Toad - Heavy Duty VTOL Lander/Tadpole Mk2 - Multi-Role VTOL Lander

[Cupcake...]

CRAFT FILES:

https://goo.gl/7Dn5z1

Hello one and all,

It's my great pleasure to present to you not one, but two new VTOL landers! First off the line is the TOAD; a design that mates a lightweight chassis with a very big engine for obscene amounts of thrust. I really thought this design was just too silly to be useful but it has proved me wrong by hauling some very heavy mining equipment down to the surface of Tylo! It's got so much grunt you can even use it as an interplanetary stage or heavy tug. The large gimbal range of the Poodle also gives it excellent maneuverability under thrust. It puts out around 4k of Delta V (with the standard droptanks).

Also built on the same chassis is Tadpole Mk2 which swaps the Poodle for a less powerful (but more practical) LV-909. Like it's predecessor it combines excellent endurance with very pleasant handling. It's a great choice for anyone looking for a good, solid, dependable, general purpose lander, and can be used on every planetary body apart from Kerbin, Laythe, Tylo and Eve. The Tadpole Mk2 puts out close to 4,800 m/s of Delta V using the standard droptanks.

Both landers come with a powerful, general purpose launch vehicles which have plenty of spare DV for taking up cargo or extra fuel.

OWNERS MANUAL:

Like my previous designs the Tadpole and Toad feature horizontal cockpits for suborbital flying/landing and vertically mounted docking ports for orbital piloting. When performing burns with the navball the top docking port must be selected, this also applies if using Mechjeb. If you're not used to VTOLs and would rather fly the vessels like a regular rocket the top docking port can be used for whole missions if need be. A joystick is highly reccomended and SAS should be left on at all times. Both vessels are designed for continuous deep space use so would need to be adapted to land on Kerbin. This can be achieved by mounting parachutes to the side ports and using a single drop tank on the top port or vice verse. Alternatively you could create a special "re-entry pack" consisting of chutes/speed breaks that the lander could dock to at the end of a missions.

CONTROLS:

1 - Toggle Rocket Engine

3 - Toggle Nav Light

5 - Undock Top Docking Port

9 - Toggle Ladder

ABORT - Detach Drop Tanks

C - Toggle Cockpit Orientation (Press Twice)

LV NOTES:

The Launch Vehicles are pretty easy to use, just select "control from here" on the top docking port above the launncher. The LVs have plenty of spare DV so your launch profile doesn't have to be perfect. The center tank above the craft contains a probe core allowing you to undock and re-dock to the tank multiple times for extended mission times.

FUEL ROUTING:

I've spent quite a lot of time ensuring that the fuel is routed properly in these craft. Firstly any tank above the top docking port will empty, followed by the drop tanks and finnaly the landers internal fuel stores. Due to KSP glitchiness it's possible to corrupt the fuel routing on the lander through the design of the launch vehicle.

Where possible you should ensure that there is only a single tank (or stack of tanks) mounted above the craft.

Multiple tanks running into a center tank that feed back to the multiple tanks on the lander will corrupt the fuel system.

If you do wish to use multiple tanks in a LV stage just ensure that the landers fuel system is isolated by including a steel plate or de-coupler above the docking port. Alternatively you can disconnect the fuel line that runs from the top docking port to the engine. !!IF IN DOUBT ISOLATE!!!

With both method's you'll have to transfer fuel to the lander manually. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the crafts. All the best.

Cupcake...

Edited May 20, 2015 by Cupcake...

[CitizenAerospace]

:OO Awesome work! Man your dropships are fantastic XD

[HannesStrohkopp]

Very cool, man!

Would you share how you steer two (and three) crafts simultaniously?

[Cupcake...]

:OO Awesome work! Man your dropships are fantastic XD

Thanks very much!

Very cool, man!

Would you share how you steer two (and three) crafts simultaniously?

https://kerbalstuff.com/mod/658/Burn%20Together!

