3355 Filillmore Ridge HeightsColorado Springs, Colorado 80907 USAweb site: www.DynaStar-Rockets.com

“Snarky Aerial Target Drone” Rocket Kit Parts List

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10090 Engine Mount Tube (AT24-3.75) 110160 Airframe Tube (AT-56/18) 213031 Centering Ring (CR18-24) 113035 Centering Ring (CR24-29) 115025 Die-Cut Ring Set CR24-56 113056 Launch Lug (1/4” X 3”) 115534 Die-cut Balsa Tail fins (sheet A) 115535 Die-cut Balsa Wings (sheet B) 115538 Scoop Alignment Fixture (die-cut card) 219470 Plastic Nose Cone PNC-56A 123011 Parachute Reinforcement Rings (8) 129500 Parachute Shroud Line (21.3 feet) 129117 32” Plastic Parachute canopy 1

29506 300# Test Kevlar® Shock Cord (8 ft) 131060 Snarky Instruction Sheet A 131061 Snarky Instruction Sheet B 131062 Snarky Instruction Sheet C 137018 Snarky Scoop Cutting Guides Sheet 137019 Snarky Tube Marking Guide Sheet 141025 Snarky Printed Decal Sheet 1

Other Tools and Materials Needed

ScissorsHobby KnifePencilCarpenter’s Wood Glue (or White Glue)Masking TapeSandpaper (200 and 400 grit) & Sanding BlockAluminum “Angle” to draw lines on the tubeRulerWood filler or sanding sealer to smooth balsa finsPaint BrushSpray Paint24mm Spent Engine casing to insert engine block.

Skill Level 4 - Slightly Challenging

The Snarky is designed to look like an Air Force tar-get drone - with attitude! That means its purpose is tomimic the flight of enemy airplanes, so that the AirForce can practice intercepting it. But this isn't a scalemodel. We designed it just for kicks, and to show youhow much fun you really can have with rocketry.

The air-scoop on the bottom of the model is just onething that makes this rocket kit unusual. It actuallyhelps stabilize the rocket; you'll find that it fliesstraight as an arrow on every single launch.

Besides the air scoop, the fins are assymetric. Thatmeans they aren't equally spaced around the rocketlike they are on other kits. The combination of thescoop and the assymetric fins, plus the large size ofthis kit is what makes it stand out amongst all theother rockets at the flying range.

Kit #5030

Made By:DynaStar Mid-Power Model RocketsA Brand of Apogee Components, Inc.

Mid-PowerModel

Rockets

Mid-Power Rockets

Snarky Aerial Target Drone Assembly

1. Using 400 grit sandpaper, fine sand bothof the balsa die-cut sheets before removingthe fins. Carefully remove all the pieces fromthe balsa sheet by freeing the edges with asharp hobby knife.

2. Group the like fins together, and gentlysand the edges as shown in the illustration.

3. The main wing and the vertical tail fin ofthe Snarky are made by joining the balsapieces together as shown. Place the pieceson a sheet of plastic when gluing themtogether so they don’t stick to your work tableas they dry. Use wood glue, and perform thisstep two times to make left and right sidewings, and once for the vertical tail.

4. You can apply sanding sealer to the sur-faces of all the balsa tail pieces and wings.Coat both sides at the same time to minimizethe chances of the fins warping. Do not allowthe sanding sealer to get on the root edge ofthe parts. This could prevent the pieces frombonding well to the body tube when it is gluedon later. Set them aside to dry completely.When they are dry, sand the sealer smoothuntil you get a desirable surface finish. Youmay need to repeat this step several timesdepending on the level of quality you wish toachieve.

5. Engine block installation: Take a spentengine casing (24mm size). Mark with a pen-cil 1/4 inch (6mm) from the nozzle end.Reference Motor sizes:

Estes C11 & D12: 2-3/4 inches long.Estes E9: 3-3/4 inches long.Aerotech F21: 3-3/4 inches long.

Using wood glue, glue the small green engineblock into the front end of the engine mounttube. Push it in until the line on the spentengine casing is just even with the end of thetube. Remove engine casing immediately.Once it is in place, add a fillet of glue aroundthe front edge of the green engine block.

6. Remove the two large centering ringsfrom the die-cut card sheet. Apply a bead ofwood glue around the engine mount tube, 1/2inch (13 mm) from the rear end. Slide one ofthe cardboard rings into the bead of glue.Check to be sure the ring is aligned straightas shown.

AB

C

DE

Page 2

Glue wing piecestogether as shown. Notethe wood grain direction.

1/4” (6mm)Step 5

Main Wing.Make twosets.

Vertical Tail.Make one piece.

Remove these two rings.

