Estes Interceptor Modification

Scratch - Interceptor E (29mm) {Scratch}

Contributed by Lester Anderson

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Published: 2013-06-23
Manufacturer: Scratch

Brief

An upscale of the classic Interceptor (kit K-50 or 1250 depending on era of manufacture). Upscaled to a 2 inch body tube and more plastic details.

Components

Mostly a stock build. I did modify all the fins by "glassing" the fins with paper and epoxy. I replaced the 24mm motor tube with a 29mm one for better power due to the heavier fins.

Construction

The pre-cut fin slots on the lower body tube really made this easier to position the fins. How-ever, this would also make cloning this bird much harder.

Finishing

The large size made even paint application a little difficult for me. I accidently dropped the poor rocket between primer and topcoat application, crimpling the poor upper body tube. A replacement from Semroc was obtained for repairs, and finishing started over.  Filleting the fins was actually easier than normal for me because of the larger gaps between the fins.

Flight

First flight occured on June 9, at the flight field of the Tulsa Rocketry club (http://tulsarocketry.org/). I attempted flight on a AeroTech E30-4, and she left the pad perfectly on the first attempt. Straight up with flames out the tail.

Recovery

I modified the airframe for an attempted anti-zipper design, by having the entire upper body tube come off with the nose cone. During consturction, I noticed a couple of times that the recovery harness I made kept getting tangeled up with the parachute, so on launch day I purchased a foam ball from WalMart to separate the parachute from the tangly bits further up the body tube. Unfortunately, this last second mod was shoved in so tightly that it caused the parachute to get stuck also. A model this big was never ment to use tumble recovery, because the included 30 inch nylon parachute never left the upper body. This is wholy my error, but now the poor rocket has a serious crack/tear in the lower body where the "strakes" fins landed first, and the upper body is torn completely around the center at a spiral.

Summary

I had a exceptional time building this kit. I would expect any fan of scifi looking rockets to enjoy having it. I don't fault Estes in any way for my flight failure.

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