Modular 1/25 Scale A4/V2 model rocket

thingiverse

The A4 rocket was developed by German scientists, including Werner Von Braun, during the 1930s and early 1940s. It was adapted for use as a weapon by the Nazis in WWII and renamed the V2. After the war it was used for research and helped pave the way for space programs in many countries. This model is hollow with 1.2mm thick walls, allowing for two extrusion widths of .6mm. The Slic3r settings for some of the parts use an extrusion width of .63 to ensure good bonding between inner and outer walls. I used the Slic3r engine within Repetier for this project. The entire rocket is 22" tall and 2.75" in diameter. The mid-section and fin sections are each about 7.6" tall. When printed at 100% scale, the fins fit within a print diameter of 6.2", just fitting within the print volume of an Orion Delta. Quarter-turn bayonet fittings connect most of the parts. The groove in the bayonet fittings includes a locking bump that will help lock the parts when turned 90 degrees. Index markers on the outside of the rocket help with alignment for assembly/disassembly. Both the nose tip and nose cone base will bayonet-lock to the nose cone. The nose cone base then slip-fits into the mid-section. The jet-vanes assembly friction-fits into the tail of the rocket. This model is mostly for display purposes, but I have added some features that should make it possible to use it as a flyable model rocket. The nose tip has a compartment for adding weight to position the center of gravity properly for stability. It is the same diameter as U.S. quarter coins, and will hold up to 136 grams in coins. The fin section has supports so a motor tube with 2.6" and 1.9" centering rings can be held in place when the mid-section is attached. Then, you would be able to swap motor mounts for 24mm or 29mm motors. You would need to file/cut four notches in the outer edge of the upper centering ring so it could be inserted past the four bayonet bumps. The mid-section has an internal lug where a shock cord/static line could be attached. I have posted two versions of the mid-section, one with external 3/16" launch lugs and one version without. I have included a verson of the nose tip that has the modified Wac Corporal second stage used in Project Bumper at White Sands and Cape Canaveral. It is just shy of 9" tall. I sloped the trailing edge of the fins of the Wac Corporal to make it printable without support. To make it truly scale, you would need to trim them to be perpendicular to the rocket body. http://www.wsmr-history.org/bumperaction1.htm There is also a version of the mid section that has a simulation of the thin perforated section seen on many V2's. See Mid-ring.stl If you build one of these to launch, please post photos and video of your rocket in action. I will seriously consider requests for modifications to the design that will help make it flyable. Historical information and blueprints of the A4/V2 can be found here: http://www.v2rocket.com/start/makeup/design.html