Model Rocket Building Blog
Red River Rocketry Starliner DST, Part 1 PartsI bought this one on sale from Uncle Mike's rocket shack. An interesting design with conical stability. Parts were of high quality. The model is BT-50 based. This is another of the better BT-50s. They seem a bit thicker walled. The parts of interest: 12" diameter red Mylar ...[Read More]
Red River Rocketry Starliner DST, Part 3 Engine MountThe 20/50 rings needed some inside notches to fit over the engine hook. A Kevlar line was knotted and the loop slipped under the top bend of the engine hook, Semroc style. I didn't go with the supplied tri-fold mount. A 20/55 flat centering ring goes against the side of the lower 20/50 ...[Read More]
Red River Rocketry Starliner DST, Part 2 PartsThe nose cone seems to be made by BMS. It has the dowel already glued in place with yellow wood glue. The nose cone was made from dense balsa and a little rough. Sanding with 220 then 400 will smooth it out. The 12" parachute was interesting. There are eight shroud lines, not six. The ...[Read More]
Red River Rocketry Starliner DST, Part 4, Shroud Cutting and FormingThe engine mount is glued into the BT-50 tube. It is slid in until the 20/55 centering ring butts up against the tube end. The instructions say to apply glue inside the tube and around the lower 20/50 ring. Slide the mount in place then twist it at the end of it's travel. This will even out the ...[Read More]
Red River Rocketry Starliner DST, Part 5, Shroud Forming and GluingBefore cutting off the overhanging edge of the interior shroud, give the edge a coat of medium CA. This hardens up the card stock and makes it easier to trim off. Use the edge of the upper shroud as a guide for the razor blade cut. After the lip is removed, sand the edge flat on a sanding ...[Read More]
Red River Rocketry Starliner DST, Part 6, Shroud Glue and FilletsBefore the shroud glue dries slide the lug in place and make sure it lays straight. Remove the lug. A small amount of glue was slid under the sides of the open slot where it touches the body tube. Very little glue is needed. With a clean dowel roll roll the corners of the open slot down ...[Read More]
Red River Rocketry Starliner DST, Part 7, Fin Shaping and GluingThe instruction say to sand the fins to an airfoil shape. I couldn't see any reason for this, a high drag model with an efficient shaped fin. The fins are small and it would be hard to shape an airfoil. I simply sanded the leading and trailing edges round. Here the fin is set next to it's glue ...[Read More]
Red River Rocketry Starliner DST, Part 8, Sanding The First White CoatAfter the gray primer was sanded down a first light coat of white followed. After the white has dried you'll be able to see any glue fillet irregularities. The glue bumps usually show up where the leading and trailing edges meet the body tube. Here you can see the sanded area at the top ...[Read More]
Red River Rocketry Starliner DST, Part 9, DecalsHere's the tail cone and fin end after the "wet" final coat. Around the lug hole the only fill material was Titebond M&TG and sanded primer filler. You'll have to go by the face card for decal placement. The decals aren't difficult to place but you'll have to plan ahead for the long ...[Read More]
Red River Rocketry Starliner DST Part 10 General Decal TipsOn the Starliner you've got to center the window decals on opposite sides of the body tube. But on the back end there are three fins, not four. You can't line them up looking down the edge of the fin. Go ahead and wrap a strip of paper around the tube if you were making a four "fin" marking ...[Read More]
Red River Rocketry Starliner DST, FinishedThis was an easy build and a change from the ordinary. A long piece of round elastic was substituted for the shorter flat elastic from the kit. The elastic was tied on making sure the Kevlar didn't overhang the end of the body tube. The red Mylar eight shroud line parachute looks ...[Read More]
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