Boyce Aerospace Hobbies

[eljefe]

Has anyone bought one of the 3D printed rockets from this company?

http://boyceaerospacehobbies.com/

They seem interesting and new ones come out right and left. But I've never seen a picture of what one actually looks like. I wonder what the surface finish is like, what kind of effort it takes to paint them, and how durable they are.

[the mole]

I have the 1/125 Saturn 1B. Take it from me there is a lot of finishing to be done.
A lot of sanding. A lot of priming, and then more sanding. No decals. Make your own.
I will say they seem to be pretty durable. If you get any of these rockets, be prepared to
put a lot of work into them.

Here are some pictures I took off my Saturn 1B.

[the mole]

Here are some shots of my Saturn as I was starting to get this rocket in shape for the first coat of white paint.
A month later, and I'm still not close to putting on the white.

[tbzep]

Is this the same Boyce Aerospace that was around in the mid 90's with tiny little resin cast Saturns, vacuum formed wraps, etc. that Neubauer took over?

Nevermind. I see on the website that it's the same guy.

[jetlag]

I have several. There is indeed tons of sanding to get the tiny ridges from the printing process out. Beautifully done with lots of nice detail, but unless you have time to render the proper finishing techniques, don't think you'll be at the field tomorrow with one. However, if you're not worried about the ridges, paint and go! Can't tell 12 feet from the pad anyway!
Allen

[Brent]

They did a great job on making me a nose cone for my 4" Gemini Titan . They now offer it as part of their line up. The original resin cone got broke being dragged across the field. I also recently bought their 4" Redstone cone. I have not built a booster for it but it looks pretty good.

[mojo1986]

Why not just modify a non-flying plastic kit? Are these 3D printed kits lighter or cheaper?

[dwmzmm]

I bought the fin grids and landing legs for the Space X Falcon - 9 kit not too long ago. Excellent quality. Posted elsewhere on this forum the installation along with some pics.

[eljefe]

Is it possible to spray the rocket down with primer and sand that to get a smooth surface?

[eljefe]

Why not just modify a non-flying plastic kit? Are these 3D printed kits lighter or cheaper?

I assume the 3D printing material is much sturdier than typical plastic models.

[jetlag]

Is it possible to spray the rocket down with primer and sand that to get a smooth surface?

Sure, it's possible. But that would add a lot of extra weight, I would guess. My thought is to sand as much as you can (or can stand) then use filler/bondo, then prime. The hardest areas to sand are the angles, such as where fins meet surfaces or (especially) where body tubes meet body tubes, like on their Saturn IB. Difficult to get in-between and sand those ridges out smooth.
I use a small dremel flat surface sander to hit the easy-to-get-to sections, elbow grease sanding for other areas, then filler for the rest. Prime, sand, and paint as you like. Decals would be a bit more problematic.
Boyce should sell decal sets (or better yet, include them) with these models. They would sell more, I imagine, then.
Allen

[eljefe]

Yes, I was thinking the Saturn IB fuel tanks would present a challenge. The reaction control pods on the service module don't look easy to deal with either.

[blackshire]

I assume the 3D printing material is much sturdier than typical plastic models.It's ABS plastic, which is quite tough. His Saturn IB is a reproduction of the Cox RTF one (as are his Little Joe II and Nike-Zeus). I have one of his 3-D printed Cox Nike-Zeus replicas, and while it will require some sanding, I'm pleased with its fidelity and durability. Ditto kudos for his "after market" landing legs and grid fins, which are scale accurizing parts for SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Fairing model rocket kit!

[rharshberger]

It is the same Boyce's, Alex and Sheree are currently doing a 1/17.5 Mercury Redstone Capsule (aka their 3.90) and a 1/21.8 Mercury Atlas Capsule custom for my 5.38" Loc airframe based Merc Atlas scale model. The sample photos of the custom work that Alex sent me appear to be great and he is also doing the Capsule adapter for me that adapted the Mercury Capsule to the Atlas missle. I thought his prices were quite fair, of course I don't have the products in my hand yet but their (both Boyces') communication via email has been excellent.

