Some of you may remember that, a little under a year ago, I was looking for parts for the USS Atlantis. The widow of my best friend, you may or may not recall, handed my wife a wad of cash and said that her husband, my friend, had wanted to buy me a rocket kit as a gift, but had never been able to get it done.

In his honor, then, I set out to get the parts to build a USS Atlantis kit. I know it is one he would have appreciated, being a sci-fi kit with more than a few leanings toward classic Star Trek. Thanks to Carl McLawhorn and the Sandman, I got my hands on all the parts and decals needed.

Real life then intervened. By the time I was free to work on the rocket, I had honestly forgotten it. But last month was the anniversary of my friend's passing, and that was all the reminder I needed.

So I've started working on it. Here's a photo of (most of) the parts. The parachute and shock cord aren't in the pile; I'm awaiting a shipment of Kevlar which is delaying me slightly. No, I'm not building the rocket entirely original... why use a folded-paper shock cord mount when you know better? As far as the parachute goes, I'll just use a standard Estes unit with a snap swivel on it from my range box, so there's no point including one here.



And here's the engine mount, assembled. This is where I stopped building for the night (having cut all those dowel pieces first).



I'm planning to get some more done tonight; I'll post more pictures as I make progress.

__________________
NAR # 115523
Once upon a better day... SAM #0076
My site: http://rocketry.gonnerman.org

A labor of love!

I'm looking forward to the thread!

__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

I look forward to the build thread, I have most of the parts sitting in a plastic bag, waiting its turn.

You were fortunate to have such a best friend, as it seems his friendship is still being felt.

__________________
Bernard J. Herman Ohio RLS

Starport Sagitta Rockets
email bherman@sagittarockets.com

NAR # 97971 SR

What's your idea on the best way to change Washington D.C.?
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We're looking for a few good Catos, please tell us about any you may have had. Survey of Anecdotal Malfunctioning Engines or S.A.M.E.

If there's one thing I stink at in the rocket-building arena, it's balsa butt joints. So last night I set out to put the decorative pieces of balsa together... five pieces of balsa connected by butt joints. I quickly determined I was not going to be able to get them together without significant loss of sanity by following the directions.

So I papered them. I glued each piece down to a sheet of paper, diagonally, cut around it, then turned it over and glued it to another sheet of paper and trimmed that as well. To avoid warping, I placed the assembled deck piece in a folded sheet of waxed paper and pressed it under a copy of the Handbook of Model Rocketry and a pile of cast iron cookware belonging to my wife.



While I was at it, I also papered the fins (the single swept fin and the two pylons). I didn't paper the other partial circle deck pieces, as I'll have to do a bunch of filling on them anyway to match them to the dowels they get glued to.

The deck assembly didn't fit the paper perfectly; a little bit of the narrow end stuck out, necessitating a patch at the end. I only patched the upper side, since the lower side won't show, though I may yet change my mind and patch it as well.



Unfortunately, after I removed the dry pieces from the waxed paper, they dried a bit more, giving the long deck piece a longitudinal twist. It's not really visible in the picture, but it's definitely visible in person. A few years ago when I built my Ultimatum, I had warping problems with its fins, which I had papered for strength. I thought I'd have to make a whole new set, but before I went to that extreme I put the fins under a stack of books for a few weeks, and they came out fine. So that's what I did with the Atlantis deck piece... it's under a pile of books right now. I'll have to check it every so often to see if the warp has come out of it, of course, but I have every confidence it will work out.

__________________
NAR # 115523
Once upon a better day... SAM #0076
My site: http://rocketry.gonnerman.org

I papered mine also but rather than gluing (white glue ) I used Staples full sheet shipping labels. I sealed all the edges with CA and sanded square with 600 grit .
I ran into the same problem as you did (not enough paper to get Deck Assy. on one sheet of paper. I just butt jointed the paper and filled the seam when I primered the model. The other thing I did on the Deck Assy. was I papered both sides but I left a 3/16"+ space with bear balsa to glue the deck to the body tube. Photos attached

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John

NAR #91135 L1
SAM #0037

I absolutely love this rocket! Subbed!!

Been thinking of building one myself especially since the new Star Trek Continues series recently funded on Kickstarter:

http://tinyurl.com/mpumnrf

Got me in the whole "trekkie" mood again.

Good luck!

Yummy new Star Trek babes!

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__________________
Bernard J. Herman Ohio RLS

Starport Sagitta Rockets
email bherman@sagittarockets.com

NAR # 97971 SR

What's your idea on the best way to change Washington D.C.?
Let us know at the Cantina
Sagitta Cantina

We're looking for a few good Catos, please tell us about any you may have had. Survey of Anecdotal Malfunctioning Engines or S.A.M.E.

Oh Ya! She can definitely fill out a Starfleet uniform!

Fantastic job on the Atlantis Chris!

Ummm... that really nice Atlantis up there isn't mine. I only hope it comes out so good.

__________________
NAR # 115523
Once upon a better day... SAM #0076
My site: http://rocketry.gonnerman.org