1/2” (13 mm)

Ring should be perpendicular

Side view

7. Find the large green ring that fits overthe 24mm diameter engine mount tube. Cut anotch on the inside with a hobby knife.

8. Mark a pencil line on the front of theengine mount tube, 1/2 inch (12mm) from theend. Tie the yellow Kevlar® shock cordaround the front end of the engine mounttube. Slide the green ring over the shock cordand onto the tube. The shock cord should fitinto the notch on the inside of the ring. Pullthe cord tight up against the ring. Now Gluethe ring in place, so that the edge lines upwith the pencil mark as shown.

9. Cut a notch in the inside of the remain-ing cardboard centering ring with your hobbyknife. Slide this ring over the shock cord, andglue it against the green ring on the enginemount tube. The shock cord should nestinside the notch so the ring fits easily over thetube.

10. After the glue on the engine mount isdry, put a fillet of glue on each side of both ofthe centering rings. These rings take a lot ofstress at engine ejection, and you must makesure to have a good glue bond. When theglue is dry, test fit the assembly into the largebody tube. Sand the edges if the fit is tight.

11. Reverse the direction of the shock cordso that it comes out of the aft end of theengine mount tube as shown. Apply woodglue deep inside one of the body tubes usinga scrap piece of wood or a dowel.Immediately insert the engine mount assem-bly into the body tube, and push with oneFAST and SMOOTH motion until the aft endof the engine mount tube sticks out about 1/2inch (13 mm) as shown. Apply additionalwood glue to the exposed centering ring/bodytube. Wipe away excess glue with your finger.You can now feed shock cord back throughthe body tube.

12. Cut out the “main-tube” marking guide.Wrap the guide around the aft end of thelarge white body tube from step 11 and tapethe ends together. Mark a small line at eachof the arrow points and label as indicated onthe marking guide and then remove.sheet 2 P/N 31062

Apply glue fillets to both sides ofall three rings. Be sure to smearglue over the shock cord where ittouches the green ring.

Apply a ring of glue deepinside tube (about 3 inches)

1/2” (13 mm)

scrap pieceof wood.

Shock cord.

Scoop Edge

ail Fin

Wing

a

Wing

Tail Fin

aft end

Forwardend

aft end

Page 3

Shock Cord.

1/2” (12mm)

Pull cord tight upagainst the ring.

Cut a notch.

Cut a notch.

Page 4

13. Using a metal angle tool (a door framewill work, but it is not recommended on largediameter tubes), draw a pencil line down theoutside of the body tube at each pencil mark.

14. Cut out the “Scoop” tube markingguide, and again, mark at each arrow point,and draw a line down the entire length of thetube using the aluminum angle tool. Don’t for-get to write on the tube what each line isused for.

15. Using a hobby knife and the straightedge on your ruler, carefully cut out the scoopcutting guides from the pattern sheet.

16. Wrap the aft tube cutting guide aroundone end of the tube. Make sure the centerlineon the guide is aligned with the “centerline”on the tube. Slide it until the flat edge of thecutting guide is flush with the end of the tube.When it is positioned correctly, tape it downso it can’t slide around. Taking your pencil,trace around the edge of the curved part ofthe guide as shown. You may now removethe paper guide.

17. On the opposite end of the tube, followthe same procedure as in the previous step:position, tape into place, and mark the for-ward edge of the tube using the forwardscoop cutting guide template.

Scoop Edge

Centerline !

Scoop Edge

Scoop Cutting GuidesP/N 37018

Forward Scoop

Aft Scoop

Overlap

Overlap

Align With AftEdge of Tube

Align WithForward Edgeof Tube

Align on Centerline

Align on Centerline of T

ube.

Mid-Power Model Rockets

www.DynaStar-Rockets.com

Tape marking guide on totube, so it can’t slide around.

Forward End

Align on Centerline

Forward End

18. Using a very sharp hobby knife, care-fully cut along both lines on the scoop tube asshown. Work slowly! Do NOT try to cutthrough the tube in a single pass. Make sev-eral light cuts first to be sure that your bladedoes not stray from the line.

19. Clean up the edges of the tube bysanding them with 200 grit sandpaper asshown. The edges look better when they aresmooth and flat.

20. NOTE: This is the most difficult step ofthe entire assembly sequence. Take yourtime.

Lay the tube back into the aluminum angle.Score gently on the lines marked “ScoopEdge” with a very sharp hobby knife. Scorethe lines on both sides of the tube before cut-ting all the way through the wall. Otherwise, itis difficult to cut a straight edge; the tube willwiggle very much, making cutting difficult.

21. Smooth out, and otherwise clean upthe edges of the tube using a sanding blockand 200 grit sandpaper. Be careful at thepointy end of the tube, as they can be benteasily if you are too rough with the sandingblock.

