Custom Tri-Star finally...

[AcroRay]

Since my BAR status, I had been wanting to build Custom's sleek little TRISTAR. I finally got one last summer, and tried to get it completed by the close of our local flying season, but to no avail. I had a decal disaster, then a paint-matching disaster that required a new nosecone. But I finally got it together for last month's local Tripoli club launch.

http://www.rocketreviews.com/file-65189/Tristar%20on%20rod.jpg

It flew quite nicely. I decided on a streamer rather than a chute, though, because the one I built for my oldest daughter a couple of seasons before utterly disappeared in the upper crosswinds typical of our flying area - even on a 10" with a spillhole.

http://www.rocketreviews.com/file-65212/Tristar%20Launch%20CU.jpg

The thing came straight down and landed engine-down, cracking one of the finely-finished fins and buckling the paint around the fin root right through the primer to the BT surface. Sigh.

http://www.rocketreviews.com/file-65210/Tristar%20damage.jpg

It's going to be a challenging cosmetic repair job. :(

[tbzep]

Ouch. I hate that on such a nicely finished rocket. What size was the streamer?

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

Since my BAR status, I'd been wanting to build Custom's sleek little TRISTAR. In finally got one last summer, and tried to get it completed by the close of our local flying season, but to no avail. I had a decal disaster, then a paint-matching disaster that required a new nosecone. But In finally got it together for last month's local Tripoli club launch.

http://www.rocketreviews.com/file-65189/Tristar%20on%20rod.jpg

It flew quite nicely. I decided on a streamer rather than a chute, though, because the one I built for my oldest daughter a couple of seasons before utterly disappeared in the upper crosswinds typical of our flying area - even on a 10" with a spillhole.

http://www.rocketreviews.com/file-65212/Tristar%20Launch%20CU.jpg

The thing came straight down and landed engine-down, cracking one of the finely-finished fins and buckling the paint around the fin root. Sigh.

http://www.rocketreviews.com/file-65210/Tristar%20damage.jpg

It's going to be a challenging cosmetic repair job. :(

Bummed for you. That was a good looking bird. I always went with a small chute with mine because of the way those fins caught the brunt of a landing. Might be worth thinking about horizontal recovery like the Super Kits. Even on a streamer that would help redirect some of the landing shock. Plus it would look cool. :D

[AcroRay]

Ouch. I hate that on such a nicely finished rocket. What size was the streamer?

About 5X the length of the rocket, at least. I used a textured mylar party streamer. But I think the problem was it was either too heavy to begin with due to excessive length, or just didn't get to unfurl completely on the first-flight A8-3's altitude.

http://www.rocketreviews.com/file-65209/Tristar%20on%20rground.jpg

I do plan a repair job. Chris Michielssen's blog is should be helpful and inspirational in that regard. :D

[Tau Zero]

About 5X the length of the rocket, at least. I used a textured mylar party streamer. But I think the problem was it was either too heavy to begin with due to excessive length, or just didn't get to unfurl completely on the first-flight A8-3's altitude.

I do plan a repair job. Chris Michielssen's blog is should be helpful and inspirational in that regard. :DAcroRay,

I had similar problems with my first Tau Zero prototype. The 36" crepe paper streamer did its job *too* well by causing too much drag. The rocket came down tail first and broke a fin off. :mad:

I'm afraid this is one time when a small parachute is actually more preferable than a big streamer. (That's my 20 cents' worth. :eek: :rolleyes: ;) :D )


Cheers,

[Tau Zero]

Sometimes my TV reporter's brain doesn't let me rest until I nail down the answer I'm looking for.


I went looking for the Custom Tristar, and all I could come up with at the company's website:

http://www.customrocketcompany.com/store/


...were the kits re-decaled as the Galaxy Patrol/Rescue/Taxi (see below).



Then I stumbled across the original Tristar still available from JonRocket:

http://www.jonrocket.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_39_52&products_id=47


So the original Tristar is officially OOP? (I know, I just don't get out enough.)


Now it remains to be seen if I can scrape up the necessary cash (heavy sigh).


Cheers,

[chrism]

The original decor is OOP. But as you can see the rocket still lives on! However Custom uses stickers these days. Maybe Gordy can come up with water-slides in the Tri-Star decor?

[AcroRay]

Yeah, I'm not all that impressed with the new deco for the new versions of the TriStar. The original Tristar decals that run the length of the bird are much more appealing to my eye.

It's a nice rocket no matter what, though. It looks nice enough in just white, with nothing on it!

[AcroRay]

It's been a bit of a busy summer, and after May's launch I had to leave rocketry on the back of the workbench. But I've got another kit underway now (to be covered elsewhere), and I spent a little time over the last couple of evenings repairing my Tristar's damage.

I thinned out some white glue and carefully fit the broken part of the damaged fin back into place. The thinned glue offered less resistant pressure in the meeting surfaces in cavities of the break, and allowed the parts to fit together better. Glue carefully massaged into the ragged meeting points secured any loose elements of the original finished surfaces. Tiny gaps were filled with Elmer's putty and sanded. The fillets on the inner parts of the broken fin were still in good shape, and took glue & putty nicely.

The root edge of the larger portion of the fin at the body tube had some cracking along the fillets, so I worked some white glue into them, then put on additional glue fillets. (They'll go transparent when I eventually re-clearcoat the area, so the decals will look unblemished again.) I braced the fin elements and let them dry overnight with strong results.

The shock of the impact flexed the tube and buckled the finish at the leading end of the fin root right down to the BT surface. I carefully broke free some of the more-loose edges of the primer & paint layer, and massaged white glue into the rough edges. Then I filled the remaining shallow cavities with Elmer's putty, let dry & sanded smooth.

