Seattle Nike Smoke

[Skippy]

"It's so cute!"

That's what is says on the box and they didn't lie. One of my nicest eBay purchases ever is a 1/30 scale Nike Smoke from Seattle Rocket Works. :eek:

It arrived yesterday with the original factory seal (label) in place. I unwrapped it with the reverence usually given to the opening of an Egyptian tomb, checked for completeness, then bundled the pieces back up and placed in the ever growing build queue.

Note the cool use of dog barf as packaging!

Well, what would you do; go with the original 13mm mount or MicroMax it?

[pantherjon]

I would probably go stock, but use only 1/4A's in it..

[ghrocketman]

That thing would REALLY go if you could find some old Centuri B3-4m or B3-6m's !

[Chas Russell]

I have one of these kits in the sandwich bag. I look at it every so often, but have too many other kits in the queue.

I also have some Centuri B4 motors. Hmmmmm....

Chas

[Skippy]

OK, I'm convinced to leave it as a 13mm! Now, back to the build queue!

I love the Nike Smoke as one of the archetypal rocket designs; it's a very 'rockety' looking rocket. ;)

[Chas Russell]

I, too, would go 13mm and fly with under-A impulse unless you have a field that you could guarentee a return on an A.
I concur about the rockety rocketness of the Smoke!

In addition to the Seattle Rockets Work 1/30 kit, I have a TMR 1/10 kit (huge single piece balsa nose cone), the old MPC Nike Smoke, the rereleased Quest G.Harry Stine version, and a partially assembled early Centuri model that has a two piece vacuum-formed nose cone. I assembled the nose cone and put a paper wrap on the body tube. To be really scale, the fin shroud is 16.5" diameter compared to the 16.0" motor diameter, hence the wrap. Later versions of the Centuri kit had a blow-molded nose cone.

So have a ball with the kit. Just stay away from the nasty chemical they used to mark the wind shears. Tetrachlora-somethingnasty <g>.

Chas

[Skippy]

You have a sweet collection of Smokes there Chas! The SRW Smoke joins my Quest Stine Classic re-release (in the box), and a Quest Smoke Quick kit which is a remarkably good flier.

I'd like to find an Enerjet Smoke with the Ram Core smoking nose cone!

http://www.oldrocketplans.com/enerjet/enjKE-3/enjKE-3.htm

And I'll remember to stay away from the TiCl4! :)

[sandman]

I, too, would go 13mm and fly with under-A impulse unless you have a field that you could guarentee a return on an A.
I concur about the rockety rocketness of the Smoke!

In addition to the Seattle Rockets Work 1/30 kit, I have a TMR 1/10 kit (huge single piece balsa nose cone), the old MPC Nike Smoke, the rereleased Quest G.Harry Stine version, and a partially assembled early Centuri model that has a two piece vacuum-formed nose cone. I assembled the nose cone and put a paper wrap on the body tube. To be really scale, the fin shroud is 16.5" diameter compared to the 16.0" motor diameter, hence the wrap. Later versions of the Centuri kit had a blow-molded nose cone.

So have a ball with the kit. Just stay away from the nasty chemical they used to mark the wind shears. Tetrachlora-somethingnasty <g>.

Chas

Hope this isn't too OT but...

Chas, what do you mean by "fin shroud". I checked in Pete Always ROTW and don't see a "fin shroud".

I know there is a "flare" at the top of the Nike booster, that is apparent on pretty much every Nike based model.

Just clarify for us scale nuts, please. ;)

[CPMcGraw]

Hope this isn't too OT but...

Chas, what do you mean by "fin shroud". I checked in Pete Always ROTW and don't see a "fin shroud".

I know there is a "flare" at the top of the Nike booster, that is apparent on pretty much every Nike based model.

Just clarify for us scale nuts, please. ;)

Sandman,

Didn't mean to bull my way into this thread, but I think I know what Chas is describing. Using another Nike-based design as an example, the Estes #1957 Nike-Apache had a paper shroud around the bottom of the booster body. It had to be cut from the instruction sheet. The Quest model uses a molded fin can, which slips over the body tube and produces the same effect.

