Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Prologue: In a modelers forum prior to the contest
Sebulba: I protest! The human is cheating. Solid rocket propulsion is not allowed under the rules of Descon 3610, Sub-contest 312.
Star-El: Most illustrious Jabba, this is nonsense. There is no such rule.
Sebulba: No one has used it for over 1000 contest cycles! It is ILLEGAL!
Star-El: Ahh Sebulba, if it is so antiquated, why do you fear it so?
Sebulba: I fear nothing! Your pod racer has no chance (broken off)
Jabba: whi-tok! ze ami estahhh! (silence! you should fear me!)
Sebulba: I will protest to the Federation!
Jabba: ju zui na nach bobbaaa fetttt (if you do you will deal with Boba Fett)
Jabba: Starrr-Elll sup ri dah! (Star-El, your entry will be allowed!)
Scene 1: Introduction
At first, I wasnt sure I was going to enter this Descon. After winning the LOC Bonanza, I have several projects on the drawing board. When I saw a Gemini DC kit at a Michaels craft store, however, I couldnt resist. You just gotta love those 40% off coupons!
To help me quickly visualize and tweak my design ideas, I entered the major components into the Visio drawing program. After much iteration, my inspiration ultimately came from the pod racers in Star Wars Episode I. I thought about trying to make a rocket that more closely resembled a pod racer, but decided I had no hope of getting it to work, so my racer has a long booster. The result is my DC Pod Racer. The DC, retained from the kits name, signifies my proximity to our Nations Capital.
Scene 2: Construction
In addition to the kit components, I used 12 of 1/16 dowel (per the Descon 10 parts list), Kevlar® thread to beef-up the recovery system, my first homemade rip-stop nylon chute, and clay nose weight.
I looked at many odd fin configurations, but between worries about stability and the constraints of the pre-cut fins, I decided I would just stick with the kits 4-fin configuration. I cut back the fin tabs so the fins would sit about a half and inch further forward. I also added small balsa triangles to the root edges and tips.
The two long sections of balsa that naturally split off the die cut fin stock became the pod mounts. I laminated these with card stock from the packaging and reinforced them with 5 of the dowel. The large tips of these mounts fit through slots cut in the side of the pods. I used scraps of balsa and dowel to add trim to the pods.
To plug the pre-cut vent holes in the body tube, I used the 1 x ¼ tube that was included in the kit but not listed on the Descon parts list. This tube forms a hole through the main body and provides a convenient place to attach the Kevlar® cord for the recovery system
I added clay nose weight to move the CG to 5 ½ from the tip of the main nose cone. This position was chosen to agree with my Rocksim simulations and was confirmed via a swing test.
Finishing consisted of several coats of Krylon sandable primer and Krylon Chrome. I reused the decals from the kit and added some blue holographic contact paper to cover the windshield. I also used a ¼ x 3/8 piece of red trim Monokote to hide the black lettering that overlaps the DC on the kits decal. Finally, I used some brush-on flat black for the inside of the cockpit.
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Scene 3: The Race Results
I flew the DC Pod Racer on a C6-3 at the Maryland-Delaware Rocketry Association launch held on 4/6/2002 at Rhodesdale, MD. All my worries of instability, shredded pods, and chute entanglement were unfounded. Despite 10+ mph winds, the DC Pod racer flew straight with only a small amount of weathercocking. My home-grown 12 chute deployed as planned, and the rocket landed in a field of some sort of newly sprouted vegetation.
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