Ye Olde Rocket Forum

Go Back   Ye Olde Rocket Forum > Swap Shoppe > Wanted: Dead or Alive!
User Name
Password
Auctions Register FAQ Members List Calendar Today's Posts Search Mark Forums Read


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old 07-01-2006, 09:16 PM
tbzep's Avatar
tbzep tbzep is offline
Dazed and Confused
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: TN
Posts: 11,610
Default Akela-1 scans

(also posted on the OldRockets list and soon to go up on TRF)

I lost all the photos I accumulated of the Akela-1 kit due to a hard drive crash a few months ago. If any of you have any scans, or links to pics of the finished rocket, please help me out. Color pics would be awesome, but I'll take anything I can get. I'm just starting to dig through the Centuri Rocket Times scans on Ninfinger and have found a marginal quality scan in the 1975-1976 Winter CRT.

For those of you that don't know about the kit, it was a rocket produced by Centuri for the Boy Scouts of America, specifically the Cub Scouts, IIRC. You could buy it at just about any place that sold Boy Scouts materials, supplies, etc. It's physically a copy of the old Centuri Viking. Estes recreated it and also called it the Viking, but the parts are slightly different. The Estes version uses thinner Estes tubing, and the nosecone and the fiber fins have ever so slightly different angles, but you wouldn't notice the difference on an assembled rocket. With parts lying side by side, it's easy to see the difference, however.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 07-01-2006, 10:19 PM
CPMcGraw's Avatar
CPMcGraw CPMcGraw is offline
BARCLONE Rocketry
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Mobile, Alabama
Posts: 5,357
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by tbzep
I lost all the photos I accumulated of the Akela-1 kit due to a hard drive crash a few months ago...


You know that Scott has the decal scans on YORP, right?

How badly did that drive crash? Was it totally trashed, like a head crash? Or was it just some scrambled boot-up files?

Have you tried attaching the drive as a secondary external drive through a USB cable? Maybe you can still read some of those files onto your new drive...
__________________
Craig McGraw

BARCLONE Rocketry -- http://barclone.rocketshoppe.com
BARCLONE Blogsite -- http://barclone.wordpress.com
BARCLONE Forum -- BARCLONE Forum

BARs helping BARs

SAM 0044
AMA 352635
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 07-01-2006, 11:39 PM
tbzep's Avatar
tbzep tbzep is offline
Dazed and Confused
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: TN
Posts: 11,610
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by CPMcGraw
You know that Scott has the decal scans on YORP, right?

How badly did that drive crash? Was it totally trashed, like a head crash? Or was it just some scrambled boot-up files?

Have you tried attaching the drive as a secondary external drive through a USB cable? Maybe you can still read some of those files onto your new drive...


I still have the decals on DVD. The drive wouldn't spin up. It went into the trash not too long after it happened. I had a lot of stuff backed up on DVD, but not those particular pics for some reason. What I'd really like to have are the color ad photos.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 07-03-2006, 10:59 PM
tbzep's Avatar
tbzep tbzep is offline
Dazed and Confused
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: TN
Posts: 11,610
Default

Since the original Akela-1 cone looks different from the Viking cone, I thought I'd try to build a second rocket using Centuri parts.

I have two nosecones that came from Akela-1 kits. Centuri tubes are thicker than the stuff we get today, so I figure buying tubes from BMS, Semroc, etc. would fit the nosecone a little loose. I knew I had some old Centuri tubing somewhere that I ordered from ACME (Grant Boyd) over a decade ago. I found the box tonight. Looks like I ordered it in 1994. There are several pieces of Series 7 tubes and one Series 8 tube along with a payload section and nosecone for the Series 8.

If Phred could measure the actual length of the original body tube in his colllection for me, I'll build a second Akela-1 using the original nosecone. Unfortunately, I can only find a couple of original fins, so I'll have to cut some balsa fins for it. The Viking fins are a hair different in shape, and I don't care too much for fiber fins anyway.

I'll use the Viking bash as my main flying model and the one with the Centuri parts will fly once or twice for photos and be put on display. I might even stick a 13mm motor mount in the Viking bashed version since I have a butt load of mini motors.

I'm still looking for the old color advertisements of the Akela-1. I used to have color versions of these B&W photos pulled from Ninfinger's site.

Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 07-07-2006, 04:17 PM
tbzep's Avatar
tbzep tbzep is offline
Dazed and Confused
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: TN
Posts: 11,610
Default Pics from 1974

I just went through the 1974 set of Boys' Life magazine looking for color images of the Akela-1. I didn't find any color, but I did find this small article on the Akela in the January issue, and a diorama with an Estes Alpha III and a Centuri Bandito in the October issue.

