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 Rank: Master      Groups: Registered
Joined: 07/07/2015 Posts: 1,292 Points: 3,928 Location: Allentown PA
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Well technically it is a "Model" If inappropriate then let me know. So I have been getting back into the model rocket scene just a tiny bit due to my sons interest in rockets and space. At the moment he is too young to build them himself, so I have been building them for him. I have been sticking to the EX2 line from Estes because they are simple and fast to build. Right now the more important aspect of model rockets is the flying. I just don't want to spend the time perfectly building and detailing a rocket just to launch it and possibly loose it or break it. That and these rockets go on display in my sons room after they are launched and recovered. So its inevitable that one day he will try and grab them off the shelf to try and play with. Ok so enough back ground. I have build four of the smaller EX2 rockets and decided that daddy wanted a big boy rocket. Hence the Pro Series II. I stuck with another EX2 for my first time build, just to get a hang of these larger rockets with the bigger engines. This will be a straight up OOB build. I was already taking pictures and figured why not just do a quick diary on here. I do plan to do another PRII rocket that will be custom painted and modded a bit. If you guys enjoy this build I will post that one as well. After that I will actually be buying a Skill Level 5 rocket to build. I know I said above that I don't want to build a kit like that, but I found one that just keeps begging me to buy and build. So stay tuned. Now for the pictures. So far all I have done is glued the fins together, attached the parachute to the nose cone, and stick the nose cone in the tube just to see what it looks like. Gonna let the wings dry over night and then will finish gluing on the detail parts and hoping to build the engine tube tomorrow as well.   
DeAgostini kit builds:
Millennium Falcon: 18% Complete
Shelby GT-500: 28% Complete
Thunderbird 2: 13.75% Complete
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 Rank: Super-Elite   Groups: Registered
Joined: 27/01/2014 Posts: 5,060 Points: 14,980
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Very nice and some very interesting looking model kits in the back  ground too
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Rank: Master Groups: Registered
Joined: 07/07/2015 Posts: 1,292 Points: 3,928 Location: Allentown PA
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Yeah those models in the back are about 1/3 of my Gudanm/mecha model collection. Some built, some started, and some not even opened yet. So I made some more progress. Running into a few small problems. Back in the day I used Elmers glue for rockets. However those rockets were all cardboard and balsa wood. These have plastic and I was worried that Elmers just wouldn't do. I bought some Loctite super glue. Man that is crazy stuff. Its fast and drys hard. Good for nice strength on the rocket, bad for having time to get things lined up just right. Almost ruined my engine tube with this stuff. Now I am having trouble with getting the engine tube glued inside the body tube. So far here is what I have done. I built the engine tube, glued the "laser gun" parts together, glued the "laser guns" to the fins, and built the shock cord attachment. I also installed the clay into the tip of the nose cone, but no way to photograph that. Trying now to get the mount glued into the body tube. I got another idea how to do it. The really cool thing about this rocket is that the fins actually go through the body tube and mount directly to the engine tube. Ok photo time.   
DeAgostini kit builds:
Millennium Falcon: 18% Complete
Shelby GT-500: 28% Complete
Thunderbird 2: 13.75% Complete
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Rank: Master Groups: Registered
Joined: 07/07/2015 Posts: 1,292 Points: 3,928 Location: Allentown PA
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Well I was hoping for another photo update tonight but alas it is not to be. Yesterday I had a time consuming home improvement project that was a complete failure that I have to do all over. Then tonight I tried to glue the shock cord into the body using the super fast, super holding, super glue that I almost wrecked the rocket with. I came up with a good method to get it right the first time, and son of a gun if the glue didn't take hold. So now back to the drawing board on how to glue this thing. Also anyone got any tips for removing super glue that may have gotten on the fins or body tube? Its not a big deal, as I built the rocket for flying not looking at, but would still be nice to clean it up if I can.
DeAgostini kit builds:
Millennium Falcon: 18% Complete
Shelby GT-500: 28% Complete
Thunderbird 2: 13.75% Complete
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Hi, you may find this link useful on removing superglue from plastic....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2MbovO0GkQ
Hope it helps..
Regards
Alan
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Rank: Master Groups: Registered
Joined: 07/07/2015 Posts: 1,292 Points: 3,928 Location: Allentown PA
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That was helpful. I had totally forgot about plastic razor blades. Use to use those back when I detailed cars.
