Javelin

[Rustee]

I had to have at least one Centuri in my collection so I picked up this nice little Javelin,it is in mint condition with some slight yellowing. This one is sealed forever! So,who was more of a Centuri fan than Estes?

[Bazookadale]

I flew Centuri exclusively for the first 3-4 years of rocketry - the Javelin was my first kit, I think it was $6.95 for the rocket, 2 motors and launch pad with "lectra-line". In 2005 I celebrated 40 years in rocketry with a 4x upscale "Javelin 40"

Edit - found the ad on ninfinger - the first line says Micron but that is the Javelin

[dwmzmm]

Back in 1969, when I first got started in the hobby, several friends of mine (who were brothers) got the Centuri starter set that included the Javelin and the Payloader kits and
had me assembled them (since they had no model building experience). I remember how
high the Javelin flew (always thought that NOTHING could fly higher than my first Astron
Alpha!!).

I missed out on buying the Centuri Javelin when I had the chance, but did get the SEMROC
version over the past summer. Looking forward to flying it soon....

Pic below is my SEMROC Javelin with my two Golden Scouts :)

[CenturiGuy]

I had to have at least one Centuri in my collection so I picked up this nice little Javelin,it is in mint condition with some slight yellowing. This one is sealed forever! So,who was more of a Centuri fan than Estes?(clears throat) That would be me.

http://www.rocketreviews.com/reviews/all/sem_javelin.shtml


Cheers,

[STRMan]

(clears throat) That would be me.

http://www.rocketreviews.com/reviews/all/sem_javelin.shtml


Cheers,

Though my first model rocket was an Estes Quasar from a Citation starter kit, I was definitely a lot more heavily into Centuri rockets in my youth. In fact, I seem to recall it was a Javelin that was my 2nd model rocket. Now I find myself wanting to build another. That happens to me around here a lot. :)

[barone]

Centuri? Been flying Estes for YEARS until I heard anything about Centuri....76-77 time frame... :o

[tbzep]

My first kits were Estes. My first Centuri kit was a cub scout Akela-1. I have a handful of other original Centuri rockets including the Saturn 1B and V. I've got a few Semroc clones and scratch clones of Centuri rockets also, but Estes outnumbers them considerably.

[micromeister]

I had to have at least one Centuri in my collection so I picked up this nice little Javelin,it is in mint condition with some slight yellowing. This one is sealed forever! So,who was more of a Centuri fan than Estes?


I was! I think one of the very first "Kits" I purcahsed was a Centuri Javelin. I still fly one every now and then, and just recently downscaled it to T3 size for flying on Micro's:D It was always my conclusion Centuri had the better designs and engineering tho I did like and buy many of the "early days" Estes kits as well;)

[Initiator001]

I flew a Semroc Javelin at NARAM-50. :)

Bob

[rocketguy101]

Centuri was all we could get from the hobby shop in Lake Havasu City AZ in '68-'69. Later the owner started stocking some Estes. My first was the Centuri starter kit w/ the Javelin. Unfortunately, I used electrical tape to hold the motor in place, and it made a very good permenant glue! :eek: My Dad kept trying to pull the motor out, finally tore the body tube :( So, we went back to the HS and bought another Javelin. Flew it about 5 times before it just disappeared on a "C". I always thought that was a cool design. I got a free Semroc Javelin with one of my orders, but haven't built it yet. Ah, memories....


edit: hey! my gross posting (144)

[Ltvscout]

My first kit was a Centuri Payloader II. A greater majority of the kits I had as a youth were Centuri kits. I guess I just liked the designs better, plus I appreciated the thicker wall tubing they used. Their kits (except for the ones with fiber fins) always seemed to last longer for me.

[GIJoe]

Centuri was long gone when I started flying rockets. I did however find a Centuri Javelin recently that was shipped from Centuri in Feb 1965. The kit is older than I am by two weeks. It is currently being refinished and will fly next year.

Joe

[Rustee]

That's great,"Ye Olde" indeed. I've been trying to pick a few from '64 myself,originals of course. And no,no shelf queens either!