[blackshire]

It is the same Boyce's, Alex and Sheree are currently doing a 1/17.5 Mercury Redstone Capsule (aka their 3.90) and a 1/21.8 Mercury Atlas Capsule custom for my 5.38" Loc airframe based Merc Atlas scale model. The sample photos of the custom work that Alex sent me appear to be great and he is also doing the Capsule adapter for me that adapted the Mercury Capsule to the Atlas missle. I thought his prices were quite fair, of course I don't have the products in my hand yet but their (both Boyces') communication via email has been excellent.Hmmm...If they're also producing the other Atlas parts, it would be easy for them to offer an Atlas D ICBM model, by producing an Atlas D re-entry vehicle at that scale.

[rharshberger]

Hmmm...If they're also producing the other Atlas parts, it would be easy for them to offer an Atlas D ICBM model, by producing an Atlas D re-entry vehicle at that scale.

I would contact the Boyce's, from the products page on their website they don't currently produce any Atlas parts, AFAIK the Mercury Atlas Capsule adapter they did for me is the first they have done, and the Merc Atlas Capsule is a reworked 3.90 Merc Redstone model with the correct features and slightly downscaled for my purposes. Hopefully they will add more Atlas parts as I would love to have some of the bits like fittings for oxygen lines, the turbine exhaust tube, vernier motors and stuff. Hmmm, maybe I need to get back in touch with Alex about all those bits.....

[blackshire]

I would contact the Boyce's, from the products page on their website they don't currently produce any Atlas parts, AFAIK the Mercury Atlas Capsule adapter they did for me is the first they have done, and the Merc Atlas Capsule is a reworked 3.90 Merc Redstone model with the correct features and slightly downscaled for my purposes. Hopefully they will add more Atlas parts as I would love to have some of the bits like fittings for oxygen lines, the turbine exhaust tube, vernier motors and stuff. Hmmm, maybe I need to get back in touch with Alex about all those bits.....From my experience, they sometimes have parts before they're listed on the website (which makes for nice surprises!).

[dwmzmm]

Boyce Aerospace Hobbies is announcing they're releasing a new Pershing flying model rocket kit: Got this notice in my personal e-mail today (twice, in fact): "Hi, we are excited to be releasing a 1/15th scale Pershing 1A kit, our second BT-80 kit! Just $60.00 Plus Free Shipping! Save $17 from our Ebay price! "

[blackshire]

Boyce Aerospace Hobbies is announcing they're releasing a new Pershing flying model rocket kit: Got this notice in my personal e-mail today (twice, in fact): "Hi, we are excited to be releasing a 1/15th scale Pershing 1A kit, our second BT-80 kit! Just $60.00 Plus Free Shipping! Save $17 from our Ebay price! "Thanks to you, I received two notices, too. :-) I just took a look at their "Products" page, and they've been busy--the new Pershing 1A isn't their only new kit or part! Also:

Since they already offer two versions of the Thor-Able (the Pioneer lunar probe and Tiros 1 rounds), Thor-Agena A (and/or B), Thor-Altair (which used payload fairings very similar to both the "skinny" and "bulbous" Scout fairings), and Thor-Burner II and IIA models wouldn't be hard for them to add to their Thor-Able model line, since these upper stages and payload fairings would just be different nose cones...

[Brent]

I have the Pershing 1A on the way. Ordered it off the web site Friday night :)

[jetlag]

Hey folks,
Check out the boyceaerospacehobbies.com site.
He's offering a new 1/14 scale Nike Hercules. Details are there.
I pre-ordered one.
4x24mm to 1x24mm, 2 stage.

It's really pretty.

