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A Fish Named Wallyum
02-25-2007, 09:52 PM
Did anyone have weather that cooperated? I was all packed to go on Friday night for the Saturday Quark launch, but it was cancelled due to high winds. I went out and bought a bunch of motors while my daughter was having her skating lesson on Friday afternoon and I had enough to fly everything I built over the winter. Today was supposed to be lousy, but it was actually pretty nice, at least down here in Ft. Thomas. Unfortunately all of our local small fields were literally under water due to the snowmelt and rain. Pretty frustrating, and the future looks no better.
Man, I've never managed to get the hang of February and March. :mad:

Tau Zero
02-25-2007, 10:04 PM
Did anyone have weather that cooperated? I was all packed to go on Friday night for the Saturday Quark launch, but it was cancelled due to high winds.We had sunny, breezy conditions on Saturday, and snow last night and today. :eek:

Fortunately for me, I didn't have anything ready to fly... but my kid brother who owns a fencing company (*no,* not like Sulu on the original "Star Trek") came over yesterday to figure out what all he needs to do to fix my fences that are in various stages of falling down. :cool:

*And* earlier tonight I called Mike Jerauld in San Diego to wish him happy 45th birthday a day early, and ended up talking for half an hour. That was cool.


Cheers,

James Pierson
02-25-2007, 10:25 PM
CenturiGuy Quote:

We had sunny, breezy conditions on Saturday, and snow last night and today.

Me too :( . Woke up to 2 inches of snow Saturday morning and then rained it all away the rest of the day and Sunday. I guess that is why they call it a rain forest :D . Forcast is for more snow on Tuesday and Wednesday so lookout Jay :eek: its coming your way soon after.

James Pierson
NAR# 77907

Green Dragon
02-25-2007, 10:34 PM
Man, I've never managed to get the hang of February and March. :mad:


hmm.. me neither, although I have photos of us flying in the snow flurries, back in my (much) younger days :D

guess stay in and build more - like I did this afternoon, while taking it easy trying to beat this cold I'm coming down with :-( ... ( isl balsa dust good medicine for the common cold ?)

nothing to write about yet, or pics ( soon, I promise :-) , sanded down the vintage Estes Explorer for repaint this spring, got mu Big Bertha fins on and filleted ( first Bertha I ever built, in 30+ years of active rocketry, go figure ) , also cut some fins, and even glued a few on , lol ( original Sizzler, Little John, EAC Viper, MRI Theta 37,Astron Scout ).

~ AL

Daniel Runyon
02-25-2007, 11:17 PM
We had an entire weekend of wind... it was steadily 10mph with lots of gusting to over 20, and our field gets pushed to its limits in 7mph, at least with my flying skills as they are. We did launch our air rockets though... took em over to my mothers house today, my son wanted them to see... we also took some of our "real" rockets to show her... they didn't even know such things existed so it was kind of cool to do a little show and tell with my boy.

We also walked up the side of the little mountain in my mother's back yard which we had never done (she hasn't lived there too long)... it was really nice to get to spend a little time in woods.

CPMcGraw
02-25-2007, 11:38 PM
Did anyone have weather that cooperated?

Windy here in Mobile on Saturday, mostly all day and gusting like a front was coming through. Today was better, but I had other duties to attend to. Hopefully this coming Saturday will be better...

Pyro Pro
02-26-2007, 07:49 PM
It was fairly mild for our monthly launch in Battleboro, with a very light breeze that tailed off as the day went on. We got to fly our TARC rocket 5 times (E28's) and get some more practice in with it, so it was a fairly good weekend.

