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Sport Rocketry / Cardstock Models / Flying / Downscale / Carded Black Brant VB

    Carded Downscale Black Brant VB - Part 1, Prints and Needed Parts (2014-08-18)
    Information for this downscale model is from the Peter Alway Book, SCALE BASH Available from NAR Technical Services CLICK HERE This book along with the Alway Classic ROCKETS OF THE WORLD  is ... [Read More]

    Carded Downscale Black Brant VB Part 2, Body Tube Wrapping (2014-08-19)
    The body wrap print was cut out using a straight edge and sharp knife. I use mechanical pencils now for a sharper line down the body tubes. Old school style, the tube was set in a door ... [Read More]

    Carded Downscale Black Brant VB - Part 3, Launch Lug Wrap (2014-08-20)
    Cut out the lug wrap and do a pre-curl in the heel of your hand. Use a small dowel or the shaft of a Q-tip. Apply a coat of glue stick to the inside surface. The lug is small and you can ... [Read More]

    Carded Downscale Black Brant VB - Part 4, Body Tube Trim (2014-08-21)
    The edges of the Estes plastic nose cone are too square and could turn the interior body tube edges in. A simple rounding of the base edges gave an better slip fit. The BT-5 tube was longer ... [Read More]

    Carded Downscale Black Brant VB - Part 5 Laminated Fins A (2014-08-22)
    I've written about the cereal box laminated fins before. If you haven't made fins from a card stock laminate you might be surprised how strong they are. These fins are actually a triple thickness ... [Read More]

    Carded Downscale Black Brant VB - Part 6 Laminated Fins B (2014-08-23)
    Before cutting, study the fin at the right. Look for the small dashed lines near the middle. After folding this will be the rounded leading edge. Note the upper side of the fin is slightly larger ... [Read More]

    Carded Downscale Black Brant VB - Part 7 Laminated Fins C (2014-08-24)
    The tip was cut off (above the "R" in ROOT) and some of the excess off the outside edge. Cutting off some excess lets you to see where the rolled over leading edge contacts  the interior ... [Read More]

    Carded Downscale Black Brant VB - Part 8 Laminated Fins D (2014-08-25)
    Use a sharp knife and a hard cutting board for best results. The hard surface underneath will make a cleaner cut through the bottom layer. If your cutting board is soft cardboard the thin paper ... [Read More]

    Carded Downscale Black Brant VB - Part 9, Cleaning Up Fin Edges (2014-08-26)
    Look to the left of the picture. This is the back side of the fin, opposite the ROOT EDGE cut side. You can see how the edges are raised up after cutting. Roll the edges down with the back side ... [Read More]

    Carded Downscale Black Brant VB, Part 10 - Nose Cone Wrap (2014-08-27)
    The Peter Alway book "Scale Bash" book shows a red band at the base of the nose cone. The PML Black Brant VB shows a brown band with a thin silver band above it. This is probably a difference in ... [Read More]

    Carded Downscale Black Brant VB, Part 11 - Fin & Lug Gluing (2014-08-28)
    The fins and launch lug are ready for gluing on the body. I built this model in Mexico last June. In order to get it home without damage, I'll only tack the fins on with very little white glue, ... [Read More]

    Carded Downscale Black Brant VB, Finished (2014-08-29)
    This was a fun, quick build and came out very well. Using the white plastic nose cone there is no painting! Thanks again to Peter Alway for doing all the ground work in his Scale Bash book. It's ... [Read More]

    The Big Fix, Crimped 3 Ply Card Stock Fin (2015-01-31)
    My new carded downscale Black Brant VB landed hard on the basketball court asphalt. One red fin was crimped on the tip. I thought about steaming it, but was concerned it might smear the printer ... [Read More]