This is a Skill level 4, D powered Estes kit. #1904; a similar current kit (#3228) sold for $26.99 in 2020. There was an original 1904 kit listed for $70 at https://www.launchlabrocketry.com/shop/the-vault 9/22/21. I found my original Commonwealth receipt from when I purchased mine for $29.99 on 7/6/2000.
I’ve always wanted to build a V2, not because of it’s use in WWII but because it was the basis, after the war, of jump starting the American space program. As such, I spent a lot of time looking at different paint patterns for the V2, since I didn't want to do a camouflage pattern for war, before settling on the final yellow and black scheme.
I bought this kit in 2000, but it was a reissue of an earlier kit from 1984 (and has since been re-reissued). They included the original 1984 20-step instructions with a cover page describing the new engine hook they provided and a few other minor updates. This kit was designed to fly on a D12 engine, but I decided to modify it to also fly on a 24 mm E engine. At first, I thought I would just swap the D hook for a longer E hook and engine mount tube but the hook I had was too short! I bought the Estes “Engine Mount Kit for D & E Engines” (47776 03159), and it came with the 4” X 24 mm engine tube but the hooks were no good. My solution was to cut ~1/8” off used D engine with a hack saw and then use an E9 engine to push it in place as a retainer (with glue). I attached the too short “E hook” for the retainer hook by glueing a shroud over it but NOT allowing the clip to go through wall because it would block the longer engines. I weighed the modified retainer and it was less than 1 gm.
This is a big rocket. It’s 2.6” in diameter and 22.4” tall with an 18" parachute, but it’s shape makes it seem bigger. I liked this kit because it had through-the-wall fins, a “boat tail” curved back end, and a classic shape. It reminded me a lot of the Silver Comet my daughter gave me in 2000. After the fins were attached, brushed with wood putty and sanded, I primed it, sanded some more and then painted it a bright yellow (using Rust-Oleum Sunburst Yellow). I then taped off half the fins and half the body to give a ~checker board pattern, and painted the untaped areas black (with Rust-Oleum Black). I’m really happy with the final result.
Because of the modifications and to double check the RockSim file I weighed the different components and finished rocket:
- Assembled engine mount 5/8 oz (20 gm)
- Trimmed boat tail 7/8?oz (25 gm)
- Shock cord 1 gm
- Assembled rocket (w/o glue for fins) 4 3/8 oz (127 gm) unpainted or primed/filled; 4 7/8 with clay (140 gm)
- Glued, filled & sanded weight before priming: 5 1/4 oz (149 gm)
The box says the rocket should fly “over 750 feet” on a D12. Due to the curvature of the boat tail, OpenRocket can’t simulate the curved fins. The weights in the RockSim files I downloaded for the #1904 V2 model are two or three times as much as my finished weight so I think a D12 will reach somewhere around 700 feet and maybe an E9 will reach 900 or 1000 feet. This is where a
licensed copy of RockSim would be a huge benefit, I’m sure, but I may just launch it with an E9 and see how high it goes! The V2 has joined Larry's fleet of rockets ready for their first (or second) flight.
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