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JRThro
05-31-2007, 01:02 PM
The mother of one of the boys in my son's Cub Scout den asked me a while ago if I'd like to have some old model rocket stuff from her dad, so of course I said yes.

My wife picked it up at school yesterday and I just now got a very brief look at the box. There are some built rockets in there, plus at least one kit.

The kit is an Estes Space Shuttle, still in its unopened bag. I didn't see what the kit number was or anything, but... cool!

There may be other kits in there; I just don't know yet. More info as it becomes available.

JRThro
05-31-2007, 11:53 PM
There may be other kits in there; I just don't know yet. More info as it becomes available.
Okay, here's more info.

The unopened kit is an Estes Space Shuttle #1284. The cover art shows the shuttle's external tank painted white.

There is also an opened Estes Fin Alignment Guide in plastic, #2231 (I think).

Built rockets include:
a Big Bertha in solid yellow w/ 2 black fins (one broken cleanly off but included in the box), and a broken shock cord,
a Helio Copter with the nose cone almost stuck in the body tube,
an Alpha III,
a Javelin,
a Corsair #1999 with the shroud dented and the shock cord broken but all fins in great shape,
and one or two others. The rockets all look like they were painted with a brush.

There's also a good-sized stash of 18 mm motors, many with actual dates from 1970 and 1971 printed on them and others with date codes I can't decipher. There are 4 Cox motors, maybe 6 or 8 Centuri motors, and a bunch of Estes motors including some B8's, B14's, and C5's, as well as A8's, B6's, and C6's.

There are several parachutes including a few Centuri Chute Paks: one CP-12 labeled at $0.35, two CP-16's labeled at $0.40, two CP-20's labeled at $0.45, and one CP-24 labeled at $0.60.

There's one package of Centuri 1/8" launch lugs.

There's an Estes 1/8" launch rod and an Estes 3/16" launch rod, both in unopened packages.

Also, there's a bunch of Estes wadding, some still in unopened packages.

And finally, there are dozens of unpackaged Estes igniters, including some with red(dish) pyrogen. The igniters all look like the current ones except for the pyrogen on some of them.

Oh, and there's also an unopened package of paint brushes and 3 small bottles of Testor's paint.

I'm not sure what I'll do with it all, but it's a *really* nice bunch of old model rockets, motors, and some parts.

Pictures should follow in a day or two.

dwmzmm
06-01-2007, 12:23 AM
You have a great collection of rare stuff there, John! The Estes Space Shuttle is the same
I have. Please do post pics when you can.

A Fish Named Wallyum
06-01-2007, 05:23 AM
Okay, here's more info.

The unopened kit is an Estes Space Shuttle #1284. The cover art shows the shuttle's external tank painted white.

There is also an opened Estes Fin Alignment Guide in plastic, #2231 (I think).

Built rockets include:
a Big Bertha in solid yellow w/ 2 black fins (one broken cleanly off but included in the box), and a broken shock cord,
a Helio Copter with the nose cone almost stuck in the body tube,
an Alpha III,
a Javelin,
a Corsair #1999 with the shroud dented and the shock cord broken but all fins in great shape,
and one or two others. The rockets all look like they were painted with a brush.

There's also a good-sized stash of 18 mm motors, many with actual dates from 1970 and 1971 printed on them and others with date codes I can't decipher. There are 4 Cox motors, maybe 6 or 8 Centuri motors, and a bunch of Estes motors including some B8's, B14's, and C5's, as well as A8's, B6's, and C6's.

There are several parachutes including a few Centuri Chute Paks: one CP-12 labeled at $0.35, two CP-16's labeled at $0.40, two CP-20's labeled at $0.45, and one CP-24 labeled at $0.60.

There's one package of Centuri 1/8" launch lugs.

There's an Estes 1/8" launch rod and an Estes 3/16" launch rod, both in unopened packages.

Also, there's a bunch of Estes wadding, some still in unopened packages.

And finally, there are dozens of unpackaged Estes igniters, including some with red(dish) pyrogen. The igniters all look like the current ones except for the pyrogen on some of them.

Oh, and there's also an unopened package of paint brushes and 3 small bottles of Testor's paint.

I'm not sure what I'll do with it all, but it's a *really* nice bunch of old model rockets, motors, and some parts.

Pictures should follow in a day or two.

A DAY or two? :eek: I could be dead by then.

Well, I could, you know. :rolleyes:

JRThro
06-01-2007, 06:42 AM
A DAY or two? :eek: I could be dead by then.

