Bunny Rabbit Goonie- Part 4: Face Painting & the art of deception
The Thrifty Rocketeer continues....
The build thread for the Bunny Rabbit "goonie" (thank you, Peter Alway) is nearing the end.
All that is left now is final appearances and then pre-launch packing & prep.
Well, who among us hasn't painted a rocket and then regretted the choices we made?
My first Rabbit Rocket was primed and painted with Gloss White. The can specified that it was both paint and primer, and I'm pretty sure that it's semi-gloss white. The whole thing, from tip to tail. I'm pretty pleased with it.
But upon reviewing the one sheet instruction, the author suggested possible masking of the tail or other fins and painting the rabbit pelt with a variety of colors, either realistic or not. In fact, I might shoot the whole thing with white, and then mask off the tail and the paws before either wiping on stain or shooting a mixture of gray and brown, for a natural cotton-tail with white paws sticking through. I haven't done this, though I have masked off the tail below.
In any case, since the nose cone is white already, I'm not painting that. However, if I can talk my daughter, the artist, into using a black sharpie marker, I can have her draw in a cuter face than I ever could. Details and location on the nose cone is specified on the one-sheet.
The current challenge is the ears. They are to be cut from any card stock, and attached to the nose cone with glue strong enough to hold them through launch and recovery. I already know that wood glue won't hold to plastic. I'm thinking that CA or super glue is going to be the way to go. Unfortunately, my thick CA has pretty much turned over, so it might not be easy to attach this one. ***Update: I heard from Peter Alway who states he used Testor's plastic cement out of the tube, and that he had no problem. So that's the way I'm gonna go.
Speaking of glue, I am in the process of creating a tea-bag anchor from copy paper, and tri-folding it I use wood glue and attach the shock cord inside the body tube. Always remember that you want to set the T-bag 1 1/2" lower into the body tube ... so there is no conflict between the nosecone sliding in and the permanently attached T-bag anchor. (This is normally not a problem, but in a pinch, you might be able to anchor it where the bevel on the nosecone will not impact it. Much better to be completely clear though.)
The parachute gets looped through the thin plastic ring on the base of the nose cone. That's not hard, but some rocketeers recommend tying the parachute one third of the way down the shock cord, so that the nosecone will not bang into the rabbit body nor fins when dangling on the way down. You can make your own choice, as I don't think it makes much difference with this LPR rocket.
Finally, the ears have to be attached, after being cut out of card stock. Any 3"x5" index card will work. You can even color in one side of them for a tender pink color if you like. I'm not certain how well they will withstand the air resistance. However, they will be replaceable.
Just don't glue them between the nosecone and the body tube, as their thickness may wedge the nosecone in too tightly. On the other hand, they could be temporarily snugged between the two in the hopes that the ejection charge will overcome the friction and blow the nose cone free...and free the temporary ears to flutter down on their own. This plan would require replacing ears frequently or before each launch.
Don't forget to have sanded your fins before the final prime or paint job, and of course, complete all fillets on each side of each fin, the paws, the tail, and the launch lug(s).
Now, is there anything (besides chute prep and recovery wadding) that I have forgotten?
Yes, the possible need for a little modeling clay to be added to the nosecone. On my first, heavier rabbit rocket, I needed to add clay about the size of a glass marble "boulder" to the inside of the nosecone. (You remember what a Boulder-size is, don't you? It's less than a golf ball but more than a quarter coin.. How else can I describe the amount?). If you've been cautious about adding glue, and frugal on the amount of paint, this should be about the right weight of clay needed. Unfortunately, no clay comes with the Baby Bertha, so you might need a trip to your hobby store (or steal some from your kid! Or maybe your wife's flower arranging supplies?)
Anyway, I'll share some photos of my finished rocket.
Let me know your comments and suggestions.
Until then, keep your glue capped and save your excess balsa scraps.... cause you never know when you'll need them!
The build thread for the Bunny Rabbit "goonie" (thank you, Peter Alway) is nearing the end.
All that is left now is final appearances and then pre-launch packing & prep.