Allen

[blackshire]

Hey folks,
Check out the boyceaerospacehobbies.com site.
He's offering a new 1/14 scale Nike Hercules. Details are there.
I pre-ordered one.
4x24mm to 1x24mm, 2 stage.

It's really pretty.

AllenIndeed! I got their announcement e-mail about this new kit today (well--yesterday now, at this hour), and I also forwarded it to several scale space modelers I know in the U.S., the UK, and Australia, as Boyce Aerospace Hobbies requested in their kit announcement message (what's next--1:1 scale Redeye, Grail, Blowpipe, and Stinger MANPADS with launchers? :-) ). This Nike-Hercules' scale is Brobdingnagian for me (my apartment), but others are not so limited, and I'm glad to see this kit being made available for them. Also:

With a long-burning composite motor in its second stage, R/C guidance, Sun-seeking guidance (such model rockets have flown), and even infrared or radio homing onto a transmitter-equipped target model (say, an R/C EDF jet, or a Corporal or Lance missile model [the Nike-Hercules had a limited anti-missile as well as anti-aircraft capability]) could be incorporated into such a large model. The "warhead" could be a tempera paint powder or powdered colored chalk "burst" dispersed by an air-agitator-type device activated at intercept (rather like in the Enerjet "Nike-Ram" version of the Centuri Nike-Smoke scale model), which wouldn't actually damage either model.

[ghrocketman]

Would love to have one of these new Nike-Hercules kits, but I NEVER, EVER do "pre ordering" of anything.
I know this probably won't be the case here as Boyce has a great reputation, but I won't ever take the chance.
If they were available to be ordered and shipped as soon as ordered, I would order one tomorrow.
I find the entire "pre ordering" nonsense quite irritating anyway....it feels like someone is trying to eliminate risk from doing business....Ferrari can get away with that sort of thing, short of that, I'm not biting.

If it was "reserve" without paying until able to be shipped, that would be different. I'm not paying for something until it is ready to be sent out.

[blackshire]

Would love to have one of these new Nike-Hercules kits, but I NEVER, EVER do "pre ordering" of anything.
I know this probably won't be the case here as Boyce has a great reputation, but I won't ever take the chance.
If they were available to be ordered and shipped as soon as ordered, I would order one tomorrow.
I find the entire "pre ordering" nonsense quite irritating anyway....it feels like someone is trying to eliminate risk from doing business....Ferrari can get away with that sort of thing, short of that, I'm not biting.

If it was "reserve" without paying until able to be shipped, that would be different. I'm not paying for something until it is ready to be sent out.I would feel the same way, if they were a brand-new company with no previously-developed, available products, and with no track record. But none of these things are the case for them, so--if I were in the market for a scale Nike-Hercules kit of this size--I would happily pre-order it from them.

[ghrocketman]

The owners of Launch magazine were "well established" too.
I'm not taking even a 0.01% chance of not getting a product I pay for.
Even based on the website for this rocket it states they are not even ordering the printer to do the kit work until they have like 40 pre-orders. Financing through ordering ? No thanks.

[blackshire]

The owners of Launch magazine were "well established" too.
I'm not taking even a 0.01% chance of not getting a product I pay for.
Even based on the website for this rocket it states they are not even ordering the printer to do the kit work until they have like 40 pre-orders. Financing through ordering ? No thanks.At those odds, I would never even risk going downstairs to check my mail each day :-) , but to each his own... Being completely trusting is, of course, foolish, but being the opposite is not a pleasant way to live; a middle way, a gray path between the two extremes, is preferable.

