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Sport Rocketry / Scale Models / Saturn V
Rocket Dungeon: Launch Report 2009-2 - Red Glare VI (2009-04-18)
Location: Higgs Farm, Price, MD ( Red Glare VI ) Weather: mid 70's, light breeze Total flights: Today - 6; YTD - 16 Total motors: Today - 11; YTD - 21 The day started well with light traffic and one ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: The Estes Saturn V is the numero uno rocket of all time (2009-04-18)At least in the TRF Rocketry Mach Madness contest , which just closed yesterday. The Saturn V edged out the Estes Interceptor for top honors. It was interesting to see how the contest played out. If ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Instructions (2010-09-26)If you haven't got your Estes Saturn V kit yet, the instructions are available for viewing from the Estes website: http://www.estesrockets.com/assets/instructions/002157_SATURN_V.pdf These ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Bad Estes Instruction Drawings (2010-09-26)I put a lot of time into producing the instruction sheets for my Odd'l Rocket kits and other vendors . I know how much time it takes to get everything in it's place. With all due respect to ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Model Profile Dr. Zooch Saturn V (2010-11-07)While I'm posting about the Saturn 1 kit- Here's a favorite and one of the best kits available today. The Dr. Zooch Saturn V is a fun build and great flier. This is close in ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 1 Parts (2011-04-28)Here's all the parts from the latest version of the Estes Saturn V kit, # 2157. The box is plenty big for what was inside. The length of the box accommodates the long BT -101 tube. These are some of ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: The definitive Estes Saturn V build review (2011-04-28)Chris Michielssen has started a series of posts on the Estes Saturn V. Based on his prior review series', if you plan to build one, this will be a must-read. [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Part 2 Prepping Parts (2011-04-29)The BT-101 tube wasn't cut clean. It wasn't a big deal to clean it up, just a few passes with some fine sandpaper on a block. I'm not faulting Estes, cutting a tube this size is difficult. There ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 3 Stand (2011-04-30)The instructions suggest making a stand from what's left over from the centering ring card stock. Estes suggests a piece of wood 4" wide X 15" long for the base piece. I opted for thick cardboard. ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 4 Tube Marking and Engine Mount (2011-05-01)You are directed to draw a line down the entire length of the BT-101 tube. The instructions show a line drawn using a door frame. This tube is wide! I found it hard to fit the tube into a door ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 5 Engine Mount (2011-05-02)The instructions say to recess the mount inside the lower end of the BT-101 by 3 3/8". Many forums posts think this is too far inside and may cause the Krushnick Effect. Here's an explanation I found ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 6 Couplers (2011-05-02)The card stock centering rings were a loose fit on the inside of the couplers. Once again I built up the outside diameters with a bead of white glue on the outside edges. These were "press-fitted" ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 8 Seam Filling (2011-05-03)With all the tubes I knew I'd better get started on the tube seams. I started with my new method of laying the filler into the seam using a dull hobby knife blade. This will keep the filler only in ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 9 Seam Filling (2011-05-03)Note: This is how I currently fill body tube seams. It's presented as another possible way to get the job done. Your results may vary! After the filler in the seam is dry, sand it down ALMOST to the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 10 Seam Filling (2011-05-04)Here's how George Gassaway suggested to fill the body tube spirals. Masking tape is set down just to either side of the seam. Primer is shot, concentrating on the seams. I sprayed the primer a ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 7 Couplers (2011-05-04)Sorry this blog entry is out of sequence. I do most of my blogs in draft form, sometimes two weeks in advance. I skipped right over this entry, Part 7. After this post, scroll back down to Part 8 to ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 11 Reinforcement Ring (2011-05-05)In Step 4 you glue a reinforcing ring inside the lower end of the BT-101 tube. For too long, I tried to get it to slide in. It was too tight! I didn't want to ruin the BT-101 or reinforcement ring ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 12 Shrouds (2011-05-05)I scanned the two large shrouds and printed off two extra copies of each. Print the extra shrouds on 110 lb. cardstock. The cardstock I buy has a smooth side and the backside that is slightly ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 13 Shrouds (2011-05-06)Cut a piece of masking tape a little shorter than the height of the shroud. I set the tape on my jeans pant leg. Press and lift, press and lift. This leaves small thread fibers on the tape and ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 14 Shrouds (2011-05-06)Don't wait to long to remove the outside tape. Remove it just as the shroud is setting up before any glue can seep through the seam and into the masking tape. Remove the masking tape from the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 15 Wraps (2011-05-07)Here's one of the more demanding parts of the build, cutting out the vacuform body wraps. The older Centuri kit used these same vacuform wraps except theirs were die cut to shape. From reading the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 16 Wraps (2011-05-07)While you can cut the tops and bottoms of the wraps closer to the corrugations, leave the right and left sides long so they can be trimmed to fit when wrapped around their body tubes. The i ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 17 Wraps (2011-05-08)The body wrap reduction piece will take some extra consideration. You can see initially I've cut it a bit oversize. It was set on the third stage wrap and the corrugations centered. Pencil tic marks ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 18 Wraps (2011-05-08)The wraps with more details were saved for last. This way I could practice cutting on the less complex ones. I found it easier to make some "wedge" cuts around the complex raised areas. Again, use a ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 19 Fins (2011-05-09)The fins are all on one vacuform sheet. There is enough room between each fin to cut them with a straightedge guide. I did leave 1/16" around each fin half when cutting them out. Before sanding and ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 20 Fins (2011-05-10)In a nutshell, here's how I glued the fin halves together: After lining up the halves, tape the leading edge closed and use that as a "hinge". The rear of the fin is opened and only the back edges ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 21 Fins (2011-05-11)Sanding these fins is a touchy operation. You want to remove the glued flanges, but not sand through the thin plastic sheet. First cut off most of the flanges, leaving a lip to be sanded off. Don't ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 22 Gluing Wraps (2011-05-12)I had an old can of Elmer's Craft Bond spray adhesive, #E-428. The can says "Extra Strength" and Permanent Bond. I'd had good luck with it in the past so I tested it on some scrap vacuform plastic ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 23 Gluing Wraps (2011-05-13)Here's the tough one, the Interstage Wrapper. All the S-II LOX Tunnels were taped in hopes the spray adhesive would hold them down. From there, you draw tunnel alignment lines up from the Interstage ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 24 Tower Prep (2011-05-13)Sorry there wasn't any blog entries this morning, Blogspot was down! While you could visit the site, I couldn't post anything. A few things are still messed up, hopefully it'll all come together ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 25 Tower (2011-05-14)To get that curve out of the tower side plastic, heat it in water. Heat water in a pan until it just starts to boil. You should practice with a scrap piece of plastic to check how pliable it'll be ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 26 Tower (2011-05-15)The side pieces took a little time to coax into position. The fit was pretty good after running a sanding block over the sides. After they were set and flush, CA on a toothpick tip glued everything ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 27 Nozzles (2011-05-15)To the left, here's the nozzles bells cut right off the plastic trees and dry fitted together. On the right how they'll fit after cleaning up the edges. Like all plastic parts, one side has ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 28 Nozzles (2011-05-16)Slightly flatten out the molding lines on the bottom of the supply tube base . Don't take off any height from the molding seams trying to get them too flat! Later, When gluing on the supply tube, I ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 29 Fairings (2011-05-16)Cut the fairings off the vacuform sheet and leave 1/16" all the way around. Before cutting off the bottom ledge, trace over the edge with a pencil. It's easier to see the line instead of just ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 28A Nozzle Bulkhead (2011-05-17)This isn't part of the Estes Saturn V build, but it's something you might like to add to the display nozzle assembly. Raul (RoskoRacer) and RockItDad came across a carded model Saturn V model and ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 30 Fairings (2011-05-17)I didn't trim the sides of the fairings, the 1/16" border edge was sanded off. 220 grit sandpaper was wrapped around the open area of the BT-101 and the fairing was moved up and down over it. Stay ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 31 Fin Slots (2011-05-18)It surprised me how accurate the fin slot mold lines were. I purposely cut inside the lines making the fin slot smaller. I figured I'd trim to fit the width of the fins. In the end, after fitting ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 32 Fin Gluing (2011-05-19)On the forums, there have been concerns about the strength of the fins and fairings. I wanted to make this joint stronger than just plastic cement on the thin vacuformed plastic. I decided to glue ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 33 Glue Fairings and Fix (2011-05-20)In step 12, you are to apply a reinforcing coating of liquid cement to the fin joints. I was apprehensive about this, thinking it would leave melted plastic and glue trails. It didn't! I would just ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 34 Trim Fairings (2011-05-20)At the end of step 12, you "cut away the areas on the tube where shown." Like before, a pencil line was drawn. It's easier to see the line you want to cut against the white plastic. For consistency, ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 35 Tunnels (2011-05-21)Don't cut the half dowels to length yet! You'll be trimming to the length needed after getting them to right height. The half round dowel tunnels won't butt up against the lip on the vacuform wraps. ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 36 Tunnels (2011-05-21)Here you can see the difference in height before and after sanding. The half round on the left is the original, the right tunnel has been reduced in height to match the vacuform wrap. I've yet to ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 37 Wood Tunnels (2011-05-22)In step 16, my plastic shim ended up being closer to 2 7/8" long instead of the 2 1/2" long suggested in the instructions. I cut it wider than what was needed. It was glued on, and then trimmed and ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 38 Nozzle Fix (2011-05-23)Earlier I had glued the supply tube to the nozzle. Looking at the picture you can see the top of the supply tube is lower than the gluing nub on the nozzle top. If left like this, the nozzles ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 39 Parachute Hook (2011-05-23)There is a short piece of brass wire in the kit. This is bent into a hook to be attached to the 18" upper body parachute. The hook allows the upper section to hang at an angle, reducing the chance ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 40 Parachute Hook (2011-05-24)You can see the original Centuri Saturn V plans HERE It's a fascinating read. There are scans of the vacuform wraps as supplied in the Centuri kit, #KS-12. The wraps and fin edges were die-cut. Check ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 41 Parachutes (2011-05-24)Here's a corner from the parachute sheet. It's a copy of the older Centuri Saturn V kit parachutes. While the sheet corner directions show a shroud line simply looped under a tape disk, the supplied ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 42 Shock Cord Mount (2011-05-25)Nothing too special here, the classic Estes tri-fold mount. I do set the shock cord at an angle so the finished mount isn't too thick. This way the rubber lays beside itself in the folds instead of ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 43 Launch Lugs (2011-05-26)The lugs are glued to leftover tunnel wood standoffs. A slight curve was sanded to match the body tube. This shows the difference in the fits, unsanded on the left and contour sanded on the right. I ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 44 One Last Fix! (2011-05-26)Take a look at the box cover picture. There is a pretty substantial gap at the rounded front of the fairing. The fairing tip is raised from the height of the lowest wrap. I thought about filling the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 45 White Basecoat (2011-05-27)I didn't take any pictures of the model sprayed with gray primer. It always amazes me how many flaws show up when sprayed gray. Suffice to say, I had a bit of sanding to remove some glue spots and ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 46 Masking (2011-05-27)Oh boy - here comes the fun! The first mask should be the easiest - the upper 2nd stage wrapper. I'll be doing each masked section separately. If I were to mask the entire rocket in one sitting, ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 47 Third Stage Wrap (2011-05-28)After spraying, here's what I was left with. I pulled the tape before the paint had totally set up, maybe 15 minutes after spraying the black. So far, so good. There was glitches, a few small bits ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 48 Masking Reduction (2011-05-28)This is a tough part of the mask. Those raised nubs on the reduction wrap are rounded and not very high. Trying to get tape to adhere to the angled sides will take some extra consideration. First, a ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 49 Masking Touchup (2011-05-29)After removing all the tape, there was some expected rough edges. It didn't turn out badly, considering I used a generic masking tape. Some touch up was done with a fine point Sharpie. Around the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 50 RCS Nozzle Guide (2011-05-30)I know, my build is a little out of sequence. After you've built a dozen rockets, most builders veer away from the order of the instructions. The R.C.S. nozzle marking guide is cut from the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 51 RCS Nozzle Drill (2011-05-31)The instructions suggest using a scribe or sharp pencil to make a gluing hole for the R.C.S. nozzles. A sharp pencil? Don't try it, you'll never get it through the body tube wall. I started the hole ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 52 RCS Nozzles (2011-06-01)The center of three R.C.S. nozzles had a molding dimple in them. I filled the hole with thick super glue, placed with a toothpick. After drying, the glue was sanded flat using 400 grit on a sanding ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 54 Interstage Mask! (2011-06-02)NOTE! Just like the reduction wrap, the mask measurements for the interstage section are incorrect! The first picture shows one of the masking lines molded into the corrugation of the wrap. The ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 55 Interstage Mask! (2011-06-02)After the tape was removed, here's the result. I still have some touching up to do, but overall the results were good. Next up - the final black areas around the fins and fairings. [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 56 Low Wrap and Fin Mask (2011-06-03)Again, I used Scotch tape for the flat surfaces. The edges were marked with a black Sharpie pen and new straight edges were cut with a strait edge. Pencil lines were drawn for reference and the tape ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 57 Low Wrap and Fin Mask (2011-06-04)After masking the root edges of all the fins, a paper cover was made to entirely cover the fin sides. In the back of the BT-101 tube, rolled paper was taped to the inside to keep out the black ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 58 Cleaning Up The Mask (2011-06-05)One tool used to clean off over spray is this cheap, white eraser. Beneath the end of the eraser is a little over spray on the back of the fairing. Before shot: The same fairing - After shot: The ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 59 Service Module Wrap (2011-06-06)I had to take a break from the masking! Since the upper section of the Saturn is painted, I wanted to add silver areas of the service module. NOTE: In the Estes instructions, Step 23 Part D, you are ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 60 Service Module Wrap (2011-06-06)After laying down the wrap, I noticed a difference from the Centuri instructions: The Centuri RCS nozzle locations are not the same as marked from the Estes RCS marking guide. This is not a big ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 61 Fin/Fairing Mask (2011-06-07)The last, lower end mask isn't quite as complicated as the last one. Silver will be the last color. It goes on both sides of he fins and the lower third of the fairings. Once again, use the raised ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 62 Build Up Until Now (2011-06-08)Time to take a breather before the decals and final assembly. Before decals, I did have to go back, mask and re-spray the white section. Lots of handling and it got dirty. This is just another ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 63 Decals (2011-06-08)Instead of bouncing around, I'd recommend start from the top and working your way down. You'll have less chance of the decals shifting while they dry if you are working away from the ones already ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 64 Decals (2011-06-09)Be careful with these! One came off after I thought it was set down. After a minute of looking, I found it folded over on my fingertip. I set it back into the water dish to get it to open up. Notice ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 65 Decals (2011-06-09)Take a look at the "I" in UNITED STATES. It's off center! When setting something up vertically, that "I" should be centered like the vertical line in the "T" below it. I worked for years in a print ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 66 Decals (2011-06-10)You are not given any measurements to set the American flag decals in place. It simply says: "Align with white of roll pattern." I used the T.L.A.R. method (That Looks About Right) to figure out the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 67 Decals (2011-06-10)There is a smaller, extra set of decals included with the kit. Apparently some decals were printed without the white backing. Working from the top down, these are the last decals to be placed. I'd ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 68 'Chute Tie In (2011-06-11)I waited until the model was painted and decaled before tying on the parachutes. The instructions have you permanently tie the parachute to the upper section in Step 22, before finishing. Even ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 69 'Chute Tie In (2011-06-11)Tie a long length of shroud line string to the snap swivel. Connect the snap swivel to the U shaped hook. Lay this string down the upper section and below the coupler. Mark this point on the line ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build Part 70 'Chute Tie In (2011-06-12)Step 21 has you loop the shroud lines over a double knot tied in the shock cord.I had concerns that this loop could loosen. I upgraded to snap swivels. It did take a little time to get all the eight ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Build FINISHED! (2011-06-13)Oy! Its finished! Definitely one of the longest builds and build blogs I've ever done. Lessons learned along the way: Take extra time sanding the fin fairings to the body contour, otherwise they ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Specs and Pics (2011-06-24)Andrew B. emailed me about my build and asked for some Saturn V finished specs. Here's my stock build measures up next to the Estes numbers from the box spec card: Estes finished weight: 11.0 oz. ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Part 1 Parts (2012-11-14)The Dr. Zooch Saturn V gets more searches and blog hits than any other model kit! When I built my Zooch Saturn I never did a build thread. Back then I wasn't scanning the wraps. It's about time I ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Fins Part 1 (2012-11-15)This build will not be in the order shown on the Dr. Zooch instructions! I am buildiing the small details first. This was one of the first Zooch kits I made and I didn’t scan the wrap ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Fins Part 2 (2012-11-16)I went "old school" on this one, using a tape border to help sand the taper sharp and straight. TIP: Instead of using masking tape, you can use a strip of clear packing tape. You can sand through ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Fins Step 9 Part 3 (2012-11-17)Don’t remove the tape yet! The picture shows anexample of how the edge should look before removing the tape. Just a little thin line of black remains. When you sand off the remaining ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Fins Step 9 Part 4 (2012-11-18)Lastly, cut the trailing edge using the extended lines. All four fins are ready for grain filling. Sanding the filler correctly will sharpen the taper line more before spraying on a primer. [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V F1 Engines Step 10 Part 1 (2012-11-19)Those small center curves are easier to cut with a large barrel on the rotary punch. I'm never able to cut anything that round and small with the tip of an X-Acto. Here's the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V F1 Engines Step 10 Part 2 (2012-11-19)That upper engine bell piece has a very small closed end. I ended up using a toothpick to pre-form the shroud. I didn't bring a tapered dowel with me on this cruise so I ended up using ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V F1 Engines Step 10 Part 4 (2012-11-20)Apply a small line of glue to one side of the engine nozzle edge. Line up the two tab seams. You'll hide these seams later on when they are glued to the rear plate. While the glue is still ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V F1 Engines Step 10 Part 5 (2012-11-21)From the shroud line string, four lengths of line are cut. All are 8 1/4" long. I made the first (extra) nozzle as a practice piece, getting used to the wraps and spacing of the hatbands. Start ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V F1 Engines Step 10 Part 6 (2012-11-22)The instruction drawings show six wraps. But with the recommended 8 1/4" length I was only able to make five thread wraps. This picture shows four wraps, getting ready for the fifth and last ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Funky Glue Putty Step 10A Part 1 (2012-11-23)On my first Dr. Zooch Saturn V build, I had trouble making the F.G.P. or “ F unky G lue P utty”. I ended up using some of the “Fix-It” two-part epoxy I’d ordered from ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V - F.G.P. Step 10A Part 2 (2012-11-24)Keep pulling the glue into a ball and roll it round. You should end up with a ball about 1/4" in diameter. [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V - F.G.P. Step 10A Part 4 (2012-11-25)The heat exchanger dowel sits in a recess on the wide center of the F.G.P. exhaust manifold. Before the F.G.P. totally dries, make a round recess using the end of the supplied dowel. I had ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V - F.G.P. Step 10A Part 3 (2012-11-25)The "actual size" drawing in the instructions was a little too long when wrapped around the bell. The pencil lines show how much my pumps were shortened. Below the instruction drawing is one of ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V - F.G.P. Step 10A Part 5 (2012-11-26)In Step 10, the instructions say to “Apply few drops of cyanoacrylate glue to harden the whole thing.” By simply applying a few drops of glue, you might end up with visible drops of ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V - F.G.P. Step 10A Part 6 (2012-11-27)After the inside of the shroud is covered, go around the end edges. Don’t get the glue on the outside threaded surface. Lightly sand smooth the rear edge of the nozzle bells on some 400 ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Detail Pieces S-IVB APMs Step 11 Part 1 (2012-11-27)There is a lot of information in Step 11 The detail parts build will go around the page from the top, 11 o'clock position around the page in a counter clockwise direction. On the left are the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Detail Pieces S-IVB APMs Lox Tunnels Step 11 Part 2 (2012-11-28)The joints were cleaned up and the excess CA glue sanded smooth with the sides of the four sided file. Mark the underside taper shape 1/16" back from the top. Sand the front end to a triangle ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Detail Pieces S-11 Lox Tunnels Step 1 Part 3 (2012-11-29)While the instructions don't tell you to do it, I sand the dowels (or toothpicks shown here) flat for a better fit against the wraps and body tube surface. This shows the toothpick before ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Detail Pieces S-II Lox Tunnels Step 11 Part 4 (2012-11-30)Next up are the S-II Lox Tunnels. Mark another flattened dowel to 1 3/16" long. Then mark the ends at 3/16" from each side. Continue the pencil line around the back flat ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Detail Pieces S-II Lox Tunnels Step 11 Part 5 (2012-11-30)File the underside from the 3/16" mark to the center tip on both sides. After forming the tip to a point. Taper the to sides down to a point, rounding the sides along the 3/16" line. The ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Detail Pieces S-11 Ullage Motors Step 11 Part 6 (2012-12-01)You'll be making five, 1 3/16" long S-II LOX Tunnels and four, ½" long S–II Ullage Motors. In the next step we'll be sanding the round dowels to a half round shape for a better fit ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Detail Pieces S-11 Ullage Motors Step 11 Part 7 (2012-12-01)Sand the toothpicks or dowels smooth with 400 grit. Don’t take off too much off the surface, keep them close to the original diameter. If there is any deep pits or cuts on the surface, ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Detail Pieces SB-IV Ullage Motors Step 11 Part 6 (2012-12-02)A piece of the craft stick was smoothed and cut to 1/4" triangles. Be aware of the grain direction and cut the motor to shape. [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Detail Pieces SB-IV Ullage Motors Step 11 Part 7 (2012-12-02)These motors are very small. I cut plenty of them and will pick the best two to use on the model. The cut motor is on the left, a finished Ullage Motor piece is on the right with the rounded ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 10B Part 1 Heat Exchanger Spoofs (2012-12-02)Today we'll go back to Step 10B and finish up the nozzles: You’ll need five 3/8" long pieces of dowel for the heat exchangers, four for the build and one extra. The dowel is cut longer than ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 10B Part 2 Spoofs (2012-12-02)Roll the spoof in place making sure the top edge is even with the top of the dowel end. The top of the spoof wrap should be even with the top of the upper shroud cone. I had to trim off quite a ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 2 Engine Mount (2012-12-11)The engine block was dry fitted, slid down onto the engine hook without glue. After I'm sure it's in the right place, a fillet was applied using a Q-tip. I'm not a big fan of BT-20 tubes, they ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 2 Engine Mount (2012-12-11)I'm back home and able to get back to the Dr. Zooch Saturn V. The engine mount is actually Step 2. Step 1 was the parts list and parts illustration. The tube is notched for the engine hook, two ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 2A Base Coat Prep (2012-12-12)Step 2A has you dry assemble the body tubes and balsa adapters for a white primer coat. I don't feel a sanded primer coat would fill the balsa grain on the tapered section of the Apollo adapter. ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 2A Adapter Prep (2012-12-13)The large adapter had a bit of a "dip" on it's side surface. I sanded it down a little. This adapter will be covered by the S-II/S-IVB wrap. That dip won't be noticed. Still, I wanted a flatter ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 2A Primer (2012-12-14)For the past year I've been using Dupli-Color Automotive Filler Primer. I've read about other modelers doing three light coats of primer sanding between coats. Lately I've done only one thick ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 3 Fairings Part 1 (2012-12-15)The Step 3 illustration shows the Zooch Ant cutting the fairings out on the outside lines. I cut mine a little outside the lines. When they are glued onto the BT-20, you'll cut through both the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 3 Fairings Part 2 (2012-12-17)After the fairings are cut out they are close to a good fit against the BT-60 main tube. The ends make contact but the the center area is raised in a slight arc. Note: This picture was ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 9 Jumping Ahead - (2012-12-18)The more models you build, the more you'll jump around the instructions. On this build I am jumping ahead to make the painting and masking easier. Only time and many builds will tell you where you ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 9 The Mask & Reveal (2012-12-19)With the rear wrap taped in place, the black areas were extended down the body tube using a pencil and aluminum angle. These lines will only go a little over an inch above the top of the wrap ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 4 Adapter Wrap (2012-12-20)The instructions have you form and glue the adapter together and glue S-IVB tube before test fitting the wrap. The S-II / S-IVB adapter wrap was cut out and a test fit was done before ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Details Prime & Paint (2012-12-20)Yep, there are more detail pieces than you'll need for this build. That was a LONG month on the ship, I had a lot of spare time. If I ever build another Zooch Saturn, much of the detail ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 5 Wraps Part 1 (2012-12-21)Here's where the Dr. Zooch models start to really look like something - the card stock wraps. This picture better shows how the wrap edges cover up the painted edges. Lightly sand down ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 5 Wraps Part 2 (2012-12-22)When rolling on wrap D, slide the adapter in place to be sure it is in line. Just be careful not to glue the adapter into the main body! This is my second Zooch Saturn V build. On this build, the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 7 Apollo Spacecraft Wraps (2012-12-23)I've already primed, sanded and painted the LES dowel. For no real reason, I decided to glue on the Boost Protective Cover wrap first. Much like the adapter wrap in Step 4, the fit was a ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 7 Apollo Spacecraft Part 1 (2012-12-25)My service module wrap was a little tall. I wanted to fill the gap. A disk was cut from some scrap mat board. A hole was punched for the LES dowel with the rotary punch. The disk was sized ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 7 Apollo Spacecraft Part 2 (2012-12-25)The instructions say to "Use a large amount of glue inside the BPC when attaching it to the adapter . . . it will harden and form a solid nose cone." I didn't want to take the chance of the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 8 Escape Tower Part 1 (2012-12-26)It's easier to score the fold lines before cutting out the tower. For a better reference line, I drew pencil lines beyond the edges of the tower folds. The tower didn't have a glue tab, I added ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 8 Escape Tower Part 2 (2012-12-26)TIP: It's easier to cut out the center of a small shroud first, then cut the outside. Leave as much stock on the outside of the shroud for something to hold onto. After gluing the tab, the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Detail Prep (2012-12-27)Sometimes when you pull pieces off the sticky side of a masking tape board, the paint and tape goo leave a uneven edge. Sand down the flat bottom of the detail pieces and fin root edges with 400 ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 6 Shaping the Engine Fairing (2012-12-29)An earlier post talked about shaping the fairings for a better fit against the BT-60 main body tube. After test fitting, I had to go back and do some more forming. The instructions say to "use a ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 6 Gluing the Engine Fairings (2012-12-31)I did mark the edges of the fairings so the white card stock sides wouldn't show after gluing to the body. Do this quickly and carefully, you don't want the marker ink to bleed onto the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Part 9 Gluing On The Fins (2013-01-01)NOTE: Be careful about changing the fin surface area. These models are very stable as built by the directions. They require the template size fin area and installed nose weight to fly. The model ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 10C Gluing on the Engine Bells (2013-01-02)A great thing about the Dr. Zooch Saturn V, the F-1 engines stay on for flight! I wanted to be sure they were well attached. Earlier I neglected to paint the inside of the engine ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 11 Fit and Gluing Details Part 1 (2013-01-03)The S-IVB APM and S-IVB Ullage motors glued on. Simply center them above the black /white color separation lines on the adapter wrap. When set over the wrap, the S-II LOX Tunnel front ends ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 11 Fit and Gluing Details Part 2 (2013-01-04)The upper and lower long cable tunnels were notched to fit over the wraps. Set the tunnel over the body and mark where it intersects the wrap edge. The square edge of the notch was cut with a ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 11 Fit and Gluing Details Part 3 (2013-01-05)Here's how the 5" long S-IC tunnel sits over the wraps and black areas. It will have to be painted black where it covers the black vertical strips. I used Scotch tape for the masks. A small ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 11 Fit and Gluing Details Part 4 (2013-01-06)The bottom of the long tunnels were notched for a better fit over the wraps. On the right I'm scraping a little of the paint off down to the body tube for a better glue joint. Look all the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 11 Lugs and Extra Detailing (2013-01-07)Instead of just cutting the lugs in half, try to match their lengths to the wrap widths they'll be glued on. The lugs were filled and painted before cutting them to size. Here a launch rod ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Fairing Fixes (2013-01-08)I wasn't happy with the way the fin cut outs looked. After correcting the angle of the fins (sanding the root edge) the root edge was shorter and didn't fit the cut out areas in the fairings. On ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Step 11 Fin Letters and Decals (2013-01-09)Back tracking to Step 9, I waited to glue on the fin letters and Roman Numeral position markers. The paper letters and numbers were held with tweezers for gluing and positioning. Below the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch Saturn V Build Finished! (2013-01-10)This is a great Zooch kit and a must have for any rocket enthusiast. A great flyer with Estes B6-4 and C6-5 engines. Don't use a Quest C engine in it! It will be on ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Fin Fix, Part 1 (2014-01-17)I'm doing a build of the Estes reissued Saturn V kit for a client. Here's a fin reinforcement I wish I'd done on my first build of the Saturn V with the vacuform fins. The hollow, vacuform fins are ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Fin Fix, Part 2 (2014-01-18)Immediately after the wedge piece was glued on, I ran the edge down a rut in my corrugated cardboard cutting board. This straight dip in the cardboard helped raise the sides of the glued piece up ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Decal Fix (2014-02-25)On the left, look at the "I" in "UNITED". It's not centered ! The type was set with the I a little to the left. It should be in line with the center line of the T. I spent a few years ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Parachute Hook Bend TIP (2014-04-22)You can apply this tip whenever You have to make a bunch of bends the same length. In Step 17 of the Saturn V kit, you bend a brass wire into a "U" shape. (The wire is an attachment point for the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: The Big Fix - Dr. Zooch Saturn V (2014-08-03)After the last hard street landing, my older Zooch Saturn V was missing a fin. A few flights before that a nozzle had broken off. I didn't follow my rule of checking the landing area when flying ... [Read More]
