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Completed My Estes K Kit Collection
Hi Everyone, I have been building and flying Model Rockets since 1964 and building and flying High Power Rockets since the early 1990s. This way you know I just don't collect rockets but very much enjoy this hobby. For the past several years I have been trying to find an Estes kit number K-5 Astron Apogee. This one was the first one produced by Estes in 1962/63 and yes this is different from the K-5 Astron Apogee II kit produced from 1964/74. Now that I have added this to my collection of Estes early K kits my collection is now completed. All my kits in my collection are mint and still factory sealed, most are pre-Damon. I thought I would share this with everyone because I'm sure many of use have never seen this kit in its original package. Here are a couple of pics for everyone to enjoy.
Take Care, Jimi |
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But could you measure the tube lengths for us, including the clear one? Thanks. And congrats, too! Doug .
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YORF member #11 |
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Hi Doug, , The booster tube is 2.3/4" The upper stage tube is 6.5" and the clear tube is 2.7/8" You Take Care, Jimi |
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It appears you may have some sort of hybrid here. The payload and booster dimensions are consistent with what I've derived from the Apogee I catalog pictures. (Analysis here.) But your main tube is more like the Apogee II at 6.5" versus 5" from the pics. I wonder if Estes had already started migrating to the Apogee II when your kit was made. Doug .
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YORF member #11 |
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I wonder if we can deduce the design, and the suggested staging method, from the parts.
I see two balsa bulkheads. Is the one at bottom-right bored through, for use as a coupler? Are there one or two engine blocks? I see one, at least. Two engine blocks would suggest one was used at the rear of the booster. Maybe. |
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My take has always been there was no aft block in the booster (versus the K-40 Midget, for example, which had one). So that leaves the charcoal-gray ring and the balsa block both forward of the booster motor. I always assumed tape-together staging. However, this rocket dates back to the earliest days when staging was still iffy. Perhaps there was a block between the two motors. If the one balsa block is bored thru and used as a coupler, it would have been glued into the forward end of the booster. This implies the sustainer motor would have been recessed into the upper stage. This also leaves the paper ring as the sustainer engine block. If, OTOH, the bored-thru balsa block was used as the sustainer motor block (similar to the Astron Mark which had a bored-thru balsa block), then the paper ring would have been used as an aft block on the booster leaving the motors to suffice as the coupler. And this still implies the sustainer motor is recessed. Basically, I can't see how they use the one balsa block without it being bored. And I can't see how they used both the balsa block and the paper ring without recessing the sustainer motor. In my mind (with benefit of time for staging to be perfected) for this rocket, I would have used the paper ring as the sustainer motor block, tape-together staging with the sustainer motor sticking out as the coupler (ala the Midget), and simply not used the other balsa block. Obviously that's not how it was done. I'm very curious to know what's in those Apogee1 instructions Doug .
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YORF member #11 |
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Nice! I saw your ending price of $429! I wish I had the cash on hand to have pushed that a bit higher and get it for myself! yes, that is one of those once in a decade or two finds!!! Congrats! Maybe in the next 20 years, that kit might become mine if you or your kin ever place it back up on ebay ... chances are you are not going to build it and it will be on the auction block again within my lifetime Jonathan |
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All,
I've added this K-5 kit to the Estes Database including Jim's images (with credit). Please check to ensure I have not overlook any importants points.
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Estes kit pricing history and individual kit descriptions at www.seateddimevarieties.com/BAR/home.htm At least a work in progress.... |
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Though I've been building and collecting Estes kits since 1970,I've never known-what's the difference between the original Apogee and the Apogee II?
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The II is about 2.55" longer. If you look at catalog photos, the booster seems to be where most of that extra length is located.
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I love sanding. |
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