[ghrocketman]

I'm totally against the principle of "pre available order payment".
I have no interest in providing short-term financing of businesses unable to produce product without that. The ROI is essentially zero. I don't care if it is for $100 or $100k

[jetlag]

You're not charged until Alex has accumulated the 40 orders needed to do the run. As I read it, one is not out anything until he is ready to make the kit.
Not a problem for me, as I have several of his stellar offerings, and he and Sheree have provided similar service.
Wish I could commit to 2!
Allen

[blackshire]

You're not charged until Alex has accumulated the 40 orders needed to do the run. As I read it, one is not out anything until he is ready to make the kit.
Not a problem for me, as I have several of his stellar offerings, and he and Sheree have provided similar service.
Wish I could commit to 2!
AllenThat sounds perfectly reasonable (and I trust them). The several pre-ordered books that I have always received, and which were always shipped out on the previously announced dates that were given months in advance, by Amazon.com (they are volumes of Dana Simpson's "Phoebe and Her Unicorn" comic strip compilation [plus a graphic novel] series of books), worked in precisely the same way as Boyce Aerospace Hobbies' pre-ordering (except for Boyce's minimum total orders "threshold"). I placed the book pre-orders online, but my debit card wasn't charged until the books' release dates. After my payments went through (on those same days), the books were shipped out on those days.

[ghrocketman]

Well if there are any extras produced or any left over, I will be in line to buy one.
Just not going to plunk down any $$$ for product unless it is ready to ship.
Like I said before, maybe for a Ferrari, but nothing less.

[mojo1986]

I have to agree with GH on this one. Getting subscriptions for a kit to raise the cash to buy a 3D printer doesn't make any sense to me. 40 kits at 100 bucks each is just $4000. Surely financing that through a bank loan is an option. Unless the company is overextended and has credit problems that make a loan impossible. Not saying that is the case here, but the thing has a bad smell. I wouldn't put my money up front on principle.

[mojo1986]

Gotta say I love the kit, though.............

[astronwolf]

40 kits at 100 bucks each is just $4000. Surely financing that through a bank loan is an option.
So is one of those limited time zero-rate credit cards that seem to be all over the place right now.

[mojo1986]

So is one of those limited time zero-rate credit cards that seem to be all over the place right now. :chuckle:



Too true!

[ghrocketman]

Yep. Something smells awry here, and even if it isn't, I disagree with this sort of thing on principle alone.
No EXISTING product, NO $$$ from me, EVER.

[luke strawwalker]

The owners of Launch magazine were "well established" too.
I'm not taking even a 0.01% chance of not getting a product I pay for.
Even based on the website for this rocket it states they are not even ordering the printer to do the kit work until they have like 40 pre-orders. Financing through ordering ? No thanks.

Yeah I agree... too easy for "something to happen" and your pre-order ends up meaningless because "we're sorry to report due to unforeseen circumstances...."

Once bitten twice shy...

You're right; if you can't or won't do the kit work until you have a boatload of preorders, that's not something I want to support or take a risk on. A manufacturer that's not willing to put their own money up to bring the product to market says something to me, something I don't like. I'm not an investor financing 'risky ventures'; I'm a customer looking to buy a product.

Later! OL J R :)

[mikeyd]

Not to jump in too much, but I do not see how this is any different, than the black Friday Sales, where you were billed before all of the kits were ready or shipped. I have purchased from Boyce Aerospace before, with no issues, and even before they started the 3d printed offerings. I have an early Boyce 4" Mercury Redstone Kit, and have purchased one of their 3d kits off of Ebay, with no problems on any transaction. Just my 2cents as each has their own opinion, and comfort point.

Mike

[BARGeezer]

Speaking of pre-orders, I see Quest is taking pre-orders for its' new composite motors on their website. Customer pre-orders will be filled in April, before the motors are shipped to vendors and retailers. I have no qualms at all about sending my money for a pre-order. Quest has been in business for decades, and they are backed by a parent company that also owns Aerotech.

[Brent]

I have bought and had some custom work done by Boyce. The 4" Gemini capsule was first made for me. I have never had an issue with them . They are fantastic to work with. I have signed up for the Nike Hercules. Have not even receive a PayPal invoice. I am kit #25.