Rocket N00b: Estes Saturn V! (2016-02-09)Look at a couple of the upcoming selections from the new Estes catalog ! Like my Facebook page for blog updates and extra stuff. [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: 3-D printed Saturn V build notes, part 1 (2016-07-19)I started by dry fitting all the parts. The fit of all the ABS-on-ABS joints is a bit rough due to the surface finish but are not too snug. I may sand the nose cone shoulder to make it smoother. The ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: 3-D printed Saturn V build notes, part 2 (2016-07-19)This is the "well, crap, that ain't supposed to happen" edition. I proceeded to dry stack the parts, put in a motor, and fill the nose section with 0.8 ounces of lead. I checked the CG ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: 3-D printed Saturn V build notes, part 3 (2016-07-20)Well, it is all together but still naked: The final weight went up as I didn't account for the epoxy in the nose, the shock tether, or the screw that holds the motor retainer/launch lug. I'm not used ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: 3-D printed Saturn V build notes, part 4 (2016-07-26)I decided to at least partially finish the Saturn V. Scale buffs and skilled painters need not comment. I started by outlining the black areas with a Sharpie (hat tip to David 'Daddyisabar' Bauer). I ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: DR. Zooch Saturn V TIP (2016-09-19)On the DR. Zooch Saturn V kit you use quite a few printed wraps. This makes most of the masking and painting much easier and more detailed. At the bottom between the red USA decals, you do have to ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: It's Back! The Estes Saturn V (2016-09-20)Just up on the Estes Website - CLICK HERE At the moment it is showing as "Out Of Stock". Retail price is lower than the last batch at $79.99. No news about parts changes. We can hope the fins aren't ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Fins Update (2016-09-25)From the Estes website, the Saturn V kit page: " One new feature worth mentioning are the fins. This version now has two-piece injection molded plastic fins for added durability during flight!" I ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Saturn V Blog Posts - Book Form! (2016-09-30)Estes has re-released the Saturn V kit - CLICK HERE This new version has injection molded two-piece plastic fins, a big improvement over the two-sided vacuform fins. There are probably other updates ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: New Estes Saturn V Fins (2016-10-01)This afternoon on YORF, The Mole posted pictures of the new Saturn V instructions. It looks like the older instructions with the new two-piece fin drawings dropped in place of the older vacu-form ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Some Estes / Centuri Saturn V Comparisons (2016-10-04)With the re-release of the Estes Saturn V, I thought it would be interesting to do some quick comparisons between the original Centuri and Estes kits. Estes and Centuri both debuted their Saturn ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Concern - (2016-10-05)An email from Mike Rufener - Hi Chris! Just got a Saturn V (2157) and it has both vacuum formed fins, and hard plastic fins. I think I'll use the newer ones. I also noticed that the "yellow engine ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Setting the Saturn V Engine Block? TIP (2016-10-06)The first run of the Estes Saturn V kit only has the short yellow D engine block setting tube at 2 3/4" long. The model should be built for the 3 3/4" long E engines. If you don't have a E engine ... [Read More]
Shroudlines: Merry Christmas, Apollo Style! (2016-12-28)Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while might remember that I had a problem with my Estes Saturn V. The problem was that I had taken so long to build (or even open it) that it was ... [Read More]
Shroudlines: American Spacemodeling Cover....The Rest of the Story (2017-01-24)A while back I showed you guys the cover of American Spacemodeling that featured John Dyer's plastic model conversion Saturn V moments before the loops began.... This week I was going through some ... [Read More]
Rocketeer's Corner: They did what with a Saturn V? (2017-10-18)This week's episode of the "Big Bang Theory" featured a model rocketry thread in which Wolowitz resurrects some of his old rockets in anticipation of sharing his past joy in rocketry with his ... [Read More]
Rocket N00b: Estes Saturn V - Discontinued? (2017-11-12)Act fast, dear reader. If you have had your eye on the re-release of the Estes Saturn V model rocket, don't delay. Get one while you can! It appears the kit, which has only been out for little ... [Read More]
Rich's Rockets: Fives (2018-02-11)The NAR is talking about having local clubs across the country do well-publicized launches, particularly of Saturn V models, on July 20, 2019 — the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing. ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Box Picture - (2018-02-16)I finished up an Estes Saturn V build for a client. If you have a kit, look close at box picture. It is a picture of an actual build and not a C.G. image! Here's two things that could see i ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Background (2018-07-03)According to the BMS website, the BMS/Alway Saturn V kit has been out of production for eight years. The picture above is from a build I did a few years back. This is a very well engineered kit. ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 1, Parts (2018-07-04)This picture is from the first build I did, from a few years ago. The new kits have the red and white Odd'l Rockets style 18" parachute. After a few kits were sent out, Bill at BMS realized the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 2, Engine Mount (2018-07-06)I did use my hobby knife to free the middle from the centering rings. The small squares are for attachment of the F-1 nozzle assemblies. This is the bottom ring of the mount. I usually clean up any ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 3, Nozzle Framework (2018-07-07)Inside the nozzle shrouds is a three-piece plywood frame. I pushed the rectangular center out of the bottom disk with the inside longer strut. At the top end of the shroud small disk. Looking at ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 5, Nozzle Assembly (2018-07-09)I did have to sand down the ring inside for it to slide down onto the lines on the nozzle shroud. The top (with the narrower laser cut side) was marked so I didn't sand out the slight inside taper. ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 6, Nozzle Assembly (2018-07-10)Small holes were punched in some scrap cardboard and the nozzles set in standing up. Just the top, flat surface got a shot of Duplicolor filler/primer and smooth sanding. The bottom of the centering ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 8, Fin Prep (2018-07-11)The fins are removed from the sheet and the sides sanded clean. On the right the outside edges have been rounded. The plywood grain is fine but still needs to be filled. Here the root edge has been ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 9, Fin Fairing Prep (2018-07-12)Cut out the fin slot first. Keep the small end cut corners clean. Here I'm cutting from the outside corners to the center of the small top and bottom. You don't want the corners cut wider than the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 11, Fairing Silver Paint & Fin Support Gluing (2018-07-14)More Scotch tape masks were cut over glass, this is the curved silver line mask on the low end of the fairing. The shroud guide was set over the black and white fairings and the edge lightly marked ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 12, Upper Body Bands (2018-07-15)I skipped ahead to Step 48 figuring it would be easier to apply the bands to the smaller tube first. TIP: Mark the end of the laser cut self-adhesive strip. When the strips are cut off it's hard to ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 13, Tunnel Shaping (2018-07-16)The kit contains two half-round dowels to make the tunnels. Start by sanding the backs flat with 400 grit on a sanding block. TIP: You'll find it easier to smooth the round sides if the dowel halves ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 16, Escape Motor and Tower (2018-07-18)The escape motor dowel was longer than the 1 1/2" needed. The tip was shaped to a cone and then cut to length. TIP: Why not cut the dowel to the 1 1/2" length first? Leave it long and you can have a ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 17, Escape Motor Shroud (2018-07-19)You are supplied with a few extra escape motor shrouds. I would suggest making up a few and selecting the best one for your build. After carefully cutting out the shroud, you might still have an ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 18, Shroud Forming and Tower (2018-07-20)After the shroud dried it wasn't a perfect circle. TIP: A dowel end was carved and sanded to a cone shape, matching the angle of the shroud side. Set the shroud on the carved cone. With your ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 19, RCS Thrusters and Details (2018-07-21)The four RCS thrusters are removed from the 1/32" plywood sheet. These are also tiny so extras are included in the kit. Flip the sheet over and notice on one side the burn line is wider. The wider ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 20, Ullage Rockets (2018-07-22)The Ullage Rockets are ridiculously small! You are supplied with four, you only need two. Before removing them from the sheet, sand the sides smooth. The top edge is sanded round. Tweezers help to ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 21, APS Unit Shaping (2018-07-23)Save the dowel lengths left over from the long tunnels. This is an over exaggeration - but cut the dowels over size, longer than the APS Unit Core center piece. Two set of dowels and the center ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 23, Upper Body Black Paint and Vinyl (2018-07-25)Please note: I use clear Scotch tape for masking. If your surfaces aren't clean, you probably won't get a sharp masked line using Scotch tape. If in doubt, go with the Tamiya tape. I'm just cheap! ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 24, Lower Body Roll Pattern Masks (2018-07-26)The upper and lower vertical lines of the lower body mask are in line with each other. Use an aluminum angle to join light pencil lines between the top and bottom roll patterns. Here's the start of ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 25, Tube Trim and Engine Mount (2018-07-27)Finally you get to trim the low end of the body tube. Cut the hold-down tics. You might have to do some other trimming if the laser line didn't go all the way through. Here's how the low end looks ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 26, Fin and Fairing Gluing (2018-07-28)Look at the shape of the fairing from the top. You want a good smooth curve of the outside edge. On the left is the before, on the right is after some very gentle forming. I set the fairing tip ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 27, Hydrogen Lines and Nose Weight (2018-07-30)The five Liquid Hydrogen Lines are glued in place, centered on the masked rectangle areas. The instructions don't mention to do this, but I cut away the wrap strips under the glued on lines. The ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 28, Decals! (2018-07-30)Most all the decals went on with no real problems. This post will concentrate on the small fin decals. The fin letter decals are tiny! TIP: To make the placement consistent on all fin sides, extend ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Finished! (2018-08-02)The fit of the fin fairings could have been better, three out of the four were good. I've mentioned before what a well engineered kit this is. It's a manageable sized Saturn V and flys well with a ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes New Saturn V Art (2018-10-03)From the Facebook Model Rocketry Fanatics page: Aldo Spadoni to Model Rocketry Fanatics!!! I’m very excited and proud to announce that Estes Industries has licensed my artwork to ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: New Estes Saturn V Picture (2018-11-21)On YORF, John Boren posted some information about the new #1969 Estes Saturn V: "The only thing that is the same on this kit from the last one are Most of the body tubes and the injection molded ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V "BONUS" Revealed (2018-11-22)I thought it would be a poster - On the Estes website yesterday, click on the number "3" in the main slide show window: CLICK HERE [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V Parts (2019-04-29)On the NAR Facebook page, James Duffy pointed out that Estes has added Saturn V parts to their website! CLICK HERE to see the listings. You can upgrade your old kit to the new specs. [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V #1969 Build, Part 1 Parts Comparison (2019-05-15)Looks like I'm building TWO Saturn V models! (After I finish these up I doubt I'll want to look at another Saturn V for a while.) With all the various Saturn V builds shown on this blog, this new ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V #1969 Build, Part 2 Parts Comparison (2019-05-16)Again, the older wraps are at the top, the new ones are at the bottom. In the older kit, these two wraps were on the same plastic sheet. Now they are separate. The older wrap was two different ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V #1969 Build, Part 3, Tubes Prep (2019-05-17)Check the ends of the body tubes to see if there are any cut "stringers". The larger diameter the tube, the harder it is for the vendor to cut clean. Sand the ends flat and square. The big BT-101 ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V #1969 Build, Part 4, Engine Mount Assembly (2019-05-18)Some thoughts on yesterday's post: I know most builders want to dig right in and assemble the model - then think about filling the body tube seams. With all the wraps and tunnels on the tubes, ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V #1969 Build, Part 5, Gluing In Engine Mount (2019-05-19)The rear centering ring should end up 3 3/8" from the bottom of the main air frame tube. GOTCHA: Try a dry fit and you'll notice the rings seem small! The engine mount can slide right through the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V #1969 Build, Part 6, Third Stage Centering Rings (2019-05-20)Most of this build series will be close to the order of assembly in the Estes instructions. While I wait for glued assemblies to dry I might bounce around the assembly steps. TIP: I used my sanding ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V #1969 Build, Part 7, Reinforcing Ring Fit? (2019-05-21)GOTCHA: On YORF, the great builder Jeffy Jeep noticed a measurement question in the instructions. The copy says the reinforcement ring should be 3/4" from the rear of the tube. The drawing ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V #1969 Build, Part 8, Primer/Filler and Shroud Scan (2019-05-22)The third stage assembly was slid into the upper end of the BT-101 tube for spraying with Duplicolor Filler/Primer. Sliding the centering ring assembly down inside the BT-101 will protect the shroud ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V #1969 Build, Part 9, Third Stage Reduction Shroud (2019-05-23)Here's the slightly larger shroud from the #2157 kit. TIP: Use scissors on the curves, a knife and straightedge on the straight cuts. On my thumb is a piece of sandpaper. I'm sanding the edges, ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V #1969 Build, Part 10, Shroud Gluing (2019-05-24)Here's the final fit, ready for gluing. The large end overlaps the coupler slightly, making a "stop" going into the BT-101 lower tube. The assembly is straight, there is some camera distortion. The ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V #1969 Build, Part 11, Nozzle Assembly (2019-05-25)This is the type of glue you should be using - Bottled liquid plastic cement with the brush attached to the cap. Tube type plastic cement is iffy and not what it was fifty years ago. This ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V #1969 Build, Part 12, Nozzle Paint and Plate (2019-05-26)To hold the nozzles for painting, I punched hole in cardboard with a pencil. The pins in the top were pressed into the pencil holes. I also had to flip over and spray the nozzles from the top. There ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V #1969 Build, Part 13, Cutting Out The Vacu-Form Wraps (2019-05-27)The vacu-form wraps are cut out with a 1/16" border. That border gives you a small flat edge surface for the spray glue adhesion. I tend to cut the seam sides (right and left sides) wider than ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Big Bang Rocket Episode (2020-05-14)To show what a rocket nerd I am - I'm watching a re-run of the Big Bang Theory, the episode was centered around model rockets. Howard found a storage box of rockets from when he was a kid, twenty ... [Read More]
High Power Rocketry: Saturn V Large Scale Cutaway (2007-06-19)Enjoy this all time great rocket, one of the most sexy yet made. If only we had a few left for large scale missions to mars or the outer planets, or to launch large space telescopes (a folding 30 ... [Read More]
High Power Rocketry: Skylab (2008-08-11)"Skylab was launched 14 May 1973 by a Saturn INT-21 (a two-stage version of the Saturn V launch vehicle) into a 235 nautical mile (435 km) orbit. The launch is sometimes referred to as Skylab 1, or ... [Read More]
High Power Rocketry: N-1 (2008-08-27)I think Russian rockets are pretty much the coolest of all. The N1 is possibly the most impressive, best looking rocket ever made. The inter-stage open truss design (common in communist rockets) ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Rockets Mag V3 I5 Dec 2008 - the 'Black Rock Edition' (updated) (2008-12-20)I call it the Black Rock Edition because most of the enclosed material originated there: one article on the Rocket Mavericks July launch and three on Balls 17. Where else other than Black Rock will ... [Read More]
High Power Rocketry: Manned Venus Flyby (2009-01-22)There have been many planned flyby missions for Mars and-or Venus. Much effort was put into these plans, in part because it was expected that Russia would skip the moon in the 1970s and chose a new ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Rockets Magazine V3 I6 Feb 2009 - including FAA analysis (2009-02-13)I found this to be one of the better issues of Rockets . It features two solid tech articles - one on chain-stitching 'chute lines and one on molding fiberglass parts. I doubt if I'll use either, ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Steve Eves' Saturn V launch date (2009-02-23)I just saw the article on Rocketry Planet regarding Steve Eves' 1:10 scale Saturn V and suddenly it struck me that I've been remiss in announcing the launch date has been set. The big Saturn V will ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Saturn Orion project idea (2009-03-07)I think I have the motivation for my next build. I downloaded the .pdfs from my previous post and they include a lot of info on the Saturn V Orion booster. More than I need...I only looked at the ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Tower construction at Cape Higgs (2009-03-24)I see the launch tower at Higgs Farm is going up in preparation for the April 25th flight of Steve Eves' 1:10 scale Saturn V. [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Steve Eves' 1:10 Saturn V: T - 11 days and counting (2009-04-13)I've posted about this huge project fairly often so the regulars have no excuse for not knowing all about it. For the rest of you, you can see the official pages on ROCKETS Magazine's website or the ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Steve Eves' 1:10 scale Saturn V is burning up the Internet (2009-04-19)Scheduled for launch next Saturday, April 25th at MDRA's Price, MD launch site, Steve's ginormous Saturn V has been covered my many local (to Steve's home) TV channels and many more web sites. ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Steve Eves' Saturn V has been Dugg (2009-04-20)Run for the hills, your bomb shelter, or wherever, the Rocketry Planet is at risk of exploding after their article on Steve's Saturn V hit Digg . [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: ROCKETS Magazine - April 2009 (2009-04-20)This issue features several articles about, or at least motivated by, the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11. Besides the fact that we sport rocketeers are also space program fans, the tie-in to sport ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Steve Eves' Saturn V hits Fox News (2009-04-21)The word is spreading . If Tommy is grilling, maybe he better stock up. On Saturday, April 25, the Saturn V, the rocket that sent men to the moon 40 years ago, will once again lift off from U.S. ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Steve Eves' 1:10 scale Saturn V - my photos (2009-04-24)I decided to create an OurPlanet album for Steve Eves' Saturn V . I hope to add to this album this weekend! [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Steve Eves' Saturn V ROCKED Maryland's Eastern Shore (2009-04-25)After testing the winds with a 'tiny' Nike Smoke on a J350, Steve Eves' Saturn was launched into the beautiful Maryland skies at around 1PM local. The central 'P' and eight 'N' motors (that's 'R' ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Details on the Saturn V flight (2009-04-26)I decided to go ahead and make a new post and relay some details I've seen about the flight. This thread on TQC#39 has some really good up close and personal shots and so does this TRF thread . TRF ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: ROCKETS Magazine's photos of Steve Eves' Saturn V launch (2009-04-27)ROCKETS Magazine's photos of Steve Eves' Saturn V launch [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Updates to the Steve Eves Saturn V links list (2009-04-27)FYI, although I've made a few follow-on posts, I have also been adding to the links list on my main launch report . [Read More]
DTH Rocket Blog: 1:10 Scale Saturn V Rocket (2009-04-28)I heard about this a little late, but apparently it set a record for size: [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: On-board video from Steve Eves' Saturn V (2009-05-01)ROCKETS Magazine has updated their Saturn V news coverage with the Fox news story , which includes some on-board footage. They also have posted some flight data from several ARTS flight computers. ... [Read More]
High Power Rocketry: Saturn V F-1 Nozzle (2009-06-04)[Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: ROCKETS Magazine, June 2009 (Saturn V issue) (2009-06-15)The lead story in this issue is Steve Eves' 1:10 Scale Saturn V. Having attended the record-setting launch, I'll be setting this one in my 'short stack' of favorite rocket magazines. The two ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Nuclear DC-X (2009-06-23)I posted links to the source article earlier today, but thought I'd capture the diagram of the proposed Nuclear DC-X/LANTR SSTO Heavy Cargo Lifter. Another diagram shows this vehicle in scale next ... [Read More]
Bayourat Aerospace Blog: The Greatest Machine Ever Built (2009-07-07)Forty Eight years ago (May 25, 1961) U.S. president John Kennedy announced the goal of landing Americans on the Moon by the end of the decade. Kennedy's ambitious speech triggered a nearly ... [Read More]
Bayourat Aerospace Blog: S-IVB The Third Stage or Earth Departur Stage (2009-07-11)The S-IVB (sometimes S4b, always pronounced "ess four bee") was built by the Douglas Aircraft Company and served as the third stage on the Saturn V and second stage on the Saturn IB . It had one J-2 ... [Read More]
Bayourat Aerospace Blog: What it will take to land on the Moon. The concept of a LEM (2009-07-13)A young engineer by the name of John Hobalt came up with the concept that it would require two separate space craft. The Apollo program was moving forward with the one big rocket concept. When John ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Saturn V, Lunar Module and Command Module cutaway drawings (2009-07-15)Via Flightglobal: Saturn V Lunar Module Command Module Includes links to .pdf files. [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: The top 10 Saturn V models (2009-07-17)OObject presents their Top 10 Moon Rocket Models . The link goes directly to the undisputed (by my criteria at least) #1 entry - Steve Eves' 1:10 scale Saturn V . You can navigate forward and ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Really good Saturn V article (2009-07-19)Via Jerry Irvine on Rocketry Planet: 'One small step for man,' one massive rocket project for engineers, LA Times, July 18, 2009 . The young scientists who created the Saturn V rocket that ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Moonfest at Moffett Field (2009-07-19)Steve Jurvetson reports from Moonfest with a photo of one of his flights. He says 1,500 spectators attended. There was, of course, a lot more than rocketry going on. But, nothing better. Flickr user ... [Read More]
High Power Rocketry: Ares X-1 Assembly (2009-08-06)This simple test rocket, in a way the biggest hobby launch ever, will be an early test of a man-rated rocket. Why is this a great rocket in my mind? Because it uses an inexpensive and fairly ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Popular Mechanics, September 2009 (2009-08-17)I went ahead and picked up a copy just to see Steve Eves' Saturn V in a mainstream magazine :) I was a little disappointed to find Steve was only given a one page blurb. Still, it was great to see ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Steve Eves' 1:10 Scale Saturn V is too big for a single DVD (2009-09-16)Liberty Launch Systems (aka Rockets Magazine) just announced the release of their 3-disk DVD set chronicling the project from conception through launch and on to its final home at the U.S. Space and ... [Read More]
High Power Rocketry: The Saturn Instrument Unit (2009-11-24)"The Saturn V Instrument Unit is a ring-shaped structure fitted to the top of the Saturn V rocket's third stage (S-IVB) and the Saturn IB's second stage (S-IVB). It was immediately below the SLA ... [Read More]
High Power Rocketry: You call that a rocket? This is a rocket! (2009-12-09)This shows the assembly and parts of the Saturn V. Click to embiggen most cromulently. (I split the image in half so that Google would accept it and keep it readable. However, the first one is still ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Steve Eves' 1:10 Scale Saturn V BeFunky (2009-12-27)[Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Steve Eves is out to beat his record (2009-12-30)The CantonRep.com reports on Steve Eves' latest project, a 2-stage Saturn 1B. No details on the scale or motors, but it does say that he hopes to fly the new beast to 2 miles in the Spring of ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: The race to be the biggest (amateur rocketry) (2010-03-02)Gizmodo is featuring the work of Copenhagen Suborbitals (C-S) and their HEAT-1X project. (Yesterday, I posted an embedded video of one of their hybrid motor tests. Cool stuff!) The blogger points ... [Read More]
