Model Rocket - Scratch Build Project

Model Rockets are a lot of fun to experiment with. Here's a model rocket build step-by-step from start to launch!

Rocketry is just another form of flight. Although very different from conventional aviation, it's history actually spans back much, much further. For centuries, people have been making rockets and firing them at things. They were used by the Chinese Song dynasty in the 13th century and by others afterward as a tool of war. Today, small rockets can be used for more peaceful purposes. Here's how I made one from some odds and ends found in a draw.

Video

Here's the build montage and footage of the flight to watch first.

Build Process

Looking more in detail at the construction of this super simple little rocket model, I started by gathering the components, tools and materials needed to make a rocket. If you're just getting started with making your own projects, you might want to get yourself an FT Crafty Kit which includes all you'll need to start building airplanes and more!

The central part of this craft was the engine - the rocket motor itself. If you're not familiar with model rockets, fundamentally this is just a tube filled with solid fuel in the form of black powder. There is a nozzle at one end that focuses the exhaust gasses and a charge at the other which blows out your parachute at the end of the motor's burn.

Materials included foam board for the fins and parts of the motor mount, paper, card, a tube and a pre-formed nose cone. The engine mount was probably the most complicated part of the build, although it still only took about five minutes to make! As there are no electronics, this model rocket is essentially an extremely basic free flight aircraft that relies on its own innate stability to fly where pointed.

The fins were cut from foam board and glued equally around the tube a paper template. Some measuring ensured they all lined up correctly. These fins were shaped to get the center of pressure as low as possible. You really want to get this below the center of gravity to allow the model to fly straight, much like a dart or an arrow does when thrown or fired from a bow.

The purpose made nose cone fitted perfectly into the rocket tube. Having specialist components like these really help when it comes to scratch building. This nose is designed to be blown off at apogee (the highest point in the model's flight) so that the parachute can be deployed. As mentioned earlier, this happens when the motor burns through and detonates its chute charge.

The chute itself is made from nylon. I recently wrote a seperate article with a step-by-step guide on how to make one of these, so check that out later if you like!

Flight Experience

After a brief countdown, the rocket blasted skywards tracking perfectly. The large low-down fins did their job.

Unfortunately, the chute failed to deploy causing a lawn dart incident.

Amazingly, the rocket seemed mostly intact. Despite its rapid re-entry to the field, the model's lightweight construction meant that damage was limited the motor mount alone. Pretty good going I'd say!