[blackshire]

I am glad to see these three latest responses. I have never had the slightest problem with orders from Boyce Aerospace Hobbies, and the facts that [1] this is their first regular kit (as opposed to parts and "semi-kits" or "short kits" [as such model airplane products are known]) and [2] they are a two-person company, make the pre-ordering arrangement perfectly understandable, as this is another step upward for them.

[L3Excalibur]

Yeah I agree... too easy for "something to happen" and your pre-order ends up meaningless because "we're sorry to report due to unforeseen circumstances...."

Once bitten twice shy...

You're right; if you can't or won't do the kit work until you have a boatload of preorders, that's not something I want to support or take a risk on. A manufacturer that's not willing to put their own money up to bring the product to market says something to me, something I don't like. I'm not an investor financing 'risky ventures'; I'm a customer looking to buy a product.

Later! OL J R :)


I just wanted to say that my Nike-Hercules kit arrived from Boyce today and it is BEAUTIFUL. Alex kept the 40 of us up to date throughout the entire process, sent pictures of printed parts, and even announced that the final kits would be shipping more quickly than originally promised (not never, not later, but SOONER and FASTER). This was not my first order from Boyce and I will say that I have always been 100% satisfied every time. The Nike-Herc is no exception.

[Gus]

Mine arrived today as well and it is spectacular! The quality of the printing is absolutely fantastic. These will require VERY little prep. Wow, I am truly amazed!

This has absolutely raised the bar in terms of what we should expect from 3D printed kits. And dealing with Alex and Sheree Boyce on this project reminds me of dealing with Carl and Sheryl from Semroc. Wonderful craftsmanship and outstanding customer service.

I'm really, really impressed!

Steve

[blackshire]

I just wanted to say that my Nike-Hercules kit arrived from Boyce today and it is BEAUTIFUL. Alex kept the 40 of us up to date throughout the entire process, sent pictures of printed parts, and even announced that the final kits would be shipping more quickly than originally promised (not never, not later, but SOONER and FASTER). This was not my first order from Boyce and I will say that I have always been 100% satisfied every time. The Nike-Herc is no exception....And...
Mine arrived today as well and it is spectacular! The quality of the printing is absolutely fantastic. These will require VERY little prep. Wow, I am truly amazed!

This has absolutely raised the bar in terms of what we should expect from 3D printed kits. And dealing with Alex and Sheree Boyce on this project reminds me of dealing with Carl and Sheryl from Semroc. Wonderful craftsmanship and outstanding customer service.

I'm really, really impressed!

Steve** GOLF CLAP ** Their service to me generated trust, and I never had even the slightest twinge of doubt that your trust in them would prove to be in vain—but it is wonderfully demonstrative to have (for those who expressed doubt) the positive, enthusiastic testimony from both of you!

[Sheryl@Semroc]

And dealing with Alex and Sheree Boyce on this project reminds me of dealing with Carl and Sheryl from Semroc. Wonderful craftsmanship and outstanding customer service.

I'm really, really impressed!

Steve

Thank you Gus. His background story sounds much like Carl's. Not sure just how I got so involved since it was going to be Carl's and Bruce's company. I do wish the Boyce's the very best.

Sheryl

[UMRS]

We print nose cones on a Sindoh 3DWOX we have VERY smooth finishes . So much so that sanding is not needed at all.

[neil_w]

We print nose cones on a Sindoh 3DWOX we have VERY smooth finishes . So much so that sanding is not needed at all.
Using what material and resolution, if I may ask?

[UMRS]

PLA,ABS, & some PET.

This is the printers we use, we currently have 2. Will be getting an M3D Promega soon.

3DWOX 2X (https://3dprinter.sindoh.com/product/2x)

I attached a photo of a BT20 NC we made about a week ago, excuse the photo its a bit blurred but you can see the surface is very smooth.

[neil_w]

I attached a photo of a BT20 NC we made about a week ago, excuse the photo its a bit blurred but you can see the surface is very smooth.
That's impressive. Of the limited set of printers I've seen output from, none have been anything close to that.