High Power Rocketry: "The Rocket Project" by Sony (2010-03-09)The Rocket Project Building rockets with kids, and using rocketry and computers to teach science and engineering... great! Using this project as a chance to sell overpriced laptops... eh pr ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: When rocket designers didn't think small - the ROMBUS Family (2010-04-21)Scott Lowther presents a cool diagram (to the right) showing the relative scale of the ICARUS, Ithacus, ROMBUS, ROMBUS F, ROMBUS III, Pegasus, Icarus Jr. to subjects such as the Space Sh ... [Read More]
High Power Rocketry: John Holdren on the new manned missions (2010-05-23)Skipping the Moon is exactly the right call here, and on this I can't agree more. The Moon is a luxury that we cannot now afford, and with triage comes hard choices. But there is one major flaw with ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: ROCKETS Magazine, June 2010 (2010-06-15)What's inside: Review of an Estes Saturn V complete with scale gantry; Pt. 5 of Black Magic Missile Work's electronics series; Rocket girl Haley Allen; Launch report from the Phoenix Missile Works ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Sport Rocketry, July/August 2010 (2010-07-04)This issues is mostly dedicated to NARCON 2010, which was held at Clark University. Clark was where Dr. Goddard earned his PhD in 1911 so, naturally, Goddard played a big role in this year's ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Saturn V groupies (2010-07-08)One rocket girl for each of the F-1 engines. Under the Saturn V , originally uploaded by drjellis . [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Fire and Forget - GOODBYE! (2010-07-10)I went to the monthly NEFAR launch in Bunnell, Florida. The Fire and Forget rocket was one of my first out of eight launches today. The RSO read my description: "Anyone who finds it can keep it to ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Rocketry in the Inbox (2010-07-15)EMRR is back after a month hiatus with a respectable number of new reviews. The winners of the Kitbash Virtual Contest have been announced. Which mostly reminds me that I need to tale a ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: With luck, Semroc will survive! (update) (2010-08-12)I couldn't even read all the posts about the Hobbico/Estes legal notice that Semroc received. However, it appears Rick Piester, Vice President of Proprietary Products, Hobbico, Inc. and ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: The jury is in, and the verdict is...Semroc lives! (2010-08-13)The jury here is a jury of two, Carl and Rick. It looks like the legal unpleasantness of late will indeed work out . So, all the disgruntled rocket geeks can re-establish their orders ... [Read More]
Bayourat Aerospace Blog: The M1 Rocket Engine (2010-08-30)Everyone remembers the F1 Pratt-Whitney Rocketdyne rocket engine. Famous for boosting the Saturn V rocket to the moon. But have you ever heard of the M1. It's never flown on a spacecraft but holds ... [Read More]
Bayourat Aerospace Blog: I've been selected to attend the launch of STS-133 at the Kennedy Space Center Press Viewing Area!!! (2010-09-12)The Bayourat has been selected to view the launch of space shuttle Discovery (STS-133) from the press viewing area at the Kennedy Space Center just 3 miles from the launch pad. I was chosen from a ... [Read More]
High Power Rocketry: Saturn V F1 engine (2010-09-13)"A close-up view of the F-1 Engine for the Saturn V S-IC (first) stage depicts the complexity of the engine. Developed by Rocketdyne under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center, the F-1 ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: A pair of 1:9 scale Saturn 1B's (2010-10-19)I see that Steve Eves' and Vern Hoag's Saturn 1B's are slated to be on display at Red Glare IX this coming weekend. Attached is a shot of Steve's from Red Glare VIII last spring. I hope to get ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Virtual and physical status reports (2010-10-20)Since I didn't immediately see any actual rocket news this AM and I'm not actively building anything at the moment, I thought I'd do my part to raise the noise level on the Internet. So, here's ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: MAKE: DIY Space (2010-10-21)Yesterday, I mentioned that MAKE had posted about Steve Eves' 1:10 scale Saturn V . Today (barely today, EST) and at my suggestion, they have a follow-on post about Steve and Vern Hoag's ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Cleaning Up! TIP (2010-11-06)I was going to do a model feature on the blog and had to clean a rocket up for pictures. This Zooch Saturn V has a white finish, dirt and fingerprints show up easily. Anytime I ... [Read More]
Bayourat Aerospace Blog: Discovery's Emotional Roller Coaster (2010-11-06)Wow, words cannot describe what I have been through this week. I'll try to explain but my head is still spinning from the emotional rollercoaster that we call "human spaceflight". I arrived at KSC ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Rocket quote of the day (2010-12-06)(Building rockets is) "super-frickin'-damn-hard."- Elon Musk (quoted part) I got this from Alan Boyle's latest article on SpaceX. Mr. Musk estimates the probability of full COTS-1 mission ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Quest MicroMaxx SVSS Fixes (2010-12-07)I recently bought the Quest MicroMaxx Super Value Starter Set (SVSS). Quest had a holiday sale and at $36.00 it was too good to pass up. This included 50 MicroMaxx engines, a controller, MMX launcher ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Rocket Videos: Tape v. DVD (2011-01-26)This post describes the Point 39 Productions LDRS XIX (on VHS tape) and the ROCKETS Magazine/Liberty Launch Systems Red Glare IV (on DVD) videos. Point 39 Productions - LDRS XIX Ever since ... [Read More]
High Power Rocketry: Video of Project Daedalus (2011-03-01)"The world's first engineering study of an unmanned spaceship to explore one of the nearer stars was made by a technical group of the British Interplanetary Society between 1973-77. The target ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Fear the rocket (2011-03-21)This week's episode of House began with two kids launching what could have been an Estes or Apogee or equivalent Saturn V. It flies up, stages (?), and bursts into flame. Plenty of ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Reactor In-Flight Test (RIFT) (2011-03-27)Scott Lowther is on "Nukes-R-Awesome" roll. He presents the RIFT vehicle, a concept for a nuclear rocket that would have been launched atop a Saturn V and ignited sub-orbitally. It would ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Big a$$$$$ rocket of the day - JPL Solid Propellant NOVA vehicle (2011-03-31)The NOVA was a series of conceptual vehicles which would have competed with the Saturn V using all solid propulsion. YORF user luke skywalker has provided a flood of info on the NOVA , starting ... [Read More]
Bayourat Aerospace Blog: Stenis Test Stand Passes Review for Next-Generation Rocket Engine Testing (2011-03-31)Forty-five years after its first Saturn V rocket stage test and 35 years after its first space shuttle main engine test, the A-2 Test Stand at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center achieved a ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Saturn V (NERVA SRBs) (updated) (2011-04-03)luke skywalker 's latest NASA report summary is of the "Modified Launch Vehicle (MLV) Saturn V Improvement Study Composite Summary Report" from July 1965. Here are figures showing con ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Saturn V with Orion (2011-04-03)With all the summaries of old heavy lift launcher concepts floating around, I thought I'd re-post a couple of diagrams of the Saturn V with Orion nuclear pulse propulsion modules. Detailed ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Massive rocket indecision (2011-04-03)OK, so I now have my still un-named rocket primed. Progress! Well, not so fast! As I was pondering my recent posts about 'what-if' Saturn variants, I noticed the similarity my SRBs have to the ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: SRB-Boosted Ground-Launched Saturn V upper stage (2011-04-05)The latest document summary from YORF's luke skywalker discusses "Selected Methods for Uprating Saturn Vehicles" (circa 1966). He points out that the coolest thing in this report is the ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: More Saturn V derivatives (2011-04-08)No time to read... check out this post . Makes you wish NASA had practiced their Saturn-calculus even more...(silly pun of the word 'derivative') [Read More]
DTH Rocket Blog: Day One: NASA, Rocket Prep and Inspection (2011-04-15)The first day was the "fun" day, and we got to go behind the scenes of many of the NASA facilities there at Marshall Space Flight Center. Of the more interesting that we did was the friction ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Saturn I Block II, Saturn IB, and Saturn V, in "EXCRUCIATING detail" (2011-04-21)luke skywalker provides a summary of "Apollo Systems Description Vol. 2 Saturn Launch Vehicles" . To gauge what 'excruciating' means, check out the following diagram of the Saturn V S-IC. [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Days of Future Passed (2011-04-24)OK, that's the new name for my Dyna-Soar based build. I rejected all my ideas for names that that resembled real rockets (Titan and Saturn variants, etc.). My thanks to Justin, John and Graeme! [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Going to fly a Saturn V? Better read the manual! (2011-04-25)The Saturn V Flight Manual SA-503 , that is. Not the actual manual, just another nice summary by luke skywalker. The following provides a nice overview, including all the motors/engines. [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Big Order and Next Build! (2011-04-26)Estes has lowered the prices of it's Saturn V kit by 20%. On the Estes website, that puts the price down to $80.00 retail. I did some online searching and found the kit for under $50.00! I ordered ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Project Icarus - 10 articles from Discovery News (2011-04-26)Here's the intro to the list of articles presented in Project Icarus: Reaching for Interstellar Space : Project Icarus is an ambitious five-year study into launching an unmanned spacecraft to an ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Seam Filling "How-To" from George Gassaway (2011-04-29)George Gassaway is a master builder and competitive flyer. If you really want to see how it's done, check out his website at: http://homepage.mac.com/georgegassaway/GRP/GRP-home.htm On that website ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Chris completes his Saturn V (2011-06-13)...and sets a record for the longest series of blog build posts... 71 . Check out #71 for his lessons learned. What I learned is that this is too complicated a build for my ... [Read More]
Bayourat Aerospace Blog: J-2X Development Engine E10001 Makes The Trip To Test Stand A-2 (2011-06-14)Source: http://www.nasa.gov It wasn't too many years ago that there was this thing about asking sports heroes after winning the big game, "So, what's next?" They would always dutifully answer "I'm ... [Read More]
High Power Rocketry: Ullage motor (2011-06-15)This is a Saturn V 3rd stage ullage rocket with a few thousand lbs of thrust. More from Ray Cunningham. [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Saturn Towers (2011-06-21)I've built a lot of towers over the years. For comparison, here's the Saturn towers from various kits. On the upper left is the BT-20 based Dr. Zooch Saturn V tower. It's really a silhouette tower, ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: S.D. Xanadune Build FINISHED! (2011-06-23)This model was a great break after the Saturn V build. I was ready for something different and this certainly fit the bill. I have to give credit to whomever the designer was. There are a few great ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: George Gassaway's Seam Filling Technique Applied (2011-06-30)Oh boy - another Saturn V! Actually, I'm building two Apogee Saturn Vs for a customer. In quality and size, this Saturn is a big step up from the Estes kit. Recently, I've been using the seam ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: A Tale of Two Saturns Part 1 (2011-07-06)On a recent trip back home to California I found my old Estes Saturn V. The pictures of the unfinished Estes Saturn were taken in the attic of my Grandparents ranch house in Moss Landing, C ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Cleaning Up - TIP! (2011-07-14)I've used the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers with good results on the walls of my house. It never occurred to me to use them on light colored rockets. These Scotch Brite erasers less expensive than the Mr. ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: 3-D printed parts are coming to a rocket near you (2011-07-24)I have made several posts about flying 3-D printed rockets (see post tag). There is now an interesting thread on TRF about printed parts . One poster has a link to another thread where he ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Saturn V attack! (2011-08-05)Coming to a hobby shop near you (as close as your keyboard). Via Quest Aerospace . [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: A Tale Of Two Saturns Part 2 (2011-08-12)Part 2: On a recent trip back home to California I found my old Estes Saturn V. The pictures of the unfinished Estes Saturn were taken in the attic of my Grandparents ranch house in Moss Landing, ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Email from South Africa (2011-08-14)Recently I received an Email from Heinrich in South Africa. He came across my Estes Saturn V build when doing some image searches. I sent him the PDF scans of the shrouds and some downscaled ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Rocket Mail from South Africa (2011-08-14)Recently I received an Email from Heinrich in South Africa. He came across my Estes Saturn V build when doing some image searches. I sent him the PDF scans of the shrouds and some downscaled ... [Read More]