DeAgostini kit builds:
Millennium Falcon: 18% Complete
Shelby GT-500: 28% Complete
Thunderbird 2: 13.75% Complete
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Rank: Master Groups: Registered
Joined: 07/07/2015 Posts: 1,292 Points: 3,928 Location: Allentown PA
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Ok some progress today. Still having issues with the shock cord mount so decided to do other things. I glued on the launch lugs, the motor retaining thread, and some of the decals. I have found after doing a few of these rockets that I like the decals that give it some extra detail and color, but not a fan of the large ones that have the name of the rocket on them. It gives it a cleaner look, and large decals on cylinder tubes don't mix well. so here are some photos. I put the nose cone on just for the overall look. Still have to do the shock cord yet. After that, this diary will only be complete once I post up some flight videos.   
DeAgostini kit builds:
Millennium Falcon: 18% Complete
Shelby GT-500: 28% Complete
Thunderbird 2: 13.75% Complete
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 Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Nice work and well done for introducing something new to the forum, which I believe is the first working Rocket build on this forum.
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Rank: Master Groups: Registered
Joined: 07/07/2015 Posts: 1,292 Points: 3,928 Location: Allentown PA
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Thanks, I just hope people are enjoying the thread. This one was a bit on the simple side, I have two more planned. Next one will still be a simple build but with some design mods and a custom paint job. After that I have a Skill Level 5 I want to build. That one will be more like building an actually model kit.
DeAgostini kit builds:
Millennium Falcon: 18% Complete
Shelby GT-500: 28% Complete
Thunderbird 2: 13.75% Complete
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 Rank: Vice-Master   Groups: Registered
Joined: 07/01/2015 Posts: 856 Points: 2,479 Location: Sevenoaks, UK
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Hi, Indeed this is a very interesting build. Could you by any chance write more about the the construction of the rocket? The fuel, launch process, whether any parts are retrievable / reusable, etc.? To be honest, I've never seen a working rocket build before and would love to learn more about specifics. Do you plan to post a video of the launch?  Thanks :) Any images I post on my personal builds are free to be used and shared under Creative Commons Attribution license, which means you can do what you want with them, on the condition you mention I'm the author.
Happy building :-)
http://www.model-space.com/gb/
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Rank: Super-Elite  Groups: Registered
Joined: 30/01/2013 Posts: 4,604 Points: 13,607 Location: Monmouthshire UK
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Somehow missed this, looks very interesting - love to know more about how these work  Steve
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Rank: Master Groups: Registered
Joined: 07/07/2015 Posts: 1,292 Points: 3,928 Location: Allentown PA
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michu wrote:Hi, Indeed this is a very interesting build. Could you by any chance write more about the the construction of the rocket? The fuel, launch process, whether any parts are retrievable / reusable, etc.? To be honest, I've never seen a working rocket build before and would love to learn more about specifics. Do you plan to post a video of the launch? Thanks :) Yes I do plan to post s launch video, I just have to get the shock cord glued in place and buy some engines. Have to wait till pay day, the engines on this series of rockets are large and pricey. It cost roughly $30 for two engines. This is a EX2 series rocket which means that it's an easy to build. It consists of a pre-colored cardboard body tube, cardboard engine tube, plastic engine/fin mount rings, plastic fins/laser gun trim, plastic nose cone, plastic launch guides, plastic motor retainer ring, plastic shock cord mount, elastic shock cord, nylon parachute, decal sheet, and some clay to give the nose cone weight. There are other rockets that are a bit more complexe to build and they are rated in skill levels 1-5 with 5 being very difficult and complex in design. These use similar componets except the fins usually balsa wood. This rocket is also from the Pro Series II which mean it uses the largest engines and has upgraded parts. The parachute is now nylon and not plastic with rope like cords instead of string. The shock cord is a elastic nylon cord material instead a rubber band material. Everything on the rocket is reusable except the engines, and the fire proof wading. Given that you don't lose the rocket when you launch it. The fire proof wading is like tissue paper that you place between the engine and the parachute to help with the ejection phase, and to prevent damage to parachute and internal parts of the rocket. The engines are solid fuel rockets. They come in a wide range of sizes, this rocket using the Pro Series II E to F size engines. They also make compostie engines that go up to G but Estes seems to be phasing them out. There are also two type of engines, booster and standard. Standard engines have a smoke phase and an ejector phase for tracking and recovery. Booster doesn't have these, instead they are designed to be the first engine in a multi stage rocket, and ignite the standard engine for the second stage. This rocket will fly up,to 1600ft as a single stage and 2600ft with a booster added. I actually plan to build my next rocket with a booster stage. I will,post up,photos of engines later. The engines are ignited using an igniter and an electric launch control. More info and photos later. Any questions just ask
DeAgostini kit builds:
Millennium Falcon: 18% Complete
Shelby GT-500: 28% Complete
Thunderbird 2: 13.75% Complete
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