Some history behind this kit....

I have always wanted an Orion and Athena. I think they came out in the final (frantic) days of Semroc Version 1.0. We were looking into styrene wraps, but never got to it. The Centuri Saturn 1/100 scales, LJII, and other super scale stuff was all on our want to do list.

I mentioned the Orion to Dr. Bob Craddock years ago and he generously offered to loan me one to use to produce a kit. I declined at the time, knowing it would be a while before we could do a good job with it. Bob is a good friend of the hobby AND very persistent. When we were invited to the Garber facility to see the Sine collection during NARAM-50, Bob went to his van and brought back an opened, very early model of the Orion. He told me to keep it until we could release it as a kit.

It was a second run version. It still had everything from the first production kits, including the first instruction sheets, with all balsa nose cones shown. It had a pack of 6 plastic pod cones with an addendum showing how to use them instead of the balsa pod cones described in the instructions.

It has taken a while to decide how to do it as a kit. Slowly, we made some design decisions that are evident in the final version. We went with the original balsa pod cones (BNC-711) which were like the Centuri BC-71. We almost released the large nose cone as a combination of the BC-1315 and paper shroud, but released the BC-2031 instead to get the same shape. The original (BC-1315) tip had about a .35" radius and the later plastic nose cone (PNC-231) had a .54" radius. I liked the more pointed design. It also has a slight step about 1.5" from the tip where the paper reducer would have been.

We have tried the styrene wraps many different ways and could not get them close enough to the original. Since the wraps were based on the Centuri Saturn V Inter-stage wrapper and the Centuri Saturn 1B Lower Third Stage wrapper, I already had many drawings for the small pieces for upcoming 1/100 scale releases. Since the original Centuri wraps were for larger tubes, they cut the wraps short, winding up with some misplacement, if you want symmetry. I rearranged the parts slightly to make them more balanced and did similar paper wraps.

tbzep and Intruder provided the inspiration for non-styrene wraps. I figured that this was a good model to prepare skills for the Saturn 1B and Saturn V.

Thanks to Dr. Bob Craddock for the use of the model and needed push, Craig McGraw that spent several hours when I was out of time to do the RockSim file, and tbzep and Intruder for showing me what good results can be had with balsa and paper.

By the way, Bob sent me an email stating, "Larry Brown was the original designer of the Orion and Athena The Orion was actually based on a model rocket kit his dad had invented years before Carlisle. We actually have the only surviving version of that rocket in the SI collection now. “ His name will be on future covers of the kit.

Oh.. one more thing. Why Centuri Orion, instead of Orion? We were working on an Orion-Constellation-Aries, before it became Fantasy Scale and did not want all the different Orion’s out there to be confused with the original Centuri version.

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Carl McLawhorn
NAR#4717 L2
semroc.com

Thanks for the history / behind the scenes work!

Fascinating !

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Jim Filler
NARHAMS # 139
NAR CB - RCPC

Carl,

Thanks for the info. I've received my kits and they're beautiful.

I bought a set of "original" Orion wraps on Ebay a while back and I'm anxious to see how they fit. But first I have to find them.

I think the wrap may be with the Orion parts I ordered from Semroc a while back.

I love reading this kind of stuff.......makes the kit that a even more interesting.


Brett

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http://public.fotki.com/bacasino/rockets/


http://public.fotki.com/bacasino/toyroom/

May Ye be In Heaven A Half An Hour Before The Devil Knows Yer Dead....

Since you happened to MENTION the Athena...any chance we'll be seeing such a kit being offered soon from our friends at SEMROC?

(or, if not, maybe an SLS Orion?)

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Dean Fox
NAR #53946SR

---- "Wherever you go, there you are"

Carl,
got my kit yesterday and its awesome...can't wait to get started on it!

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I asked for a car, I got a computer. How's that for being born under a bad sign?

I cant find a pic of the darn thing

Click here.

Greg

And here or here

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David Hash
NAR#77967
http://www.Semroc.com