Try this...

Cupcake...

[Rune]

It seems we took the same time to come to grips with 1.0! xD Now seriously, have you taken a look at the aerospike? Used to be too heavy to be worth it, but now it's a good second-best right there with the Poodle in the dV and TWR charts... only it has the same performance at sea level. Seems like an engine made for you! It would even look good on a Tadpole!

Rune. A minute of silence for the 0.90 airhoggers... ...and after that, let's go build some rockets.

[soulreaver1981]

It seems we took the same time to come to grips with 1.0! xD Now seriously, have you taken a look at the aerospike? Used to be too heavy to be worth it, but now it's a good second-best right there with the Poodle in the dV and TWR charts... only it has the same performance at sea level. Seems like an engine made for you! It would even look good on a Tadpole!

Rune. A minute of silence for the 0.90 airhoggers... ...and after that, let's go build some rockets.

i want my airhogging back!!!!! wwhhhaaaaa ;.; ;.;

[Cupcake...]

It seems we took the same time to come to grips with 1.0! xD Now seriously, have you taken a look at the aerospike? Used to be too heavy to be worth it, but now it's a good second-best right there with the Poodle in the dV and TWR charts... only it has the same performance at sea level. Seems like an engine made for you! It would even look good on a Tadpole!

Rune. A minute of silence for the 0.90 airhoggers... ...and after that, let's go build some rockets.

Yeah, I can't say it took me too long to pick up 1.0. Saying that I did need some time to sulk after my SSTOs were decimated. That's a good idea about the Aerospike BTW, I've always had a soft spot for that engine even when it was crap. Something I can't do with the new Tadpole and Toad is powered landings on Kerbin so a Model (A) version does make a lot of sence. Stay tuned...

i want my airhogging back!!!!! wwhhhaaaaa ;.; ;.;

Ahhh, those were the days. Such memories.

Cupcake...

[Gilph]

Hi,

Am testing your Tadpole MK2 + launcher...what a great craft..I seem to be having some fuel issues. I run the latest 1.04 in Windows 7

I am running the version with the launcher. Things seem to be fine until I detach the orange tank and fly just the main ship.

Haven't learned to attach screenshots yet, will try and explain.

When I fire the main engine, it takes from the 2 outer drop tanks (T200s), but it also starts draining the round-8 tanks

When the round-8s is empty, it then takes from the side T200s (not empty yet) and only two of the four Mk2 to 1.25 tanks (looking from the top, the upper right and lower left tanks)

when the side T200s are empty, then the four Mk2 to 1.25 tanks are active, but two are already half empty.

when the first two Mk2 to 1.25 tanks are empty, the second pair are still going, but the center tank is not draining yet

when all of the Mk2 to 1.25 tanks are empty, only then does the center tank start to drain

So, in short, it seems like the routing from the side tanks to the round-8s are off. Seems like they should be in sequence, but they are in parallel.

May I ask if you can check? I will test removing the side tank and if it doesnt work, the side ports. I can take apart the sections but cant seem to put them back again.

Thanks

EDIT: I see there are some fuel tanks embedded and used before the round-8s, but the same problem applies. It also applies with the Toad. The only thing that fixes it is removing the side ports, then the flow seems fine, but at a reduced range. Please let me know if you find anything. Thanks again

Edited September 8, 2015 by Gilph

[Cupcake...]

Oh fudge. I'm afraid I'm overseas ATM but I'll look into the problem as soon as I get back in a few weeks. You might want to have a quick scroll through my main thread (page 83) as I think there's an updated version of the tadpole in there somewhere which may have the fuel issues resolved. Kind regards.

Cupcake...

Hi,

Am testing your Tadpole MK2 + launcher...what a great craft..I seem to be having some fuel issues. I run the latest 1.04 in Windows 7

I am running the version with the launcher. Things seem to be fine until I detach the orange tank and fly just the main ship.

