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-   -   Fin-Kwik Fin Alignment Guide (http://www.oldrocketforum.com/showthread.php?t=17030)

stefanj 12-20-2017 10:20 AM

The Fin Kwick had two versions:

A really solid metal version, and the metal version Estes sold.

The plastic version was kind of dodgy. You had to wrap the spiral-wound cardboard mounting tubes with adhesive paper, which was messy, and the mounting hole was kind of shallow and allowed some play side to side.

Tiny bits of slop meant your fins were not as squarely placed as they should be.

Ltvscout 12-20-2017 05:18 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by stefanj
The Fin Kwick had two versions:

A really solid metal version, and the metal version Estes sold.

The plastic version was kind of dodgy. You had to wrap the spiral-wound cardboard mounting tubes with adhesive paper, which was messy, and the mounting hole was kind of shallow and allowed some play side to side.

Tiny bits of slop meant your fins were not as squarely placed as they should be.

Hmmm, I have a couple Fin-Kwik units. How do I determine which version they are?

tbzep 12-20-2017 05:31 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ltvscout
Hmmm, I have a couple Fin-Kwik units. How do I determine which version they are?

The plastic version is made of plastic.
The metal version is made of metal.
The solid metal version is not molten.

:D

On a serious note, the plastic version was not called a "Fin-Kwik". It was called a "Fin Alignment Guide". The one I had was warped and the fin guides slid around in the slots. It was a piece of junk. At least the metal ones could be tweaked if they weren't straight.

.

stefanj 12-20-2017 05:32 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ltvscout
Hmmm, I have a couple Fin-Kwik units. How do I determine which version they are?


Look through the plastic bag!

Estes' units were all plastic. The original, made by a company whose name I don't recall, was metal. Old NAR magazines might have adverts.

I never got my hands on a metal one. Not sure if the mounting spindle was any better.

tbzep 12-20-2017 05:38 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by stefanj
Look through the plastic bag!

Estes' units were all plastic. The original, made by a company whose name I don't recall, was metal. Old NAR magazines might have adverts.

The Estes Fin-Kwik was metal and was bought directly from the inventor, Mitch Gornik. The plastic one was not called a Fin-Kwik and was a total piece of crap. Note the description on the catalog page I posted above.

http://forums.rocketshoppe.com/show...hlight=Fin-Kwik



.

Ltvscout 12-20-2017 06:01 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by stefanj
Look through the plastic bag!

Estes' units were all plastic. The original, made by a company whose name I don't recall, was metal. Old NAR magazines might have adverts.

I never got my hands on a metal one. Not sure if the mounting spindle was any better.

I have metal Fin-Kwik units. You made it sound like there were two versions of metal Fin-Kwik units. I also have the later version plastic fin alignment jig Estes sold. The Fin-Kwik inventors son had contacted me a number of years back stating he was trying to bring them back to market. Haven't heard anything since.

tbzep 12-20-2017 06:04 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ltvscout
I have metal Fin-Kwik units. You made it sound like there were two versions of metal Fin-Kwik units. I also have the later version plastic fin alignment jig Estes sold. The Fin-Kwik inventors son had contacted me a number of years back stating he was trying to bring them back to market. Haven't heard anything since.

The inventor sold them independently before Estes started buying them from him so the only difference should be the packaging. Let's just forget about the plastic abomination.

blackshire 12-21-2017 01:14 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by stefanj
The Fin Kwick had two versions:

A really solid metal version, and the metal version Estes sold.

The plastic version was kind of dodgy. You had to wrap the spiral-wound cardboard mounting tubes with adhesive paper, which was messy, and the mounting hole was kind of shallow and allowed some play side to side.

Tiny bits of slop meant your fins were not as squarely placed as they should be.
*Two* metal Fin-Kwik fixtures...was one steel, with the other one being a "cheaper" aluminum copy?

blackshire 12-21-2017 01:16 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by tbzep
The inventor sold them independently before Estes started buying them from him so the only difference should be the packaging. Let's just forget about the plastic abomination.
The name of the plastic one--Fin Alignment Guide--if it had been used as an acronym, would have been charmingly un-PC (although British and Australian folks often use that term for kindling sticks and cigarettes, even today). :-) I have an unopened one in a desk drawer next to me; maybe one day it will be collectible, as an "Edsel" product from Estes? :-)


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