[Bazookadale]

Centuri was long gone when I started flying rockets. I did however find a Centuri Javelin recently that was shipped from Centuri in Feb 1965. The kit is older than I am by two weeks. It is currently being refinished and will fly next year.

Joe

That was the year I started - I wonder if you could scan the instructions? The ones on Jim Z site are from later years, I remember the sheet from my kit had an exploded view but not much more.

[GIJoe]

That was the year I started - I wonder if you could scan the instructions? The ones on Jim Z site are from later years, I remember the sheet from my kit had an exploded view but not much more.

I had contacted Jim about it. I have a scan but due to significant yellowing on one side the scan needs some cleaning up. I will be trying to get that done as well as scan all the accompanying documentation. There was a lot of paperwork included with the rocket. Original mailing box (shipped to Zieglerville, PA, post dated Feb 5, 1965, a town less than 100 miles from where I was born two weeks later), Centuri's Model Rocket Engine Operating Instructions, Fin Positioning Guide and a Fin Alignment Guide. Parachute Assembly Instructions and one Paper Chute Protector. A handwritten letter requesting the kit and a 1965 catalog, ($2.75). There were also two Centuri 1/2A8-4 Rocket Engines (12867).

It was interesting for me to see writing on the fins when I cleaned the up (ROOT CHORD this side to body tube). I just need to attach the launch lug and prime and paint. I am going to leave the nose cone original, since it is in good shape and doesn't need any help. Attached are some photos.

[CenturiGuy]

It was interesting for me to see writing on the fins when I cleaned the up (ROOT CHORD this side to body tube).GIJoe,

*Great* pictures! The outline for those "old school" fins were silkscreened onto the balsa sheets, and that's what I had in the Javelin I bought in 1971. That was after they started including a plastic nose cone, but before they began using diecut balsa fins.

That's a great historical find you've got there! :cool:


Say, could you measure the root chord of those fins for me?


Thanks, and cheers,

[lurker01]

I had to have at least one Centuri in my collection so I picked up this nice little Javelin,it is in mint condition with some slight yellowing. This one is sealed forever! So,who was more of a Centuri fan than Estes?


My first ever kit was a Centuri Micron. IMHO, Centuri kits were better quality and design over the Estes Kits.

Love the simple yet performance improving innovations such as PassPort Staging, Composite Motors, Pod B/G, Self Adhesive shock cord mounts, ejection baffles, Serial Tags for your rocket listing recommended motors, and highly scaled model rocket kits, i.e. 1/45 Little Joe, Smoking Nike Smoke (you know the lines you see to the right or left of the Atomic Bomb Mushroom clouds), and the Saturns. Many more innovations we now take for granted.

Bob

[lurker01]

I had contacted Jim about it. I have a scan but due to significant yellowing on one side the scan needs some cleaning up. I will be trying to get that done as well as scan all the accompanying documentation. There was a lot of paperwork included with the rocket. Original mailing box (shipped to Zieglerville, PA, post dated Feb 5, 1965, a town less than 100 miles from where I was born two weeks later), Centuri's Model Rocket Engine Operating Instructions, Fin Positioning Guide and a Fin Alignment Guide. Parachute Assembly Instructions and one Paper Chute Protector. A handwritten letter requesting the kit and a 1965 catalog, ($2.75). There were also two Centuri 1/2A8-4 Rocket Engines (12867).

It was interesting for me to see writing on the fins when I cleaned the up (ROOT CHORD this side to body tube). I just need to attach the launch lug and prime and paint. I am going to leave the nose cone original, since it is in good shape and doesn't need any help. Attached are some photos.


That was another thing I liked about Centuri kits... the fin patterns were printed right there on the balsa. Made the making of the fins much more easier and straight forward.

Bob

[GIJoe]

Here are some more of the Javelin photos I took, the last one shows the Fin Root measurements. When I get it repainted I will post a photo of it. I will probably go back to the Red & Black paint scheme it had when I purchased it. I will also be looking for the simple roll pattern shown in the '65 catalog.

[Ltvscout]

Here are some more of the Javelin photos I took, the last one shows the Fin Root measurements. When I get it repainted I will post a photo of it. I will probably go back to the Red & Black paint scheme it had when I purchased it. I will also be looking for the simple roll pattern shown in the '65 catalog.
Was this an eBay purchase? May I ask what you paid for it?

