Roc a chute question

[carbons4]

I am sure someone can answer this for me. I was reading a bit back that there were only 2 surviving roca chute models and they were both in the smithsonian. How rare are the boxes of engines?

[shockwaveriderz]

what do you mean specifically by "boxes of engines" Acn you clarify?

terry dean

[carbons4]

A package of three roc a chute motors in a original box.

[shockwaveriderz]

well it deoends carbons4.

If the motors are Brown Manufactured Rock-A-Chutes they obviously have more value than say Estes Manufactured Rock-A-Chutes. How can you tell the difference?

attached are pics of Estes Manufactured Rock-A-Chutes(pic 1) and brown Manufactured Rock-A-chutes (pic 2) sans box. Pic 3 shows the crown jewels of Rock-A-chutes: these ar the Carlisle Hand made ones a and are the most valuable

terry dean

[carbons4]

Thanks for the info. I know they are not like the first ones. Its been years since i looked at them, they are stuffed away somewhere, but i am sure there were only three to a box. I am thinking the box is black and yellow.

[Bazookadale]

Your 3rd picture cuts off the description or instructions for the motors , I am interested in seeing this. Also is the ejection cap a cork? That's what it looks like!

[carbons4]

Thank everyone for the help. Not really looking to sell but I had seen the listing about only being two rock a chutes and they mentioned models. I figured if i had some they were not THAT rare! If they were i would have donated them to the smithsonian. I have seen very little info on late 50's /early 60's stuff other than old popular mechanics/ science articles. Thanks everyone for all the good info.

[Royatl]

Thank everyone for the help. Not really looking to sell but I had seen the listing about only being two rock a chutes and they mentioned models. I figured if i had some they were not THAT rare! If they were i would have donated them to the smithsonian. I have seen very little info on late 50's /early 60's stuff other than old popular mechanics/ science articles. Thanks everyone for all the good info.

I think it is supposedly that there are only two existing models of the pre-MMI Carlisle rocket kits, the Mark I and Mark II. Not sure how true that is though. I think Bill Stine has at least one Mark II (it is currently on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle). Harry flew an MMI Aerobee Hi at the first Old Rocketeer's Reunion back in 1989. Don't know if anyone has an original Mark I, as they would solely have originated through Carlisle's Bal-Rock company in the mid 50's, a few years before Carlisle contacted Stine about his product.

There are a bunch of MMI kits still around, and the motors (at least the Brown and Estes manufactured ones) are rare but not near-extinct (that box of six in the photo in Shockie's message is mine). As Shockie said, there's probably only a handful of the hand-made Carlisle motors left.

The box you describe sounds like a later Estes manufactured run.

[shockwaveriderz]

Your 3rd picture cuts off the description or instructions for the motors , I am interested in seeing this. Also is the ejection cap a cork? That's what it looks like!

dale

that partial pic is a scan from the Orv Carlisle artcile in the Launch Mag. And yes I do beleive they are corks. I also think that mention is make by Orv is one of his letters to Stine over at Quest, that he used corks in first motors. Mark Mayfiled could provide more info on this as those are pics of his motors.

terry dean

[shockwaveriderz]

Thank everyone for the help. Not really looking to sell but I had seen the listing about only being two rock a chutes and they mentioned models. I figured if i had some they were not THAT rare! If they were i would have donated them to the smithsonian. I have seen very little info on late 50's /early 60's stuff other than old popular mechanics/ science articles. Thanks everyone for all the good info.

Have you seen my Early Model Rocket Timeline located here? or my series of posts , 50 Years ago today in Model Rockteyr also located here?

there's been a number of posts about this timeframe and others all whcih is located here in various threads.

terry dean