You know you overbuilt your rocket when...

[StrandedonEarth]

[Basilo1146]

You use your Mun descent stage for descent, ascent, transfer back to Kerbin, and landing.

When you look at this and think that this is under engineered.

[mythbusters844]

When you're going to the Mun and you're using FAR when suddenly your rocket enters a flat spin during ascent and loses all of its velocity but you still manage to make it to orbit, transfer to the Mun, land, and ascend to orbit with the last ascent stage alone.

[NFUN]

When you design a rocket, design a rocket to lift that rocket, design a rocket to lift THAT rocket. Rocket^4=Kraken.

Isn't that essentially what staging is, which is present in [nearly] every rocket?

[Wallace]

When, after your unmanned probe completes it's mission to orbit the Mun, you send it to Jool.

[NeoAcario]

I'll just link this here... Drinking and rocket science... a good way to overbuild.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/43839-0-25-KSP-Interstellar-%28Magnetic-Nozzles-ISRU-Revamp%29-Version-0-13?p=1086391#post1086391

~Steve

[Johno]

When it needs to burn on the launch pad for a minute or two before it's light enough to lift off.

[vicwarrior]

When you could theoritically de-orbit minimus with your rocket.

[Red Iron Crown]

When you have to throttle back to stay below terminal velocity...at 50km altitude.

[Argylas]

When you design a SSTO in FAR with the aim to launch a 14400 full fuel tank into space for refueling purposes, and then realize that you can launch it straight up without a gravity turn and it could still make an orbit close to the one of Minmus.... and then land safely back at KSC. With the full fuel tank still attached.

[KerikBalm]

I recently transitioned from NEAR in 0.24 to 0.25 and FAR.

In NEAR, I had a SSP+ craft that could lift about 110 tons to orbit (depending on the payload shape, as its an open payload bay).

I know in FAR, L/D goes way down at high mach... and I was having stability trouble, but I really wanted to make an 100 ton to orbit SSTO lifter for 0.25, where due to difficulty settings, I'd be limited in funding.

So I engaged in a redesign, packed on an extra orange tanks worth of fuel into the lifter... and when I got to an 84.5x 80.6 km orbit (not 70x70), I still had 154 tons of LF+ oxidizer left, and that was not carrying a payload at all (my previous lifter if it took off with full internal tanks, but no payload did not end up with as much "payload" as if I stuck more weight on it, up to a point where it would start wallowing - basically adding a 100 ton payload does not come with 100 tons of extra fuel consumption).

So, I'd say exceeding the design goal by over 50% counts as overbuilding....

I should have expected that when I scrapped the rapiers+ aerospikes and instead added a pair of KR-2Ls -> the rapiers were overheating, and my TWR in rocket mode was too low and the combined ISP was too low (360 from the rapiers, ughhh) - so I turned all the rapiers into turbotjets, ditched the aerospikes completely (380 vs 390 is close enough), and well, my SSTO no longer lacked the TWR in rocket mode.

My NEAR lifter: 2 aerospikes, 12 rapiers -> 14*175 = 2450 kN of thrust

My FAR lifter: 2x KR-2Ls = 5000 kN of thrust, yea, I more than doubled the thrust....

Despite the thread title

I'm not sure if my new 150 ton to orbit SSTO is overbuilt or not. I don't have many ideas for 150 ton craft that will actually fit in its payload bay... that is over 4 orange tanks.... and most of my landers are actually pretty light....

I guess I can just send bigger fuel depots to other planets....

[AbortButton]

When you have to stage at least 2km above the KSC to avoid destroying it.

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

When I started a thread asking for opinions of my landers.

(and everyone said OMG that thing is huge!)

[GreeningGalaxy]

When the entire bottom half of your rocket explodes and you still get to orbit anyway.

'swat I get for using a 200-ton-to-orbit launch vehicle on a 100-ton payload

[magnemoe]

When you have seven-figure delta-V.

http://i.imgur.com/t6E9OEA.png

Interstelar?

You know you could do an grand tour with that ship inclusive landings on all bodies than Eve where your TWR is to low and probably do it in less than a year.

[Tex_NL]

When you could theoritically de-orbit minimus with your rocket.

Sorry, but this isn't even theoretically possible. Not even remotely!

[Ikaneko]

In stock:

When the SRB count reaches 30, along with roughly 8 LFO boosters.

Also, when you strap BACC SRBs on to the side of your Mun Transfer injection to orbit.

( I actually landed and returned with that)

[SRV Ron]

Tons of delta V on this mod design using a fusion engine and drop tanks.

[Bilfr3d]

When all of KSC explodes when you launch the ship on the Launchpad -.-

[SRV Ron]

The pad will blow up under the weight of Deep Space Ship 2.

As the fusion engine generator is always active, solar panels are unnecessary.

[SRV Ron]

When you can strip off all the boosters and have no gain in performance.

[SkyRender]

You know your rocket's overbuilt when you decide to send your Mun land-and-return mission out to Eve for a land-and-return mission instead... and succeed.

[NecroBones]

You know your rocket's overbuilt when you decide to send your Mun land-and-return mission out to Eve for a land-and-return mission instead... and succeed.

Uhm... wow. That's a good one.

[John FX]

When your craft just explodes on the way up from air friction (FAR DRE) due to using solid boosters.

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

When you're trying to build a jet powered ground car .... but it can fly!