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#1
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Golden Anniversary of the second-longest running model rocket kit
Estes' K-25 - the Astron Alpha - first appeared in the 1967 catalog, so it has been in production for 50 years this year. Perhaps we should all build an Alpha with some kind of golden livery.
No, Estes Industries isn't doing a commemorative kit/livery - I already asked 'em. Hmmmmmm......maybe we should have an Alpha gathering at NSL along with the already-planned V-2 mass launch. Thoughts? (Oh, of course the Big Bertha is the one that has been in production longer than the Alpha, in case anyone here didn't know that. It first appeared in the 1966 catalog, and was an MRN design before that.)
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Bernard Cawley NAR 89040 L1 - Life Member SAM 0061 AMA 42160 KG7AIE |
#2
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Good old Alpha. I'll have to pull out a vintage kit from my stash for the occasion.
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#3
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I did a build of the 1969 catalog Alpha a few years ago:
http://modelrocketbuilding.blogspot...alog-alpha.html Lots of home print decals on it.
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Hans "Chris" Michielssen Old/New NAR # 19086 SR www.oddlrockets.com www.modelrocketbuilding.blogspot.com http://www.nar.org/educational-reso...ing-techniques/ Your results may vary "Nose cones roll, be careful with that." Every spaceman needs a ray gun. Look out - I'm the Meister Shyster! |
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The Alpha was probably the first kit I built, or TRIED to build. My friends and I were able to buy motors from a couple of hobby shops, but didn't have the scratch to get rockets too. So we cobbled rocket-shaped things together and shoved motors in them. They often flew straight, surprisingly.
Eventually I mail-ordered the $2.25 "Here's a rocket, motors, and literature, go build your own launcher" outfit. I really horribly messed up gluing on the fins. I remember gluing on gauze reinforcement, having seen this in the technical manual, but that ended up making the crookedly placed fins impossible to remove. Poor first Alpha! I suppose I threw you away eventually, but your cone kicked around my parts box for a while. ( If my father had spent a an hour with me helping maybe it would have been flyable, but he was a neglectful jerk and I had to learn things on my own.) I should build an original Alpha to commemorate the anniversary. I think eRockets has a all-balsa clone. http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/no...a/70est008.html
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NAR #27085 - Oregon Rocketry - SAM |
#5
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Quote:
I did mine based on an old Boy's Life ad about 10 years ago.
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I love sanding. |
#6
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My first model rocket. B6-4.
Should have used B6-6. 1966. |
#7
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Nice! I'm assuming those are homemade decals? I keep thinking it is time to buy another inkjet printer. I have not had one for a long time. I've got a color laser printer, but it is useless for decals, and photos...
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Lee Reep NAR 55948 Projects: Semroc Saturn 1B, Ken Foss Designs Mini Satellite Interceptor In the Paint Shop: Nothing! Too cold! Launch-Ready: Farside-X, Maxi Honest John, Super Scamp |
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Yes. MicroMark decal paper and HP 6940 printer. Don't forget to set your printer to high or print quality. They look better in person than the old pic shows.
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I love sanding. |
#9
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Quote:
That is beautiful work! I think your blue trim might be more accurate than my black and red stripes.
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Hans "Chris" Michielssen Old/New NAR # 19086 SR www.oddlrockets.com www.modelrocketbuilding.blogspot.com http://www.nar.org/educational-reso...ing-techniques/ Your results may vary "Nose cones roll, be careful with that." Every spaceman needs a ray gun. Look out - I'm the Meister Shyster! |
#10
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Thanks. I like the spacing you used around the Stars-n-Bars, and wanted to do mine that way, but decided to try to make it look as much like the Boys' Life ad as possible. I have no idea what color the ad represented, but figured blue would go better with USAF. IIRC, there is an Alpha two tone drawing in one of the early catalogs that used blue and white for the entire model, but for me, an Alpha nose cone has to be red!
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I love sanding. |
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