Mark II
02-27-2007, 09:52 PM
Did anyone have weather that cooperated? I was all packed to go on Friday night for the Saturday Quark launch, but it was cancelled due to high winds. I went out and bought a bunch of motors while my daughter was having her skating lesson on Friday afternoon and I had enough to fly everything I built over the winter. Today was supposed to be lousy, but it was actually pretty nice, at least down here in Ft. Thomas. Unfortunately all of our local small fields were literally under water due to the snowmelt and rain. Pretty frustrating, and the future looks no better.
Man, I've never managed to get the hang of February and March. :mad:

I did make four flight tests in my driveway today of a micromaxx motor adapter that I had constructed (I kept launching it until I got a flight that I liked). The weather was sunny and fairly warm - about 30 deg., and was the fifth straight day of sunny weather, and the warmest. (I had also made one test launch of the same mod on Monday.) The first three flights today looped and landed in waist-deep snow in my backyard. The problem turned out to be launch lug drag caused by a bit of residue on the rod. After I finally figured that out and cleaned it off, the last launch was good: straight up, with decent height (for micromaxx) and nominal recovery a few feet from the pad.

Mark Kulka

A Fish Named Wallyum
03-11-2007, 06:20 PM
Flight one of the day was the much maligned Cosmik Debris on a C6-3. It was a great flight although it windcocked considerably, but still recovered within 200' of the pad. Very cool. I'll download the flight video when I get home. I'm pretty sure that I mentioned Craig's name once or twice during the flight. :rolleyes: ;) After an impressive flight of the Argus II (a D.O.M. plan rocket,) I bowed to peer pressure and bought a D21 for the second, and last, flight of the Cosmik Debris. It left the pad with three fins, only to return with one amid a shower of balsa confetti. I was able to scavenge most of the pieces, but I'm afraid that new fins will have to be cut if it flies again. Pics of the carnage are still on my camera, but I'll download them before I go to work.

tbzep
03-11-2007, 07:22 PM
I had to make a tough choice today. Motorcycle or rockets....I chose motorcycle this time. :D

A Fish Named Wallyum
03-11-2007, 08:18 PM
I wish I had a motorcycle to choose after today.
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s286/Wallyum/CosmikDebrisonQuarkpad.jpg
Hell, I wish I had a motorized scooter after this. :D
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s286/Wallyum/CosmikDebrisafterflight2.jpg

A Fish Named Wallyum
03-11-2007, 08:32 PM
UFO Invader on pad.
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s286/Wallyum/CenturiUFOInvaderonQuarkpad.jpg
And leaving the pad.
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s286/Wallyum/CenturiUFOInvaderlift-of.jpg

CPMcGraw
03-11-2007, 10:08 PM
Flight one of the day was the much maligned Cosmik Debris on a C6-3. It was a great flight although it windcocked considerably, but still recovered within 200' of the pad. Very cool. I'll download the flight video when I get home. I'm pretty sure that I mentioned Craig's name once or twice during the flight. :rolleyes: ;) After an impressive flight of the Argus II (a D.O.M. plan rocket,) I bowed to peer pressure and bought a D21 for the second, and last, flight of the Cosmik Debris. It left the pad with three fins, only to return with one amid a shower of balsa confetti. I was able to scavenge most of the pieces, but I'm afraid that new fins will have to be cut if it flies again. Pics of the carnage are still on my camera, but I'll download them before I go to work.

THAT explains why my nose started burning so badly this afternoon!

Was it due to launch acceleration, or landing impact from the first flight, that you think caused the fins to fail? Those fins had a large footprint against the body tube; did they simply sheer away, or shred into splinters?

A Fish Named Wallyum
03-11-2007, 10:18 PM
THAT explains why my nose started burning so badly this afternoon!

Was it due to launch acceleration, or landing impact from the first flight, that you think caused the fins to fail? Those fins had a large footprint against the body tube; did they simply sheer away, or shred into splinters?