High Power Rocketry: SONY Project Shiphunt (2011-08-21)Well SONY is back with a new, ill conceived student-exploitation campaign that selects a few students, and pretends that they and well placed Sony computers did something cool. Last time it was to ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: TIP: Transporting Bigger Rockets (2011-08-23)I bought one of these neck rings if I ever needed to take a nap in my car. I've found a second use for it. Recently I had to take an Apogee Saturn V to the UPS Store to have it weighed for shipping. ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Odd'l Rockets Now Available from Sirius Rocketry! (2011-09-21)I'm proud to announce a new vendor carrying Odd'l Rockets products: SIRIUS ROCKETRY Click on the logo to go to the Odd'l Rockets page. Be sure to check out all three Interogators, the U.S.S. ... [Read More]
Bayourat Aerospace Blog: NASA's Current Program Called An "Embarrasment" By Neil Armstrong! "The Space Program To No Where" (2011-09-22)WASHINGTON — Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, told lawmakers Thursday that the end of the space shuttle era has left the American human spaceflight program in an ... [Read More]
Wayne Hill's Blog: 500 second J-2X test at Stennis Space Center (2011-11-11)NASA completed a 500 second burn of the new J-2X rocket engine recently at Stennis Space Center. The J-2 has a wonderful lineage that was pinnacled by its succesful use in the Saturn V S-II and ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Top 10 for 2011 (2011-12-19)I had 280 launches in the past year, 85 flights more than in 2010. Of the 24 builds completed in 2011, these are my top picks. Click on the BOLD NAME to go to the finished pictures or blog post. ... [Read More]
RocketReviews.com Blog: Rocketry Products Deals Finder (2012-01-10)I’ve added a “Deals” option under the RocketReviews.com Features menu. About a month ago, Amazon.com listed the Estes Saturn V kit for $35 – a discount of almost 65% off ... [Read More]
High Power Rocketry: Saturn V (2012-01-14)[Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Saturn V business end, up close and personal (2012-01-16)Found via Hobby Works on Facebook. [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Scavenger! Build Part 27 Decal (2012-02-03)Only one post today - this is long one! I ended up printing two sizes of the Scavenger name and picked the smaller of the two. The only decal on this rocket is the name - big and simple. The name ... [Read More]
Bayourat Aerospace Blog: Landmark launch in rocketry: Centaur makes Flight 200 (2012-02-24)Spaceflight Now Atlas Launch Report Landmark launch in rocketry: Centaur set for Flight 200 The venerable U.S. upper stage rocket -- the Centaur -- that created the pathway to the Moon and ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch SLS Build Part 5 Fairings (2012-03-07)I jumped ahead to the engine fairings - I pre-formed the fairings so they might glue easier to the BT-5 sized tube. As I've done before, a dowel was rolled over the fairings with a dowel in the heel ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch SLS Build Part 10 Corrugated Wraps (2012-03-10)I decided to use the optional Saturn V style wraps supplied in the kit instead of the corrugated wraps shown below. It's up to you which to use but I wanted to show the gluing of the original ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Saturn V in flight (2012-03-15)NASA photo of the Saturn V carrying Apollo 6. Found (again) on FYSE . [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch SLS Build Part 21 Engine Mount Gluing (2012-03-17)The line at the top is your index line. The corrugated or Saturn V style wraps start on this line. The seam on your boattail shroud should also line up on the index line. This way the seam won't be ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch SLS Build part 27 Launch Lug Gluing - Oops! (2012-03-21)I didn't glue on the lugs back in Step 2A. I waited for two reasons: 1. I fill the lug seams and knew the lugs would be painted white before gluing in place. Adding the Saturn V wraps changes the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch SLS Build Part 30 Feeder Line & Engine Bells (2012-03-23)If using the Saturn V wraps, you have to wait to glue on the feeder line. The shaped feeder line dowel was sealed and sanded with two coats of varnish. It was painted before gluing on the core body. ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Dr. Zooch SLS Finished (2012-03-27)As far as I could tell, three NASA meatball logos are place 120 degrees from each other. You can see the small, vertical UNITED STATES decal set on either side of the upper core tube. The kit ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Feed reader stars, tweets and other interesting links (2012-04-02)April Fool's Day Launch, 4/1/2012 - Rockets and Catfish - Modell Rakate Buildink - While I mowed my grass, finished my taxes and blogged off-topic, Chris flew rockets and played with a live ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: The moon landing +25 years: Can we go back? (2012-04-03)The latest item that I dug out of my small stash of old technical magazines is the July 1994 Issue of IEEE Spectrum, which was dedicated to The Moon Landing: A 25th Anniversary Perspective . This ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: The moon landing +25 years: Some of the players. (2012-04-03)T The IEEE Spectrum Moon Landing issue highlighted several people who made significant contributions, many of which I had never heard of (or at least whose names I'd forgotten). So, here ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Your TGIF installment of missile-aneous photos (2012-04-06)Lions and tigers and bears, OH MY! Flying semi trucks, courtesy of one of April 3rd's twisters near Dallas! ... [Read More]
High Power Rocketry: German V-2 Nosecone on Ebay? (2012-04-17)Any experts out there know if this is real or not? It looks really thick and heavy for a nosecone, not sure what I am looking at here! On Ebay "Extremely rare WW2 V2 nose cone, the first 16 inches ... [Read More]
Bayourat Aerospace Blog: Pratt & Whitney, Rocketdyne To Resurrect 40 Year Old 6,000kN F-1 Engines For SLS Boosters (2012-04-20)By: Zach Rosenberg Source: Flight International Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne and Dynetics have announced a resurrected F-1 engine as their entry into the advanced booster engineering d ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Wolverine Rocketry Phoenix AIM-54A Build Part 25 Decals (2012-07-30)There's a LOT of decals to place on this model. A good reference is Jim Balls's Scale Data hosted by Rocketry Online: http://www.rocketryonline.com/jimball/jimball/aim-54a/aim-54a.htm The ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Neil Armstrong tribute at the Freedom Launch (2012-08-26)Jim Scarpine is planning an inpromptu tribute to Neil at the Freedom Launch, which is being held over the Labor Day weekend at Orangeburg, SC.: If anyone and any version of a Saturn V for a tribute ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Rocket status including a new, smaller air Honest John (2012-09-04)The weather and my personal schedule have continued to delay the launch of my air-powered Saturn V. So, this is what I've been up to instead. I wanted to build one of the Honest Johns ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Launch Report 2012-13 (2012-09-05)Location: Mattie Stepanek Park Weather: 78 degrees and HUMID, wind 0++ mph, partly cloudy Total flights: Today - (6); YTD - 80 Total motors: Today - 0; YTD - 95 Motors by class YTD: (Air -12); ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Big a$$ rocket of the day: Mike Bauer's 1:32 scale Saturn V stomp rocket (2012-09-09)Mike has gone big with his 1:32 scale Saturn V. This rocket required 1 4 sheets of 2ft x 3ft cardstock, 2/3 bottle of Aleene's Tacky glue, 3.5 hours of printing and 1 8-hours of ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Long Cruise Project (2012-11-09)If you can read the small print you know what I'll be working on while on the next cruise. I'll be gone for 30 days, four cruises on three different ships. One of the first Dr. Zooch kits I tried ... [Read More]
Wayne Hill's Blog: Rocket Humor: xkcd’s Up Goer Five (2012-11-12)Saturn V explained in the most common words. Funny! xkcd: Up Goer Five [Read More]
Wayne Hill's Blog: Saturn V poster at French website (2012-11-17)Great poster over at De la Terre a la Lune. One of the best expanded views of the Saturn V that I have seen. Expanded Saturn V ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Updates for Searches (2012-12-06)Today I went back and added a "DZ" to the labels on the Dr. Zooch Saturn V build posts. This will distinguish the Dr. Zooch Saturn build from the Estes Saturn V build done earlier. I'll try to make ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Tampa TTRA Launch December 15, 2012 (2012-12-16)I drove to Oviedo, FL (JonRocket.com Headquarters) to pick up Roger Smith. He had a new camera and put it to good use today! Still pictures are mine, all action shots were taken by Roger. Roger's ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Saturn V F-1 Engine Gas Generator Hot Fire Tests at MSFC (2013-01-24)[Read More]
Sirius Rocketry: Welcome! (2013-03-05)The Sirius Rocketry Saturn V on an AeroTech I284. Welcome to the Sirius Rocketry Blog! Hello everyone! Dave from Sirius ... [Read More]
High Power Rocketry: Saturn V F1 engine recovered from the ocean floor (2013-03-20)"The thrust chamber of one of five first stage F-1 rocket engines used to launch one of NASA's mighty Saturn V rocket on a historic Apollo moon mission is seen on ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Tuesday off-topic (mostly) eye candy (2013-04-02)I can't believe I missed the chance for an April Fools Day post. Oh well, it would likely have been another 'I'm quitting blogging' post or some lame claim that someone is building a new Saturn V. ... [Read More]
