The rear ring is split, they are a little difficult to glue on.
TIP: I set the rear end in the BT-50 air frame tube to hold the ends down while the glue dried.
TIP: The right side of the picture shows a dry fit, no glue. For a stronger mount, notch the inside of the ring and slip it down, halfway over the top bend of the engine hook.
Notice the notch near my thumb on the left side picture. That's the Kevlar line slot.
A 150 lb. Kevlar line was attached behind the upper ring.
Mentioned earlier, there is very little room for a knot in the Kevlar. It could show up as a bump through the body tube on the finished model.
TIP: Instead of a knot, the Kevlar was wrapped around itself three or four times before pressing it into the wet glue fillet.
Great tip on gluing the split centering ring. A real time saver. Wish I had thought of that a couple of days ago. Wound up pinching the ends together and holding in place for five minutes while the glue set. Nothing I hate more than holding parts in place while the glue sets, with the possible exception of assembling parachutes. BORING!
ReplyDeleteLooking ahead, when you build the Scout Ship Nova clone, you may want to consider getting the replica droop nose cone from the Moldin' Oldies section of Sirius Rocketry. Little pricey at $10 but less costly than buying a second Starship Nova kit just for the nose cone. Pros: Takes enamel paint nicely. When painted indistinguishable from the original cone. Cons: Made of polyurethane. Softer than polystyrene, so the eyelet is molded shut. Not strong enough to take a tied on shock cord. But there is a small hole at the base of the nose cone, to which I threaded a small screw eye and glued with a drop of epoxy. I can email you a photo of the finished clone, if you like.
Laters!
Hi BAR,
DeleteI just talked with David at Sirius Rocketry yesterday. My client I'm building this for sent more than one kit so I can also clone the Nova Scout Ship using many of the parts from the Starship Nova kit.
Update: yaciel993 (at YORF) might have solved the question of what kit the Red Nova kit's nose cone was used in. Looking at the pics in the subsequent post at YORF, it appears to be the Estes X Prize Starchaser Industries Thunderstar, kit #2192, minus the tower. Rather an obscure kit, like some other X Prize kits. Whew, another mystery solved. Now I can sleep tonight.
ReplyDeleteAddendum: And so can you, Chris!
DeleteHi BAR,
DeleteI saw that on YORF earlier today. Yeah, sometimes I wonder how I became such a rocket nerd.