Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Another Mega Mosquito and Mini-Brute Mosquito Question

I stopped by the JimZ website to check the older, more detailed Mosquito instructions. I was curious if they rounded or airfoiled the fin edges.
They are HERE, scroll down to the BETA series version.

Read the EXTREMELY IMPORTANT message  below the exploded parts illustration.

Here's the only construction illustration from the new kit version. It's an exploded parts illustration.
It says simply: "Glue all the parts together".
White glue is shown, plastic glue is not.
White glue won't hold the plastic nose cone in the cardboard body tube.

I'm not complaining, I just think it's interesting.

4 comments:

  1. If I remember correctly, the original Mosquito had a balsawood nosecone at one time -- so white glue would've worked. I've not looked at a Mosquito kit since the switch to plastic nosecone to see if they've changed instructions to account for need to use different adhesive. Perhaps one could use variation on what was used on the Streak -- where tape squares (much like the ones you used to stick shroud lines onto parachute back in those days) were applied to plastic tube so that you can use white glue to stick on the balsa nosecone. So instead of attaching the tape squares tot he inside of the tube, you apply them to the nosecone shoulder?
    Of course, it might be simpler to use tube-type plastic cement to stick the nosecone onto the paper tube (tube-type model cement not only contains plastic solvent to melt plastic parts together, but it also contains some dissolved plastic -- some of that dissolved plastic goop should seep into the paper to help make a bond. You could probably also use something like Devcon Duco cement as well as the stuff you find at the hobby store marked as cement for balsawood model aeroplanes (which I suspect is essentially the same as Duco stuff -- both behave in the same way in the various ways that I'd applied them).

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  2. It is also interesting to note the progressively simplified instructions. The first version suggest that you airfoil the fins. The second version says to simply round all the edges (with the exception of the root edge). The final version seems to imply that you leave all the edges square. Perhaps not surprising -- considering how often the Mosquito ends up being a "single-shot" rocket (people lose it after bending to the temptation to fly it on an A103T on the first flight)... So if you're going to lose it, you might as well minimize the sense of loss by minimizing the amount of work you put into it...

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    Replies
    1. The instructions have been getting too simple lately.
      I did notice how the fin edge shaping went from air foil, to rounded to no suggested shaping at all.
      I'll launch the Mini Mosquito with a 1/4A first then bump up to a 1/2A. I don't like losing any rockets. I've probably spent too much time already building, filleting and finishing the Mini Mosquito.

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  3. The first Mini Brute Mosquito did have a balsa nose cone.
    You would need to use plastic glue to attach the newer plastic cones to body tubes. I've never used Duco cement - yet.

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