Need advice about best rocket engine design

[gylman]

Hi peeps. AFter interminable delays I am getting around to building a display system for my space theme keychains. It will be a Saturn V like rockship. It will be red and white. Here's one evolving prototype - a classic multlayer design. You can see the mostly complete second to last white layer which ocntains a cabine, and the shell of the midlle red layer. So, there is still a red layer to come below, a while layer above, anda classic pointy tip to come above as well. Obviously there are colour mismatchesi n some parts.... they are just placedholder parts until I get the right colours off Bricklink.

Below the thickest red layer at the bottom there will be be thrusting rockets.

I'm lookng for advice about what parts to use for the exhaust cones for the engines at the base.

I vaguely recall seeing Lego ships that had pretty good exhaust cones, but I'm definitely not a space guy, and I was not able to find them browsing the lugnet catalog. I don't want to brick-build them and make something blockly. I am thinking they will probably need to be a about ab 4 x 4 stud diameter at the open bottom, and maybe 2 x 2 diameter at the top.

This cone would be obvious, but does not come in white

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=4742

This is much largers, and I guess I could fill it with flames

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemPic.asp?P=47543pb01

Thisis probably too but, but anyway does not come in white

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemPic.asp?P=47543

There are other cones, but I'd like to capture the layered look of a real booster rocket.

Any advice? Or links to brickshelf pics of builders who have done this? I had a looky around, but not much success. I really want the engines to be white, which is somewhat limiting.

[SuvieD]

I would use half barrels in gray here or if you needed it to be hollow on the bottom using the standard cone with four white macaroni bricks to create the hollow space.

Goood luck getting it to work how you want it to.

MOC on!

[gylman]

Excellent, thanks. I'd totally forgotten about the half barrels!

too bad they don't make them in white, but light gray is acceptable in a pinch, and reasonably priced (unlike some of the other colours).