Bernard,

From the appearance, it looks roughly like a close scale-up of the original. The Augie II (Estes Plan #28) was BT-60 to BT-20. This kit is 2.75" diameter, so that is the LT-275 body tube. The description says heavy wall tubes, so that would put the upper tube at the LT-125, which is 1.25" ID. Looks like the Chute Release will not be an option, which is too bad.

I'm thinking that an easy solution for scratch-building that could use the Chute Release would be BT-60 upper, with BT-100 lower. Almost a perfect upscale of the original Augie II. The BT-100 is available from eRockets. It would not be heavy wall tubing, but neither is the Star Orbiter. A short section of BT-100 tubing could be slit, and installed in the bottom end of the BT-100 lower tube to toughen it if desired.

__________________
Lee Reep
NAR 55948

Projects: Semroc Saturn 1B, Ken Foss Designs Mini Satellite Interceptor
In the Paint Shop: Nothing! Too cold!
Launch-Ready: Farside-X, Maxi Honest John, Super Scamp

Yeah, LT-125 won't work with the current Chute Release. That really limits where one could fly this beast. I might find myself using the Estes 29/24mm adapters and maybe putting D12-7 or even C11-5 in the upper stage off of E16-0 in the lower....even at my favorite sod farm site in eastern Washington.

I'll be interested to see what Jeff has to say about the actual sizes....and none of this would prevent me from ordering it anyway. And who knows - maybe the tinier Chute Release that John Beans has spoken of on TRF will exist by the time I get the thing built anyway.

__________________
Bernard Cawley
NAR 89040 L1 - Life Member
SAM 0061
AMA 42160
KG7AIE

Glory, Hallelujah!

I'm back at my home in cool and breezy N. Illinois.

After re-reading the Augie instructions 5 times, it finally hit me how the booster stage works: the booster motor simply friction-fits into the shallow socket of the rear of the sustainer's engine mount--as evidenced by this homemade "dummy" 29MM engine casing that I made from the core of a roll of Saran Wrap.

Is this what's called "chad staging?"

TBC

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__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

Which actual sizes would you like to know?

__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

Now for some technique.

Before slip-fitting the inner body tube--with it's Kevlar leader--into the upper tube, I first slit a "valley" into the forward end of the inner tube so the heavy Kevlar won't transfer a bulge to the outside surface of the upper tube.

Unless there's serious trauma to the model the anchor point of the Kevlar will never be accessible again, so the attachment has to be bombproof. I tie the Kevlar onto the inner tube with a bowline knot. I then lay the Kevlar into the valley I made in the inner tube and epoxy the upper body tube to the lower body tube.

Lastly, I use small rubber bands and a length of aluminum angle to brace the airframe perfectly straight until the epoxy hardens.

TBC

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__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

The size of the tube used for the upper body (or wherever the parachute packed).

Thanks.

__________________
Bernard Cawley
NAR 89040 L1 - Life Member
SAM 0061
AMA 42160
KG7AIE

The upper body tube is 7.5" long x 1.225" OD x .050" wall.

__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

To prepare the inner tube assembly for insertion into the large outer body tube, I lay the Corian slab covered with 220 across my Herculean thighs and systematically sand the (3) spacer fins until they almost slip-fit into the large outer tube.

I then contour sand the outer edges of the spacer fins to match the contour of the large tube's ID. I then insert and register the inner tube assembly into the outer tube and apply fillets with 30 minute epoxy.

TBC

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__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

Now for the main fins.

I first prep the basswood fins by sanding round the leading and trailing edges of each fin using the Corian slab.

I then draw a line at the edge (not the center) of each inner spacer fin for placement of the main fins. I've found it's often easier to align a root edge alongside a line rather trying to center a line under the root edge..

The (3) main fins are now glued on with Titebond Red. I'll apply epoxy fillets to them tomorrow.

Time for a drink! Good night.

TBC

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__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

So, no Chute Release. *sigh*

Looks like Lee pretty much nailed it.

__________________
Bernard Cawley
NAR 89040 L1 - Life Member
SAM 0061
AMA 42160
KG7AIE