[GIJoe]

Was this an eBay purchase? May I ask what you paid for it?

Yes, it was an eBay purchase. For some strange reason, nobody was bidding on it and I got it for $19.99 plus $8.00 for shipping. It was listed under, "Vintage 1965 Centuri The Javelin Rocket Original Box!!!". For some reason nobody seamed to want a Vintage Centuri The Javelin Rocket that week, best $27.99, I ever spent. I mostly bid on it because I was born that year and thought it would be nice to have something form sixties. I have only been flying rockets since 2005, so I have no connection to the Centuri Kits. I also picked up a lot of old Estes parts and accessories this summer. I have numerous Old Stock Balsa Nose cones that I have been using to clone a few rockets. I also look for older Estes Rockets that are OOP. I have several really nice older Estes models too.

[Ltvscout]

Yes, it was an eBay purchase. For some strange reason, nobody was bidding on it and I got it for $19.99 plus $8.00 for shipping. It was listed under, "Vintage 1965 Centuri The Javelin Rocket Original Box!!!".
Was it maybe not listed under Rocketry? Back in my eBay binging days I used to have all kinds of searches setup to find stuff in areas they shouldn't have been posted. I got a lot of deals that way. I notice Scigs is good at doing that now. ;)

That's a great price you got that at. I'm surprised it got by all the tattletales with those motors in there.

[barone]

........ I'm surprised it got by all the tattletales with those motors in there.
That's a good indication that it may not have been in the rocketry section..... ;)

[tbzep]

That's a good indication that it may not have been in the rocketry section..... ;)

They are too busy checking TRF's URL every three seconds to see if it's back up and running. :p

[GIJoe]

Was it maybe not listed under Rocketry? Back in my eBay binging days I used to have all kinds of searches setup to find stuff in areas they shouldn't have been posted. I got a lot of deals that way. I notice Scigs is good at doing that now. ;)

That's a great price you got that at. I'm surprised it got by all the tattletales with those motors in there.


Yes it was listed in the Rocketry Section. I do not remember what my Max bid would have been, but once I put in a Bid nobody ever bid on it. Might have been the time the auction closed, I really cannot remember, since I won this back in July.

[dwmzmm]

Yes it was listed in the Rocketry Section. I do not remember what my Max bid would have been, but once I put in a Bid nobody ever bid on it. Might have been the time the auction closed, I really cannot remember, since I won this back in July.

Either way, I would LOVE to have that Centuri shipping box you got along with the model!! Both are excellent collector's items.

[Green Dragon]

Either way, I would LOVE to have that Centuri shipping box you got along with the model!! Both are excellent collector's items.

Dave,

I have a twin to that box, postmarked 1967.

was thinking about ebay, but would entertain offers from here first, cash or trade.

( sorry for the shamless plug, lol )

~ AL

[barone]

Dave,

I have a twin to that box, postmarked 1967.

was thinking about ebay, but would entertain offers from here first, cash or trade.

( sorry for the shamless plug, lol )

~ AL
Al,

You know you can always put it up on OUR auction site...... ;)

http://www.rocketshoppe.com/cgi-bin/auction.pl

[Mark II]

I found out about Centuri at the same time that I discovered Estes Industries, sometime in the last quarter of 1966. I eventually went with Estes because I liked their ads better, and because they appeared to have a better deal on a starter set. I never regretted my choice. I was delighted with what Estes offered during those years and I never thought about looking elsewhere for rocketry products.

I didn't learn anything more about Centuri until I started seeing Semroc's Retro-Repros after I got back into rocketry a few years ago, and I learned more when I checked out their catalogs at Ninfinger and their plans at JimZ's and YORP. (I'm still learning about the company!) I'm truly sorry now that I missed them - they had a lot of really neat stuff.

I finally received my first ever Centuri kit a couple of months ago. (Thanks, Carl! :) ) But I haven't had the nerve to open it yet. Maybe someday, though. I have quite a few of Semroc's Centuri Retro-Repros (but not all of them yet) and I am starting to build some Centuri clones now, too.

Mark \\.