It's certainly flightworthy now, but I want to restore the deco. The next step will be to carefully mask off the blemished areas and spray them white again. The challenge will be masking off the decals without accidentally pulling them up. I found - much to my dismay when I tried to mask over some decals and touch up some other areas on the build earlier - that the Krylon clear coat isn't really durable enough to protect them from lifting even with the most delicate of masking tapes. In fact, while sanding the repaired areas, the Krylon coat started flaking off like dead skin...

[mycrofte]

My repair or color never matches up right.
__________________________________

[AcroRay]

I just hope I can remember which white from my rattlecan stockpile I used! (I *think* it was Krylon gloss white, dulled by the Krylon Krystal Clear spray.)

[snuggles]

My niece asked me if I could come to her school and show off some of my rockets during her class launch. I arrived to find a BUNCH of middle school students who could not wait to destroy their rockets!!
NCs glued on , fins barely attached, teacher had the most rudimentary launch system I had EVER seen!! Didn't say much, just let them do their thing.....
I finally had the chance to show them just how things were supposed to be...
Flew a couple single stagers, a 2 stage, a B/G, I flew my TriStar with a C6-5, They thought that was CCOOOOOLLLLL!!!!!!
Never got her back, she thermalled away.
It was(and is) a neat rocket.
Mark T

[AcroRay]

My daughter's suffered the same fate on its first flight. It needs a much smaller 'chute. That's one of the reasons I tried mine on a streamer first.

[AcroRay]

I've been having a h3lluva time with this repair. And what's the problem? Not the re-gluing and puttying and sanding smooth. No. It's the crappy Krylon paints - that's what!

Krylon 'crystal' clearcoat is the worst. The old coat - what wasn't supposed to yellow - is absolutely yellowed. It also flakes off like old sunburned skin when you try to sand it. And even though it and the Krylon white under it I put on months ago came from the same cans I'm trying to use now, they wrinkle and won't bind or coat well when I try to re-apply them over the old stuff. I managed to get acceptable white coats over the repairs. Waited nearly a week and sprayed on the clearcoat, and the new white is alligator skinning under it! :mad:

I'm just about ready to throw all my Krylon paint stock in the grabage. No wonder the local K-Mart clearanced them all out and doesn't carry them anymore. This stuff is unreliable trash.

Grrrr.

[jetlag]

That just sucks! I know exactly how you feel.
Your experience is an example of why I switched to mostly using lacquer paints and Pledge (Future) clear coats.
Most lacquers play/work with each other nicely.
Dupli-Color filler primer, the 'high-build formula (#FP101), is about the most excellent and consistent primer I have ever used. Sands well and dries superfast. Also, one can spray most 'cool' enamels over it without fear.

Also, sticking with the lacquer theme, color choices abound from the Dupli-Color line. I get my stuff at our local Pep-Boys auto parts store.
Model Master Lacquer Paints are pricey, but work very well, also. I use the 40% off coupons from Hobby Lobby for these. Get it (them) online.
Large volume lacquer needs can only be satisfied if all the colors you want are red, white, and black.
These can be had at most big box stores reasonably. Other lacquer colors in large spray cans, I cannot find.
As with any paints, mixing manufacturers can be risky, so be careful.
However, I have had no problem using the little Model Master lacquers and Rustoleum lacquers together over Dupli-Color primer.

Also, unless all the paint has dried for a month or more, don't leave tape on the model long; it will leave an impression in the paint that you will need to #1200 grit-wetsand before you clear coat with the Pledge. I use it but take it off after my task, usually in a few minutes.

All the Krylon clears suck. There are much better alternatives. I have ruined a few decals with the stuff, so I rarely use it anymore. Just not worth the risk.

Hope this helps!

Allen

[AcroRay]

Nice capsule of advice, Allen. Thanks!

I didn't have any problems with masking, since I went with Chris' scotch tape & other masking methods covered at his blog.

Krylon clear seems to be universally regarded as crap by anyone in model-building hobbies. Chris suggested a clearcoat from Michael's, but my area Michael's didn't carry it, unfortunately.

Between rocketry and my other hobbies, I think I'll be venturing into Duplicolor products as soon as budget allows. At least a big can of white...

[chrism]

Well Ray, you now know what not to use on your next build. Have you ever used an airbrush to paint your rockets? Once you get the hang of it, its much easier to control for a better finish on the rocket or model.

[AcroRay]

I recently got an unbranded Iwata entry-level (from the Chinese manufacturer) airbrush and a compressor, but haven't gotten around to breaking them in or obtaining paints for yet. Lame of me, I know. Getting an airbrush outfit is something I've been wanting to do for a long time. :rolleyes:

[AcroRay]

Well, I think I'm at a place where I can call it 'repaired'. Here's how it started:

http://www.rocketreviews.com/file-65210/Tristar%20damage.jpg

I pieced it back together and filled it like this:

http://oldrocketforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=30536
http://oldrocketforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=30535

Results attached. Luckily, I had a replacement for the vertical fin's number panel from an earlier TriStar we lost to a crosswind when it was flown before finishing. I carefully sanded away the alligator-skinning that appeared in some spots after the clearcoat. What's not apparent in these shots is that the repaired areas are much more white than the areas clearcoated with the "non-yellowing" Krylon so many months ago. There's also some unevenness in the white in the repaired BT area below the wing. Again, it would all have been smooth & perfect if the Krylon clearcoat hadn't sabotaged it so thoroughly. :mad:

[Vanel]

Nice repair job!

[hcmbanjo]

Very nice work on the repair!
I try to repair most of my dings and hard landings. But they are seldom as good as the original first finish.

I'm glad to hear the Scotch tape masks work for you. Some people still think I crazy for using the stuff for masks.
For me it's just cheaper and easier to get than the expensive specialty masking tapes.