BOY, did they splinter! I've got a movie of both flights. The first one is almost picture perfect except for the weathercocking, but what could you expect? The second one is a lightning quick launch, then a sky full of balsa shards. I got so excited that I pressed the button on my camera in mid curse. All you hear is "S#1T THE BISC" and then the film ends. I picked it right up again when I realized what I had done. On the second film all you see is the remains plumetting to earth. Pretty funny, except for the incredible damage. The fin that remains is perfect, and the two that left were clean breaks, so I'll be hitting Hobby Lobby for some more large sheets of 1/8" balsa this week. I found my C5-3s after the cleanup. ;)

A Fish Named Wallyum
03-11-2007, 10:27 PM
Almost forgot. I did make several other flights today. I flew the UFO Invader that I made out of the remains of the SSV Scorpion. It was a C6-3 flight and it was perfect. I also flew the Estes D.O.M. Argus on a C6-5, but since I haven't done the decals, that flight was a little boring. I made three flights with the 24mm SPEV that I built a couple of weeks back. This is a great rocket for a power upscale. I also drilled out the lower transition and made it separate at the mid-point. This gives me a little more room for the chute and lets me add some nose weight. It flew on a C11-5, D12-5 and D12-7, with only a broken fin fillet to show as far as damage. Last but not least was the Semroc Recruiter on a B6-4. Arrow straight flight and parawad recovery. :cool:
This was a good day, despite the carnage. ;)

Daniel Runyon
03-11-2007, 11:56 PM
Lost two rockets today due to Estes engine malfunctions... no ejection charge! The Big Bertha lawndarted and was destroyed and our RTF NSA Starship just disappeared... there was no tracking smoke and we only have a rough idea of where it was headed.

Ltvscout
03-12-2007, 07:37 AM
Lost two rockets today due to Estes engine malfunctions... no ejection charge! The Big Bertha lawndarted and was destroyed and our RTF NSA Starship just disappeared... there was no tracking smoke and we only have a rough idea of where it was headed.
That sucks. Fill out a MESS form at the NAR site here:

http://wwwtest.nar.org/NARmessform.html

Contact Estes and they will probably take care of you with a new kit and motors. You'll probably need to take digitial photos of the rocket and of the motor showing the clay cap still in place.

Doug Sams
03-12-2007, 10:53 AM
Lost two rockets today due to Estes engine malfunctions... no ejection charge! The Big Bertha lawndarted and was destroyed and our RTF NSA Starship just disappeared... there was no tracking smoke and we only have a rough idea of where it was headed.Bummer about the Bertha. I encourage you to re-evaluate its demise. I've core sampled several but have almost always been able to splice in a new forward section.

As for the Starship, I'm not sure you can count that as having "no tracking smoke". If it just disappeared, could you have just not seen it (the smoke)? I know I lose track of them sometimes, and the tracking smoke helps me reacquire track, but only if I'm looking in the right spot for the smoke.

Doug

Daniel Runyon
03-12-2007, 11:00 AM
That sucks. Fill out a MESS form at the NAR site here:

You'll probably need to take digitial photos of the rocket and of the motor showing the clay cap still in place.

Done and done!

Here's some Bertha damage... I've VERY grateful that I hadn't yet gotten around to finishing it! The engine mount is also damaged... the motor was shoved forward and the hook now moves back and forth.

http://www.isarapix.com/pix78/1173659115.jpg

Here's the engine:

http://www.isarapix.com/pix33/1173658653.jpg
http://www.isarapix.com/pix58/1173659021.jpg

As for the Starship, I'm not sure you can count that as having "no tracking smoke". If it just disappeared, could you have just not seen it (the smoke)?

Nah... I've NEVER lost track of it... sometimes I can only see the rocket itself as a little black spot but can EASILY see the tracking smoke, and also we had already flown several rockets that day (including it) with very consistent launching / landing patterns... if that chute would have opened we would have seen it, no doubt! The chute was one of my orange Top Flight nylons.

Ltvscout
03-12-2007, 11:52 AM
Done and done!

Here's some Bertha damage... I've VERY grateful that I hadn't yet gotten around to finishing it! The engine mount is also damaged... the motor was shoved forward and the hook now moves back and forth.
With that evidence you should have no problem getting a replacement BB and a pack of motors from Estes.

