#1
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Semroc VF-261 build thread
This idea hit me after talking to Carl one night before NSL last week. I thought I'd buy the new VF-261 kit when I arrived on Friday, build it one Friday and Saturday night, and paint and fly it on Sunday. I figured that I'd at least get it flown nekkid, but as things turned out, I got everything done but the final strip and decals.
I had two or three steps done before I remembered to start taking pictures.
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Bill Eichelberger NAR 79563 http://wallyum.blogspot.com/ I miss being SAM 0058 Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper |
#2
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Overall it was an easy build, but there were two steps that caused me a bit of difficulty. One was making aerodynamic shapes out of balsa dust. That one just ended badly, and we'll leave it at that for now. I also had trouble drawing straight lines on the boat tail, but I managed.
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Bill Eichelberger NAR 79563 http://wallyum.blogspot.com/ I miss being SAM 0058 Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper |
#3
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No pics of the finishing process. Oopsie. Suffice to say that my hotel room was quite the dump, to the point that I did all the finishing and priming in the room. (The bathroom made a pretty good paint booth.) I di the final painting on the field on Sunday, just before the flight. Never thought to get anyone to take a picture of me painting. Double oopsie. Silver all over with a black rudder. I'll get to the stripes and decals one night this week.
In the end, I managed one flight on a B6-4. MAN, did this thing scoot. Even though the field was big enough for the C6-7, I wasn't tempted in the least. I didn't see any of the B6-4 flight! I didn't even want to think about the C6-7. Recovery occurred quite a ways downrange, and frighteningly close to the gravel path. The rudder was loosened by the impact with the ground, but it was a quick fix. I think I might try to get a flight in this weekend on an A8-3 at B6-4 Field.
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Bill Eichelberger NAR 79563 http://wallyum.blogspot.com/ I miss being SAM 0058 Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper |
#4
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Quote:
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Paul If we weren't all crazy, we would go insane - Jimmy Buffett NAR #87246 www.wooshrocketry.org |
#5
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Spray painting in a motel room ????
That's a good one....I hope you paid via cash and not credit card so they can't try adding a "cleanup fee" onto your bill.
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When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!! Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't ! Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY. ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, and HAVOC ! |
#6
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Quote:
It worked pretty well, and the fact that the hotel room had apparently seen action as a Port-O-Let in a previous life made me not care where the dust settled. I mean, it's not like they CLEANED or anything. Did I mention that my hotel was a carpeted septic tank? As for the balsa dust, I tried it as Carl wrote it, but in the end it looked like I wiped a booger on the fin. I don't think it suffers without the aerodynamic shapes.
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Bill Eichelberger NAR 79563 http://wallyum.blogspot.com/ I miss being SAM 0058 Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper |
#7
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Quote:
Clean was obviously not a priority in this place.
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Bill Eichelberger NAR 79563 http://wallyum.blogspot.com/ I miss being SAM 0058 Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper |
#8
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The Semroc site has a PDF of the VF-261 instructions. You can see details of the "aerodynamic shape" there. Essentially, you use tissue or balsa dust plus glue to make a putty to make a little nosecone-shaped dingus for the front of the fin-tip launch lugs.
Several layers of Fill n' Finish, with CA or Minwax wood hardener wicked on for durability, would make the part more sandable. |
#9
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Quote:
That's what I tried to use, but my dingus didn't look like any dingus ever seen in this galaxy. I mentioned my difficulties to Carl and Sheryl at NSL on Saturday and Sheryl seemed to agree with me that it was a bit of a stretch. Geez, if you'd have seen the screw up I almost had on Friday night, you'd agree that my VF-261 was best left dingusless. Good thing my yellow glue hadn't "grabbed" yet.
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Bill Eichelberger NAR 79563 http://wallyum.blogspot.com/ I miss being SAM 0058 Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper |
#10
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I picked up this kit at NSL. I haven't had a chance to build it yet, but I'm planning to try epoxy putty for the "fin tips". It may look like crap when I'm finished, but I'm gonna give it a shot!
Tom C. |
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