into a rectangular shape, and then make a nose cone to match up to that shape. The rest of the rocket is fairly straightforward. I will not be installing the front canards, at least not for flight.

Basswood and Plywood Fins
Rear Mounted 29mm Motor
24" Parachute

2025-04-10 Forming the Body Tube

A piece of BT-204 was cut to 13" long.

Checked the stock here and there isn't any C-204 (??) so a piece of C-80 was cut to 13" long and then (2) longitudinal cuts were made in the tube, spaced 6-3/16" to make a split internal coupler. I then used Elmer's White Glue to glue the coupler inside the BT-204.

After waiting an hour for the Elmer's White Glue to cure a bit the tube sub-assembly was soaked in water, about 4 inches at the end of the BT/C-204. Then my BT-60 Oval Tube Mandrels were used to form an oval on the end of the tube. It was clamped for drying.

The coupler longitudinal split will be wood glued tomorrow, after the forming operation has dried.

2025-04-11 I've settled on the design... something like this:

Nose Cone CAD & Drawing

Knocked out a CAD Model and Drawing for the Nose Cone... and glued up the wooden blank.

2025-04-12

Fabricated the Nose Cone today. It's not quite as "pretty" as the CAD model, but it'll get the job done.

Glued the Nose Cone into the Body Tube.

Starship Nova... A BT-60 Upscale

The Starship Nova was an Estes sci-fi rocket design from back in the early 1980's. It had lot's of tubes, weird fins and a funky nose cone.

For me, this 1980's era was when I had abandoned rocketry. Cars, girls and college were my main focus at that time. But now, maybe an upscale of this rocket would be a fun adventure.

Here's a stock Starship Nova OpenRocket simulation that I created, using The Estes' Instructions and fin templates for Kit No. 1371.

Armed with this OpenRocket simulation, I'll work up an upscaled version of the rocket.

Starship Nova Upscale BT-60

The Stock Estes model was scaled up in OpenRocket to a BT-60. The length of the Body Tube was reduced to 17".

The Nose Cone was rotated 180 degrees. It is solid pine and a ballast of 3/4" Dia. Steel Bar was added, 1" long.

An oval shaped BT-60 was used for the Lower Tube, which also acts as Altimeter Stowage.

BT-80 Tube Fins are used

A Rear Eject configuration is used. The 29mm Motor ejects out of the back, which is attached to the Recovery Spool with a Shock Chord, which deploys the 30" Parachute.

Dual Launch Lugs are used... which are actually rapid fire pew-pew cannons.

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Miles M.39C Libellula... A WWII Odd-Roc

Here's a rather obscure British WWII plane that seems to work nicely as a rocket pretty much as is.

Miles M.39B Libellula Wikipedia

The Miles M.39B Libellula (from Libellulidae, a taxonomic family of dragonflies) was a Second World War tandem wing experimental aircraft built by Miles Aircraft, designed to give the pilot the best view possible for landing on aircraft carriers. A scale version of the M.39 design was proposed by Miles to meet Air Ministry specification B.11/41 for a fast bomber. The M.39B was used by Miles to generate data from which the M.39 design was improved, but the M.39 project was cancelled and the M.39B broken up.

The M.39C was a pusher version... and that's similar to the rocket I've created below.

I moved the motor nacelles in tight to the rear tailcone. The ejection will be through the side wall of the motor tube into the fuselage, and the parachute will eject via bomb bay doors on the bottom of the rocket. At least that's the plan.

I wanted to use some 29mm Estes black powder motors but the off the rod speed is less than 30 mph. Using composite 29mm motors only (1) is req'd... so I can cluster the two motors without fear of one not lighting.

Looks like a fun project. I may opt to not use the front canards.... but I had good luck with my Hammerhead.

A couple of videos...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfqdGJJblE4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHCO0MQWnt8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmQJd_yaJkI

2025-04-07 CAD Model

Thursday, March 20, 2025

(BAR-44) Gee Bee Pod Racer

I saw the rendering below on the Facebook Dieselpunk Gallery.

It's kind of a bash of Star Wars pod racers, and what I believe to be a 1930's Gee Bee Model R Super Sportster air racer. Gee Bee's were purpose built, just for racing. A way cool airplane that doesn't look like it should even fly.. but fly they did. In 1932 it not only won the Thompson Trophy Race, but actually lapped all the other competitors, except one.