[Gus]

PLA,ABS, & some PET.

This is the printers we use, we currently have 2. Will be getting an M3D Promega soon.

3DWOX 2X (https://3dprinter.sindoh.com/product/2x)

I attached a photo of a BT20 NC we made about a week ago, excuse the photo its a bit blurred but you can see the surface is very smooth.


Mike,

Wow, that's really impressive! How long did that take to print?

Steve

[UMRS]

IIRC about 20 minutes or so



Mike,

Wow, that's really impressive! How long did that take to print?

Steve

[UMRS]

The really neat part for me. I can leave the house and check the progress of a print on either machine thru my phone these printers have cameras built in. You can pause or stop it if needed.

[jetlag]

Received my Nike Hercules over the weekend. I received the instructions well ahead of time, and it is well-illustrated, and the prose is well-written.
In the box is a beautiful set of parts to make a stunning flying model. Alex and Sheree have been true to their promises, in fact delivering mine a fair time early. If someone here doesn't do a build, I will and share. Not as big as my Launch Pad model I built here a few years ago, it will use 4x24mm engines in the first stage and one in the second ignited with a timer. I've never used one before, so...
I want to thank Alex and Sheree for another beautiful Boyce model!

Allen

[LeeR]

Please at least post a few pictures!

[BAH]

Just wanted to say "thank you" to those of you who have supported and defended us in this thread. As you know many small model rocket kit manufacturers are garage operations and we are no exception. Our driving motivation for producing this kit via a pre-sale format was to make something amazing available to hobbyists now instead of years from now. We have invested over $10k of our own hard earned money to purchase 3D printers that are up to the task of running 24/7 and producing quality parts. Even with this investment the printing process is so slow that we have only been able to keep up with out current offerings of product. We love scale model rockets and have designs for (literally) dozens of new kits to release but can't because we don't have the printing capability. Also, being responsible small business owners, we can only justify spending a maximum of 50% of our annual business revenue on additional printers each year. So, in order to fill a desire for a big Nike Hercules kit we decided to do a "kickstarter" type of promotion that would be a win/win. A win for our customers who were able to get a innovative kit that is ordinarily difficult to produce, at a decent price this year, and a win for us because we were able to increase our production capability faster than we could have otherwise. We're sorry that some folks have been burned in the past by other companies or individuals and are jaded by their experiences. We never doubted that our core customers would respond with excitement and trust because we have a reputation that has been earned with each and every one of them over the years. Regards, Alex and Sheree Boyce

[Ltvscout]

Just wanted to say "thank you" to those of you who have supported and defended us in this thread. As you know many small model rocket kit manufacturers are garage operations and we are no exception. Our driving motivation for producing this kit via a pre-sale format was to make something amazing available to hobbyists now instead of years from now. We have invested over $10k of our own hard earned money to purchase 3D printers that are up to the task of running 24/7 and producing quality parts. Even with this investment the printing process is so slow that we have only been able to keep up with out current offerings of product. We love scale model rockets and have designs for (literally) dozens of new kits to release but can't because we don't have the printing capability. Also, being responsible small business owners, we can only justify spending a maximum of 50% of our annual business revenue on additional printers each year. So, in order to fill a desire for a big Nike Hercules kit we decided to do a "kickstarter" type of promotion that would be a win/win. A win for our customers who were able to get a innovative kit that is ordinarily difficult to produce, at a decent price this year, and a win for us because we were able to increase our production capability faster than we could have otherwise. We're sorry that some folks have been burned in the past by other companies or individuals and are jaded by their experiences. We never doubted that our core customers would respond with excitement and trust because we have a reputation that has been earned with each and every one of them over the years. Regards, Alex and Sheree Boyce
Thank you, Alex & Sheree, for all you do for the hobby of Model Rocketry!