Squatty Body from Odd'l Rockets Build

Next up...

I am really happy to give HCMBanjo's kit a go. I believe I won this as part of an Auction from JonRocket (good people). Quality looks good.

Quick survey of the parts shows no anomalies. The nose cone is a pretty loose fit in the tube. And it has some mold lines/marks to deal with.

Otherwise nothing to comment about right this minute. I am going to read the instructions over and prep the tubes and fins.

I keep thinking... Der Squatty Body...

First order of business was to fill the tube and fins. I am not sure why kit manufacturers think this is a good idea to do this after you've built the rocket but virtually all do. Even people you know don't do that when they build, tell you to do that in their kits...

Anyway I used Fill n Finish to do both. The tubing, what little there is, was cut well and easy to fill. The fins came in the kit taped together and therefore already removed from whatever balsa sheeting they were lasered out of. My guess is the manufacturer gets 5 or 6 (or more) kits worth of fins out of one sheet. The wood was of good quality and the grain proper to to leading edge.

I also put a little thin CA on the tube edges as is my custom.

I did some sanding on the nose cone seam and that really cleaned it up for the most part. But I went ahead with the thick CA treatment anyway.

So picking up on the build we

1. Mark the internal Motor Mount Tube - Photo 1
2. Slit the tube and insert clip - (I was a little bummed I did not get the Odd'l Rockets Extra Long Clip that lets one put the motor block aft of the bend in the hook... ) - Photo 2
3. Tied the Kevlar per the instructions and set the knot with a drop of think CA - Photo 2
4. Set the forward centering ring in place - Photo 3

And this brings us current:

1. Added the aft centering ring - photo 1
2. Add fillets to the top and bottom surfaces - photo 2

After that, I'll fillet the other sides and move on.

Und I shtill be tinking Der Red Squatty Body...:wink:

Hi Jeff,
I'm following your build closely!

That nose cone is a little loose. The loose fit will probably "go away" when it's all put together. You'll see what I mean later.
Just be sure to read the plastic lug directions twice before gluing it in place.

I don't recommend using CA to set a knot, you'd be better served using white glue. CA can run down a shroud line or elastic making it stiff and brittle.
It shouldn't make a difference on the Kevlar though.

The extended length engine hooks weren't ever part of any Odd'l Rocket kit.
They were actually a trial run of parts to see if anyone was interested.
While I thought they were a pretty good idea, they never sold enough to justify making a large run.

Thanks for taking the time to do a Squatty build thread. It's looking great so far!

I had a manager named Tony, short in stature, was nicknamed "Squatty Body". I had great respect for the man and he was much loved by all who knew him.

RIP Tony.

Und zo vee continue ya?

1. I filleted the other two surfaces of the centering rings. Its looks a little excessive but not to worry, I cleaned it up. I just wanted to get the photo. Photo 1
2. Then the motor block. OMG this is a heck of a motor block!!! :y: - Photo 2
3. I found me a plastic paint brush just like the instructions say, and it work the doddle for applying the drops of glue and spreading it into a fillet. Very well indeed. :wink: - Photo 3 and 4
   
   

You can build the Squatty Body in a day if you push it. Maybe even less. Onwards...

1. Marked the tube using the supplied marking guide. Nice exploded view on the sheet. One request would be to put all the dimensions on the exploded view. Diameters, fins, etc... but that is just an idea - photo 1
2. With a mark inside the main body tube a 1/16th from the end, in slid the motor mount assembly. The rings fit perfectly. Not to tight, not too loose. Well Done Odd' Rockets! - photo 2
3. Again we deployed the plastic paint brush handle to place drops of glue into the "top center ring to inside body tube" joint. Worked very well. - Still photo 2
4. While I let that dry a spell under the Halogen lamp, sanded down the thick CA on the nose cone mold joints. Very nice indeed - Photo 3
   

This cold is a bummer... like on my third box of kleenex... oh well... I only get one or two a year...

1. I was waiting for the centering ring fillets to cure a bit so I packed the 12 grams of clay into the nose cone and spread a little white glue around as recommended in the instructions. - Photo 1. Warning, make sure you pack it in well! The inner tube goes way up there, you need to make sure it clears. I was lucky as I did not think of it until later. But there was no issue.
2. Photo 2 shows the glue for the double glue joints drying a bit... I know boring. What I failed to notice until the fins went on is...
3. The hook lines up with the fins. Rookie mistake, and I should know better, but the instructions could warn you! Yes I know, no instruction can protect me from myself! - Photo 3

I don't have the instructions in front of me but I don't recall them mentioning filleting the fins after the launch lug goes on... maybe they do.