Well, who among us hasn't painted a rocket and then regretted the choices we made?
My first Rabbit Rocket was primed and painted with Gloss White. The can specified that it was both paint and primer, and I'm pretty sure that it's semi-gloss white. The whole thing, from tip to tail. I'm pretty pleased with it.
But upon reviewing the one sheet instruction, the author suggested possible masking of the tail or other fins and painting the rabbit pelt with a variety of colors, either realistic or not. In fact, I might shoot the whole thing with white, and then mask off the tail and the paws before either wiping on stain or shooting a mixture of gray and brown, for a natural cotton-tail with white paws sticking through. I haven't done this, though I have masked off the tail below.
Note: When positioning the rocket this way on a flat surface, in theory, it rests on all four legs equally. In fact, since I feathered the front paws twice, one is fractionally shorter, and the rocket "rocks" in this position. No big deal, but it indicates my font paws are a little bit off. Should have checked this.
In any case, since the nose cone is white already, I'm not painting that. However, if I can talk my daughter, the artist, into using a black sharpie marker, I can have her draw in a cuter face than I ever could. Details and location on the nose cone is specified on the one-sheet.
Note: This nose cone is slightly "clocked" to one side, but since it's not glued in, I can easily re-position it when I add the ears, and do final prep for launching.
The current challenge is the ears. They are to be cut from any card stock, and attached to the nose cone with glue strong enough to hold them through launch and recovery. I already know that wood glue won't hold to plastic. I'm thinking that CA or super glue is going to be the way to go. Unfortunately, my thick CA has pretty much turned over, so it might not be easy to attach this one. ***Update: I heard from Peter Alway who states he used Testor's plastic cement out of the tube, and that he had no problem. So that's the way I'm gonna go.
Speaking of glue, I am in the process of creating a tea-bag anchor from copy paper, and tri-folding it I use wood glue and attach the shock cord inside the body tube. Always remember that you want to set the T-bag 1 1/2" lower into the body tube ... so there is no conflict between the nosecone sliding in and the permanently attached T-bag anchor. (This is normally not a problem, but in a pinch, you might be able to anchor it where the bevel on the nosecone will not impact it. Much better to be completely clear though.)
The parachute gets looped through the thin plastic ring on the base of the nose cone. That's not hard, but some rocketeers recommend tying the parachute one third of the way down the shock cord, so that the nosecone will not bang into the rabbit body nor fins when dangling on the way down. You can make your own choice, as I don't think it makes much difference with this LPR rocket.
Finally, the ears have to be attached, after being cut out of card stock. Any 3"x5" index card will work. You can even color in one side of them for a tender pink color if you like. I'm not certain how well they will withstand the air resistance. However, they will be replaceable.
Just don't glue them between the nosecone and the body tube, as their thickness may wedge the nosecone in too tightly. On the other hand, they could be temporarily snugged between the two in the hopes that the ejection charge will overcome the friction and blow the nose cone free...and free the temporary ears to flutter down on their own. This plan would require replacing ears frequently or before each launch.
Don't forget to have sanded your fins before the final prime or paint job, and of course, complete all fillets on each side of each fin, the paws, the tail, and the launch lug(s).
Now, is there anything (besides chute prep and recovery wadding) that I have forgotten?
Yes, the possible need for a little modeling clay to be added to the nosecone. On my first, heavier rabbit rocket, I needed to add clay about the size of a glass marble "boulder" to the inside of the nosecone. (You remember what a Boulder-size is, don't you? It's less than a golf ball but more than a quarter coin.. How else can I describe the amount?). If you've been cautious about adding glue, and frugal on the amount of paint, this should be about the right weight of clay needed. Unfortunately, no clay comes with the Baby Bertha, so you might need a trip to your hobby store (or steal some from your kid! Or maybe your wife's flower arranging supplies?)
Anyway, I'll share some photos of my finished rocket.
Let me know your comments and suggestions.
Until then, keep your glue capped and save your excess balsa scraps.... cause you never know when you'll need them!
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