 Special Bonus Issue! - Two articles and a rocket plan! Article #1 - Hassle Free Fin Sealing Press By Bill Heath Bill is perfectly capable of getting a nice smooth surface on balsa fins. But the ordeal of sealing, sanding, sealing, sanding, and repeating as necessary gave him no joy. Papering the fins was just as tedious and never gave him the results he was looking for either. After trying several ideas and getting mixed results, he came up with something that we think you will love. While the edges of the fin still need sanding, the faces come out very smooth with a satin finish that is ready to paint. If you are going to sand airfoils on your fins, this won’t work for you, but for square or rounded edges it’s a simple solution. Article #2 - Modifying Those Simple Launch Controllers for Cluster Motor Models By Allen Wallace The economically affordable, and simple Sky Launch Controller (and similar single igniter systems) is well suited for a single rocket engine with one igniter. Bht the small AA type batteries do not have enough energy to reliably fire two or three igniters. By fitting a small DC socket to the hand controller and feeding it with 12 volts from a small Lithium pack (cheaply procurable from online sources), the Sky Controller can be used for clusters of igniters as well as single motors with the internal batteries. Also in this issue: F-1 Starfighter Rocket Plan In our last issue we featured the Alliance Raider. This week, the rocket is the F-1 Starfighter, which completes the story of the two enemies. "What story?" you ask. Well, you'll have to read about it in this issue. The story of the two rockets and the design are by James Bassham. The awesome renderings in the newsletter are by our own artist, Mathew Martinez. |