Ye Olde Rocket Forum - View Single Post - Saturn V with clear fins

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbzep

Both the Estes K-36 and the Centuri Saturn V had clear add-on fins. The Estes kit used a sandwich of two pieces that the modeler glued together on three of the edges. The Centuri kit used a single sheet with a pair of slots that you bowed out to slip over. This made the fin have a slightly cambered shape and gave the Saturn a nice slow rotation. IIRC, on a single D12, by the time it ejected it had rolled somewhere between 1/2 and one full rotation. Since the real Saturn had a roll program, it should give it mission points!

Correct me if I'm wrong, since I'm still a relative sim newbie, but if the outer design remained the same, wouldn't the CP of the older kit (without the clear fins) be the same as this one?
https://www.rocketreviews.com/unkno...1100-scale.html
I'm assuming the balsa fins of the older kit were the same size as the styrene fins of the newer ones. And moving the motor mount up 4 inches would only affect the CG, not CP right?

Finding the CP with the clear fins on can be done by adding them onto the components of the Rocksim file. The template is on the shroud templates page here:
http://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/k-36.htm

As far as kits with clear fins, I know of 3 by Estes: Thor Agena B (K-28), Gemini Titan (K-21) and the aforementioned Semi-scale Saturn V (K-39).

BTW the smaller Saturn had permanent TTW clear fins with the scale fins emulated by a glue on paper silhouette. So I did a small mod on my clone by gluing a strip of tubing just above the fairings to act as a rear flange, and slipping the clear fins down from the top. Replaced the paper silhouette fins with fiberboard scale fins. This way I could remove the clear fins for display. And if I had to do it over I would replace the printed paper wrap ons and instead print the pattern onto decal paper. Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Cheers.