Binder Design - Dragonfly 29mm {Kit}

Binder Design Dragonfly

Binder Design - Dragonfly 29mm {Kit}

Contributed by Michael Verbeek

Manufacturer:

Picture Courtesy of Binder Designs Rocket Pic

Brief:
Single stage with four fins placed not at 90 degrees to each other - to mimic a dragon fly.

Construction:
The kit consisted of (1) paper body tube slotted for fin placement, a nose cone, plywood centering rings and pre-cut plywood fins (fins are mounted to the motor mount), a 29mm paper tube motor mount, a fin alignment guide, the Dragonfly decals and CP, CG decals.

Easy to build, good instructions, went together well, tube slots needed to be slightly worked on to get the fins to fit. no special tools required.

Finishing:
The rocket was finished as shown in Binder's photos, very easy to complete the decals applied easily.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
Has been launched once on an E16-4, on a windy day. It weathercocked badly due to the large fins, but flew well, it was prepared with an Aerotech RMS 40/120 casing retained by Aeropack retention systems.

Recovery:
Recovery was without incident, no problems.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
This is a very unique rocket to own, but because of the size of the fins, it is best to fly this on only calm days.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

Other Reviews

Binder Design Dragonfly By Michael Verbeek
(09/10/02) It is always nice to see a little uniqueness in rocket designs and that is exactly what Binder Designs' new (for 2002) Dragonfly has. Its fins, length and finish recommendations are all to help it look like a Dragonfly. According to Binder, the kit is " geared for the beginner to mid/high power ". I would agree, as it is a very straight-forward kit to build. But ...

Flights

Comments:

L.A. (August 16, 2003)

I found the EMRR review of the Binder Design Dragonfly to be right on the money. The packaging, well written instructions, & ease of construction to be the highlights of this kit. Mine weighed in at a hefty 13.7oz but I can attribute the extra mass to the following: added Acme rail guides, probably 3ft of masking tape to get the NC to fit properly, added/used 2 additional quick-links for chute & NC, filled the fin can with PML expanding foam (vs. internal epoxy fillets), & added 1.1oz of weight in the tip of the NC to help bring the CG forward to ensure stability for flights on any Fs or Gs. I would definitely recommend this rocket as an entry level MPR.

M.E.R. (July 12, 2009)

This is a great rocket from a very well done kit/manufacturer. Every piece in the kit was of high quality, and it went together easily. My 10-year old daughter was the primary builder. I suggest a little dog barf behind a Nomex? chute protector to protect the recovery harness, which is slightly on the thin side (I don't want it to burn through over a few flights). Mine was on the heavy side at 15.6oz but flew straight as an arrow. Stock chute a little fast at this weight. I may need to upgrade it. Stock chute is brilliantly designed with shiny silver on top, solid black on the bottom--easy to see in flight or on the ground. I also added 0.5oz nose weight, plus foam inside the nose cone.

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