Estes Phinagain Cruise Missile

Estes - Phinagain Cruise Missile

Contributed by Dick Stafford

Manufacturer: Estes
(Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 10/09/04)

Brief:
I generally scavange whatever rocket parts I can for future use. This is the story of such a rocket. It is BT-60 based and flies on 24mm motors. I also installed two outboards, although now that it's built, I don't think I will use them. I may add LEDs to the outboard pods, since the cones are translucent and are not solid.

(Scratch) Phinagain

Construction:

(Scratch) Phinagain
  1. Fins from the Estes S.W.A.T. This kit was purchased years ago at a close out sale and was used as parts. I recently ran across the fins and went from there. While I was thinking about finishing, I ran across the decals sheet too. I used the 'fins again', hence the silly name.
  2. One Mean Machine. Destroy/lose it as you see fit, but make sure the nose cone is recovered undamaged.
  3. Caps from the current style of Air Wick® air fresheners fit a BT-55 nicely and look good on the strap-ons.
  4. You also need some BT-55.
  5. I used two pieces of Totally Tubular T-2 tubing, both for trim and to use as a launch lug.
  6. One FlisKits Deuce's Wild! cone, which becomes the tail cone.
  7. Three pieces of Totally Tubular T-50mf (thick wall, foil lined) for the motor mounts.
  8. Kevlar® twine, elastic and a hook eye for the shock tether.
  9. Parachute from the range box.
  10. Scrap junk for the payload shoulder, motor blocks, etc.
  11. Clay nose weight.
(Scratch) Phinagain

The fins were already cut out (I forget whether they were die cut back then) and three had dowels already installed on their tips. I tried various orientations before I decided on this configuration. The side fins both extend downward and rest against the side pods.

The BT-55 pods have a 24mm motor mount installed. This is not centered but rather rests against the side of the tube where it meets the main body tube. I improvised solid motor blocks by capping the end with a cardboard circle and backfilling with Gorilla Glue. If I ever used these, I'd also have to use a tape thrust ring. I used some scrap tubing to make a shoulder for the plastic caps to rest against. These caps were eventually glued in with Liquid Nails, but only after all the painting and decal sealing was completed.

(Scratch) Phinagain I have had a couple of Deuce's Wild! cones for a while and decided to use one as a tail cone. I split it in half and hollowed it with a combination of a wood carving knife, a Dremel grinder, and a spent casing wrapped with sandpaper. I installed an eye hook in the balsa as an attachment point for the Kevlar® leader.

I had two smallish pieces of BT-60, so one became a payload section. The shoulder is a small scrap of 38mm tubing with a lengthwise section removed. A paper cap keeps the ejection from blowing through and a piece of elastic was epoxied to the inside of this shoulder.

Finishing:
The nose and tail cones are painted black and the body tube is blue. Both are Painter's Touch paints. I added many of the decals from the original sheet. These match the paint scheme nicely, although the yellow decals seem a bit washed out with the dark background.

(Scratch) Phinagain

Flight:
I added clay to the nose cone until the rocket passed a swing test. It's weight grew, so a D12-3 was required. I angled the rocket into the wind a bit to keep it from the tree line. This resulted in a near perfect ejection and a nice recovery.

Summary:
In my opinion, this rocket looks pretty good considering it was cobbled together from various parts from other rockets--and even air fresheners! Since it will fly on a D12, I may eventually add LEDs to the side pods for night launches. If so, I will also add another BT-60 to move the cone forward, which would allow me to remove some or all of the nose weight.

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