What's the name of this model?

[clhug]

I'm curious to try to find out what one of my all time favorite Estes models was called., and maybe the approx years it was made so I can look it up on the list on rocketshoppe.com and maybe even find it's picture in one of the old catalog scans on ninfinger.org.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

It was a glider. I think it was about 2 or 3 feet long, fairly narrow body tube. It was a basic red, white, and blue paint and decal job with a "cockpit" type nosecone. The wings were a combo of a balsa leading edge with a plastic (whatever the same material that Estes makes their parachutes out of) "wing" attached to them. The wings folded back (like on the F-14 Tomcat model, as opposed to a single fixed wing that rotates). When the wings were extended I think it might have been about a 2 ft wing span.

That's one of my favorites. I no longer have it, don't remember what happened to it (must have crashed) but it was the best flying glider I've ever had out of about 4 gliders I've ever had. I'd love for Estes to re-release that kit.

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

I'm curious to try to find out what one of my all time favorite Estes models was called., and maybe the approx years it was made so I can look it up on the list on rocketshoppe.com and maybe even find it's picture in one of the old catalog scans on ninfinger.org.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

It was a glider. I think it was about 2 or 3 feet long, fairly narrow body tube. It was a basic red, white, and blue paint and decal job with a "cockpit" type nosecone. The wings were a combo of a balsa leading edge with a plastic (whatever the same material that Estes makes their parachutes out of) "wing" attached to them. The wings folded back (like on the F-14 Tomcat model, as opposed to a single fixed wing that rotates). When the wings were extended I think it might have been about a 2 ft wing span.

That's one of my favorites. I no longer have it, don't remember what happened to it (must have crashed) but it was the best flying glider I've ever had out of about 4 gliders I've ever had. I'd love for Estes to re-release that kit.


Sounds like the Soaring Eagle.

[CPMcGraw]

Sounds like the Soaring Eagle.

Agreed. And I'm somewhat ashamed to say it took me more than fifteen minutes to locate the information...:o

Check this catalog page: Estes 1982 (http://www.ninfinger.org/~sven/rockets/catalogs/estes82/82est48.html)

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

Agreed. And I'm somewhat ashamed to say it took me more than fifteen minutes to locate the information...:o

Check this catalog page: Estes 1982 (http://www.ninfinger.org/~sven/rockets/catalogs/estes82/82est48.html)

Took me ten, fifteen seconds, but I didn't think to include the link to Ninfinger. :o :rolleyes:

[sandman]

I have a few of those nose cones (PNC-50SP) left if you want to build it.

[ghrocketman]

Agree; has to be the Soaring Eagle....that was the only rocket Estes produced that is as you describe.

[clhug]

Yep, Soaring Eagle, that's the one! Thanks for the pointer! That was a GREAT glider!

Man, now there's some nostalgia browsing through that 1982 catalog. I was in 8th grade that year. I had the Star Speeder on page 38 (always thought it reminded me, albeit very vaguely, of a Battlestar Galactica Viper fighter), and I STILL have my Vega from page 39(though I don't think I actually got my Vega in 1982, probably several years later, woops, never mind, just realized my Vega is the Super Vega from the early '90s). I recently bought the rerelease of the Scissor Wing Transport. That catalog also has a whole bunch more really cool rockets I'd love to have today. Man, Estes so many more cool rockets back in the day than they do now. I'm glad to see they're rereleasing things though.

[Rocketaholic]

I have that model rocket built and ready to fly. Do you remember which motor worked the best for it?

I have to replace the rubber/elastic line in order for the wings to deploy, but other than that it is operational.

The rocketaholic

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

I have that model rocket built and ready to fly. Do you remember which motor worked the best for it?

I have to replace the rubber/elastic line in order for the wings to deploy, but other than that it is operational.

The rocketaholic

What kind of shape are your wings in? I always figured that they'd age badly.

[Nuke Rocketeer]

Soaring Eagle

[Nuke Rocketeer]

I have that model rocket built and ready to fly. Do you remember which motor worked the best for it?

