MOTH - A Sci-Fi Scratch Build
Here's another build based on some Sci-Fi artwork, this time by John Liberto.
It's a "Twin Boom" design utilizing a single 29mm motor and dual 18" Nylon Parachutes that rear eject from their tubes.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Sunday, October 12, 2025
(BAR-55) Defender-HVY .... A Scratch Build
Here's a modifiedTRF Member @neil_w design that he graciously handed to me in his Half Baked Design thread.
I
shortened the body tube, added some X-Wing style laser cannons and
generally moved things around a bit, but it's still pretty true to Neils
design.
This one is a rear eject, with a 29mm composite motor and a 24" Nylon parachute.
2025-10-13 Build Day 01,
3" Tube Fin R&D and Gluing Up Nose Cone Blanks
Doing a bit of R&D on the 3" Tube
Fin. I had a 3" shipping tube in the barn and cut off a 3" long piece
of it. Chucked it into the lathe and sanded the O.D. and I.D., which
proved to be very "fly away". By that I mean the wraps of paper the
tube is made from de-laminated easily. I decided to coat the inside and
outside with wood glue and then sand the part. I think it's going to
work pretty well.
The
nose cone blanks were pretty straight forward. Used some scrap 2X
material and glued them together to form a 3" x 3" square. I'll turn
the Nose Cone from this glued blank.
3" Ring and Nose Cone Buck
The wood glue did the trick! Some cwf and the ring will be done.
2025-10-14 Preliminary Drawing Rev 00 and the CAD Model
2025-10-15 Drawing Set Rev 01
2025-10-17 Ring Fin Fixture
The ring segments are 6-3/4" o.d. x 6-1/2" i.d. x 2" wide. A little over 90 degree each segment.
Fixture
I
laid out the ring fin on a scrap piece of 1" thick stair step. Then
using my scroll saw the 6-3/4" o.d. was cut. Then chucked the inner
circle in the lathe and cut it to 6-1/2" o.d.
I
then cut the inside ring and the exterior ring into 2 pieces on my
table saw. Then glued the pieces to form half circle fixtures that are
2" thick.
2025-10-18 Outer Ring Segment #1
Cut the 1/32" Basswood into (4) 2" x 6" strips, added glue to them and clamped them in the fixture.
I was surprised at how easy it was to form the ring, but that's likely due to using 1/32" Basswood.
Basswood was formed "The Hard Way" meaning the grain wraps around the ring, not longitudinally.
We'll see how it comes out tomorrow when I pull it from the mold.
Drawing Set Rev 02:
Revised Vert Stabilizer to match the OpenRocket Simulation Model
2025-10-19 Outer Ring Segment #1: Day 2
Pulled the Ring Segment from the fixture and sanded the width to size. I'd call this one a success.
Started gluing up the matching Ring Segment.
Outer Ring Segment #2
.JPG)
2025-10-20 Nose Cone, Tail Cone and Wings
Turned the Nose Cone and Tail Cones. I
went to sand the inside of the Tail Cone and it experienced a SUB:
Sudden Unscheduled Breakage. No worries, it glues to the motor spool
tube, should be able to just glue it all back together.
Cut,
sanded and routed the Wings, made from 1/4" plywood. They're still
rough and will need some more adjustments to fit the 3" Tube Fin.
2025-10-20 Tail Cone Rework
2025-10-21 Attaching the Wings
Decided to use my Fin Alignment Fixture since the Fins Wings are spaced at 180 degrees
2025-10-22 Tube CWF and Installation
Applied some CWF to the Tube Fin and then when it was dry sanded it down on the wood lathe.... then began wood gluing it to the wings.
2025-10-24 Vertical Stabilizers and Their Bases
Cut the Vertical Stabilizers and sanded them to shape.
Glued the Vertical Stabilizer Bases to the rocket.
2025-10-25 Attaching Rear Ring Fin Segments
These turned out to be quite tricky to attach:
I fixtured up the rocket so it was level,
shimmed under the Ring Segments,
glued the segments to the wings,
then adjusted the gap between the two segments so it was the same, upper and lower.
Not
using a lot of wood glue here, just enough to hold them in place. Once
the (4) Vertical Stabilizers are glued, then I'll do fillets on all the
Segment attachments.
2025-10-25 Vertical Stabilizers and Photo Shoot
Got all (4) of the Vertical Stabilizers installed, and did a photo chute.
2025-10-26 Launch Lugs
Not to glamorous, but necessary.
2025-10-29 Cockpit and Laser Cannons Fabrication
Turned the body of the Laser Cannons from
7/8" dia. dowels, drilled a 1/2" dia. hole in the end with a Fostner
bit, and stuffed in a couple of 1/4" dia. dowels. Aligned the dowels
and glued them in place.
Cockpit was made from a piece of 1-1/2" pine. Lots of sanding...
Dry fit the Cockpit and one of the Laser Cannons...
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