Well, I could, you know. :rolleyes:
Hey, so could I, but let's both keep our fingers crossed!
:rolleyes: ;) :D

Ltvscout
06-01-2007, 07:54 AM
Okay, here's more info.
That's a great score, especially for the price! :D

JRThro
06-01-2007, 10:18 AM
That's a great score, especially for the price! :D
That's what I thought!

My kids' Cub Scout Pack is having their annual Rocket Launch tomorrow, and if none of them are sick (which one or two are or may be today, darn it), I want to at least try to fly the Big Bertha tomorrow... so, glue the fin back on, replace the shock cord and mount, probably replace the parachute, although I haven't looked at it yet.

Given time, which I pretty clearly don't have enough of, the Helio Copter is probably fixable too. If need be, I could replace the nose cone and rotors with the ones from my Cosmic Cobra. I think they're the same size, but I haven't checked. Part of the "Helio" decal is missing from the rocket, so my 10 year old decided that it actually said "Hell Copter," which he thought was hilarious. Particularly in conjunction with my 7 year old's scratch Demon Rider that I built for last year's rocket launch, with fins that look vaguely like devil's tails. Or exactly like short, fat red arrows.

JRThro
06-01-2007, 10:19 AM
You have a great collection of rare stuff there, John! The Estes Space Shuttle is the same
I have. Please do post pics when you can.
Dave, I don't remember if yours is built, or still in the bag.

And how well does the shuttle glide?

JRThro
06-01-2007, 10:23 AM
Oh, I forgot to mention that the face cards for most of the built rockets were kind of crammed into one of the spaces in the Plano case that holds the motors, igniters, parachutes, and other parts and pieces. That's how I knew what some of the rockets were.

I also forgot to mention the Plano case, which is in great shape and which I'll probably start using when I fly rockets.

ghrocketman
06-01-2007, 03:10 PM
I just know you are going to have a problem disposing of those no-longer-certified B14 and B8 engines.

You are in luck though; I am the owner of an authorized disposal center for de-certified port burning engines.
Send 'em to me, I'll take care of them !

dwmzmm
06-01-2007, 04:30 PM
Dave, I don't remember if yours is built, or still in the bag.

And how well does the shuttle glide?

John, go here and scroll through the entire album; one pic of my Space Shuttle is on page one at the very bottom right corner (pic taken by Chris Coffin); the next is at the same place
on page two, and page three has the rest of the pics. The Shuttle's glide (if you want to call
it that) at the particular launch came in rather steep and hard, causing much of the Orbiter
to shatter beyond repair.

John Pursley gave me his built (but mostly unfinished) Estes Space Shuttle he didn't want &
I intend to spruce it for flight "one day" when I get around to it. Only this time, I will rig the
Orbiter to return via parachute due to the difficult to predict glide characteristics of the
Orbiter.

http://www.challenger498.org/gallery/01-09-05

BTW, this was the second flight of this model; the first was at Fulshear in March 2004. The
extra fin area of the addons caused the model to go "cruise" mode and lose much altitude
potential (lucky for me, the glider didn't get too much damage then). That's why for the
second flight, I lopped off one inch from each fin as my gut feeling told me they weren't
needed. The result of the second launch was the full stack flew nearly straight up very
nicely, even in the mild breeze we had that day at Rushing Park.

JRThro
06-01-2007, 05:57 PM
John, go here and scroll through the entire album; one pic of my Space Shuttle is on page one at the very bottom right corner (pic taken by Chris Coffin); the next is at the same place
on page two, and page three has the rest of the pics. The Shuttle's glide (if you want to call
it that) at the particular launch came in rather steep and hard, causing much of the Orbiter
to shatter beyond repair.

John Pursley gave me his built (but mostly unfinished) Estes Space Shuttle he didn't want &
I intend to spruce it for flight "one day" when I get around to it. Only this time, I will rig the
Orbiter to return via parachute due to the difficult to predict glide characteristics of the
Orbiter.

http://www.challenger498.org/gallery/01-09-05

BTW, this was the second flight of this model; the first was at Fulshear in March 2004. The
extra fin area of the addons caused the model to go "cruise" mode and lose much altitude
potential (lucky for me, the glider didn't get too much damage then). That's why for the
second flight, I lopped off one inch from each fin as my gut feeling told me they weren't
needed. The result of the second launch was the full stack flew nearly straight up very
nicely, even in the mild breeze we had that day at Rushing Park.
I think I remember reading either here or on TRF that the Estes Space Shuttle doesn't generally glide very well.