I have to replace the rubber/elastic line in order for the wings to deploy, but other than that it is operational.

The rocketaholic


Unless you want to lose it, I would use a B6-2. I waved bye-bye to mine back in 1988 after several flights when I put a C6 in it. It went waaaaaaaayyyy up, circled twice, and then was caught by the wind and flew straight until it was out of sight.

[Shreadvector]

http://www.ninfinger.org/~sven/rockets/catalogs/estes82/82est48.html

Motors are listed on the catalog page.

C motors will make the rocket go higher than the B motors.

Luckily the B8-5 no longer exists, so you will not make the mistake of using a B motor with an excessively long delay time. Most boost-gliders are much happier with short delay times. 2 seconds for a B, 3 seconds for a C.

Use of a 4 foot long steel launch rod will also help with a nice straight boost.

Good luck.

I have that model rocket built and ready to fly. Do you remember which motor worked the best for it?

I have to replace the rubber/elastic line in order for the wings to deploy, but other than that it is operational.

The rocketaholic

[ghrocketman]

The B8-5 was a good motor for the proper applications, and I agree with Shreadvector that it was NOT good for the Soaring Eagle....wayyyy too long delay.
One thing I never did understand is why Estes did not offer this one as a B8-3; Centuri did (was Estes produced), but ONLY for one measly production year. Estes never offered the B8-3.
The B8-0 and B8-7 were offered by both companies, but only for one year.
The only B8 that had a reasonable production life was the B8-5; I wish that one still existed and they had dumped the BOOORRRRINNNGGG B6-4 instead.

[Nuke Rocketeer]

I'd be doggone happy to get a B8-0 and a C5-0 again. Not to mention a B14 :D

Joe W

[Rocketaholic]

I kept the model rocket "The Soaring Eagle" in a dry climate. I still have the spare wing material, but the orginal still works fine. I used a little corn starch on the wing area, and that has helped through the years.

[mojo1986]

Revisit your past. Soaring Eagle kit up for auction on Ebay right now.........................

http://cgi.ebay.com/Estes-1373-Soaring-Eagle-Flying-Model-Rocket-Kit_W0QQitemZ270127693338QQihZ017QQcategoryZ2567QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Joe

PS.............not sure if the above is a direct link to the auction. You may have to do a copy/paste to your browser window.

[clhug]

Revisit your past. Soaring Eagle kit up for auction on Ebay right now.........................

http://cgi.ebay.com/Estes-1373-Soaring-Eagle-Flying-Model-Rocket-Kit_W0QQitemZ270127693338QQihZ017QQcategoryZ2567QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Joe

PS.............not sure if the above is a direct link to the auction. You may have to do a copy/paste to your browser window.

As much as I loved that model, that's a bit rich for me. If nobody bids on it and I can get it for not much more than they're askng for as a starting bid, but I'm not a type that feels the need to pay a fortune for something just because it's still around (like the Saturn V models I've read about on these forums that apparently go for hudreds of dollars, I just don't need another one that bad, even if I lost my current one). No offense meant to any collectors out there who do though.

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

As much as I loved that model, that's a bit rich for me. If nobody bids on it and I can get it for not much more than they're askng for as a starting bid, but I'm not a type that feels the need to pay a fortune for something just because it's still around (like the Saturn V models I've read about on these forums that apparently go for hudreds of dollars, I just don't need another one that bad, even if I lost my current one). No offense meant to any collectors out there who do though.

Yeah, that would be a deal at the opening bid price. I'll keep my hands off of it and throw my weekly bid elsewhere. ;) (Having owned one in the past beats always been curious about it in my book.)

[clhug]

Bummer! I just did a ebay search of my own for Estes rockets and the first one on the list is the Star Speeder that also had that was in the same catalog as the Soaring Eagle. But it's up to $37 which is too rich for me.

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

Bummer! I just did a ebay search of my own for Estes rockets and the first one on the list is the Star Speeder that also had that was in the same catalog as the Soaring Eagle. But it's up to $37 which is too rich for me.

That one should be fairly easy to clone.