Dynastar Flying Model Rocket Kit Flame Thrower DYN 5047
Model: 05047
Skill Level 4: Slightly Challenging
Length: 39.860" (101.24 cm)
Weight: 11.100 oz (314.68 g)
Diameter (Max): 2.600" (6.6 cm)
Diameter (Min): 2.200" (5.59 cm)
Fin Span: 9.200" (23.37 cm)
Fin Count: 3
Motor Size: 24mm
Recovery System: 32" Plastic Parachute
Launch Pad Type: Mid Power
CP Location: 21.75" (55.25 cm) from the tip of the nose cone
Payload Bay Internal Diameter: 2.2" (5.59 cm)
Payload Bay Internal Length: 3.7" (9.4 cm)
Manufactured by: Dynastar
Additional Info:
Uniquely shaped like a rifle bullet
Uses a 2-rocket engine cluster to produce lots of smoke and fire
Flies to 1,900 ft on a cluster of E28T-7 motors
Threaded-Rod retainer system for easy motor swap-out
Laser-cut components and high-quality vinyl decals included
Display Stands included
Made in USA
The flamethrower is a 2-engine cluster model rocket kit with a body design having multiple diameters, reminiscent of a rifle bullet. Creates twice the flame, smoke and noise than a regular single-engine rocket. Comes with a threaded rod retainer, vinyl decals, and display stands!
The shape of the DynaStar FlameThrower rocket is inspired by a rifle bullet. It has two different body sizes, that are connected by a blow-molded plastic transition. Not too many rockets that you'll see on a launch field have this distinctive shape, and it is one thing that will get you noticed. But what makes it really special is the two-engine cluster that pushes it skyward. Everyone watching your launch will definitely notice that the FlameThrower is a faster lift-off rocket - just like rifle bullet. When it rips skyward, everyone will experience twice the amount of flame, twice the amount of smoke and twice the thunderous noise compared a regular single-engine rocket. You'll definately get the applause from spectators because of the thrill of the sensory spectical that a cluster engine rocket produces.
As you can see, the FlameThrower is a larger size rocket. We call it a mid-power rocket, because it takes 24mm diameter motors from a C-size up to a G-size. It doesn't need a high power certification unless you plan on using two G-size motors in the same flight. But we don't recommend it for high-power certification because it is built using thin-wall body tubes. This rocket is built for speed and altitude.
FlameThrower rocket rips skywardYou'll find that the Flamethrower is an easy-to-build rocket. It features pre-cut tubes, including laser-cut fin slots that save you time, and increase the durability of the model. It also comes with a smooth-finish blow-molded nose cone and transition section that accept paint easily without chipping off. You'll also find inside the package, laser-cut plywood centering rings, and basswood fins. The rocket also has two sets of vinyl decals, and a large 32-inch diameter colorful parachute for a nice slow descent. And of course, since it is made by Apogee Components, it has a highly-illustrated instruction sheet that really helps you make sure this rocket is built correctly and strong.
For motor retention, the FlameThrower kit uses a unique threaded rod system. You'll find that a single nut holds both rocket motors securely in the model. And it is a snap to pop both motors in or out of the rocket in just a few seconds.
Payload Capable!
The rocket kit comes with a short payload compartment just below the nose cone of the rocket. You might drop in a small altimeter to measure the altitude of the rocket, or something just as fun, like a gaggle of grasshoppers.
Do Not Use Miss-Matched Motors
Twin-engine cluster on the FlameThrower model rocketIn general, mixing two propellant types, composite propellant and black-powder propellant, in the same rocket is a risky idea. The reason is that black-powder ignites much faster than composite, and could lift the rocket and yank out the starter in the composite motor. This could be dangerous, so care should always be excersized when mixing motors in the same rocket.
For 2-motor clusters this becomes exceptionally true, and even more precaution needs to be taken. Not only do you want to avoid mixing black powder and composite propellants, but you don't want to use motors that vary in any way. On something like the Hydra VII you can have a motor in the center and different motors on the outside. This is possible because the thrust from the motors still remains balanced. That cannot be done on 2-motor clusters, and if you use 2 different motors, your rocket will not remain upright. It would be similar to mounting a single engine without it being centered.
The ONLY time you would use two different motors is for delay time. This gives a small amount of redundancy to make sure your recovery system deploys. But you would still want to make sure the motors are the same with the exception of the delays. For example, a D12-5 and the D12-7. The parachute will always be ejected by the shorter delay motor. But having the second motor fire off its deployment chart two-seconds later will not hurt anything. With the parachute alreay out, the ejection charge is just vented into the sky and doesn't hurt anything.
What Makes this a Level 4 Rocket?
FlameThrower descending on a plastic parachuteThis rocket is rated "slightly challenging" on our rocket kit complexity scale for just one reason: it is a cluster-engine rocket. If it were not for that, we'd probably rate it lower (easier) on the difficulty scale. It really is an average complexity rocket for building, but launching more than one motor at a time adds an element of complexity to the flight. You have to take additional safety precautions to assure that both rocket engines ignite at the same time so the rocket takes off on a straight and predictable flight path. We don't recommend clusters to everyone, unless they have some experience launching other rockets first.
As mentioned above, in the FlameThrower kit the instructions are very detailed, which helps a lot during the construction process. The construction itself is very similar to other rockets you've built. With the laser-cut parts and the pre-slotted tube, it is actually probably easier and stronger than many kits you've complete in the past.