So far so good. A nice kit that falls together. I did not finish it today. I thought I would but the head cold is slowing me down...

Thinking a black nose, red body, and some scaled down Der Red Max themed decals...

hcmbanjo said:

Hi Jeff,
Just be sure to read the plastic lug directions twice before gluing it in place.

Click to expand...

Will do!

hcmbanjo said:

It shouldn't make a difference on the Kevlar though.

Click to expand...

I don't use it on elastic or thread.

hcmbanjo said:

The extended length engine hooks weren't ever part of any Odd'l Rocket kit.

Click to expand...

Well I for one thought them a great idea. Especially since I hear people all the time talking about (or posting about) hooks tearing etc... Maybe they just need more PR?

hcmbanjo said:

Thanks for taking the time to do a Squatty build thread. It's looking great so far!

Click to expand...

My pleasure. I have a Wedgie as well rofl: giggle). I think I got both from JonRocket (I got a Wedgie from Roger? :rofl. Either directly or via an auction.

As I said, there's little doubt if in warm conditions where the glue will dry quick enough (or using CA) you can build the Odd'l Rockets Squatty Body in a day. Me I do things at my leisure and I've had a head cold for a few days, that also slowed me down a tad. Oh and I am working on finishing the Night Whisper, Javelin, and the Arrowhead. Plus working on the Astrobee-D. Lots going on...

So to finish up we install the launch lug. The instruction said it would be a 1/4 inch shorter than the body tube. But that was not the case. So I made it so cutting an angle cut with a hobby knife a 1/4 inch (6mm) from the front of the lug.

It was glued on and all fins given a nice two-pass fillet of wood glue.


The last step is the installation of the shock cord attachment to the inside of the nose cone. Provided is a length of hollow clear plastic with a hexagonal cross-section. One side of the hex has been sanded down giving a larger area for gluing. Photo 2 shows this piece with the sanded area up.

The shock cord is tied to the plastic (though this could have waited until the part is glued into the nose cone). Then I attached some forceps to maneuver the part into a little pool of CA placed just forward of the lip created by the shoulder of the nose cone.

The final result is in photo 4

Crickets....

Nice Build Jeff. Very Thorough!!:handshake:

Thanks for the build thread!

gdjsky01 said:

There is no way the supplied streamer (1 x 12 non-creased - 2.4cm x 28cm) is adequate for the harder ground I recover rockets on. Sure in the rain soaked Florida Everglades it might work , but on the Sun baked grounds of SoCal I'll need something else. Okay okay I am surmising this without empirical evidence. I've broken or cracked enough fins to get some cred on this point.

Note: I do wish kit manufacturers would use a wider assortment of geography for beta testing. Most kit recovery systems are one size too small for Sun Belt residents. I suppose that is one advantage to just leaving it out of the kit altogether.​

Click to expand...

Excuse me for speaking for the Odd'l man, but most of Chris's kits are, what he calls, "park flyers." He designs them to be flown in small areas, such as neighborhood parks or shoolyards. One consideration of that is that you need to be able to recover the model within the small area without it drifting too far. So, when Chris balances the need for the models to be recovered safely and without damage with the need to not drift far, he leans toward the "not drift far" part of the equation.

Of course, none of the above applies to the Odd'l Rockets Cyclone kit which can "helicopter" for an amazing length of time and distance even on a small motor.

BTW, Chris tests his rockets in an area not far from the headwaters of the Everglades, but not actually in the Everglades.

-- Roger

gdjsky01 said:

The last step would be to attach the streamer.

There is no way the supplied streamer (1 x 12 non-creased - 2.4cm x 28cm) is adequate for the harder ground I recover rockets on. Sure in the rain soaked Florida Everglades it might work , but on the Sun baked grounds of SoCal I'll need something else. Okay okay I am surmising this without empirical evidence.
So far, overall a solid 4 out of 5 for materials, instructions, and construction.
:clap::clap::clap::clap:
So far, I'd recommend the Squatty Body to a friend.

Click to expand...

What do you mean? Doesn't everybody fly on fresh mown grass?
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
That'll be a judegment call on your part, whether your switch out something else for recovery. A small parachute could probably roll around the longer motor mount tube. It'd be a tight fit though.

