Firefly Serenity - A Scratch Build

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lakeroadster said:
As anticipated... It's an Aero-Turd...
View attachment 639431View attachment 639432
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I was kinda thinking , “hmmm, the OpenRocket sim seems conspicuously absent.”

I correctly guessed why.

There is always the cop out tail ring fin (doubles as a handy dandy display stand!). Which worked quite well with my 240 Calories in Plain Sight Coke Bottle rocket and the far more recent Mandalorian rocket.

For rockets with vertical orientation (like a standing statue or Coke bottle) it works and looks fine (IMO, humble or not).

For rockets which “fly” or at least are best viewed or displayed HORIZONTALLY (like yours or the SPACE 1999 Eagle) they would work but don’t quite “look” right.

Which is kind interesting because when built as flying model rockets they all launch vertically.

Thinking waaaaay outside the box, a repositionable ring tail fin would be interesting (especially was this rocket won’t sit upright on a shelf easily.)

Would be a ring fin and tube that attaches at the back for launch. For display, pops off the back and pops into a side hole on the “bottom” of the rocket in desired display orientation.

It sort of replaces “finesse” with what my dad called “main strength and awkwardness “, or another popular craftsman calls “hell for stout”!
 
GlenP said:
Nice one, I have also thought the Rocinante from The Expanse would be a cool scratch build. Kind of like a Volvo, they’re boxy, but they’re good!
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It’s a space ship they don’t need to make aerodynamicists happy, so be as boxy as you like.
 
BABAR said:
I was kinda thinking , “hmmm, the OpenRocket sim seems conspicuously absent.”

I correctly guessed why.

There is always the cop out tail ring fin (doubles as a handy dandy display stand!). Which worked quite well with my 240 Calories in Plain Sight Coke Bottle rocket and the far more recent Mandalorian rocket.

For rockets with vertical orientation (like a standing statue or Coke bottle) it works and looks fine (IMO, humble or not).

For rockets which “fly” or at least are best viewed or displayed HORIZONTALLY (like yours or the SPACE 1999 Eagle) they would work but don’t quite “look” right.

Which is kind interesting because when built as flying model rockets they all launch vertically.

Thinking waaaaay outside the box, a repositionable ring tail fin would be interesting (especially was this rocket won’t sit upright on a shelf easily.)

Would be a ring fin and tube that attaches at the back for launch. For display, pops off the back and pops into a side hole on the “bottom” of the rocket in desired display orientation.

It sort of replaces “finesse” with what my dad called “main strength and awkwardness “, or another popular craftsman calls “hell for stout”!
Click to expand...
Flying this horizontally or the Space 1999 Eagle is just a bit crazy, but it will work. Just need a really really kind RSO. ;)
 
Daddyisabar said:
Rotate the pods for VTOL. Two widely spaced motors. No problemmo! Horizontal take off rocks.

That was the way it took off in the show...right?
Click to expand...
Yep VTOL. And it's got legs, like, well, a Firefly... the scale of it is huge, this photo doesn't do it justice, the grass makes it look small. Now, if those were trees.. maybe the scale would be correct.​

93999-Firefly-Serenity.jpg​

BABAR said:
I was kinda thinking , “hmmm, the OpenRocket sim seems conspicuously absent.”

I correctly guessed why.
Click to expand...
I wanted to build the CAD model 1st... so the scale of the Open Rocket pieces parts would be close to actual.​
BABAR said:
There is always the cop out tail ring fin (doubles as a handy dandy display stand!). Which worked quite well with my 240 Calories in Plain Sight Coke Bottle rocket and the far more recent Mandalorian rocket.

For rockets with vertical orientation (like a standing statue or Coke bottle) it works and looks fine (IMO, humble or not).

For rockets which “fly” or at least are best viewed or displayed HORIZONTALLY (like yours or the SPACE 1999 Eagle) they would work but don’t quite “look” right.

Which is kind interesting because when built as flying model rockets they all launch vertically.
Click to expand...
Not this one... it's a VTOL​
BABAR said:
Thinking waaaaay outside the box, a repositionable ring tail fin would be interesting (especially was this rocket won’t sit upright on a shelf easily.)

Would be a ring fin and tube that attaches at the back for launch. For display, pops off the back and pops into a side hole on the “bottom” of the rocket in desired display orientation.

