BEC
04-07-2010, 12:46 AM
In the long 2009 Estes kits thread (http://www.oldrocketforum.com/showthread.php?t=5028) one of the digressions was into the nature of the new Estes Athena RTF rocket and how it shared little besides the name and the nose cone shape with the OOP E2X kit of the same name and even how one might use parts from one to help clone the other.
I recently learned of a local source for many OOP kits and from that source acquired, among other things, two of the Athena kits (#2026). The glue is drying on assembly of one of them and I've taken a few comparison shots.
As you can see the NC shape is the same, the fins are not, and while the "decals" (peel and stick on both the RTF and the kit) are similar they are not identical. The kit Athena's markings have a metallic background while the RTF has a "silver" background. Also, the Estes logo is larger on the newer version.
The kit Athena is old enough to be made in the USA (and predates the pre-assembled Chinese parachutes - so it is older than the Alpha IVs that I got at the same time which say "made in USA" on the package but have pre-made Chinese 'chutes - but that's for another thread).
I'll find out how the E2X Athena flies this Saturday at our club launch (weather permitting). I already know the RTF Athena is a fine flyer and is just about perfectly matched with Estes A8-3s and B6-4s for timing of recovery system deployment.
I wasn't sure where to put this....so if the mods think it is better in one of the other categories, please feel free to move it.
I recently learned of a local source for many OOP kits and from that source acquired, among other things, two of the Athena kits (#2026). The glue is drying on assembly of one of them and I've taken a few comparison shots.
As you can see the NC shape is the same, the fins are not, and while the "decals" (peel and stick on both the RTF and the kit) are similar they are not identical. The kit Athena's markings have a metallic background while the RTF has a "silver" background. Also, the Estes logo is larger on the newer version.
The kit Athena is old enough to be made in the USA (and predates the pre-assembled Chinese parachutes - so it is older than the Alpha IVs that I got at the same time which say "made in USA" on the package but have pre-made Chinese 'chutes - but that's for another thread).
I'll find out how the E2X Athena flies this Saturday at our club launch (weather permitting). I already know the RTF Athena is a fine flyer and is just about perfectly matched with Estes A8-3s and B6-4s for timing of recovery system deployment.
I wasn't sure where to put this....so if the mods think it is better in one of the other categories, please feel free to move it.