DFR Technologies Delta II GPS build
 

I so much enjoyed buiilding the DFR Altas V that it's now time to tackle the Delta II GPS that's been in "the pile" for several weeks.

The kit's contents appear to be of the same high quality as the Atlas. The pre-printed BT's are perfect and the 3D printed parts are super clean and well made. BTW, the color of the body tubes is the color that I WISH I could find when I've painted the BT of a Quest Minotaur. TBC

I've inventoried the parts and everything is accounted for, except there's (2) 3D printed SRM mounting rings: (1) loose and (1) already mounted onto the BT. That's OK--as long as it's in the right place!

Time for a Scotch and an IPA. Good night. TBC.

Wow there have been some changes in the kit. The one I built you glued balsa strips to mount the SRBs to. You now have plastic nose cones and SRB nozzles. Do you have to mount the nozzles permanent or can you still cluster it?

I think it can still be clustered. Like with the Atlas V kit, the 3D printed parts are rock-hard--almost like artificial bone in professional grade anatomical models. It makes we wonder what kind of plastic it actually is. I don't think it's styrene. Tempered polyurethane? ABS?

Anyway, "The Vixen" has graciously volunteered to sand the (10) PNC's, nozzles, and reducer smooth while I'm in Birmingham, AL next week. What a trooper! TBC

I made one of the earlier DFR Delta II kits, before the 3D printed parts were included.
It was a great build even in it's first run!

http://modelrocketbuilding.blogspot...abel/Delta%20II

Looking forward to your build Jeff.

I'm making a change to the Kevlar anchor.

Rather than putting the screw eye into the forward plywood CR (and probably splitting the ring,) I've threaded the Kevlar through the pilot hole and tied it in a bowline past the ring. I'll enrobe the knot and the loop with epoxy. TBC

Now the payload assembly.

The balsa nose block is too large to fit into the transistion, so I "roll sand" the block on the Corian board covered with 220 untill it just fits. I then glue it in with thick CA. I then epoxy the (2) ballast washers into the payload and enrobe them with epoxy. The payload assembly is now ready for "The Vixen" to prep for painting.

Time for a Scotch and an IPA. Good night. TBC

Got home from Birmingham late Friday and "The Vixen" hadn't sanded the myriad of cones and nozzles for me. She says the plastic of the 3D printed parts is too hard and dense for her to really lay into. I tend to agree with her--it's very dense stuff. Instead, she painted an A4/V2 that I had in primer in "jagged" camo. What a trooper!

With too much to do around the house I didn't get to touch the Delta II build, and now I'm in Abilene, TX for the week. TBC

Happy Independence Day!!
 

I'm back from Abilene and (predominately) sober so I'll continue with the Delta II GPS.

The SRB mounts of the BT aren't white enough, so to prepare the BT's for painting the mounts I mask off the pre-colored portions with Scotch Delicate Surface tape and masking wraps of plain paper.

As for the (9) faux nozzles, I cover the shoulder of each one with a scrap piece of BT5 and then mount each one to scrap balsa with 5 minute epoxy for painting. TBC

All painting is finished and now I can do the final assembly and detailing.

In a deviation from the instructions, rather than mounting the launch lugs onto the SRB tubes, I've slit and removed strips of the precolored wrap from the core BT in the corresponding locations to mount the launch lugs. Because of the major payload weight I'll use the 3/16" lugs only. I'll mount the lugs onto basswood standoffs and mount the assemblies after SRB array is mounted.

Now for the SRB's. I've scraped the paint from the attachment points of the SRB's and of the mounts. I epoxy the SRB's onto the mounts (3) at a time and then secure the the array with hair braiding rubber bands until the resin sets completely. TBC