Sport Scale
- 51.1 Scope
- Sport Scale comprises three events open to any entry that closely resembles an existing or historical guided missile, rocket vehicle, or space vehicle, that has flown under rocket power. The purpose of this competition is to produce an accurate, flying replica of a real rocket powered vehicle that is judged for craftsmanship in construction, finish, and flight performance. Sport Scale differs from Scale in that the dimensions of the entry are not measured.
- 51.2.2 Peanut Sport Scale
- The entry may be a maximum of 30 centimeters in overall length or a maximum of 2 centimeters in body diameter. When judging this class, the increased difficulty of building a very small model should be considered.
- 51.2.3 Giant Sport Scale
- The entry must be a minimum of 100 centimeters in overall length or a minimum of 10 centimeters in body diameter. Vehicles with significant outer assemblies or winged vehicles qualify if their length plus wingspan totals at least 100 centimeters or if their girth (as measured around in a plane perpendicular to the centerline of the model by a length of string around the components not including the fins or wings) totals at least 31.4 centimeters.
- 51.3 Exclusions
- Sport Scale entries of amateur rockets or missiles are specifically excluded from this event, except when the prototype is of obvious historical significance.
- 51.4 Non-Flying Prototypes
- Entries in Sport Scale may model a non-flying or inert vehicle if its configuration is representative of a historical vehicle configuration.
- 51.5 Plastic Models
- Entries that qualify for Plastic Model Conversion per Rule 56 – Plastic Model Conversion, are specifically excluded from this event. Parts from commercial plastic kits may be used on scale entries provided this is pointed out in the data presented with the entry for judging.
- 51.7 Data
- The competitor must supply data to substantiate his/her entry’s adherence to scale in shape, color, and paint pattern.
- 51.8 Stages
- If the prototype is a multi-stage vehicle, the entry may be designed so that some or all of the upper stages are inoperable dummies. However, an entry of one or more of the upper stages of a multi-stage vehicle may not be entered without the operable lower stage(s) unless specific data is furnished to prove to the judges that the upper stage(s) have flown.
- 51.9 Transparent Fins
- Transparent fins are allowed for the purpose of stabilizing an entry. The transparent fins and their attachment must be judged for craftsmanship along with the entry.
- 51.10 Judging
- Entries must be judged for static points in the following manner: Scale-like qualities are to be judged from a distance of at least one meter from the model. Judges may then closely examine the model to judge it for craftsmanship.
- 51.11 Flight
- An entry that does not make a safe, stable flight must be disqualified. Any flight including re-flights that are missing significant component(s) (i.e.; booster pods, fins, transitions, escape towers, payload sections, nose cones), must be disqualified. Any flight including re-fights may fly missing small surface details (i.e. non-functional lugs, antennas, landing pads/wheels, etc.), this will be scored as damage.
- Models may not separate into multiple parts prior to departure from the launch guide.
- 51.12.1 Similarity of Outline: 100 points
- The competitor is required to submit data to substantiate his/her entry’s visual resemblance to the prototype. Minimum allowable data consists of:
- A line, tone, or color drawing; or
- One or more clear photographs, halftones, or photo-reproductions of the prototype, sufficient to show the outline and general configuration of the prototype modeled.
- 51.12.2 Finish, Color, and Markings: 200 points
- The competitor should submit data to substantiate his/her model’s fidelity to the prototype. Such as:
- One or more clear photographs, halftones, or photo-reproductions, including at least one in color. The number of these submitted should be sufficient to substantiate additional views of the model on which the color pattern and markings differ significantly.
- Other published pictorial representations, such as a color painting, or a drawing from a magazine.
- A detailed written description and/or drawing (which may be created by the competitor), from verifiable source, of the color scheme and markings, accompanied by a drawing of the prototype on which the color scheme and markings described have been included.
Any entry not accompanied by data substantiating the finish, color, and markings of the prototype must be given zero points for Finish, Color and Markings.
- 51.12.3 Degree of Difficulty: 200 points
- Points must be awarded according to the difficulty experienced by the competitor in building the model and adapting it for flight. Consideration should be given to whether the entry was built from a kit. Points should be awarded for parts and details that were individually constructed by the competitor. To facilitate judging, the competitor should point out difficult assemblies or construction problems in his/her data.
- 51.12.4 Craftsmanship: 300 points
- Points will be awarded for neatness, care in construction, craftsmanship of details, and quality of finish. Consideration should be given to the invisibility of body seams and wood grain, and the accurate reproduction of curved lines and edges. The finish should be free of fingerprints, brush strokes, runs, or other unintentional blemishes, and the paint pattern should be well defined.
- 51.13.1 Mission: 200 points
- Mission points are awarded for the entry’s appropriate and scale-like operation of the prototype during flight. Examples of such operations are staging, simulated cloud seeding, operation of electronic payload, and smoke ejection. Any such operation that does not comply with the safety standards set forth in the Sporting Code shall be disqualified. The RSO is the only official who may rule on the safety of the entry’s operation.
- 51.13.2 General Flight: 100 points
- General flight points are awarded for proper operation of the entry during flight, including launch, lack of misfires, stability, recovery, and lack of damage on landing. No consideration should be given to staging or scale-like flight characteristics, as they are covered under mission points. However, if the general flight performance of the entry is adversely affected by the failure of one or more of these aspects, general flight points may be deducted.