Last Photos for tonight, since I’m getting tired and I want to watch some TV and drink one adult beverage. I started fitting the wing to the wing saddle of the fuselage. I need to finish sanding the wing and glue it together before I can do the final fitting. The air intakes are starting to take shape as well but I’ve still got tons of work to do to them. The real model has a massive intake spikes plus bleed air ramps on the top and bottom of the intakes so this is going to take some doing to get it to look right. So far I am pleased with the shape of the model. As seen in these latest photos the model weighs in at 7.1 ounces.

I’ve got a question to ask, would the NAR allow an aluminum spike THINGING on the nose of this model to simulate the one the full size model has? Or can it be present for static judging and then removed for flight? I need to know this before putting on the nose.

Thanks for all the compliments on the build. If you have any questions about anything to do with this model or what tools I used to do what, Just Ask.

John Boren

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That is sweet!

With the right paint job and "greeblies" it could pass as a "space opera" starship.

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NAR #27085 - Oregon Rocketry - SAM

Tonight I installed the nose on the model. I simply laser cut a bunch of circles with a hole down the center. Glued them together over a tube, put the assembly on my lathe and sanded away the stuff that didn’t need to be there. For the rear exhaust of the model I laminated some 1/8” to get the needed thickness glued on a 1/16” plywood rear piece, mounted it on the model and sanded it to blend in. My next big hurtle is the APU hump between the fins at the top rear of the fuselage and the air intake Spikes.

John Boren

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Greeblies??? (I'm guessing that you're referring to all of the innumerable surface details that appear[ed] on cinema and TV starships like Earthship Ark, the Battlestar Galactica, the Millennium Falcon, and other such fictional interstellar vessels.) The Navaho looks like it could have come from the same design department as the winged, highly-streamlined atomic spaceship Luna in "Destination: Moon."

__________________
Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR

One last photo for tonight. It took my two tries but the APU hump is now mostly done. It wil need a little putty to get it to fit perfectly but it's good enough.

John Boren

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It’s been a while since I posted any build photos but I promise you I’ve been working on it. I’ve finally got the air intakes mounted to the fuselage sides. I still have to blend the bottom of the intakes into the bottom of the fuselage and wing but that’s for another day. Lots of more sanding needed before they will be ready for resin and primer.

One photo shows the parts for the forward section of the booster. It’s just taped together at the moment but basically it will be built just the fuselage. Once all the formers are glued in place the whole thing will get balsa planked. If I’m lucky I will then be able to mount it in my wood lathe and sand it nice and smooth with a long sanding-block. The rear portion has a straight taper while the front portion is curved to the front former. The rear portion of the booster that contains the twin 29mm motor mounts will be pretty much the same except the formers our plywood and I have to account for the top engine being at a 3 degree angle while the bottom motor will be at a 4 degree angle. I’ve got all the parts cut so hopefully I will work on it this weekend for a change of pace.


John Boren

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I know you're not interested in pursuing this as a kit (although a molded EP foam version would be a possibility...), but this "planked" design would make a good AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics) model plan, as it is similar in execution to the planked model plans (which include missiles such as the Bomarc) in Paul Del Gatto's Jetex books. (Some of the Jetex motors were capable of providing vertical takeoffs.) Also:

"Model Airplane News" ran plan/build articles on Jetex-powered model missiles such as the Matador and Snark. With today's Rapier jet motors, such a Navaho model could be flown without using model rocket motors; a cluster of electrically-ignited Rapiers could power the booster, with the sustainer being powered by one or more fuse-ignited Rapier motors.

__________________
Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR

Today I mounted the wing and made the Elevons. The wing will be held in place with two 4-40 socket head screws. You can see the mounting plates inside the fuselage. I took the opportunity to tie in a little structure from the main body to the Nose Section since there was very little holding the two together. There are only three more major things left to complete before I can begin the long and boring finishing process. I still need to install the elevon torque rods, Install the mechanism that will release the wing body portion from the booster and finish flaring in the front of the wing with the front air intake section of the body. As the model sits it weighs 7.9 ounces

John Boren

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Not a whole lot more to show than what you’ve already seen. This past week I coated all the body parts with a coat of Bob Smith Epoxy Finishing Resin. Gave it a good sanding, sprayed on a couple coats of Primer, sanded some more, covered the entire thing with Bondo Spot Putty, sanded 99.9% of it off, primed and sanded a couple more coats. This is the part of ANY build I HATE. I love sanding wood, but I hate sanding resin and primer.


One image shows the air intake. It still needs more sanding and shaping. Another photo shows the fit between the wing and fuselage, while another shows the exhaust outlets. Then there is of course the over all grey colored fuselage in another image. Hopefully tonight I will get around to cutting out the wing to accept the torque rod assemblies for the elevons. I can then finish up the wing and get it primed.

This finishing step is adding a TON of weight to the model. It will easily add four ounces of weight, maybe more. The Problem I have is it needs to be as perfect a finish as possible to get the craftsmanship points. If you were to rotate the front of the model inside your fingers you can feel that it has some high spots, so I’m trying to get ride of them with primer, which adds weight. If you were to just look at the model from a foot away you could never tell so maybe I’m being too particular in this aspect of the finishing process.


John Boren

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Similarity of outline and pattern are judged from 3 ft, craftsmanship is judged up close and personal.

kj