Model Rocket Building Blog

Odd'l Rockets Goony G-16 Build, Part 1, Parts
The new Odd'l Rockets F-16 kit is almost ready! The fins have been laser cut and almost all the parts are here. After the instructions are drawn up you should build a model using them to be sure everything works and check the fit of the water slide decals on the laser cut fins. To be honest, ...
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Odd'l Rockets Goony G-16 Build, Part 2, Wings and Bombs
The wings and fins are the same parts used in the Odd'l Rockets F-16 kit. The wings and rudder are two piece. The forward strake is glued to the leading edge of the wing and both leading edges are rounded. The outside and trailing edges remain square. Here I'm knocking off the leading edge ...
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Odd'l Rockets Goony G-16 Build, Part 3, Engine Mount - TIP
Boy, I really need to buy some 20/60 rings! This isn't the first time I've had to make my own. TIP: The next time you are at a framing store, ask if they have any scrap mat material. It's perfect for centering rings or fiber fins. It's thicker than the centering ring material you'd find in a kit. ...
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Odd'l Rockets Goony G-16 Build, Part 4, Details
On most short Goonys you recess the engine mount to move the C/G forward. The mount was pressed in until the low bend on the engine hook was even with the bottom of the BT-60 tube. Here I'm applying and smoothing the rear fillet with a Q-tip. Both inside ends of the main airframe tube got a ...
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Odd'l Rockets Goony G-16 Build, Part 5, Wings, Fins and Bomb Gluing
After filling the balsa parts with CWF and smooth sanding, all the parts were taped down to a scrap piece of cardboard for a good shot of  primer/filler. Shoot one side, flip them over and shoot the other side. Here's a wing and small sub fin after sanding off most of the primer/filler. ...
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Odd'l Rockets Goony G-16 Build, Part 6, Canopy
Here's how the canopy looks from the Odd'l F-16 kit. You have to trim and sand the bottom to best fit the curvature of the nose cone. It's not as hard as it sounds. Along the bottom of the canopy is a edge recess. To see the line you will cut, a ballpoint pen line is drawn down the ...
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Odd'l Rockets Goony G-16 Build, Part 7, Canopy Continued
After flexing the scored line back and forth it should crack on the cut. If it doesn't easily crack, go back and lightly score the line again. Don't pull or tear the sides off, score and crack! The edges could be a bit rough, especially around the front and rear. Notice the pen lines are ...
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Odd'l Rockets Goony G-16 Build, Part 8, White Paint and a Fix TIP
This is an easy one to paint, it's all gloss white. After one coat I sanded down any rough fillets and glue blobs. To keep paint out of the front end of the tube a wrap of masking tape went on the inside end. The nose cone was painted separately because the Rusto 2X seems to take much longer to ...
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Odd'l Rockets Goony G-16 Build, Part 10, Nose Cone Divot Touchup - TIP
The canopy is glued in place  using CA glue. CA glue can get brittle over time. I'd recommend adding a bit around the edges every once in a while to keep it secured. The canopy decal strips were overhanging the sides after the decals dried. these are trimmed off using a razor blade. Look at ...
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Odd'l Rockets Goony G-16 Build, Part 9, Decals TIP
I always read of water slide decals  problems. Some builders dread them and won't even try to apply a decal. In my Odd'l Rockets kits I include "Extras" or practice decals. Start with those smaller extras first! It's tempting to apply the largest, most colorful decals but save them for last ...
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Odd'l Rockets Goony G-16 Build, Finished
This was much better than building another F-16 prototype! I like Goonys. If the regular Odd'l F-16 sells well I might bring this one out as a companion model. What do you think? Is it worthwhile to produce as a kit? I had two stable flights with a B6-4 and C6-5 last Saturday. A quarter ounce of ...
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