NEW F-18 Hornet Kit

Coming to a vendor near you - 

After a year of tweaks and test flights,

The third in the Odd'l Rockets Fighter Fleet series is the new

F-18 HORNET!

The kit features a very different fin and engine placement, 3D printed missiles, 

water slide decals and a vacu-form canopy.

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.

BT-20H (Heavy Wall) Tubing Now In Odd'l Rockets Kits!

The new Heavy Walled BT-20H tubes are being added to the Odd'l Rockets Kit lineup!
You'll see these tubes added to the 18mm engine mounts of kits being produced from this day forward.

There are still some recently produced kits with the standard thinner wall tubing out there. Keep an eye out, you'll notice the difference when you come across one of the new tubes!

The Heavy Walled 20 sized tubes are as thick as an Estes BT-55 or BT-60 tube. Stronger engine mounts for all general use including the new 18mm Quest composite C and D engines.

The normal Estes style BT-20 tube is on the left, the BT-20H (Heavy wall) tube is on the right. 

NEW! Heavy Duty Engine Mounts

HDEM - Heavy Duty Engine Mounts

are now available from Odd'l Rocket vendors!

Now at JonRocket.com - at more vendors soon!

Features:

Extended Length Spring Steel Engine Hook

        3" long engine hook allows engine block to be positioned under the top bend

        of the hook. No more worn or loose engine hooks!

Replaceable Kevlar Line Design

        Kevlar tie is looped under lower centering ring.

        Small guide tube along the side of the mount allows you to check the 

        condition of the Kevlar and replace if needed.

Heavy Wall BT-20H Engine Tube

        Stronger BT-20 tube for long life

        Works great with the new, more powerful 18mm Quest Composite engines

        and general model rocket use. 

Now at JonRocket.com - at more vendors soon!

Coming Soon to NARAM - BODY TUBES!

An Odd'l Rockets product teaser -
There is more to it than just another body tube!

Odd'l Rockets Products Now Available from eRockets.biz!

The entire Odd'l Rockets product line is now available from eRockets.biz!
To see the kit and accessories lineup: CLICK HERE

New Odd'l Rockets F-104 Starfighter Kits at NARCON!

The Odd'l Rockets F-104 Starfighter kit made its debut at NARCON!
Here's the first nine kits at the JonRocket booth at NARCON.
Roger and Bracha Smith (JonRocket.com) posted this picture on the NAR Facebook page.

They are also listed now on the Sirius Rocketry website: CLICK HERE
More kits will go to JonRocket.com when they return from NARCON.
Apogee will get their first allotment of F-104 kits sent out on Monday!

F-16 Kit Now Available!

Well it's about time! This one took a while . . .
Too many prototypes, too many trashed canopies, design revisions and many test flights.
Jon Rocket will have them today (Saturday), Apogee will have kits in a few days.
Thanks for your patience, I think this one is worth the wait!

Odd'l F-16 Kit Update

I recently bought a small vacuum forming machine for the F-16 clear canopies.
Getting the best thickness of plastic, finding the correct temperature and the right moment to turn on the vacuum takes some time - and trashed canopies!
Here's twenty I made yesterday afternoon. On the lower right is a cut and ready finished canopy.


The F-16 kit will have water slide decals!
I ordered 100 sheets from decalpaper.com. My only gripe was the way they have shipped previous orders, in a plain envelope. The decal paper was folded to fit in my mailbox.
In the comments section of the online order form I asked for the paper to be shipped in a flat box. This is what I received!

New Model Making Equipment!

I picked this up on Ebay to vacu-form parts for a possible upcoming kit.
I have experience with vacu-forming, when I was five years old. Mattel made a Vacu-Form "toy".

What could go wrong? It's UL listed so it has to be safe!
Give a five year old a hot plate to melt a plastic sheet. Flip over the plate and pump the vacuum arm up and down sucking the plastic over the master form.
I'm hoping for better results with the wood box and my shop vac.

Back To Work!

. . . on Odd'l Rockets projects anyway!