[hcmbanjo]

I'd always preferred the Centuri kit designs over the Estes. But let me go back a little furthur.
If anyone else went through what I did to get engines in Califonia, you might given up.
My first rocket was a Vashon, the only engine you could purchase in California. Liquid fueled, Freon. California has some of the stricktest fireworks laws in the country.
This was 1969. At school I was looking over the shoulder of a seventh grade (soon to be) friend. He had the Vashon catalog. I asked to borrow it. That moment changed everything.
Finally I could build models that did more than sit on the shelf.
The Vashon wasn't too sucessful for me. I tried to launch it in the winter, too cold for the self-refrigerant freon.
I'd seen the Estes and Centuri one column ads in comic books. I was more attracted to the Centuri ad, much slicker, the Javelin was a perspective rendering. The nose cone was breaking through the border line of the ad.
My Centuri purchases were probably three to one of the Estes. Like somebody posted earlier, I liked the thicker body tubes. The BT-50 (Estes) tube couldn't stand up next to the ST-10s.
Estes always seemed like Vern was right there, packing the kits with the employees. Lee Piester (Centuri) was always seen in a suit and tie, posed shots, surrounded by rockets.
But, in the late 60s early 1970s it was the Centuri designs that always brought me back. They always seemed to go for the little extra.

Hans"Chris" Michielssen
www.howtobuildmodelrockets.20m.com

[mrhemi1971]

I know that for me , buying Centuri kits was a matter of LHS supply, in the mid 70's my local store had more of a supply of Estes kits with a Centuri kit MAYBE sitting in the display. I've been shopping there for over 30 years and got to be friendly with the owner, and she asked me if I wanted and of the old rocket stuff sitting in the drawers behind the counter. BOY was I surprised to get a bunch of old Centuri parts! I was very surprised, but she mentioned that they used to get quite a few centuri items in, but they must have sold before I got to see any. Thankfully Semroc offers sizes of body tubes they used in Centuri kits, Now I just have to print of the plans and start building...

[MarkB.]

I know for me, finding a Centuri kit in a local hobby shop was all but impossible in the mid-seventies. The only two I ever built were the Nike-Smoke (which I still have) and the Starfire ((I wish I still had) , both of which my dad brought back from business trips. I was able to fill out the form in the back of Boy's Life and get a catalog but that was about it. I remember wanting a Little Joe and a Black Widow.

Some day I want to rob enough 7-11s to have Sandman turn me an up-scale nosecone for a Super Starfire. That kit was always my favorite 3FNC . . .

[yousah]

I always flew Estes because there were very few LHS's selling Centuri. One HS did have a good selection of Centuri products but I wasn't sure if the motors were interchangable. I really liked some of their various kits, and the packaging appealed to me, but I just wasn't sure if I was going to have to buy new launch equipment too. Not enough product knowledge when I was 13 years old!

[hcmbanjo]

The only time there was a conflict between Estes and Centuri equipment was if you tried to launch a (Centuri) Point off an Estes launcher!
There is a name for it (can't think of it right now) but there was actually a "vacuum" that would form between the Estes round deflector and the round base of the Point. The Centuri deflectors were not flat, but angled away from the rod.
My Point sat on the launcher an burned! The Semroc instructions say to raise it 10-12" above the blast deflector.
Back before I knew the history, I wondered if the Estes and Centuri engines came from the same factory. They were identical except for the printing on the outside wrap.

Build it, watch it fly - and wonder why!

Hans "Chris" Michielssen
www.howtobuildmodelrockets.20m.com

[Ltvscout]

The only time there was a conflict between Estes and Centuri equipment was if you tried to launch a (Centuri) Point off an Estes launcher!
There is a name for it (can't think of it right now) but there was actually a "vacuum" that would form between the Estes round deflector and the round base of the Point. The Centuri deflectors were not flat, but angled away from the rod.
That would be the Krushnik (sp?) Effect.

[hcmbanjo]

That's it! I knew it was a cross between (something like) "Smashing and Sputnik".
Thanks, I'll sleep tonight.

Hans "Chris" Michielssen
Old/New NAR # 19086 SR
www.howtobuildmodelrockets.20m.com