Discard upper part

Page 5Sheet 3 P/N 31063

22. Slide the scoop alignment fixtures (die-cut cardboard pieces) over the main bodytube. Position them about 1/3 of the way fromeach end on the tube as shown.

23. Slide the scoop tube into the alignmentfixtures. The aft end of the scoop tube is pos-tioned flush with the end of the main tube.

Now rotate the main tube, so the lines on thetube labeled “Scoop Edge” touch the actualedges of the scoop tube.

24. Carefully lay a very thin bead of woodglue along the joint where the scoop tubemeets the main tube. You may have to slidethe alignment fixtures as you apply the glue.Make sure the alignment fixtures are not acci-dentally glued to the model. Allow the glue todry before proceeding to the next step.

25. Apply a very thin layer glue to the rootedge of one of the large wings. Allow the glueto dry slightly for three minutes, and then slipit into the slots of the alignment fixture asshown. The aft edge of the wing is positioned5 inches (12.7 cm) from the aft end of thetube. Press the root edge of the wing tightlyagainst the tube, and hold it in position untilthe glue sets. Repeat this step for the otherwing. When the glue is dry, remove the align-ment fixtures.

Page 6

Rotate Tube

“Point” alignedwith end of main tube.

Top: For the main body tube.

Bottom: For scoop tube.

5” (12.7 cm)

Front View

26. Apply a thin layer of glue to the rootedge of the vertical tail fin. Allow the glue todry slightly to dry for approximately 3 min-utes, and then attach it to the line markedvertical tail on the top of the main tube. Thefin is attached so that it is flush with the endof the tube. Make sure the fin is straight alongthe tube. Allow the fin to dry before proceed-ing with the horizontal tail fins. Repeat thisbasic proceedure two more times as youattach the horizontal tail fins.

27. Test fit the bottom fin inside the scooptube. The corner is positioned just inside thescoop-tube’s curved edge. Sand the edgeslightly if it is too tight. When it just slips in,glue it in place using carpenter’s wood glue.

28. Apply a bead of wood glue to bothsides of each fin-body tube joint. Pull your fin-ger along the joint to smooth out and removethe excess glue. Lay the tube horizontallywhile the glue dries.

29. Using wood glue, attach the launch lugto the tube inside the scoop tube; position it6.0 inches (15.2 cm) from the end of the tubenearest the fins. Allow the glue to dry.

30. Test fit the nose cone onto the frontend of the rocket. You may need to apply twoor three layers of masking tape to make thefit snug. When applying the masking tape,leave a slight gap between the edge of thenose portion and the edge of the tape.

Front View

Corner of fin is positionedjust inside scoop-tube’sedge.

6” (15.2 cm)

Page 7

31. Tie the loose end of the shock cord tothe loop on the base of the nose cone usingtwo overhand knots. Apply a little bit of woodglue onto the knot to keep it from cominguntied.

Parachute Assembly

32. Carefully cut out the parachute canopyalong the dashed lines. Place one reinforce-ment ring on each of the marked corners.Take a sharp pencil or hobby knife and pokea hole through the plastic in the center ofeach ring.

33. Fold the shroud line in half, and cut atthe fold to make equal lengths; cut eachpiece in half again to make a total of fourlines of equal length.

34. Pull each parachute line end through aparachute reinforcement ring and tie usingtwo overhand knots. Repeat for all the cor-ners as shown.

35. Holding the parachute at the center ofits top, pull the lines together to even up theends. Thread the 4 looped lines through theloop at the base of the nose cone. Take thetop of the parachute and pull it through all 4string loops at the same time and then pull totighten the knot. This securely attaches theparachute to the rocket.

Painting the Orion Transport Rocket

36. Roll a piece of paper and insert it intothe aft end of the body tube so you can holdthe model while painting it. For best results,paint the model with primer before using thefinal paint colors. Follow the directions on thepaint can, and always paint outdoors with thewind against your back. Start by painting theentire rocket white. When the paint has driedfor 24 hours, mask off, and paint the nose tipred, and the underside of the scoop tube.

Tie shock cord to theloop on the nose cone.

Figure 1 Shroud line

Adhesive circle

a division of APOGEE ROCKETS

1130 Elkton Drive, Suite A

Colorado Springs, CO 80907 USA

www.ApogeeRockets.com

CAREFULLY CUT OUT ALONG DASHED LINE

CAREFULLY CUT OUT ALONG DASHED LINE

STEP 2Press the circle firmly and attach second end to the

circle next to it on the same side of the parachute

(see Figure 2).