Daniel Runyon
03-12-2007, 03:57 PM
Definitely a bad batch of engines... we just lost our Baby Bertha too! It lawndarted into a small patch of woods and when we recovered (destroyed on impact) it found the engine exactly as the one above with the ejection charge ceramic still intact. Definitely done with that box!

I'm going to make a little video clip of both engines in my hand at the same time, flipping it over to show that they are spent but still hold the ejection charge... just to prove that I'm not doing the ol' take a pic of a spent motor on one side then a new motor on the other trick!

Doug Sams
03-12-2007, 04:01 PM
Almost forgot. I did make several other flights today. (snip)I made three flights with the 24mm SPEV that I built a couple of weeks back. This is a great rocket for a power upscale. That was my first thought when I looked at the pics in David Hash's build thread. There's lots of annular radius around that motor tube. It can easily take a 29mm tube (and the EconoJets that go with). Not that it needs it all the time, but having the option to motor up on calm days/big fields is a nice enhancement.

Doug

Chas Russell
03-12-2007, 06:31 PM
Would you please post the motor code and/or date of manufacture for the rest of us? Might save someone else's model.

I give my motors a benediction (a cross acrossed the end cap with an Xacto knife...).

C

Daniel Runyon
03-12-2007, 07:12 PM
I don't know what's what but there is one group of figures that is encircled and says A050306 and just to the left and below that there is (in green print) AD/MF/60505. It's an Estes Eductor Bulk Pack of C6-5's.

A Fish Named Wallyum
03-12-2007, 09:05 PM
That was my first thought when I looked at the pics in David Hash's build thread. There's lots of annular radius around that motor tube. It can easily take a 29mm tube (and the EconoJets that go with). Not that it needs it all the time, but having the option to motor up on calm days/big fields is a nice enhancement.

Doug

Heh, heh. Doug said "annular radius". :D
No, I have no idea what it means, but it sounds dirty. "Don't worry, Mr. Eichelberger. We'll have you out of here as soon as we sandblast your annular radius to get rid of that buildup." :eek:
I need a nap.

Chas Russell
03-12-2007, 09:45 PM
"I don't know what's what but there is one group of figures that is encircled and says A050306 and just to the left and below that there is (in green print) AD/MF/60505. It's an Estes Eductor Bulk Pack of C6-5's."
__________________

Thanks dwrunyon! The A050306 is the batch number and can be useful. I have several post-a-note type stickers that I write when rocketeers report a problem with a motor. Years ago, I just marked motors that I knew were problems with red marker. Turns out now that some of them are/were collectable!

Bill,

You don't write, you don't call, and you don't send restraining orders. Perhaps you need to have a sandblasting of your annular radius to get rid of that buildup.
Post pictures.

(no annular radius entities were harmed in making this post).

Chas "recovering from NARCON" Russell

P.S. Bill, Summit Very Pale Ale out of Minneapolis...

A Fish Named Wallyum
03-12-2007, 09:49 PM
P.S. Bill, Summit Very Pale Ale out of Minneapolis...

Cool. Was there an organized beerlofting this year? Was the hotel understanding about a bunch of rocket geeks overtaking the conversation pit in the lobby and turning it into a bar? I'd like to have been there, but my Cosmik Debris flights made it almost worth missing.
Well, the first flight....... :rolleyes:

Daniel Runyon
04-21-2007, 08:04 PM
Lost and found, then lost and found again!

First we lost our NSA Starship during my bout with failed ejections... then we found it sometime later completely unharmed. Last week we flew it again and it became our first treed rocket that we couldn't get down with a long limb... it was way up in the top of a decent sized Oak. Today we went to fly again and that thing was on the ground under the tree! It had to have fallen through a lot of limbs and leaves to make it all the way down!

All that was there was the body, and the shock cord was chewed through... my guess is a squirrel. It's gotten rained on and the body decorations are pretty rough, but we can get another nose for it and fly it some more!