Quote from Roger:
"Excuse me for speaking for the Odd'l man, but most of Chris's kits are, what he calls, "park flyers." He designs them to be flown in small areas, such as neighborhood parks or shoolyards. One consideration of that is that you need to be able to recover the model within the small area without it drifting too far."

Sure Roger, you can speak for me! (Didn't I give you Power of Attorney anyway?)
With flying fields getting smaller and more scarce, I do keep that in mind when designing the Odd'l kits.


Jeff, thanks for taking the time to do the build thread.
It is very much appreciated!

Pending another set of decals to print with them (don't want to waste half a sheet), I think this is the idea I have for the paint job...
:headbang::w:

gdjsky01 said:

Pending another set of decals to print with them (don't want to waste half a sheet), I think this is the idea I have for the paint job...
:headbang::w:

Click to expand...

Ahhhh, a Squatty-Max. :wink:

Nice!

BTW ... Der Red Max themed things seem to be popping up often lately including the latest banner at https://modelrocketbuilding.blogspot.com/ and Gene Wolski's recent PML Endeavour review at RocketReviews.com.

-- Roger

gdjsky01 said:

First order of business was to fill the tube and fins. I am not sure why kit manufacturers think this is a good idea to do this after you've built the rocket but virtually all do. Even people you know don't do that when they build, tell you to do that in their kits...

Anyway I used Fill n Finish to do both. The tubing, what little there is, was cut well and easy to fill. The fins came in the kit taped together and therefore already removed from whatever balsa sheeting they were lasered out of. My guess is the manufacturer gets 5 or 6 (or more) kits worth of fins out of one sheet. The wood was of good quality and the grain proper to to leading edge.

I also put a little thin CA on the tube edges as is my custom.

Click to expand...

That design would work well for a Big Daddy

gdjsky01 said:

I waited and waited and waited to have something else to print on the decal paper since this rocket would need less than half a sheet... ultimately I gave up waiting and printed the decals...

Cept I forgot to set 'Best Quality' mode on the printer! :bangpan::bangpan::bangpan::y::bangpan:

So the black band did not turn out as well as I had wanted... but ya know... from 10 to 15 feet (3 to 5 meters) it'll look the part.

Weight without motor is about 1.25oz (33gm IIRC)

Should fly next month at one of the small field SCRA (NAR section 430) launches. Prolly on an A8-3 or A6-4 to start.

View attachment 75425​

Click to expand...

Hi Jeff,
Sorry I didn't see this earlier!
I think it came out great! Nice work, thanks for posting.
I may have to do a Red Max Squatty now!

Jeff...great job!!

Nice build Jeff, I like the Max finish Too!

Quick follow up.

The Squatty Body flew for the first time today on an A8-3. Boost and deployment were picture perfect. Only issue was a fried mylar chute... I need to figure out the best way to protect it in that design. I wrapped it around the inside tube. However the recovery was still very safe, no damage. Just the chute was not completely inflated. On grass you might get away with a big streamer.

A fun kit to build and fly! Recommended! I may need an Odd'l Rockets Combo Pack.

Thanks for posting this! I had not seen this rocket kit before and it looks like a really fun build and a awesome rocket to fly! I see Apogee sells the kit for $11, its a shame shipping to Ohio is more than half the price of the rocket though at $6.00. Any other places I can order it from maybe? I was going to order a Estes Big Daddy from Amazon for one of my next builds but I really want to give this rocket a shot!

JMies419 said:

Thanks for posting this! I had not seen this rocket kit before and it looks like a really fun build and a awesome rocket to fly! I see Apogee sells the kit for $11, its a shame shipping to Ohio is more than half the price of the rocket though at $6.00. Any other places I can order it from maybe? I was going to order a Estes Big Daddy from Amazon for one of my next builds but I really want to give this rocket a shot!

Click to expand...

Jonrocket sells it. The best way to defray single rocket shipping costs is to buy more than one rocket. :wink: I know that sounds callous but facts are USPS minimum is like $5 or $6 bucks. I suppose a Parcel Post package might be cheaper, but there is no tracking and I believe an even higher chance of lost or damage than Priority Mail. And it's only a little cheaper. UPS is even more expensive in my experience unless you have a contract with them. Energy prices being what they are, shipping is expensive.