Brief: The standard the kit comes with a 29mm motor mount, but this was upgraded to a 38mm motor mount, because at the time of purchase there was a shortage of 29mm Areotech motors, so I intended to use PRO38 motors in the rocket. I also hope to use this rocket for my level 1 Certification, I also purchased a 38 – 29 mm motor adaptor to make this a nicely versatile rocket. The kit came with:
All of the parts were of a high quality. Construction:
The instructions were easy to follow and detailed enough so that a beginner in high power rocketry can easily follow them. Construction is fairly basic and easy. Follow the directions which are in a very logical order and it's a breeze. I used 30 minute epoxies throughout the construction. Construction begins with assembling the motor mount. As stated above I opted for the 38mm motor mount upgrade, I also purchased a Rowes 38mm coned retainer. So with the motor mount, two centering rings, and the retainer I started construction. Before mounting the centering rings you need to drill the rear centering ring and install the retention nuts for the rowes retainer, I also drilled a hole in the frount centering ring and installed an eyebolt to be used as a shock cord mount. Then I epoxies the two centering ring on to the motor tube and left to cure overnight. After this is complete you move on to the booster section. This part probably contains the hardest part of construction, and that's cutting the slots in the tube for the fins. Follow the directions on how to do this, take your time and use a sharp hobby knife and you should be ok. Next, test fit the motor mount. Sand the outer edges of the motor mount centering rings if needed, When your happy install the mount using 30 min epoxy. Careful the motor retention nuts are not lined up with a fin slots, or you won’t be able to install your motor retainer. While installing the motor mount attach the Nylon shock cord strap to the eyebolt installed in the frount motor mount using a quick link. Next, install the fins through the slots and epoxy onto the motor mount tube. A fin alignment guide is included to assist with this step. After the fins have set, fin fillets are added to the body tube fin joint. Next the payload section is assembled using the other piece of 3” tubing, coupler, bulk plate and eye bolt. Finishing:
I applied 2 coats of automotive primer, (from Halfords) with a light sanding between each coat. The rocket was then finished in 2 coats of Honda Supersonic blue. I then applied the pre-cut vinyl decals, which are surprisingly easy to do. Due to work commitments it was over 12 months after I got my sprint that I went to a launch with the intent of getting in the air. I didn’t get to fly due to me not having all my paperwork, but the guys at the launch were very helpful and offered lots of advice including installing rail lugs on the rocket instead of the tube launch lugs I had already installed. I also removed most of the decals because they had started to peel off, tip; apply a coat of clear sealer over the decals to prevent this from happening. The next few months were spent sorting out the paperwork I was missing, also my wife and kids got me a perfectflight altimeter for my birthday. This was dually installed in the payload bay of the sprint.
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