If I ever build mine, I'll paint the external tank orange, the way they are now.

JRThro
06-01-2007, 06:00 PM
So hey, I have now use the fin alignment guide on my Semroc Recruiter, and MAN, are those fins on straight!!!

I was right when I kept saying I needed one of these things. Never in a million years would I have gotten the fins on that straight without it. I am very impressed.

JRThro
06-01-2007, 06:05 PM
I noticed that the balsa fins on all of the built rockets seem to be totally unsanded, unshaped, and probably unprimed, too. But they are painted.

JRThro
06-25-2007, 11:13 AM
So yesterday at the launch of our NAR section, Challenger #498, I flew the vintage Big Bertha on one of the old Estes B6-4's and one of the old Estes solar igniters that came with all of the stuff.

At home before the launch, I had to glue one of the fins back on with wood glue, replace the shock cord with a length of 1/8" round elastic about 3 times the length of the body, and replace the shock cord mount with a standard Estes shock cord mount made from typing/printer paper. Oh, and I assembled one of the Estes 12" parachutes that came with all of the stuff, modifying it slightly by adding reinforcing rings at the 6 corners, poking holes in the plastic at each of them, and tying the shroud lines to them, instead of using really old tape discs to just stick the shroud lines to the canopy.

The launch and flight were perfect. And even though the rocket landed in the parking lot that we were launching from, there was no damage at all!

Btw, the color scheme on this Big Bertha is the same as shown below for the #1948 version, so I'll assume that's what it is:
http://www.dars.org/jimz/estes/est1948.pdf
http://www.ninfinger.org/~sven/rockets/catalogs/estes86/86est26.html

*Oops*, except that I used a 12" parachute and I now see that the instructions and catalog says it has an 18" parachute. Which explains why the shroud lines that I found in an opened package in with all of the stuff were so long. I had a lot left over after I cut the shroud lines for the 12" parachute that I used.

dwmzmm
06-25-2007, 12:39 PM
Now that the rocketry bug has bitten you once again, how about getting to work on that
Estes Space Shuttle model I saw in that box?! If you do, make sure you allow yourself plenty
of time constructing it.

Hey guys, John has a pretty good collection he got in that recent find; I especially enjoyed
looking (and holding) those COX labelled model rocket (18 mm) engines (unused!!).

JRThro
06-25-2007, 02:06 PM
Now that the rocketry bug has bitten you once again, how about getting to work on that
Estes Space Shuttle model I saw in that box?! If you do, make sure you allow yourself plenty
of time constructing it.

Hey guys, John has a pretty good collection he got in that recent find; I especially enjoyed
looking (and holding) those COX labelled model rocket (18 mm) engines (unused!!).
What about the ASP V-2 (needs parachute and details/filling/priming/painting), the Semroc Recruiter (needs parachute and filling/priming/painting/decals), the Semroc Defender (needs build to be completed, parachute and filling/priming/painting/decals), the Rokitflite Fake Wulf (needs parachute and filling/priming/painting/decals), and the Quest Zenith II (needs filling/priming/painting/stickers) that are in various stages of completion?

Also, you *never* have to tell me to take plenty of time with a build. Except for kits with pre-colored nose cones, body tubes, and fins, everything I've built has taken me weeks, if not months, to complete. Not because I work so painstakingly, but because I'm slow and easily distracted by other kits and by life in general.
:rolleyes: :eek: ;) :D

dwmzmm
06-25-2007, 04:21 PM
What about the ASP V-2 (needs parachute and details/filling/priming/painting), the Semroc Recruiter (needs parachute and filling/priming/painting/decals), the Semroc Defender (needs build to be completed, parachute and filling/priming/painting/decals), the Rokitflite Fake Wulf (needs parachute and filling/priming/painting/decals), and the Quest Zenith II (needs filling/priming/painting/stickers) that are in various stages of completion?

Also, you *never* have to tell me to take plenty of time with a build. Except for kits with pre-colored nose cones, body tubes, and fins, everything I've built has taken me weeks, if not months, to complete. Not because I work so painstakingly, but because I'm slow and easily distracted by other kits and by life in general.
:rolleyes: :eek: ;) :D

Understood, John. But I have to contend with not only three kids (one grown, two "little" ones), but also one three year old grandson :eek: . One way to get those builds in is to
try to become a "night owl." For those not used to it, it's not that simple.

I've got a few pics below of the models John is referring to (taken yesterday at Rushing):