[sandman]

Sandman,

Didn't mean to bull my way into this thread, but I think I know what Chas is describing. Using another Nike-based design as an example, the Estes #1957 Nike-Apache had a paper shroud around the bottom of the booster body. It had to be cut from the instruction sheet. The Quest model uses a molded fin can, which slips over the body tube and produces the same effect.

ROTW shows a seperation line at the top of the fins but no other detail.

This is my drawing of a 3" version.

Is that it? Labeled "Top of Shroud".

[CPMcGraw]

ROTW shows a seperation line at the top of the fins but no other detail.

This is my drawing of a 3" version.

Is that it? Labeled "Top of Shroud".

It's in the right place. I'm not sure if any of these models have it exactly right; the Estes model, however, does show the fins being attached above the edge of the shroud, so it may be the closest of the bunch.

Chas indicated there was a 1/2" difference in the diameters on the real N-S, meaning this shroud was 1/4" thick. A single layer of printer paper might be close enough.

[Chas Russell]

I am embarrassed to have to make a retraction on the fin shroud diameter of the Nike booster. Every source I have gone to shows the Nike diameter of 16.5 inches. My comments on adding a paper wrap to the Centuri Nike Smoke kit was done in the late 60's or early 70's. I had half-scale blueprints of the IQSY Tomahawk and the Nike-Tomahawk that I received from Thiokol. I had loaned them a few years back to someone who was going to update and publish the plans along with others. To my knowledge he has not done so or returned my blueprints. I hope to see Mike next year at NARAM. So I can not provide proof of my data. If you need proof that I had the blueprints, see the August 1971 issue of Model Rocketry magazine that should be a www.ninfinger.org, page 41. Seems I was channeling Jim Tressel's sweater vest back then.
I apologize for sending this thread off on a tangent. The only thing I can think of was that the Nike-Ajax used three fins and all of the motors were drilled and set up for that. Perhaps going to four fins required somesort of adapter that added to the dianmeter.
Always model the data you have. Talk quiently among yourselves. I am going back to building for NARAM.
I again apologize for the confusion.

Chas

[CPMcGraw]

I am embarrassed to have to make a retraction on the fin shroud diameter of the Nike booster. Every source I have gone to shows the Nike diameter of 16.5 inches....

Izz OKAY, Chas...

If you made a mistake on the diameter, then so has everybody else :D at some point in the chain. I'm no expert on the Nike, so I'm just following what's being suggested by other designs. Same mistake, different stanza...

So, is the diameter of the main tube the same from bottom edge to top edge? Is that line just a separator between a fin mount and the remainder of the sustainer?

[Chas Russell]

I have attached a drawing of the nike motor. Please note it is not by the manufacturer. There is a slight flare of the casing at the nozzle end of one version of the motor. See Detail B. Usually there is an area at the bottom of the casing where the tail cone or fin shroud is bolted on. It varies with the size of the motor.

Just more fuel for thought.

Chas

[CPMcGraw]

I have attached a drawing of the nike motor. Please note it is not by the manufacturer. There is a slight flare of the casing at the nozzle end of one version of the motor. See Detail B. Usually there is an area at the bottom of the casing where the tail cone or fin shroud is bolted on. It varies with the size of the motor.

Just more fuel for thought.

Chas

I see what they did. They combined the "nozzle shroud" with the fin mounting assembly. When we look at a drawing, or a model, of the Smoke, the nozzle is completely hidden behind a "cosmetic" skin of sheet metal, and the fin mounts are part of this skin. The actual sustainer fuel compartment begins where that separation line is seen near the leading edges of the fins.

The Quest fin can is really more prototypical than any other method of construction. If we could see a full-scale Smoke with its own fin can off to the side, it would probably look just like the model in the bag...

[Chas Russell]

That is why I wish I had the blueprints. IIRC, they had the bolt pattern around the base of the motor/top of the nozzle.
I have the Mike Dorffler CD on the Nike Hercules and Nike Ajx. He only have three Ajax drawing with only one of the booster. I did not wade through all of the photos, but there may be one of the Nike booster.
Did I mention getting ready for NARAM. And the job keeps getting in the way <g>.

Chas