So, getting to the K-14 Drifters in the 1964 catalog doesn't mean that the work for 1964 is done. Besides just kits, Estes had their parts sets, just like the do now. Then, they were the "Special" sets.


Although there isn't a "formal" kit for these, there are demonstrative illustrations. So, once they are manifested as real rockets, those parts packs can have a home alongside their K-kit cousins.


To start with, I went for the "Lift-Off" Special. It was a drawing that looked like a Bertha, but wasn't. I looked at the parts they offered in the "Lift-Off" Special, and only two nosecones looked like they could be used to build the recommended entry in the "all-purpose rocket fleet". Mainly, because of the shape - it is either elliptical or ogive - given that it is a simple drawing and not a photorealistic sketch. One nose is the 20B, and the other is the 60L. So, the body is either BT20 or BT60 given the parts in the kit.

By scaling the drawing to the tube size, if the body is BT20, then the nose would be about 2" tall, compared to 1.68" for a 20B. If the body is BT60, then the nose would be about 4.4" tall, compared to 3.375" for a 60L. Neither is an exact-enough match. So, which to build?


Both.

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