Today was probably our best launching day as far as pure flight goes... there was NO wind and they flew higher than ever before, and landed pretty close... the Mercury Redstone made the closest landing to the pad we've ever had... almost right into my hands where I was still standing from the launch!

http://www.isarapix.com/pix28/1177203807.jpg

Sure, it's not a classic, but it was mine and my son's first rocket, so they mean a lot to us... that one is number 2 of 3!

Daniel Runyon
04-27-2007, 10:16 PM
First Club Launch / Rocket Resurrection!

Tomorrow will be my first launch at a club... I joined SoAR (http://www.soar571.com/index.asp) tonight and am taking a small set of rockets to launch. But the one I wish to mention now is very special! It is a 25 year old Star Dart that I have restored (as well as I can) from some VERY rough shape... it was broken in the middle, had some serious globs of wadding petrified deep in its body and a fat stick stuck in there too... looks like the builder had been trying to get the wadding out.

All of the fins were broken off, and one was missing altogether. I reattached the three and cut a new one for the forth.

The end was also rolled open a bit and has been CA'd (which is also how the body was healed in the middle).

I got this from the fellow who does our tire/brakes/oil. I was getting my wife's van serviced and he spotted my Estes catalog and asked if I was into rockets... told me that he had been in a highschool rocket club that our town once had which was headed by the ROTC guy (we no longer have that either). He said that I could have all his old rocket stuff that he could find, which was mostly just misc parts and papers, and an old launch pad and some catalogs. The catalogs were from 81/82, and this rocket was the only thing left of his actual rockets... he had not touched any of this stuff since that time! He told me that he had gotten into rockets when his mother took him to Huntsville's space and rocket center and he bought one... then he ordered a bunch more from Estes... he still had the backings from them in the Operations box he gave me.

It will get its first flight in 25 or so years tomorrow.

http://www.isarapix.com/pix63/1177729340.jpg

Tau Zero
04-27-2007, 10:37 PM
[b]It is a 25 year old Star Dart that I have restored (as well as I can) from some VERY rough shape...Daniel,

Interesting looking bird. Which company is it from?


All I could track down was this more recent Star Dart from Estes:

http://www.oldrocketplans.com/estes/est2170/est2170.htm


Good luck on that flight! :cool:


Cheers,

Daniel Runyon
04-27-2007, 10:41 PM
It's an older version of that... this (http://www.oldrocketplans.com/estes/est0860/est0860.htm) is the oldest version I've been able to find, but it has a plastic nose and this one is balsa! Otherwise, it's identical to the pic you'll see at this link (http://www.oldrocketplans.com/estes/est0860/est0860.htm).

CPMcGraw
04-28-2007, 07:07 AM
Daniel,

Interesting looking bird. Which company is it from?


All I could track down was this more recent Star Dart from Estes:

http://www.oldrocketplans.com/estes/est2170/est2170.htm


Good luck on that flight! :cool:


Cheers,

Jay,

This is Estes Star Dart #860, for 13mm. It's also the same basic kit as the #871 Vector, but with a different NC. Star Dart used the 5W, and Vector used the 5AX. Both of these were from the "post-Mini Brute" period.

NINFINGER LINK (http://www.ninfinger.org/~sven/rockets/nostalgia/81est022.html) for the Star Dart (first catalog)...
NINFINGER LINK (http://www.ninfinger.org/~sven/rockets/catalogs/estes85/85est14.html) for the Vector (first catalog)...

A Fish Named Wallyum
04-28-2007, 08:51 AM
Jay,

This is Estes Star Dart #860, for 13mm. It's also the same basic kit as the #871 Vector, but with a different NC. Star Dart used the 5W, and Vector used the 5AX. Both of these were from the "post-Mini Brute" period.

NINFINGER LINK (http://www.ninfinger.org/~sven/rockets/nostalgia/81est022.html) for the Star Dart (first catalog)...
NINFINGER LINK (http://www.ninfinger.org/~sven/rockets/catalogs/estes85/85est14.html) for the Vector (first catalog)...