It sort of replaces “finesse” with what my dad called “main strength and awkwardness “, or another popular craftsman calls “hell for stout”!
Click to expand...
The Firefly Serenity actually has a flat bottom and legs that deploy for landing (see above photo). It truly is a pretty neat bird.​
​
It'll be extremely challenging to make the flying model look like the show bird. I actually started by looking online for a scale model of it to modify, but didn't have any luck finding anything large enough that wasn't some Lego looking rocket. If anybody knows of a commercially made model... post it up.​
​
As always... thanks for the deep thoughts. They keep me thinking.​
 
Last edited:
lakeroadster said:
Yep VTOL. And it's got legs, like, well, a Firefly... the scale of it is huge, this photo doesn't do it justice, the grass makes it look small. Now, if those were trees.. maybe the scale would be correct.​



I wanted to build the CAD model 1st... so the scale of the Open Rocket pieces parts would be close to actual.​

Not this one... it's a VTOL​

The Firefly Serenity actually has a flat bottom and legs that deploy for landing (see above photo). It truly is a pretty neat bird.​
​
It'll be extremely challenging to make the flying model look like the show bird. I actually started by looking online for a scale model of it to modify, but didn't have any luck finding anything large enough that wasn't some Lego looking rocket.​
​
As always... thanks for the deep thoughts. They keep me thinking.​
Click to expand...
Horizontal take off and the landing legs would be a benefit! But that is just plain crazy talk...
 
Ok, here's my idea, but it's going to be tricky..... You can still fly it vertically, but use two tractor motors in the side engine pods, but then you have to then somehow HVAC the ejection charge into some ducting to get the rear eject to work.
 
techrat said:
Ok, here's my idea, but it's going to be tricky..... You can still fly it vertically, but use two tractor motors in the side engine pods, but then you have to then somehow HVAC the ejection charge into some ducting to get the rear eject to work.
Click to expand...
I quickly abandoned that idea based on how far the motors are from the rockets C/L, thrust steer would be an issue.​
​
Now... if you also had an engine in the center at the rear supplying the majority of thrust..... but those engine pods without any engines become tube fins.... and we need all the stability we can get. That's why I went with just one motor.​
 
Thrust steer- mush beer. It must take off like the show, otherwise it might damage your childhood memories and dreams. ;)

Still contemplating a big Space 1999 Eagle PMC with four power pods and all the transport pod motors underneath going at once in a horizontal take off...like it should be! Big$$$ to risk. It worked on TV! Not Jedi approved. Hanging out with the Reavers with that level of poor rocket design.

Vertical launch it's just a bit crooked. Horizontal it's just a bit of asymmetrical drag. Simply an ignition issue.
 
Your's will be the rarest Firefly on the planet, the extremely rare and elusive Rocky Mountain High Firefly. Only found in a mysterious cave high on a mountain it is said to have a mean streak a mile wide, taking out spectators with ruthless efficiency. LOOK AT THE BONES! ;)
 
I could be wrong but I don't think I have seen a Serenity plastic model kit. Maybe something very small scale or Funko Pop like. Lots of people have done large LEGO builds that are super impressive. Excited to see if this works!
 
mjennings said:
I could be wrong but I don't think I have seen a Serenity plastic model kit. Maybe something very small scale or Funko Pop like. Lots of people have done large LEGO builds that are super impressive. Excited to see if this works!
Click to expand...
Only model kit which I am aware of is a 9 inch long resin one of 1/288 scale, totally not suitable for flying model use,
https://www.starshipmodeler.com/other/au_prefly.htm

There is/has been at least 1 paper/card model offered,
https://papermau.blogspot.com/2018/10/serenity-firefly-spaceship-paper-model.html

I'm on the Paper Modeler forum though no longer actively building in paper, and here's a 2009 thread about designing a paper model in 1/72 scale.
How that might be of assistance with a flying rocket model is a thing I do not know,
so, here it is for you to conduct your own assessment of its potential usefulness,
https://www.papermodelers.com/forum/alternate-dimensions/7636-firefly-project.html
 
modeltrains said:
Only model kit which I am aware of is a 9 inch long resin one of 1/288 scale, totally not suitable for flying model use,
https://www.starshipmodeler.com/other/au_prefly.htm

There is/has been at least 1 paper/card model offered,
https://papermau.blogspot.com/2018/10/serenity-firefly-spaceship-paper-model.html

I'm on the Paper Modeler forum though no longer actively building in paper, and here's a 2009 thread about designing a paper model in 1/72 scale.
How that might be of assistance with a flying rocket model is a thing I do not know,
so, here it is for you to conduct your own assessment of its potential usefulness,
https://www.papermodelers.com/forum/alternate-dimensions/7636-firefly-project.html
Click to expand...
No active links, unless I missed something... :dontknow:​
 

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