Here's the final design I'll enter into CAD.

Standard Front Eject
Flies on a single 29mm Motor
Using a piece of 3" Steel Pipe as Ballast, buried inside the nose.
30" Dia Nylon Chute
Onboard Altimeter Stowage
4" Dia. Nom. Body

2025-03-21

I was able to finish the CAD Model and create an outline drawing of the BT-400 version. Pretty pleased with the results.

2025-03-21 Drawing Set, Sheets 1 through 10, Rev 00

2025-03-23

Somewhere in this mass of wood hides the Engine Cowling / Nose Cone of a Gee Bee Pod Racer.

A 6" piece of 4x4 and (4) 1x4's.... all glued together to be turned on my wood lathe.

2025-03-24 Prepped the wooden block for turning using my table saw.

2025-03-25 Nose Cone ended up turning out quite nice.

2025-03-27 Cutting, Routing, Gluing and Sanding the Fins

2025-03-28 Centering Rings and Body Tubes

I made the Centering Rings from 1/4" plywood using a Fly Cutter, a Forstner Bit and my Wood Lathe. Then started wood gluing the Front Centering Ring to the Nose Cone, and the BT/C-80H to the Nose Cone / Front Centering Ring.

Also located my stash of now vintage B-B's, which I'll be using for Ballast instead of the 3" Sch 40 Pipe.

2025-03-29 Nose Cone Ballast

I used 16 Ounces of "Copper Head" (good name for a rocket) B-B's. Placed a 3rd of them, drizzled some wood glue on them, and repeated that 2 more times. I then placed a centering ring over the B-B's and glued it into place.

Weight of the copper plated steel B-B's is approximately 2.24 Ounces per Cu-In.

2025-03-30

Rear Fins CWF, Slotting the C-55 and beginning to installing Fins

2025-04-01 Intermediate Fin Initial Gluing and Slotting the BT-400

The Intermediate Fins glue to the surface of the C-55 and to the Rear Fins.

Slotted the BT-400 for the Pods.

Glued the Nose Cone to the BT-400 and applying glue fillets to the Intermediate Fins. Also added some cheaters to the TTW portion of the pod fins.

2024-04-02 Gluing the TTW Pod Fins to the BT-400

I dry fitted the internal Centering Ring to the BT-80H and it's a tight fit. So I decided to leave it there temporarily and glue the Pod Fins to the BT-400. That should help to keep the BT-400 in place once the glue dries. I can then glue the pods to the BT-80H.

The rectangular box in the 3rd photo was made from some scrap BT/C-60 from the fin tubes on my Fleet Interceptor. It will glue inside the BT-400 and act as a stowage compartment for my Altimeter Two.

Glue Fillets: BT-400 to Pod Fins

Gluing the TTW Pod Fins to the BT-80H

Laying down a couple wood glue fillets, then placing the Centering Ring back on.

2025-04-03 Gluing Internals

Finished up gluing the internals of the TTW Fins and then glued the Altimeter Stowage box inside the BT-400. That's it for the internals, so the Rear Centering Ring had wood glue inserted into the tenon for the BT/C-80H and also on the TTW fin ends. The Centering Ring was then put into place and the assembly was set upright for drying.

2025-04-04

Gluing the : Centering Ring to BT-400, Dash to Centering Ring, and Rear Fuselage to Centering Ring

Used Gorilla Wood Glue to attach the Centering Ring O.D. to the BT-400.
The Dash was cut from 1/8" Basswood, Sanded the Centering Ring boss to match the angle of the BT-400 and then glued the dash in place.
A generous amount of wood glue was applied to the Centering Ring center hole, as well as to the Rear Fuselage Center Tube and the ends of the Intermediate Fins. The Rear Fuselage was then set into place on the Centering Ring and shimmed for plumb.

Photo Shoot

2025-04-05 Installing the Side Pod Body Tubes.

These were originally designed to be motor tubes, so they needed to be able to handle the thrust. That's the reason for the TTW Fins and the Body Tube slicing and dicing.

Since they also need to support the weight of the finished rocket, which at over 2-1/4 lbs is pretty substantial. I figured I'd go ahead and leave the design Hell-For-Stout.

I used @AeroTech 's fin mounting arrangement... but in reverse.