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  #11  
Old 11-13-2011, 03:54 PM
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gpoehlein gpoehlein is offline
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Y'know, I've always considered the Phantom (1207):

http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/ca...74/74est32.html

to be an unofficial member of the Alpha family. It is the same shape as the Alpha III - same nose cone and fin can only molded in clear plastic. Of course, by this logic, I suppose the Quasar is also an unofficial member as well - it's really just a stretched version of the Alpha III with clipped fins:

http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/ca...75/75est12.html
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  #12  
Old 11-13-2011, 04:57 PM
Rocket Doctor Rocket Doctor is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Leo
Ken "The Rocket Doctor" asked me to post this image:




Thanks Leo
Maybe one day I will learn how to upload photos on this site.........
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  #13  
Old 11-13-2011, 05:34 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocket Doctor
Thanks Leo
Maybe one day I will learn how to upload photos on this site.........


I did it once and now seem unable to repeat the task. Maybe if I wave some rocket innards over my keyboard.....
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  #14  
Old 11-13-2011, 05:46 PM
chrism chrism is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gpoehlein
Y'know, I've always considered the Phantom (1207):

http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/ca...74/74est32.html

to be an unofficial member of the Alpha family. It is the same shape as the Alpha III - same nose cone and fin can only molded in clear plastic. Of course, by this logic, I suppose the Quasar is also an unofficial member as well - it's really just a stretched version of the Alpha III with clipped fins:

http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/ca...75/75est12.html


Would you include Colossus--a streched version of Maxi Alpha 3??
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  #15  
Old 11-13-2011, 06:42 PM
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BEC BEC is offline
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On the BT-50 sized Phantom....when I built one I actually cut a 5.5 inch piece of PST-50 for the body for it (the kit came with a 4 inch piece) so it would be the same size as an Alpha III. That makes a great comparison with the two side-by-side. It also leaves room to actually put some wadding inside...
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  #16  
Old 11-13-2011, 06:47 PM
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Mark II Mark II is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gpoehlein
Y'know, I've always considered the Phantom (1207):

http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/ca...74/74est32.html

to be an unofficial member of the Alpha family. It is the same shape as the Alpha III - same nose cone and fin can only molded in clear plastic. Of course, by this logic, I suppose the Quasar is also an unofficial member as well - it's really just a stretched version of the Alpha III with clipped fins:

http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/ca...75/75est12.html

Quote:
Originally Posted by chrism
Would you include Colossus--a streched version of Maxi Alpha 3??
You've both caught on to my quiz question. To recap: in either the 1979 and 1980 Estes catalogs, how many Alpha models do you count?

I count at least 5 and possibly 6.
  1. Alpha
  2. Alpha III
  3. Maxi Alpha
  4. Maxi Alpha III
  5. K-07B Phantom (Clear Alpha), and possibly
  6. Colossus (stretched Maxi Alpha III)
I briefly considered the Quasar, but decided that the clipped fins kept it out of the family. The Alpha and its kin use oblique trapezoid fins; the Quasar used clipped trapezoid fins. The two shapes are related, but that doesn't make rockets that have either one related. It might be more accurate to call the Quasar an upscaled Mark.
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  #17  
Old 11-13-2011, 07:36 PM
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CPMcGraw CPMcGraw is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark II
... I briefly considered the Quasar, but decided that the clipped fins kept it out of the family. The Alpha and its kin use oblique trapezoid fins; the Quasar used clipped trapezoid fins. The two shapes are related, but that doesn't make rockets that have either one related. It might be more accurate to call the Quasar an upscaled Mark...


The Quasar fin can is exactly the same unit as the Alpha III, and there is at least one variant of the Quasar that used non-snipped fins. The tips were manually snipped.

Does anyone else get that "Rabbi Tuckman" sensation when reading that last sentence?
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  #18  
Old 11-13-2011, 07:47 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CPMcGraw
Does anyone else get that "Rabbi Tuckman" sensation when reading that last sentence?

AIEEEE! NOW I do!
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  #19  
Old 11-13-2011, 08:18 PM
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Mark II Mark II is offline
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[SNIP, SNIP....]

Source for the fin can notwithstanding, the Quasar looks more like an upscaled K-2 Mark than it does a K-56 Alpha III.
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  #20  
Old 11-13-2011, 08:57 PM
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A bit more info on the Alpha II.

Educator's kit only, never appeared in an Estes catalog.

Only sold in bulk packs, so no header cards.

Differed from the original Alpha in that it had a plastic nosecone (balsa at that time on the Alpha), balsa fins were die-cut (vs. cut-them-yourself with the Alpha) and the body tubes came pre-marked with fin placement lines. The fin lines look like ballpoint pen. Somebody who has access please ask Vern if he build a jig or machine to do that. I can't imagine how labor intensive that must have been to put those lines on the body tubes. And I don't recall ever seeing them on any other Estes kit (although Starlight did this for years).

I have no idea how many years the Alpha II was sold.

Steve

(Pic of the Alpha II below from a listing on eBay)
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