Estes Astrobeam starter set

[STRMan]

I saw the Estes Astrobeam starter set referenced on TRF. I ran out to WalMart and bought one. I figure I can always use another launcher and pad, and for less than $25, I figured I couldn't go wrong.


I've been wanting a night flight rocket for some time, and now I have one. I can't wait to get the time to put it together.

[Ltvscout]

I saw the Estes Astrobeam starter set referenced on TRF. I ran out to WalMart and bought one. I figure I can always use another launcher and pad, and for less than $25, I figured I couldn't go wrong.


I've been wanting a night flight rocket for some time, and now I have one. I can't wait to get the time to put it together.
Give us a "night flight" report once you have the time to launch it. ;)

[STRMan]

Actually, I want to go a-launchin in a couple of weeks. Today I've started painting the Estes SR-71 Blackbird, GBU-24 PAVEWAY III, and Python 4 ASRAAM I've just completed building. I hope to have the paint finished in a couple of days, followed by decals. Add them to my daughter Custom Rockets Razor and Estes Ionizer, and we will have a fun fleet of rockets to launch very soon.

I'll try to chedule a launching late in the day on a Sunday, about 2 miles from my house. There is a new housing development going up, and right now the place is just large expanses of cleared nothingness. I'll launch the Astronbeam last, as the sun starts going down.

[dwmzmm]

What I'm gonna do, along with flying my AstroBeam, is fly my vintage Centuri Flying Saucer/
UFO on the C6-0 and see what it does in the dark. I've already seen what a D12-0 can do in
the dark (static tested several years ago) and let me tell you, it was very impressive!! It
was during this static test I "saw" why a D12-0 staged model needs those vent holes.

[barone]

My wife saw the AstroBeam in Walmart....now she wants to do a night launch....

[STRMan]

I put mine together tonight. It took me about an hour, but then again I read and reread everything 3 or 4 times before I start a step. Once done, I shut off the light in my room and turned on the LED's. Very cool! I can't wait for a night launch. I'm going to go to the hobby shop and pick up some B6-2's. I want to make sure I get it back, as the launch fields I have around here are not to large. I already have plenty of C6-3's if I get bold.

[Initiator001]

My local Wal-Mart does not have the Astrobeam, yet. :(

Bob

[Rocketking]

It is still just a bit too early for the "Spring Transition" items to get put out on the shelves. The stores that have shelf space available are pushing them out, it seems. It may be within the next 30 days or so that the modroc goodies and kites find their way out to the sales floor.

I've been at Target for a while and they work the same way.

[Shreadvector]

My local Wal-Mart does not have the Astrobeam, yet. :(

Bob

They are in my area. Let me know if you need me to pick one up for you and what launch you might attend.

[Initiator001]

They are in my area. Let me know if you need me to pick one up for you and what launch you might attend.

Thanks for the offer, Fred.

I will keep you posted if they don't show up locally, soon.

Bob

[Vanel]

Went by Wallyworld and picked one of these up today.

Easy build (big surprise); very shiny - here's a couple of pics:

http://www.billcooke.org/files/TRF/Astrobeam.jpg http://www.billcooke.org/files/TRF/Astrobeam_dark.jpg

[dwmzmm]

Went by Wallyworld and picked one of these up today.

Easy build (big surprise); very shiny - here's a couple of pics:

http://www.billcooke.org/files/TRF/Astrobeam.jpg http://www.billcooke.org/files/TRF/Astrobeam_dark.jpg


Nice pics! What camera did you use? The dark shot came out very well. I tried that
on my AstroBeam and couldn't get much in the dark.

[Vanel]

I have a cheapie Kodak DX7440; I set it to manual, turned off the flash, and increased the exposure time to 1 second. Steadied the camera on the back of a chair to minimize movement.

Not the best, but it worked ok.

[chronister]

I was really excited when I learned about the Astrobeam just now. I've been building night-launch rockets for many years (www.ornithopter.org/rockets) and I'm curious to get a better look at this one. Could someone post a video of some of the different lighting modes?

It's too bad they onlysell it as a starter set. I have enough launchers.

Nathan Chronister
www.ornithopter.org/rockets

[Skippy]

I was really excited when I learned about the Astrobeam just now. I've been building night-launch rockets for many years (www.ornithopter.org/rockets) and I'm curious to get a better look at this one. Could someone post a video of some of the different lighting modes?

It's too bad they onlysell it as a starter set. I have enough launchers.

Nathan Chronister
www.ornithopter.org/rockets

Nathan, that Born Again Rocketeer logo is very clever!

[chronister]

THanks, I'm glad you like it! I saw the Astrobeam at my local hobby shop today. It is in a box that you can't see into, but the photos on the box gave me some new insights. I didn't realize this rocket has a whole clear outer body tube with a stuffer tube through it! That's way cool. I'm guessing the parachute resides in the larger tube forward of the LED module. Why the bulges in the LED unit? Aren't the lights themselves inside the clear tube?

[JumpJet]

Three of the Bulges contain the batteries and the fourth one contains the on\off switch. There are four high intensity LEDs on the top, three different colors. The LEDs are pointing down and there is a reflective disk at the upper portion of the fin unit that helps reflect the light back up. In the dark as the rocket goes up you can easily see the light pattern all the way up and down while the chute brings it back down. Also the ground where it lands will be completely lite up making the rocket easy to find on the ground. A B6-2 motor works very well with this model as does the recommended C6-3 motor.

[dwmzmm]

I'm looking forward to launching mine as soon as I get the chance. I think night launchings
should be a lot of fun!

[JumpJet]

So, has anyone out there flown their Astro Beam besides me, and if so how did you like it?

[dwmzmm]

So, has anyone out there flown their Astro Beam besides me, and if so how did you like it?

Haven't flown mine, yet. Hoping we can have a night (or near night) launch sometimes this
summer so I can put the flashing lights to work.

[pantherjon]

There were a couple of folks who flew the Astrobeam in the night launch at NSL this last Saturday..I was a little underwhelmed by the lights not being nearly as bright as I thought they would be..Maybe they had weak batteries in them but they were relly not all that bright, cool looking but still a little difficult to track once launched..At least to my eyes they seemed a little on the dim side..

[JumpJet]

I am very surprised to hear that the LED lights weren't very bright. My Astro Beam was very easy to see on the way up and down. I selected the light pattern setting number 4 when I fly mine since this pattern has more of the lights on at any given time.

[pantherjon]

I am very surprised to hear that the LED lights weren't very bright. My Astro Beam was very easy to see on the way up and down. I selected the light pattern setting number 4 when I fly mine since this pattern has more of the lights on at any given time.


Maybe they had it on a different light pattern and not all the LED's get lit in the other patterns..All I know is that it didn't seem very bright at all..It is a cool little rocket tho, just wish it was available in some other form then a starter set, I do not need any more launch pads...