Wow, they are dead on, aren't they. I've got a couple of Vector decals that I got in an Ebay auction. They always struck me as "minimal". :rolleyes:

CPMcGraw
04-28-2007, 02:11 PM
Wow, they are dead on, aren't they. I've got a couple of Vector decals that I got in an Ebay auction. They always struck me as "minimal". :rolleyes:

They also make a great "Heads Up" model, as that's exactly what you'll be doing trying to track 'em on anything higher than a 1/2A3. A full A3 is a "kiss of death", similar to what it would be on a Mosquito.

Fly these with simple "nose blow" recovery -- no streamers needed. You couldn't fit (much of) one in it if you tried, anyway. Too tight, too short. A streamer wouldn't slow this one down any more than it will fall on its own -- it's just that light. It'll actually drift on a nose blow...

Daniel Runyon
04-28-2007, 06:26 PM
Meet the coolest man alive, John Lawrence (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHcbBXcuZXA)!

John was the first person to show up with a box of rockets and when he laid it down and went back to his car for more stuff, my son (Ethan, on the right at the beginning) and I squatted down about 4 feet from the clear box and looked through the walls to see what we could identify... I was making it clear to Ethan that he was not to touch, nor even get any closer to the box or anyone elses rockets... just stay back and admire.

John comes back and opens the box and Ethan immediately wants to go for the rockets, but I hold him back and remind him of what I've said... John tells him to dig in! He says it's no big deal if they break, "they're just toys"... good thing too, because later in the day Ethan was "test gliding" John's Deltie and broke the nose! I tried to tell John that disaster could happen at any second!

John spent the entire day with Ethan and his friend Jonathan... every moment, answering question after question and letting them handle the rockets and enjoy themselves. Don't tell Roguepink, but John's Stone Age Flyer was Ethan's favorite...

John even gave Ethan his Art Applewhite saucer, which he flew with him several times! This is the kind of guy who perfectly embodies some of the most tauted reasonings to join a rocket club... a true example of the best of breed club rocketeer!
Somehow I missed hitting record for the flight of the Star Dart, on an A10-3T... man did it GO! It drifted a good ways on the streamer too... I had no idea they could get carried that far with one! The conditions were a good bit windier than what we fly in on our own, and higher than the Weather Channel site said it would be!

I had an absolute blast, and cannot wait for the next launch the coincides with not having a wedding to film (though I need the gigs, so...)! There were probably 10 people or so flying today, and every one of them were cool people with very unique personalities... a very neat bunch of folks. I enjoyed the banter, and LOVED getting see some of Roy's books and getting some more model rocket history from him. I am fully sold on the club setting being deeply worthwhile, and today was about as good of a first club launch as I could ever have imagined.

And John, thank you very, very much for being so cool with Ethan, and I am truly sorry about your Deltie... :o tried to tell you though! :D I would have been like "HEY... step away from the rockets."! Maybe I can learn enough from your example to relax and let the kids reap the benefit that naturally osmosifies via contact with rocketry and cool people like you.

Green Dragon
04-28-2007, 10:58 PM
Wow, they are dead on, aren't they. I've got a couple of Vector decals that I got in an Ebay auction. They always struck me as "minimal". :rolleyes:

Bill,


thought you like the ' not usually seen' birds :)

I actually just finished a clone of the Vector last fall ( pic below with the rest of the fleet, sorry, too lazy at midnight to crop it more, lol ) .

neat little bird, and - yes - I do have a star dart in the que ( see my post below )

~ AL

Green Dragon
04-28-2007, 11:04 PM
Re: Star Dart vs Vector.

can you verify the body tubes on your Star Dart ( length ? one piece or two ? )

the Plans you link to on YORP show a ONE PIECE body tube.

however, the body tube reference shows the 0860 kit as TWO 3" tubes.

sooooo... was this changed along the life of the kit ?

reference also lists the Vector as a 5" tube - I used the venerable 5.1" tube on mine, may or may not be correct.

