I finished the one rocket. 52 total pieces (it comes apart into 8 separate parts), 303mm high (it was supposed to be 136 but everything had to be enlarged based on how small I could physically make the smallest piece).
An unfortunate side effect is that it’s now about 60% the size of the larger rocket, which should be 463mm minimum when it’s done (the interstages are what really increase the height dramatically).
With the small one that I finished 4 engines can’t fit on stage 1, have to reduce it to 3. That means the whole thing is off balance and I have to make the engine bells lopsided, with the outer edge longer than the inner edge to balance the rocket.
What’s the aft skirt actually for? It falls off as soon as the rocket gets off the ground. In the model it’s to keep the model from falling over with everything else stacked on top, but in the really real world? As best I can tell it provides heat shielding for the engine bells while it’s close to the ground so the exhaust doesn’t reflect off the ground and damage anything, but that’s just a best guess.
And holy shit the interstage frustum took forever. Why are cones so difficult to produce?