This is a plan pack from The Launch Pad, not a kit.
What you get is two packets of 8 1/2" X 11" sheets stapled together.
One is text instructions, the other is diagrams and drawings to support the text instructions.

It is up to you to obtain and/or fabricate all of the parts.

I am going to deviate on a few items from these plans.
First, I am going to use an electronic timer for sustainer ignition instead of the electrical system described in the plans.

Second, I am not going to use the recomended D12-0's and 1 D12-3. I do not want to eject engine casings all over the place, so will retain all four engines in their mounts, as well as using ejection charges in at least two or more engines for redundant recovery ejection.

Third, I am going to purchase body tubes. The plans have you rolling your own from poster board. I wanted a challenging build, but there are limits!

Everything else I will try to build per instructions, especially in watching the weight of this build.

Should be a difficult project, but looking forward to the challange.

Attached Thumbnails

 

I am starting on the booster section first.

The booster is comprised of four 2" dia tubes in a square configuration. Four individual 24mm engine mounts are mounted in the 2" tubes. A transition section, lower shroud, and fins.

The motor mount centering rings are off center to get the thrust closer to the centerline.
I fabricated these by cutting the 8 required rings from presentation board using a OLFA compass cutter.

If you take your time, the OLFA does a good job cutting the CR's.
This was a time consuming step!

I'm not rolling my own tubes per the plans, so I purchased ST-20 2" dia tube from Balsa Machine.
These were cut to the required 14" lg sections on my home made tube cutter.

Four 3" lg sections of BT50 were also cut for the motor mount tubes.

Std length motor hooks and 2050 thrust blocks from Semroc will finish off the motor mounts.

Pics of offset centering rings and main booster section parts.

Attached Thumbnails

   

Made a little more progress on the Herc.

Booster section tubes aligned and glued in pairs.

The four booster motor mounts are complete.

Also built the sustainer motor mount. Holes are for sustainer ignition wiring.

Attached Thumbnails

     

Also fabricated a few of the parts for the booster transition section.

Square bulkhead caps off the four booster tubes and is cut from presentation board.
It is not complete, needs holes for the ejection gases and a section of BT80 centered on it.
I am also planning on mounting the booster shock cord through the middle.

Two shrouds make up the outside surface. These are cut from heavy card stock per the plan-pack's templates. Both have centering rings that have to be hand cut from presentation board, then CA'd flush with the ends.

Attached Thumbnails

     

Very cool. The Hercules should look awesome when you're done.

__________________
Josh
NAR #87993

Thanks,
I've still got a long way to go, but it has been a fun build so far.

Where do you get these? I went to the website and clicked on Hercules, and it just said "Coming Soon"

I bought the plan-pak a few years back from a website vendor.

I think TLP had plans to offer an actual kit, so that would explain the "coming soon" on their website.

Might check around for vendors that sell TLP kits and see if they have any of the plan-paks.

Finished a few more steps. Glued the booster tube pairs into the square configuration and installed the four motor mounts.

Gluing the pairs of booster tubes seems like an easy task, but it took a little more effort than expected.
You have to make sure the ends are even and the tubes are square in cross section and parallel down the lenghts. This is a critical step to ensure the booster is straight, and the thrust axis are even.

I had first considered making a jig for alignment. After some thought and planning, what I really needed for something with three planes square to each other.
With a drafting triangle in hand, I went around the house checking furniture for a ready made fixture. Found a bookcase that had three sides that checked out dead on 90 deg from each other. This worked well and the tubes ended up perfectly aligned.

Caution: Your better half may frown upon using house furnishings for rocket building jigs :-)

Motor mount install is typical LPR stuff, except for indexing the offset mounts towards the centerline of the booster. Ends of motor tubes mount even with booster tubes.

Pics of booster tubes in square config. and installed motor mounts.

Attached Thumbnails

   

Here is the TLP Nike Ajax along with a Sandman Nike Herc and a Revell Nike Ajax. The TLP Nike Ajax is 55". This winter I'll finish a smaller version Nike Herc from Sandman. These pictures are rockets made from kits, not from scratch although each were challenging (well the Revell) wasn't. All are flight capable. Only the smaller Ajax flew...the others: too much work building to chance a crash.

Attached Thumbnails