I was going to build my Star Dart with a single 6" length, but if anyone has info to the contrary....


also, going to have to compare the fins directly, I;d thought they were the same, but printed both patterns and never did mathc them up to check, lol ... since my Vector was already built when I printed out the Star dart fins ( and my built-up stuff is still living at my old room at my parents, less chance of being trampled and destroyed.. although I miss having em around here to stare at, lol )

~ AL

CPMcGraw
04-28-2007, 11:26 PM
Re: Star Dart vs Vector.

can you verify the body tubes on your Star Dart ( length ? one piece or two ? )

the Plans you link to on YORP show a ONE PIECE body tube.

however, the body tube reference shows the 0860 kit as TWO 3" tubes.

sooooo... was this changed along the life of the kit ?

reference also lists the Vector as a 5" tube - I used the venerable 5.1" tube on mine, may or may not be correct.

I was going to build my Star Dart with a single 6" length, but if anyone has info to the contrary....


also, going to have to compare the fins directly, I;d thought they were the same, but printed both patterns and never did mathc them up to check, lol ... since my Vector was already built when I printed out the Star dart fins ( and my built-up stuff is still living at my old room at my parents, less chance of being trampled and destroyed.. although I miss having em around here to stare at, lol )

~ AL

Al,

Which reference do you have showing the Star Dart with two 3" tubes? I know Vector only used the 5.1" BT-5P -- I had an original kit, so that's a given. The plans I have for the Star Dart only show using a single tube. The scans for the 860 Star Dart match exactly the shape of the fins from my Vector.

The only differences I could determine between the two kits was the shape (and length) of the cones, and the decals and color scheme.

A Fish Named Wallyum
04-28-2007, 11:30 PM
Bill,


thought you like the ' not usually seen' birds :)

I actually just finished a clone of the Vector last fall ( pic below with the rest of the fleet, sorry, too lazy at midnight to crop it more, lol ) .

neat little bird, and - yes - I do have a star dart in the que ( see my post below )

~ AL

I do. It just amuses me how little thought Estes put into some of the birds.

Solomoriah
04-29-2007, 07:39 AM
pic below with the rest of the fleet, sorry, too lazy at midnight to crop it more, lol
Never mind the Vector... I LOVE your Bandito!

I'm sorting out the bits to clone one myself (both my originals are long gone) and I'm thinking light yellow sustainer with red nose and fins... I think I'm going to clone your paint job pattern, though, carrying the fin color around the body tube below the retaining ring.

I'd love to have a proper Bandito decal to go with it. I don't have a color printer right now, though.

(Sorry for the threadjack. Now, back to the program, already in progress...)

CPMcGraw
04-29-2007, 08:51 AM
I do. It just amuses me how little thought Estes put into some of the birds.

Sacrificial animals only get used once...

Estes got double-duty out of one basic design with just a nose job and some cosmetics...

Then there was the Photon Disruptor and the Proton Torpedo -- same idea...

Star Dart and Vector were simple models that flew well and looked good on the shelf. You needed to keep the power down to 1/2A and even 1/4A if you wanted to keep them. That was the problem with most of the models in the Mini Brute line and those that followed. They were more appropriate for upper-end Micro-Maxx motors than they were for low-end 13mm.

Daniel Runyon
04-29-2007, 09:42 AM
Sacrificial animals only get used once...

Star Dart and Vector were simple models that flew well and looked good on the shelf. You needed to keep the power down to 1/2A and even 1/4A if you wanted to keep them. That was the problem with most of the models in the Mini Brute line and those that followed. They were more appropriate for upper-end Micro-Maxx motors than they were for low-end 13mm.

I've still got this one, launched on an A10-3T! The streamer didn't do a whole lot for slowing it down, but it did help a great deal in tracking it, and finding it. We could clearly see where it fell, but once the other rockets in the launch cycle were done I had forgotten the exact spot, but after about 2 minutes of canvassing it was noticed by the fellow who had been crazy enough to fly a double C staged Hercules in a pretty small field in somewhat heavy wind! Man, that guy was a lot of fun... and he actually recovered the booster and payload section of his Herc, but not the main body!