The only new concept you'll probably come across when building this rocket is bonding in the threaded-rod motor retainer. This is simply a threaded steel rod that is epoxied to the engine mount tube using clay-epoxy (like the FixIt or Bond Aide epoxy). It is an easy construction step, and is fully documented in the instructions.
Thrust ring made from masking tape.A common question people have about the threaded rod retainer system is: "Can I use Estes motors that don't have a built-in thrust ring?"
The answer is "YES." It is a simple process too. You just build up a ring on the back of the motor using masking tape.
Wrap about five layers of tape over the back 1/4-inch (6mm) of the motors casing, and simply trim off any tapes that hangs over the back edge with a hobby knife or sissors.
FlameThrower rocket with two Estes black powder rocket motors.Does this work? Is it strong enough?
Yes! It is plentry strong. Modelers have been using this technique for decades in model rocketry. It is perfectly safe, and the rocket motor is not going to come flying out rearward at ejection nor going up through the middle of the rocket at launch. It is cheap and effective, and only takes a few minutes to wrap the tape around the reare of the rocket and then trim off any that hangs over the edge.
For composite propellant motors, the casings already have the thrust ring on the back end, so you don't have to do anything at all.
Here at Apogee, we care about your success, so we bring up everything about the rocket so that you know what you're getting when you purchase this rocket. If you are buying this rocket as a gift, make sure you tell the recipient to come to this web page so they are knowledgible about cluster engine rockets.
The motors should be wired up in parallel for ignition (see the FAQ's below), and you should also use a 12V launch controller to provide sufficient voltage and current to set all the igniters off at the same instant. The Estes Pro-Series Launch Controller also works, but we only recommend it for the Estes motors because they are less powerful. When you're flying bigger rocket engines, you should be further back from the launcher at ignition, and the wires no the Estes Pro-Series Controller are not long enough.
Here are some videos from our library of construction techniques that we think will help you when building this kit:
How to Cluster Rocket Motors with Success
Positioning Pressure Sensitive Decals
How To Fill Body Tube Spirals
Model Rocket Engine Code Explained for Beginners
Motor Adapters Allow for More Engine Choices
How to Prep a Rocket for Launch
Selecting a Launch Controller
We think you'll enjoy this model if you choose to buy it. We think it has a nice shape and it is a thrill to fly.
Because this rocket has two motors, you should expect the base to get really hot during the flight. It is not unusual for the paint to blister a little bit. Try to make sure to have a taller stand-off under the rocket so the heat doesn't reflect upward from the blast deflector at lift-off.
Features of the Flamethrower
The Flamethrower by Dynastar is a clustered-motor model rocket featuring a mid-rocket transition from 56mm to 66mm diameter body tubes. It has custom fins with a long root edge and through-the-wall fin tabs for an easy and secure installation. The fins are laser-cut from high quality basswood.
This rocket also features a relatively unique retainer - the threaded-rod retainer. These retainers are easy to install and make it easy to swap out motors.
Visually this rocket really stands out. It is bright and colorful, and the only thing I think could make it better would be some sweet flame decals down the side.... oh wait, we included those too.
Body Tubes
The Flamethrower has two different diameter body tubes; A 56mm tube for the forward airframe, and a 66mm tube for the aft. These are both made from the Apogee paper tubes, and they are high-quality with tightly wound spirals.
Nose Cone
The nose cone is molded from styrene plastic and makes for a good-looking and durable nose cone. It is easy sanded smooth and paint adheres to it better than some of the alternatives.
Fins
The fins included with the Flamethrower feature through-the-wall fin tabs and a long root edge to keep them securely attached. They are made from balsa and laser-cut in house.
Each fin has decals included to add to the overall asthetic of this rocket.
Recovery System
The recovery system included is a 32" plastic parachute. In addition to how good this parachute looks on descent, it is also extremely light-weight and durable. This is attached to the transition with a 10ft, 300# kevlar shock cord.
Motor Mounts
The Flamethrower uses two 24mm motors, allowing this thing to really take off. Normally, making a 2 engine cluster can be pretty challenging to get balanced in the rocket, however this kit includes laser-cut plywood centering rings, already cut to fit both engines, and make centering the load a breeze.
Blow-Mold Transition
The transition between the 56mm and 66mm tubes is blow-molded from the same styrene as the nose cone. Infact, if you didn't know what you were looking at and only saw the shoulder, you would swear it was the shoulder for the nose cone.
This transition comes fully built and is easy to install.
Cardstock Display Stands for the FlameThrower rocket kit Cardstock Display Stands - Because of the unique threaded rod retainer system, the FlameThrower rocket does not stand upright on its own. But Apogee has got you covered in order to fix this issue.
The kit includes a unique twin display stand system that raises the rocket off the threaded rod, and keeps the rocket from falling over. Because of its wide base footprint, the rocket is very stable on the stands, and you'll be proud to show the stands as much as you would the rocket. The stands are made from laser-cut thick cardstock. And they can be easily painted after assembly to make them look even cooler. You'll wish that all your rockets had cool display stands like this kit has.
FlameThrower rocket kit on its display stands
Decals
Included are two sheets of vinyl decals. One on a clear sheet and one on white to make sure everything looks great on the finished rocket.
Instructions
The Flamethrower instructions are detailed and filled with illustrations to make assembling this kit as easy as possible. This kit has a lot to it, and it makes it nice when everything is so clearly laid out.
Motors:
C11-3 251ft
D12-5 699ft
E28-7 1908ft
E30-7 1932ft
F24-7 2251ft
F30FJ-8 2147ft
F32T-8 2566ft
F44W-8 2032ft
E18W-7 1945ft
E20W-7 1714ft
