New Odd'l Kit Design?

Last Sunday was a "free" day for me, vendor orders were filled and I had some down time. Most of the day was spent drawing, cutting balsa and body tubes.

I've been looking for a interesting new Fighter Fleet kit design and may have found it.

This is the F-18 Hornet, the same jet the Blue Angels use.

I use original scale drawings to draft the wings and fins. Design adjustments are made with the goal to capture the spirit of the original jet and still be stable. The wings are a bit smaller and set back. 

I'm always surprised how many changes are made from the initial drawings to finished flying model.

 

This F-18 is very different from the two other Odd'l Fighter Fleet kits, the F-104 and the F-16.

You'll rarely see me fly a "naked" rocket, this is a test model for the many test launches using different 18mm engines.

New Break-Away Kit!

Check out the Blog Topper picture!

The NEW BREAK-AWAY kit is now available from JonRocket, Apogee and Sirius Rocketry.

New design features include:  
The main body tube is now a heavy walled BT-50, even stronger than the original ST-10 tubing.
The segment ties have been improved, now stronger and more secure.
The couplers are longer for more stable joints.

Some of the new batch of kits have already sold out - be patient, more are on the way!

More Break-Away Test Flights

The new Odd'l Rockets prototype BREAK-AWAY had two more successful test launches September 12 at the monthly NEFAR launch in Bunnell, Florida.

First up with an Estes B6-4 to an estimated 350'. The second C6-5 flight reached 700'. Stable and true!
Ejections popped the model into six segments and it recovered horizontally.







Here's the model after landing with no damage.
This rocket falls faster than a parachute rocket would making a good small field model. It's recommended that it be flown and recovered on a softer grass field.
I should be able to start on the instructions soon! 

New Version Of An Older Kit!

Now that it looks like I'll be home for a while, I can concentrate on more products.

There is a good reason why the Odd'l Rockets Break-Away kit was out of production.
I was using ST-10 tubing  it's much stronger than the current BT-50 tubes. That last order of ST-10 tubes that had thinner walls, almost like the BT-50s.
With Semroc's future unsure (before it was sold) I had to find a stronger tube source. I ended up going with the BT-50H heavy walled tube.
The new Break-Away diameter a little narrower than before, but not by much.

I came up with a better way to tether the sections without using the short internal plastic lugs.
The couplers will be longer so the model won't be wobbly.
The nose cone is a bit shorter but still retains the parabolic shape.

There are a changes in the design. Odd'l kits are sometimes modified for improvement.
The Break-Away was a good seller and always a hit at club launches.

The model is built and will be test flown soon!

New Logo?

I fixed the Odd'l Rockets Logo.

It was designed in 2009 before I really knew how to adjust and play with the type.

The old version is above, the new version below.

I know, subtle changes. I had some spare time between shows on the last cruise.

The new logo will be integrated into instructions whenever new pages are printed.

New, Larger Ceramic BLAST! Deflector

I just got the first shipment of Odd'l Rockets Ceramic BLAST! Deflectors in the mail!

On the left is the older deflector, on the right is the new wider design. The molds were made from an actual MPC ceramic deflector.
The new design works well with most all LPR models.
The hole at the top is drilled for a 1/8" rod and is easily enlarged for 3/16" rods with a small jewelers file.

Check your Odd'l Rockets vendor for availability.
If they are not there yet, ask to be notified when they arrive.

New FLARE Model Shroud Lug Slot

This is a condensed version of two posts from the Model Rocket Building Blog.
It will be part of a new model in the Combo Kit offered by Odd'l Rockets.

A launch lug has to pass through the shroud at the base of the model. The picture on the right shows a fit of the shroud around a 1/8"  diameter launch lug. The sides of the lug slot are straight.
The top edges don't wrap around the top end of the lug. There are gaps.

Here's the new shape of the launch lug cut.

The teardrop shape ends up hugging the sides of the lug better.
The top corners end up wrapping underneath the lug.
A better fit, less to fill and more aerodynamic!
Well, about as aerodynamic as you can get with a high drag tail shroud!

New Long Boat Tail Design? FAIL!

I was playing around with a new design.
Sort of a Sci-Fi V2 style with a much longer tail cone.
This sketch is just a rough starting place.

I'd seen pictures of nose cones being made from body tubes before.
Long triangular pieces are cut out and the long edges joined.
Can't be too hard - right?
The low end of the drawing shows a BT-70 tapering down to a BT-50.

I won't go into too much detail, the end result wasn't that good!

The BT-70 tube was marked for four sections, much like marking for fins with a wrap around marking guide.

The BT-50 engine mount tube was marked in quarters and those measurements made on the low end of the BT-70.

I tried curved cuts first, there was too much overlap at the centers.
Straight cuts were tried and those edges matched up pretty well.




Here's why you've never seen this type of long boat tail in a kit!

The internal and external body tube seams show up when the tube sections are pulled in and joined up.
Oh well, lesson learned. One 9" tube tossed. Back to the drawing board.