RE: Two or One Piece Body: This one was a one piece, until I had to cut it open for 25yr old petrified wadding and stuck stick removal surgery!

Green Dragon
04-29-2007, 10:54 AM
Al,

Which reference do you have showing the Star Dart with two 3" tubes? I know Vector only used the 5.1" BT-5P -- I had an original kit, so that's a given. The plans I have for the Star Dart only show using a single tube. The scans for the 860 Star Dart match exactly the shape of the fins from my Vector.

The only differences I could determine between the two kits was the shape (and length) of the cones, and the decals and color scheme.

According to John's tube reference list on YORP

http://rocketshoppe.com/info/Estes_Body_Tube_List.pdf

having never had this kit, had assumed maybe a runing change ( ie: newer plans on YORP show one tube ) .

Possibly an error on John ( and co ? ) list, but would be the first one that's cropped up .
( and THANKS GUYS for the excellent and helpfull reference, I have it saved for use , and doso regularly when cutting tubes,saves running to each individual plan, or great for " what can I build with this tube" :)

Same list shows Vector as 5.0" ( and Pulsar, would have to measure my vintage builtup Pulsar, will do that today when out to the 'rents, if I remember ) .

Also of note is a 6" tube,as used on the Hawkeye and red Alert kits, so possibly Star Dart used a 6" tube in later years ?

hmm...

~ AL

note : double posting this in plans so as to get this thread back on topic and the Star Dart thread on it's own .

Green Dragon
04-29-2007, 11:01 AM
Never mind the Vector... I LOVE your Bandito!

I'm sorting out the bits to clone one myself (both my originals are long gone) and I'm thinking light yellow sustainer with red nose and fins... I think I'm going to clone your paint job pattern, though, carrying the fin color around the body tube below the retaining ring.

I'd love to have a proper Bandito decal to go with it. I don't have a color printer right now, though.

(Sorry for the threadjack. Now, back to the program, already in progress...)

Thanks :-)

I had a vintage bandito back in the day ( one of TWO original Centuri kits I ever had back then, Centuri was just not sold around here ) . don;t recall how it was painted, but do recall losing it to a tree at my grannies, flown from small farm field out back, with mucho trees, lost my Wizard there on first flight, too.

The paint sceme is 'semi-catalog' , witht he solid 'ring' at back you noted.

Fins from cardstock were a pain - not near as nice as they photograph :) , I coated them with titebond (3-4 thin coats ), made them much stiffer , and easier to finish, however, they are warped some, partly from the coating, partly from installation.
funny how the ' simple,easy, clones' wind up being a challenge, lol ...

~ AL

umm.. on topic, well nice enough here today to fly a few maybe, but doubt we'll get to fly until the 12th club launch . ( Geneseo ,NY )

Solomoriah
04-29-2007, 01:33 PM
Thanks :-)
You're welcome!

I had a vintage bandito back in the day ( one of TWO original Centuri kits I ever had back then, Centuri was just not sold around here ) .
Funny, that... I got into rocketry as a 4-H project. NOBODY around here sold rockets then, so I had to mail order. I sent a letter requesting a catalog to both Centuri and Estes the same day, and I got the Centuri catalog several weeks before the Estes catalog arrived. So, almost all of my rockets back then were Centuri.

Fins from cardstock were a pain - not near as nice as they photograph :) , I coated them with titebond (3-4 thin coats ), made them much stiffer , and easier to finish, however, they are warped some, partly from the coating, partly from installation.
On both of my originals, I just assembled them according to the instructions. I recently cloned the Vulcan, and on my clone I infused the leading edges of the fins with CA; I see no warping in either of the clone Vulcans I built, so I intend to do exactly the same thing with my Bandito clone.