Kitting Up Sputniks - Part 1

This is a re-post from my www.modelrocketbuilding.blogspot.com website - Before I had this site most all Odd'l Rockets news was on that first blog.

Sure, most modelers have an original design or a clone kit they'd like to bag up and sell.
Putting your first model on sale is exciting - bagging up the first dozen kits is fun. Then, reality sets in!
Bagging kits using custom parts can be a chore.

I wanted to show what goes into the preparation of a few parts in the Odd'l Rocket Sputnik kit.
Once, I overheard a customer say:: "How can you charge this much for a Styrofoam ball and four dowels?"
So, you think it's easy?

Many of the Odd'l Rockets kits parts are just that - odd. Some parts require hands on drilling cutting and fitting.

On the right is a well worn Sputnik, ready for flight with an A10-3t engine installed.
Take a good look at the engine mount tube, 3" long thru-the-body- launch lug and dowel legs. All the Styrofoam balls are pre-drilled so the engine mount tube, lug and dowels can be easily slid in place.

The Styrofoam ball must get a drilled hole, 1/2" diameter and 1 1/2" in for the BT-5 engine mount tube.

The end of a 1/2" diameter brass tube was sharpened.
Down the tube, a wrap of tape is set at 1 1/2" from the top. This is my simple depth gauge where I stop the "drill".

After looking over the Styrofoam balls, one out of five is thrown away. Many have dents and creases in them and can't be used.

The brass tube is pressed in about 1/4". It is spun like a ball on a stick to make sure it is visually centered in the ball.
If the tube is straight, the drill continues up to the masking tape wrap.
The the tube is sharply turned the opposite direction to break off the foam cored piece at the top of the tube.

The tube is slid out the back, hopefully with the drilled core inside of it. With a 3/8" dowel, the foam "worm" is pushed out of the brass tube so the next ball can be drilled.
If the drilling wasn't straight or clean, the ball is thrown away!

Repeat this process in 30 more balls to complete this part of the kit run.

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!

Pigasus at February 14, NEFAR launch

Here's Cris Morris with her Odd'l Rockets Pigasus at the NEFAR monthly launch on February 14.

Here Pig was launched on pad 6 next to my Little Green Man on pad 7.
The Pigasus put in a good, stable launch with a C6-5.

Thanks Cris! Great job on your Pig!

Cyclone Hole Punching TIP

I'm making up a batch of Cyclone kits and have to punch a ejection charge relief hole in the BT-20 upper body tubing.

You can get a clean hole using a simple 1/4" hole punch. This is how Estes punched holes in the Scout kits.

TIP: When punching the hole, be sure to stay away from the body tube seams! On the left I have penciled a line on the seam recess. Don't punch on this weakened (seam) area.
The inset picture shows the hole being punched correctly to the side of the seam.

Here's the finished hole, a perfectly round, clean punch!

Be sure to punch far enough down from the top to clear the nose cone shoulder.

2014 New Products

Looking back on 2014 it was a big year for Odd'l Rockets!

In February, the Odd'l Rockets multi-size PARACHUTE is printed and bagged!
The PIGASUS Kit is introduced at NARCON last March.
Flame Resistant SHOCK CORDS are added to the accessory lineup.
In August the LITTLE GREEN MAN is first bagged up!
2,000 more RAISE SPRINGS are ordered.

Work and testing continue on new and improved products.

Thanks for your support!

Bagged Sub-Assemblies

I learned a lot from building Semroc kits.
One thing I found were bagged sub assemblies. The engine mount and recovery system parts were in separate small bags.
The picture shows the engine mount bag from a typical Odd'l Rockets kit.
As a teen I remember tearing open an Estes or Centuri kit bag. Loose parts would fly! A launch lug or engine hook could roll under the table and be lost.

Why don't the big producers do this? It costs an extra three cents per kit for two extra ziplock bags.

New Upgraded Kits and Accessories

Semroc is sold! I hope the new owner can supply parts for vendors. 
Red River Rocketry has slowed it's production while new part sources can be found.
Fliskits had many custom nosecones made at Semroc. Carl never turned down a custom parts order.

The Odd'l Rockets problem? I use ST tubing (not BT tubing) in some of the kits. Sure you can get almost all sizes of the ST tubing from other vendors, but nobody can match the old Semroc vendor discount! If I were producing standard 3FNC models this wouldn't be a concern. There are just too many custom parts in Odd-Ball rockets.

Okay - rant over. Onto better products!

This next month (or two) I hope to have more BLAST! deflectors.
These will have a wider diameter base closer to the original MPC ceramic deflectors.
The bottom hole will be larger and easily fit over the Adeptor.

A large order of RAISE springs has come in. No real changes, the product is fine now.
I won't be making 3/16" rod Raise springs - Sorry!

The BREAK-AWAY rocket is being re-designed. Based on heavy walled BT-50 tubing, it allows longer couplers so the fit of the segments isn't as loose.