Estes Nike-X kit

[JumpJet]

This kit has just been added to the Estes Web Site


http://www.estesrockets.com/coming-soon/007259-nike-x




John Boren

[Rob Campbell]

Sweet! A classic from the mid-Seventies through the Eighties!

[Vanel]

Great choice! Thanks John!

[jeffyjeep]

Sweeeeet!

[5x7]

Great bring back one of the best!

[ghrocketman]

Another GREAT choice by those at the helm of Estes !

Any chance of getting the Nike-Ajax too, John ?

[Gus]

Great choice, John!

[tbzep]

BTW, the Nike-X can be converted to gap staging. We cut real holes where the decal holes were located. It'll need nose weight with the small 2nd stage fins. :cool:

My son's gap staged one is on the left, my cloned one is on the right.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y283/tbzep/Rockets/DSC_0020.jpg

[JumpJet]

Any chance of getting the Nike-Ajax too, John ?


I've been looking into the Ajax. IF it comes back it won't be the same as it was.



John Boren

[stefanj]

That is VERY cool, tbzep!

[ghrocketman]

What were the issues with the original Ajax that prevent it from coming back as it was ?

[JumpJet]

It contains a balsa transition and nose cone we no longer have.


John Boren

[Scott_650]

The new sci-fi rocket is on the website too. Protostar! 24", 5oz, D/E powered, with fin pods! Looks pretty nifty - I like the cockpit windshield decals and simple deco scheme - lots of room for customized paint schemes.

[JumpJet]

The Protostar uses three of the Alien Invader Nose Cones for the Fin Pods.

Looks like the Space Twister is also on the website. It's a simple build model that spins on the way up.



John Boren

[neil_w]

Very clever design on the Space Twister fins! Great way to create twist without needing to mount canted fins.

The Protostar is an interesting way to use up some of those bulgey nose cones. :D

[astronwolf]

Space Twister parts include the Black Brant III nozzle with the nose cone. The Chuter-2 kits with the same nose cone (that I saw) didn't include the nozzle.

I still have my original Nike-X. I welcome the return of this kit.

What's next? The return of the Cherokee-D and Patriot? You have the parts....

[Woody's Workshop]

The re-release of the Cherokee-D is long overdue.
Maybe upscale it a bit so it takes the longer 24mm Engine Tube.
For "Outa Site Flights"!

[ghrocketman]

The Cherokee-D has been done by at least 3 cloning companies and I think it is still in the Semroc lineup.


Nobody I'm aware of has offered a Citation Patriot since it went OOP.
That one with an "E"-length 24mm mount would be great.
The original 18mm Patriot offered DISMALLY LOW flights even on a C6-5.
Allow one to adapt down to 18mm.
Nothing larger than a BT-55 should have a permanent 18mm mount EVERRRRRRRR.

[Woody's Workshop]

I'm in the middle of painting a Patriot that I put a long 24mm Engine mount in.
I can't wait until this spring when I can launch it and compare it to the 18mm one I have.

[dwmzmm]

I converted my most recent Estes Patriot to a 24 mm engine mount and have flown it using the D12-5. It does get good altitude on that engine alone. I use a 50/20 adapter to fly it with the C6's.

[Spacepirate R]

The re-release of the Cherokee-D is long overdue.
Maybe upscale it a bit so it takes the longer 24mm Engine Tube.
For "Outa Site Flights"!

The Estes Magician is an extended Cherokee-D with a long 24mm engine mount, a "transition payload" nose, and different decals. The fins are the same, all you would have to do is use the Cherokee-D nose cone and decals and there you go!

[Woody's Workshop]

The Magician has sharper corners then the Cherokee D. Basic same shap, but not the exact same.

[JumpJet]

The Magician started life as a bring back of the Cherokee D, so yes just swap out the nose cone and your done apart from the decals.


John Boren

[Woody's Workshop]

I stand corrected.

The Magician started life as a bring back of the Cherokee D, so yes just swap out the nose cone and your done apart from the decals.


John Boren

[tenspeed]

I've been looking into the Ajax. IF it comes back it won't be the same as it was.



John Boren

Explain if you can. Like a different paint scheme or less balsa and more plastic. Either way I'd like to see it back. It was the most reliable rocket I had and it never had a failed launch.

[JumpJet]

New balsa cones and transitions are out. So it would have to be plastic , paper shroud stock, maybe larger in size and it can't say U.S. ARMY on the side.

John Boren

[Brent]

New balsa cones and transitions are out. So it would have to be plastic , paper shroud stock, maybe larger in size and it can't say U.S. ARMY on the side.

John Boren

How do the plastic model companies handle the issue?

[tenspeed]

How do the plastic model companies handle the issue?

There must be more money in that hobby to allow them to afford the licencing fee.

Just a guess.

[astronwolf]

There must be more money in that hobby to allow them to afford the licencing fee.

Just a guess.
Maybe the Chicom contractor objects to "US Army" and refuses to do that part.

Just another guess...

[LeeR]

New balsa cones and transitions are out. So it would have to be plastic , paper shroud stock, maybe larger in size and it can't say U.S. ARMY on the side.