STEP 1Carefully cut out parachute canopy along dashed lines.Take parachute

shroud line and cut into 3 equal lengths. Placing the end of each shroud

line over a circle at the parachute corners, secure line with adhesive

circle as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 2

STEP 3Holding the parachute canopy

by the center of its top, pull the

lines together and try to even up

the ends.

STEP 4Pass the parachute lines through the nose cone eye screw. Pass the canopy

completely through the loop ends of the parachute. Pull the lines tightly against

the eye screw and fix the knot in place with a drop of glue.

nose cone eye screw

Tape Ring

Poke holethrough ring.

A

B C

Rolled up paper to holdrocket while painting.

Page 8

Page 9

Wadding inserted into the tubefirst, below the parachute.

1 2 3

4 5

Fold Peak Down.

SpikeCanopy. Lay Excess String

on Top of Canopy.

Roll Sides Inward.

Loosely Wrap Any Excess String around Canopy And Insert.

Parachute inside rocket. Foldingsequence shown above.

37. Before applying the decals, let thepaint harden at least 24 hours. Cut aroundthe perimeter of the decal with a pair of scis-sors. Peel off the paper backing, and affix thedecal in place on the model. Use the pictureon this page for decal placement.

38. Congratulations! Your Snarky AerialTarget Drone rocket kit is now complete.

Launch Supplies Needed

To launch your rocket you will need the fol-lowing supplies:� A model rocket launching system.� Flame resistant recovery wadding.� Recommended 24mm Diameter Rocket

Engines — see the motor matrix below.

Rocket Preflight

A. Loosely crumple and insert 8 sheets ofrecovery wadding into the body tube.

B. Carefully fold the parachute and insert itinto the tube with the shock cord. Then installthe payload section into place.

Top View

Side View

Bottom View

Motor Produced Est. Altitude By: Ft. m.

C11-3 Estes 181 55.2D12-5 Estes 395 120.5E6-4 Apogee 1090 332.4E9-4 Estes 796 242.7E15-4 Aerotech 994 303.1E30-4 Aerotech 929 288.7F21-4 Aerotech 1237 377.1

Tape aroundend of motor.

Tape around end of tube.

C. Wrap approximately 5 layers of maskingtape around the aft 1/4” (6mm) of the motor,to equal the the outer diameter of the motortube. Trim any excess tape that extends offthe edge of the motor casing. Fully insert themotor into the motor mount tube, and wraptwo layers of 1” (2.5 cm) wide masking tapearound both the motor and the motor tube,securing it in place.

D. Insert and secure the engine igniter asdirected on the package the engines camewith.Countdown and Launch Procedure

Fly your rocket on a large field that isn’t nearany power lines, trees, or low flying aircraft.The larger the field, the greater your chancesof recovering your rocket. The launch areaaround the pad must be free of dry weedsand brown grass. Launch only during calmweather with very little or no wind and goodvisibility. Always use a launch pad thatincludes a blast deflector.

10 Remove the safety key from the launchcontroller9. Slide the launch lugs over the launch rodto place the rocket on the pad. The rocketshould slide freely over the rod.8. Attach the micro-clips to the igniter. Theclips must not touch the other or the metalblast deflector.7. Stand back from your rocket as far as thelaunch wire allows (at least 5 meters - 15feet).6. Insert the safety key to arm the launch sys-tem. The light (or buzzer) on the controllershould come on.

Give a loud countdown 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...LAUNCH!

Push and hold the button until the engineignites. Then remove the safety key andplace the safety cap on the launch rod.

Misfire Procedure

Occasionally the igniter will burn, but themotor will fail to ignite. If this happens, thecause is that the pyrogen on the igniter wasnot in contact with the engines propellant.When an ignition failure occurs, remove thesafety key from the launch controller and wait60 seconds before approaching the rocket.Remove the old igniter from the engine andinstall a new one. Make sure that the igniteris insert fully into the engine and touches the

propellant. Secure the igniter as directed on the engine package andrepeat the countdown and launch procedure.

Always follow the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ROCKETRY ModelRocket Safety Code when launching model rockets.

**Kevlar® is a brand name of E.I. DuPont for their selection of aramidfibers. Only DuPont makes Kevlar®.Page 10

Make sure igniter clips don’ttouch each other, or the metalblast deflector.

4.60 in.

4.60 in.

4.75 in.

7.25 in.

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0.60

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Page 11

Mid-Power Model Rockets

Snarky Aerial Target DroneFin Templates

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2.60 in

2.37 in.

4.40 in.

3.94 in

4.41 in.

2.03 in.

3.53 in.

3.11 in.

2.59 in.

0.60 in.

2.98 in.

1.20 in.

5.48 in.

15°

Sheet 1 P/N 31061