More Power!!!

There was a post this past week on the NAR Facebook page about the real "need" for D12 motors. Many people sprang to their defense, and quite a few pointed out that for fire and smoke, they're great! At least one person then pointed out that for maximum effect, clustering is the way to go! Therefore, I give you this post.

When Estes (or Quest) designs a rocket, they are usually a little conservative about it. Over stable and "sensibly powered" are the words to the wise. However, just because they are designed that way, doesn't mean they have to stay that way! I present to you three ships from my fleet (one 13mm powered and two 24mm) that were re-designed (by me) to have a bit more smoke and fire... just a bit... So, let's take a look, shall we?

First, we have the Gauchito X Prize rocket. Cute enough, with a 13mm motor...

...however, muliply that number by four and you get some real F&S excitement!

The Rubicon is another X Prize kit. It was designed to take one 24mm motor...

...so let's triple it, shall we? I suppose you could use all seven tubes, but that might be a bit crazy even for me.

Finally, we have the Quest version of a Big Bertha, the Big Betty. Now this one comes stock with one 18mm motor. The easy answer to give her more power would be to swap it with a 24mm mount.

But why do things the easy way? Three 24mm mounts is so much more fun! The tubes don't actually fit, but subtle shrouds blend them into the design nicely.

So there you go! All three of these rockets have flown multiple times, and they are always exciting! Just a note of caution, however. All three of these models have fairly massive amounts of nose weight. Never cluster a design without swing testing it. You probably need more weight in the nose than you think...

So, until next time, fly 'em fast and loud (and clustered!)