January 19, 2024
Description
For the main body I used concrete forms: https://www.lowes.com/pd/QUIKRETE-Common-8-in-Actual-7-5-in-QUIK-TUBE-48-in-Concrete-Tube-Form/3005463
Overall length of the missile is 68 inches. I ended up buying 3 sections, here's why: the manufacturer makes them as one long graduated cylinder then cuts them into like 4ft sections, and nests them inside eachother to save on shipping. So I had find 2 that were about 8" diameter who's seams matched together, then a 3rd tube that fit inside those 2 to act as a connecting tube. So I ended up with about an 8' long tube, with one centered inside. I then cut it down to about 60 inches; a little on the long side cause I knew the ends would probably get chewed up during the build and I'd trim a little off for a clean cut to install the ends later.
To assemble the 3 I actually glued them together with wood glue but any slow-setting glue work: E6000, Elmer's white craft glue, rubber cement, ect. I spread the glue over the outside surface of the inner tube then nested it down inside one of the outer tubes, wiping away excess glue as I went. Then I ran a temporary screw in to hold the 2 in place while I did the same on the other side and checked to make sure everything was lined up correctly. Once the glue set, I removed the screw and used a little putty to cover the screw hole and level the joint of the 2 tubes.
TIP to get rid of the spiral marks, paint the tubes then use a sanding block with about 250 grit. Once it feels smooth, paint and sand again. Repeat until you dont see the spiral any more. Sand paper any rougher than 250 grit will continue to turn the raised spiral edge into a cardboard fuzz that will absorb the next layer of paint and become a high spot again and again. I learned this step the hard way.
A ramen bowl for the reflector of the laser seeker head https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074MZ94LK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
“Stained Glass” Paint to simulate the optics coating on the ramen bowl https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HP2HXAK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
200mm Acrylic dome https://www.ebay.com/itm/313445372515?var=612300183265
Rustoleum 2x flat black for the body, and "Krylon Matte Sunbeam Fusion All in One Paint & Primer" for the yellow stripes.
Metal yard scrap (rem-pile) aluminum (1/16 thick) for the strakes and guide fins. Front fins are 1.5inch x 4inch long, Main are 18.5 long x 3inch tall, rear steering fins are 3.5 long x 3inch tall. I didnt measure the angles on any of the fins, just eyeballed what I thought would look good.
Also bought one of these stickers for the serial plate: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1168424715/agm-114-hellfire-missile-part-number?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=hellfire+missile&ref=sr_gallery-1-18&organic_search_click=1
For the rest of the decals, i cut those on my vinyl cutter and they're posted in the files here.
The stand is just plywood I had sitting around the garage, and aluminum extrusion.
I pulled some dimensions from the actual engineering drawings and some stuff I just eye-balled. If your honestly going to build one, hit me up with anything you need better measurements on.
Fun build and its cheaper than the $10K to buy a full-size replica https://inertproducts.com/product/agm-114-hellfire-missile-deluxe-inert-replica/
UPDATE: Added the vinyl cutter files in vDoc and SVG format
License:
Creative Commons - Attribution - Share Alike