John Boren

Unless the Feds now object to "US MILITARY", that worked for us before by cutting out the extra letters. Or name it something like SATYR MOON UNIT and we can do a lot of cutting ... :)

[frognbuff]

New balsa cones and transitions are out. So it would have to be plastic , paper shroud stock, maybe larger in size and it can't say U.S. ARMY on the side.

John Boren

The Ajax was sold to a number of countries, so you could put a number of interesting markings on it. For example, the roundels (military markings) of the Netherlands, Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, Belgium, Norway, Greece and Turkey could be placed on one of the booster fins. Include the stencils, leave off ONLY the "US ARMY" garbage that costs you money!!! Since they are black on the white portion of the missile, the after market decal guys can easily handle it. Or make them yourself......

[ghrocketman]

Why don't you just include 2 each of the following separate letters on a decal sheet for the Ajax ?

A M R S U Y ; the builder could choose to place them in any manner they choose without instruction.

How about "sourcing" the balsa nose cone and transition for the kit to the company that still makes them ?

[JumpJet]

I've thought about supplying just the letters ever since this issue came up but I'm not the one that gives final approval on such matters.

Estes hasn't made a NEW balsa nose cone in over six years now. All the balsa cones in kits today are from stock we are trying to use up. We no longer have a balsa vendor. and NO I'm pretty sure Balsa Machining and Semroc would not be able to supply the TENS of Thousands of balsa cones we would need each year at a competitive price.



John Boren

[tbzep]

I've thought about supplying just the letters ever since this issue came up but I'm not the one that gives final approval on such matters.

Estes hasn't made a NEW balsa nose cone in over six years now. All the balsa cones in kits today are from stock we are trying to use up. We no longer have a balsa vendor. and NO I'm pretty sure Balsa Machining and Semroc would not be able to supply the TENS of Thousands of balsa cones we would need each year at a competitive price.



John Boren
Dang wind turbine manufacturers. :mad:



.

[ghrocketman]

Thanks for all the great work on bring-backs we really want. A plastic cone and transition on a Nike Ajax would work.

Another I'd really like to see back is the Original BT-70 based Gemini Titan that was last available in like 1975. NOT a remake of the BT-60 based one from the late 80's.

[Joe Shockcord]

...What's next? The return of the Cherokee-D and Patriot? You have the parts....
Patriot missile or Citation Patriot?

I'd LOVE to see the CP available again!

[astronwolf]

Patriot missile or Citation Patriot?

I'd LOVE to see the CP available again!
Citation Patriot! Super Alpha nose cone, BT-60, and that beautiful decal sheet!

[blackshire]

I've thought about supplying just the letters ever since this issue came up but I'm not the one that gives final approval on such matters.

Estes hasn't made a NEW balsa nose cone in over six years now. All the balsa cones in kits today are from stock we are trying to use up. We no longer have a balsa vendor. and NO I'm pretty sure Balsa Machining and Semroc would not be able to supply the TENS of Thousands of balsa cones we would need each year at a competitive price.



John BorenCould hardwood nose cones and transitions (perhaps drilled hollow for lighter weight in the larger ones) be viable replacements for Estes' balsa ones? Several model rocket companies had hardwood (Maple and/or Cherry, if memory serves) nose cones and transitions in the 1950s through the 1970s, and possibly beyond then.

[JumpJet]

I think using some other hard wood would cost more they less compared to balsa especially if we would hollow them out to save weight. In the long run blow mold would be cheaper and easier for me to put in a kit.


John Boren

[sandman]

I think using some other hard wood would cost more they less compared to balsa especially if we would hollow them out to save weight. In the long run blow mold would be cheaper and easier for me to put in a kit.


John Boren

Having made more than my share of both balsa and hardwood nose cones I have to agree. Hardwood cones take much longer to make tban balsa and it dulls cutting tools much faster.

While balsa seems to be preferred it is only economical for low volume runs like SEMROC or custom work.

But for the thousands that Estes needs blow molded is much cheaper and much more consistent.

Balsa is still much cheaper than 3d printed for concentric cones. Plus 3d printing was never supposed to be cheap, it was designed to be a fast prototyper, not for production.

Odd shapes in balsa are basically "carving".

[neil_w]

I'm actually trying to figure out the *downside* to blow-molded cones. Certainly, the NRE on the molds makes it impractical for smaller manufacturers, but they can do low-volume sourcing of balsa noses from the usual sources.

I guess I'm not seeing why this is a big deal. I've built plenty of kits with balsa noses and plenty with plastic, and I'm perfectly satisfied with either. Is it just the nostalgia factor?

[JumpJet]

The only downside to using a blow molded cone of new design is that I will have to spend money to tool it, which means it may never get done. If it's a part that is already is in use then I have NO PROBLEM getting a new rocket design to market.


John Boren

[neil_w]

Fair enough. I guess there's little or no NRE for balsa parts, but if you can't get'em in volume then it's moot.

[blackshire]

Hmmm...(Thank you, John and Sandman)...I was just thinking about hardwood as an interim solution. I also agree regarding blow-molded plastic nose cones being preferable (until/unless rapid, mass-3-D printing becomes practical). Even now, blow-molded nose cones are made in sizes down to slightly less than 1" in diameter (Quest's new 25 mm blow-molded nose cones, which replaced their legacy MPC/AVI injection-molded ones), and I'd be happy with even smaller (BT-5 size) blow-molded nose cones.