I've been busy with other things lately.
New Instructions for six MadCow Rocketry kits have been done. Between that and cruise ship shows, development of new products has taken a back seat!
I hope to get back to the instructions for the new Break-Away and Spool kits shortly.

Break-Away Test Flight Video

I tested the new Break-Away rocket twice at the last NEFAR launch on September 12.
Jimmy Yawn shot video and posted the first B6-4 flight.
To see the launch and recovery, CLICK HERE 
Scroll down to the Break--Away.

EDIT: The C6-5 Break-Away flight has also been posted. Thanks go to Jimmy Yawn.

Odd'l Products in Sport Rocketry Magazine

From the NSL 20015 coverage in Sport Rocketry - 

Kaitlin poses with her Odd'l Rockets Pigasus named "Peppa".

The Odd'l Blast ceramic blast deflector was featured on the Rocket News and New Products page.
The Little Green Man is spotted in the JonRocket ad.

New Break-Away Launched!

The new Odd'l Rockets BREAK-AWAY test prototype was launched at the soccer field this morning.

Perfect boost with an Estes A8-3. Apogee was at about 200' and ejection popped all six sections.
It did a wiggling serpentine down, landing on the grass with no damage.

It'll still need a few more test flights with B6-4 and C6-5 engines before it can be re-released.

Fingers crossed!

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!

Flame Resistant Elastic Test

That's a LOT of elastic!

Here is bundles of 1/8" wide x 8 yards elastic, drying after soaking in a flame resistant solution.

I've flame tested the elastic before when I first settled on the solution ratios.






On this test I'd take pictures.

It's a simple test, holding the elastic close above a candle flame.
In the test the elastic was about 3/8" above the flame.




Here's the result - 
The top line of elastic didn't get the flame resistant treatment.
At just a few seconds the elastic melts and catches fire.

The lower elastic was soaked in the flame resistant solution.
It was held above the candle flame at the same height and for the same time. There is just a slight distortion and yellowing of the elastic.

Please note: The Odd'l Rockets treated elastic shock cord material is flame resistant, not flame proof.
Over time, elastic and plain rubber shock cords can deteriorate from the ejection charge flame and heat. The flame resistant treatment will extend the shock cord life. There may still be some smoke discoloration after flights.

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 Odd'l Steampunk Design?

This is what you draw up when you have too much time on your hands.
Steam punk designs are big right now, this one is a Jules Verne Victorian style.

It would be up to the builder how much detail is added.
There are gauges, dials, tunnels and plenty of rivet heads.
The riding figure will sit on the model in profile, "sandwich board" style.
The canvas covered fins are based on the da Vinchi flying machine drawings.

This is the first drawing. The silhouette body isn't correct. 
The "man" will be holding the brim of his hat. The other hand will be on a throttle.

What do you think . . . should I proceed?

New BLAST! Deflector Prototype

I finally received the first prototype of a new Odd'l Rockets BLAST! Deflector.
On the left is the original smaller BLAST! Deflector. It is gray and pitted after hundreds of LPR launches.
(The older deflector didn't show any pitting until after a few hundred launches. The pitting is not deep and doesn't effect the use of the deflector.)
On the right is the new prototype. The new version is the same size as the original MPC ceramic deflector it is based on.

Here's how it fits over a Quest blast deflector plate.
The new ceramic BLAST! Deflector solves many concerns.

• Made from kiln-fired clay, it is non-conductive. Micro clips attached to the igniter can touch the ceramic deflector and not short out.
• The parabolic shape directs the nozzle flame to the side and away from the base of the rocket. There is no "bounce back" of flame or sparks to char the low end of your rocket.
• The wider base of the new deflector is more effective with 18mm and larger 24mm engines.

As soon as I get my first order, they will be available from Odd'l Rockets vendors.

NOTE: Don't clean your BLAST! Deflector in a dishwasher or immerse it in water. 
To get rid of the soot after a launch, simply brush off the loose crude with damp toothbrush or a damp paper towel.

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!