Jan 1974 Boys' Life


Oct 1974 Boys' Life
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 07-27-2006, 10:05 AM
Green Dragon Green Dragon is offline
AL Swackhammer , power freak
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: New York
Posts: 1,255
Default

stumbled onto this thread and got me curious as to differences in the Akela 1 versus the Viking.

I actually have an original Akela kit at my parents ( with most of my rocketry items, due to space constraints), so don't have right here to check against the Viking fins I have .

few questions this brings up -

are the original Vecotr V fins the viking fins or Akela, or different ? ( I also have an original builtup Vector V , but, again, not here at present ).

if the fins are indeed different, I think I have some fins left over form an original Centuri cub scout 12 pak , along with at least a partial sheet of 'Akela' decals.

if I get over there and grab those, will try to get some pics, although the Akela is in non-standard paint ( not sure what that should look like, so any pics might be of interest ).

also, last question is in regards to the cone - how was that different than the regular Centuri Viking cone ? (again, not having one to compare to, but DO have what I think is an original cone from '12 pak kits' and comparing to the other Centuri cone I have ( and the moldin oldies copy I also have ), they all look the same.

~ AL
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 09-21-2009, 07:08 PM
blackshire's Avatar
blackshire blackshire is offline
Master Modeler
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
Posts: 6,507
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by tbzep
(also posted on the OldRockets list and soon to go up on TRF)

I lost all the photos I accumulated of the Akela-1 kit due to a hard drive crash a few months ago. If any of you have any scans, or links to pics of the finished rocket, please help me out. Color pics would be awesome, but I'll take anything I can get. I'm just starting to dig through the Centuri Rocket Times scans on Ninfinger and have found a marginal quality scan in the 1975-1976 Winter CRT.

For those of you that don't know about the kit, it was a rocket produced by Centuri for the Boy Scouts of America, specifically the Cub Scouts, IIRC. You could buy it at just about any place that sold Boy Scouts materials, supplies, etc. It's physically a copy of the old Centuri Viking. Estes recreated it and also called it the Viking, but the parts are slightly different. The Estes version uses thinner Estes tubing, and the nosecone and the fiber fins have ever so slightly different angles, but you wouldn't notice the difference on an assembled rocket. With parts lying side by side, it's easy to see the difference, however.


The "Classics" section on the Semroc web site dates the Centuri Akela-1 (and the Centuri Viking) as having been available between 1980 and 1983. This seems a bit "late" to me, as I seem to recall having seen ads for the Akela-1 in the late 1970s.
__________________
Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 09-21-2009, 08:24 PM
tbzep's Avatar
tbzep tbzep is offline
Dazed and Confused
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: TN
Posts: 11,610
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by blackshire
The "Classics" section on the Semroc web site dates the Centuri Akela-1 (and the Centuri Viking) as having been available between 1980 and 1983. This seems a bit "late" to me, as I seem to recall having seen ads for the Akela-1 in the late 1970s.


The Akela-1 was available in the 70's. Not sure when it first became available, but I know it was available when I was in Cub Scouts well before the 80's.
__________________
I love sanding.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 09-21-2009, 10:23 PM
sandman's Avatar
sandman sandman is offline
Custom Cone, Kit & Decal Maker
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Way North of Detroit
Posts: 5,048
Default

I have to redraw the Akela 1 decals.

Phred had them in his data base when I purchase Excelsior but alas, they will not open from any of the backups.

I can't get ahould of Phred he and his wife took my money and are on a tour of eastern Europe.

I started redrawing then this afternoon but it will take a while.
__________________
"I'm a sandman. I've never killed anyone. I terminate runners when their time is up." Logan from "Logan's Run"

http://sandmandecals.com/
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 09-21-2009, 10:48 PM
blackshire's Avatar
blackshire blackshire is offline
Master Modeler
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
Posts: 6,507
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by sandman
I have to redraw the Akela 1 decals.

Phred had them in his data base when I purchase Excelsior but alas, they will not open from any of the backups.

I can't get ahould of Phred he and his wife took my money and are on a tour of eastern Europe.

I started redrawing then this afternoon but it will take a while.


I very much appreciate it! Also, there are two scans of the Akela-1 decal sheet (a "raw" scan and a "cleaned-up" version) here: www.oldrocketplans.com/decals.htm .

Could these eliminate one or more steps for producing new duplicates of the decal sheets?

(Making decals is still alchemy to me; I only know how to put them on models!) :-)


-- Jason
__________________
Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:35 AM.


Powered by: vBulletin Version 3.0.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe © 1998-2024