RocketReviews.com Blog: The Coolest Hobby Rocket of All Time (2013-07-08)I just posted a blog entry at PayloadBay.com about the University High School Space Shuttle. The space shuttle model stood about five-foot tall and flew on an I motor. Unlike every other flying ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Finally, some activity in the Rocket Dungeon! (2013-07-17)The physical one, that is. First off, the main components of the This Is Not the Rocket You Are Looking For are all together. I still need a streamer, launch lug and a tube to route air to the ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Semroc SPEV Build Part 1 Parts (2013-09-13)The original Estes S.P.E.V. was said to be a S pare P arts E limination V ehicle. The facecard called it a SP ace E xploration V ehicle. You can see the profile of the (then discontinued) Thor ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: How to get to Mars in 1964, according to TRW (2013-09-22)The Aerospace Projects Review Blog continues to feed us cool retro rockets/spaceships with the TRW Mars Ship . With an ICBM-like capsule, it would be assembled in-orbit, requiring 6 Saturn V ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Semroc SPEV Finished (2013-09-23)Lots of memories building this one. I built an Estes SPEV in 1972. Looking at it now it's easy to see the Thor Agena B and Little Joe parts being utilized. It's not a ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: My flyable fleet (2013-10-10)After seeing ~1/10 of Dave Bucher's huge fleet on Facebook, I thought I'd snapshot mine, which consists of a paltry 233 birds. First sort criteria is a column that's not showing, breaking the list ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Hard To Find Scale Colors (2013-10-28)If you've ever made a Nike Smoke, to paint the fins you'll need: Fluorescent Yellow and Fluorescent Red / Orange I had already bought the Rustoleum Fluorescent Orange at Home Depot. I ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: New sci-fi/rocket novel, by a rocketeer...for rocketeers everyone (2014-01-02)I am excited to post about a new sci-fi book written by fellow rocket blogger Stephen R. DeArman (Randy from Verna and Randy's Rockets ): Rocket Babe-Dust Storm . Their January 2014 blog update is ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Converting my Saturn V from air power to 'pyro' (2014-01-23)A couple of flying seasons ago, I built a bunch of air powered rockets, including a many from AlaskaPaperModelWorks . I also converted one of their large paper Honest Johns to fly on 24mm motors. ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Book Review: Rocket Babe - Dust Storm (2014-01-24)Rocket Babe - Dust Storm , by Stephen 'Randy' DeArman, is an 1950's style space opera. It portrays an alternate history of post-Apollo space exploration, which the children of the 60's would have ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: I've searched high and I've searched low... (2014-01-25)...and I can't find suitable clear fin stock for the paper Saturn V conversion. What I found is either too thick, too thin, too small, too brittle or is in use. I could have sworn that I had stashed ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Paper Saturn V conversion complete (mostly) (2014-01-26)I found some acceptable plastic for the fins. The material isn't crystal clear but is good enough for this rocket. I first roughed out the pattern in cardstock and found, because the base of the ... [Read More]
Meatball Rocketry: J-2 Engines for sale in 1:72 Scale (2014-02-11)John Love recently purchased a set of our J-2 engines from Shapeways for his 1:72 Saturn V model project. Check them out! See also the product pages on Shapeways: Set of 3 J-2 Engines Single ... [Read More]
Meatball Rocketry: J-2 Engines for sale in 1:72 Scale (2014-02-11)John Love recently purchased a set of our J-2 engines from Shapeways for his 1:72 Saturn V model project. Check them out! See also the product pages on Shapeways: Set of 3 J-2 Engines Single ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Launch Report 2014-2 (2014-03-15)Location: Higgs Farm, Price, MD ( ESL-190 ) Weather: 61 degrees, sunny, wind 10-20mph Total flights: Today - 6; YTD - 9 Total motors: Today - 6; YTD - 9 Motors by class YTD: MMX-1, A-2, C-1, E-1, ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Launch Report 2014-4 (2014-04-19)Location: NARHAMS, Mt. Airy Weather: max temp. in high 50's, a few high clouds, gusty winds to 15mph Total flights: Today - 13; YTD - 28 Total motors: Today - 14; YTD - 33 Motors by class YTD: ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Air and Space Museum, San Diego (2014-05-19)While the ship was docked in San Diego I took a shuttle to Balboa Park. I'd heard of the Balboa Park for years but had never been there. It was a great surprise! I stopped in at the Air and Space ... [Read More]
Wayne Hill's Blog: Video Hacking: All Saturn Vs launched at once (2014-05-27)That’s 99,424,000 pounds-force or 442,260,000 newtons! ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Massive Saturn V video mashup (2014-05-27)Spotted via The Rocketry Blog , here's a video montage of all the Saturn V missions. Wayne calculates that this event would generate 99,424,000 pounds-force or 442,260,000 newtons! [Read More]
PayloadBay.com: All the Saturn V Launches at One Time (2014-05-28)A short video showing all the Saturn V launches side-by-side: [Read More]
David McCann's Blog: Lines and Direction (2014-06-05)Two things I’ve never been very good at. To this point I’ve progressed basically unrestrained in rocketry. I’ve flown few HP motors and increased in size quickly. H133BS, I245G, ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Make Your Own Tubes (2014-08-15)On TRF, HermanJC is making a scratch built Saturn V. He's even rolling his own body tubes! CLICK HERE Tube rolling is explained in this Instructables pictorial: CLICK HERE This could come in handy ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Non Flying Phillipine Wood Models (2014-09-28)I always run across these wood models when doing searches on EBAY. This Saturn V is the same style I saw on display at the San Diego Air and Space Museum. "Meticulously Made by our Master ... [Read More]
Odd'l Rockets: Orion Parachutes - Look Familiar? (2014-12-07)If you haven't seen it yet, check out the Orion splashdown video CLICK HERE When I designed the Odd'l Rockets multi-sized parachutes I based them on the Centuri Saturn V ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: The Shelf Queens (2015-03-26)In a comment, Jim asked to see some other models in the fleet. Here's the Shelf Queens, the models that don't fly! (Yes, they are in a kitchen cabinet. I'm single and ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Transporting Bigger Rockets (2015-07-08)While I deal with smaller, low power models, occasionally I have to transport something BIG. I bought one of these neck rings if I ever needed to take a nap in my car. I've found a second use for ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Rocket recovery rig (2015-08-18)After losing a rocket to the trees last weekend, I decided to build one of US Water Rocket's tree rescue system. They described their tool in a video: Tree Rescue System . Mine is basically the same ... [Read More]
Rocket N00b: Estes Pro Series II - Nike Smoke (Decisions) (2015-09-07)Click here for the Pro Series II introduction. Click here for Ventris The Nike Smoke rocket was a NASA sounding rocket used during the 1960's. A Nike Smoke being prepared ... [Read More]
Rocket N00b: My First Club Launch (2015-10-01)The FlisKits 13th Anniversary/Bill Spadafora Memorial launch with CMASS in Amesbury, Massachusetts last Saturday was awesome . Seen above is the CMASS club flag, featuring a minuteman holding a ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Elephants as rocket fuel (2016-04-26)To demonstrate how much rocket fuel it takes to get to orbit, YouTube user Maxim Sachs creat ed an animation that replaces standard fuel components such as RP-1, LH2 ... [Read More]
Rocketeer's Corner: A great Memorial Day weekend! (2016-05-31)A high power rocket blasts off from the away pad as racks of smaller rockets await their turn (Click to enlarge). Well, the National Association of Rocketry's National Sport Launch (NSL) 2016 has ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Next build: Boyce 1:312 Saturn V (2016-07-18)For quite a while I've been wanting a 3-D printed rocket. I have generally thought they are too expensive and a couple of attempts to get economical parts fell through. Last week, however, I learned ... [Read More]
Rocketeer's Corner: A special club meeting... (2016-08-07)On Thursday evenings from mid-March to mid-October, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center hosts a biergarten dinner in the Davidson Center underneath the giant Saturn V - A perfect combination of beer, ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Guest bombshell (2016-08-17)[Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: Saturn V fin replacement (2016-09-18)After one use, I highly recommend getting some Bondic liquid plastic glue. It's a bit pricey, but I can see it will be very useful. I attached this fin in about 15 seconds. But that took an ... [Read More]
Rocket Dungeon: The Best of 2016 (2016-12-27)Time again to post my favorite rocket stuff from the past year. For the first time since I've been compiling this list, I didn't come up with 10 items. I was on track to do so, but the weather and ... [Read More]
Shroudlines: Moon Day 2017!!! (2017-07-23)Each year, around the July 20th anniversary of the first moon landing, the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas celebrates Moon Day. The museum has a direct tie-in with the Apollo program because ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Specials - What Happened? (2018-02-10)I went to the Estes website to buy two 1/100th Saturn V capsules. I was also going to purchase one of the Specials - the one with five rockets, two boosters, a launcher and controller. This was ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 4, Nozzle Shrouds (2018-07-08)I formed the nozzle shrouds in the heel of my left hand using a tapered dowel. The shroud is glued with the tab overlapping. That seam will be towards the center engine mount tube and not n ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 10, Fin Fairing Black Paint (2018-07-13)The fin fairings are painted white. I used gloss white. I can always use a flat clear coat later on. Here I'm lightly sanding the side that will get black in the next step with 400 grit sandpaper. ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 14, Lower Body Bands & Tunnel Gluing (2018-07-17)The tunnels were set onto the laser cut line positions and taped in place. The strips were cut close to the tunnel edges with a razor blade. Remove the strip ends between the tunnel lines. A closeup ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 15, Hydrogen Line and LOX Vent Shaping (2018-07-17)Extend the lines out on the Actual Size drawings to mark the hydrogen line pieces. Taper the ends to a point first, then round the sides. The LOX Vent is shaped, the "flats" formed with 220 on a ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 22, Masking The Tubes (2018-07-24)The glue areas for the fin assemblies and detail pieces are masked for gluing later on. On the fin fairings, set a masking tape strip on the diagonal line. A second piece goes on the lower right ... [Read More]
Blast From The Past: Now...Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Program.... (2018-12-04)This past weekend, the BlastFromThePast shop became fully operational again. An intensive 'Shock and Awe' barrage of medications launched at that nasty cough has started showi ... [Read More]
Rocket N00b: Saturn V Standing By (2019-01-09)I buy a lot of my Estes rockets and motors from AC Supply . They discount most Estes stuff at around 40% off, and sometimes more. I've been waiting... and waiting... for the latest release of the ... [Read More]
Rocket N00b: Sounding Rockets; Cutting-Edge Science, 15 Minutes at a Time (2019-11-18)At 2pm today, NASA live-streamed an hourlong program on sounding rockets - research rockets which carry scientific payloads on short, suborbital trajectories. Here is the video: If the player does ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: New Products at NARCON (2020-03-08)On the NAR Facebook page - John Wilkerson posted some pictures from the NARCON Manufacturers Presentation. I'm sure there were other products, these seemed the most interesting. Matt Steele ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: NARCON 202 Manufacturer's Forum (2020-03-19)On TRF, Winston posted a link to the 2020 NARCON Maunfacturer's Forum. The video was produced by Apogee. CLICK HERE At 0:01 - AEROTECH - Available in the Fall, Q-Jets will ... [Read More]
Rocket N00b: Nothing Flies Like a Flis - The Model Rocket Show - Episode 2 - FlisKits (2020-04-18)Claude Maina's Streaming UFFO lifts off. Photo courtesy Jim Flis. Episode 2 of The Model Rocket Show podcast is up, and I'm pleased how it turned out. This show was meant to come out a year and a ... [Read More]
Blast From The Past: Another Movie Featuring A Model Rocket (2020-05-28)Part of my COVID19 'Safer-at-home' activities have involved taking in some movies. Last night, we found an obscure film on YouTube called "Frank vs. God". The story line revolves around a lawyer who ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: NARAM Manufacturer Forum - New Products (2020-07-28)I tried to get i n on the virtual NARAM Manufacturer's Forum last night, but the NARAM website wouldn't load! Here's some of the comments from TRF this morning from some who did see it: ... [Read More]
Rocketeer's Corner: Breaking news from the rocket vendors! (Part 1) (2020-07-28)One of the special events associated with NARCON and NARAM is the manufacturer's forum, where the rocketry vendors gather to announce new products and give us rocketeers a preview of things to come. ... [Read More]
Model Rocket Building: Estes Saturn V New Fairing Reinforcements (2020-12-07)On the Facebook Model Rocketry Fanatics page, Steven Carricato posted a parts picture from his new Saturn V and Saturn 1B kits. I noticed something interesting. In the center of the ... [Read More]
Rocket N00b: Many Pictures, Few Words - My 2020 In Rocketry (2020-12-22)The moment you realize you're not going to find the rocket you lost sight of over the tree line... Start the post with an obvious fact you have to mention because it would be weird not to, ... [Read More]
Rocket N00b: Estes V2 - Cutting the Fins to Scale (2021-12-21)The fins on the Estes V2 are large - significantly larger than scale. This is for stability. The original V2 missile required a payload of 2,000 pounds in order to remain stable in flight. ... [Read More]
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