Haven't learned to attach screenshots yet, will try and explain.

When I fire the main engine, it takes from the 2 outer drop tanks (T200s), but it also starts draining the round-8 tanks

When the round-8s is empty, it then takes from the side T200s (not empty yet) and only two of the four Mk2 to 1.25 tanks (looking from the top, the upper right and lower left tanks)

when the side T200s are empty, then the four Mk2 to 1.25 tanks are active, but two are already half empty.

when the first two Mk2 to 1.25 tanks are empty, the second pair are still going, but the center tank is not draining yet

when all of the Mk2 to 1.25 tanks are empty, only then does the center tank start to drain

So, in short, it seems like the routing from the side tanks to the round-8s are off. Seems like they should be in sequence, but they are in parallel.

May I ask if you can check? I will test removing the side tank and if it doesnt work, the side ports. I can take apart the sections but cant seem to put them back again.

Thanks

EDIT: I see there are some fuel tanks embedded and used before the round-8s, but the same problem applies. It also applies with the Toad. The only thing that fixes it is removing the side ports, then the flow seems fine, but at a reduced range. Please let me know if you find anything. Thanks again

Edited September 9, 2015 by Cupcake...

[Gilph]

Hi, appreciate the fast feedback when you are travelling, not a priority.

Funny thing about the new craft from page 83. I would go to launch, do nothing, and the craft will overheat and explode...kinda weird.

Enjoy your travels...will post when you get back

Thanks again

[Cupcake...]

Yeah, the thermal system in KSP is just a complete mess, it only seems to work properly on basic designs. Craft which employ more creative construction methods seem to give it a lot of problems. I'd recommend using the debug menu to just disable the thermal mechanic completely until the bugs are fixed.

Cupcake...

Hi, appreciate the fast feedback when you are travelling, not a priority.

Funny thing about the new craft from page 83. I would go to launch, do nothing, and the craft will overheat and explode...kinda weird.

Enjoy your travels...will post when you get back

Thanks again

[CommanderSonic]

Cupcake, the original tadpole, from .90, is actually 1.0.4 compatible! I use it for low grav landings though.

[Cupcake...]

Cupcake, the original tadpole, from .90, is actually 1.0.4 compatible! I use it for low grav landings though.

You're joking, really!? Good lord, that lander just refuses to die!

Cupcake...

[Dafni]

Cupcake, the original tadpole, from .90, is actually 1.0.4 compatible! I use it for low grav landings though.

Wait, what? Are you talking about this one here: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/50125-Tadpole-Light-VTOL-Lander-LV-%28100-Parts!%29

The new Tadpole works perfect for me though, but I'd still give the old one a try for completeness sake. That said, it kinda bothers me that I seem to be unable to reproduce that overheat bug some people reported... maybe it's a mod that everybody runs?? (I only use Mechjeb, and only for building, I tend to remove the module before I launch)

[Cupcake...]

Wait, what? Are you talking about this one here: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/50125-Tadpole-Light-VTOL-Lander-LV-%28100-Parts!%29

The new Tadpole works perfect for me though, but I'd still give the old one a try for completeness sake. That said, it kinda bothers me that I seem to be unable to reproduce that overheat bug some people reported... maybe it's a mod that everybody runs?? (I only use Mechjeb, and only for building, I tend to remove the module before I launch)

That's the one! Anyway, can I kindly direct you guys back to the main Dealership page or Matador thread? I just think this craft needs putting to sleep!

Cupcake...

Edited October 12, 2015 by Cupcake...

[CommanderSonic]

Well Cupcake, a good craft should never die, like the the Star Trek ship, USS Enterprise, btw, I plan to make a cupcake landers craft museum and put the two tadpoles together and put a plaque down to commemorate the ships.

I fly without a joystick, but I honestly have great control over all landers. (Minus some normal non-drop ships)

Edited October 26, 2015 by CommanderSonic