Another classic crossed off my list.
This is a good looking model, I was very happy with how the chrome fin plates turned out.
Not an exact copy but close enough for me!
Anonymous wrote in a comment:
"I built a clone with Semroc parts a few years back and it was none too stable even on A8 motors. Fly on a calm day!"
We'll see how it goes . . .
That's a lot of rocket for those little fins. I can see stability being an issue. I'm having that issue with my 5.5" Patriot. Seems like it should be really stable, as tall as it is, but those tiny fins mean I have to add a minimum of 2 pounds of nose weight to get it to a stability of 1 with any reasonable motor. Put a K in it, and the nose weight needs to be 3 pounds.
ReplyDeleteHi Metal,
Delete3 pounds of nose weight? Yikes! I cringe when I have to add 1/2 oz to a rocket.
Holy Moley, Chris. That's one gorgeous bird!
ReplyDeleteAre you planning on flying this one, or is it strictly for display?
Hi Ed,
DeleteI launched it this last Saturday. Just like the last paragraph in the blog post - With an A8-3 it was unstable! I glued the nose cone in and may have to replace the upper tube to cut it open to add nose weight. Live and learn!
I imagine that's why the Nomad (basically a stretched Saros) was longer. I'm working on a Saros clone with 3D printed parts. I'll definitely be adding nose weight.
DeleteRocket surgery...ouch.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to remember this when I start my build. Incidentally, back in my old fleet days, I had a strange rocket that flew surprisingly well. It was a Saros payload section mated to a Black Brant III booster - The Black Brant-Saros. These were a couple of birds that my old club had built specifically for public demo launches. Both had crashed and I inherited the remains. Surprisingly, the combo flew very well. I recall its maiden flight ended in a mud puddle - the only one on a huge flying field, of course!
Looks great! I had a Saros in the mid 70s and flew it until it wore out. I managed to score an actual K-54 vintage kit on ebay a couple years back and have it in my stash, been considering building it...but it's so hard to find one, I don't know. It was a favorite though when I was a kid.
ReplyDeleteI never had any stability problems as I recall, the biggest issue was the plastic nozzle getting a bit deformed from exhaust splashing back from the blast deflector from not having the rocket high enough off the pad. Your clone looks great, the only difference is that there were some small protrusions on the nose cone as I recall but that would be hard to replicate in balsa.
Hi Dan,
DeleteThe plan is to cut off the upper body tube and add some weight to the nose. I made the big mistake of gluing the nose cone and adapter in!
I did try some of the nose cone detail by using some tape - http://modelrocketbuilding.blogspot.com/2018/04/estes-saros-k-54-build-fin-can-build_11.html