Centuri Python Fighter

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

I've got a couple of these nose cones lying around and this sounds like a unique project. Anyone have the plans and scans handy?

[rmmcdaniell]

I've got a couple of these nose cones lying around and this sounds like a unique project. Anyone have the plans and scans handy?
<P>
Very rare, I've never even seen one go up on ebay.

[EchoVictor]

...Bump...

I just got my hands on a couple of PNC-50 cones, and I'm itching to make one of these. I've got the other two original kits (Attack Craft Orion and Manta Bomber) that use this cone, and I think it would be cool to complete the set.

Anybody have any leads?

Thanks,
EV

[Eagle3]

...Bump...

I just got my hands on a couple of PNC-50 cones, and I'm itching to make one of these. I've got the other two original kits (Attack Craft Orion and Manta Bomber) that use this cone, and I think it would be cool to complete the set.

Anybody have any leads?

Thanks,
EV

Attack Craft Orion is in the "To Do" stack. I'm going to try and knock out the rest of the plans that need processing next week. The Manta Bomber plans are available at Jimz.

[Arley Davis]

I also would like to find the plans for the Centuri #5358 Python Fighter This rocket came out in 1983 the same year Estes and Centuri merged, That’s probably way the kit is so rear. I hope who ever has a set of the plans, Fin Patterns and Decals sends a copy to Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe, so we all can clone this kit. If not I would also like a set of the plans as will.

For anyone that wants the PNC-50 nose cone Moldin Oldies is now producing this nose cone for $6.00.

Here is the only picture I have blown up larger than in the 1983 catalog.

Do you notice the fins are identical to the Estes Starblazer X-20, or at least close.

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

Do you notice the fins are identical to the Estes Starblazer X-20, or at least close.

Good eye, Arley! Now we have the fin pattern and the catalog says that the length of the kit is 14.375, so I think I'll be able to cobble something together this weekend. I have a couple of these cones waiting to fly on SOMETHING, and I'd love to give the Python Fighter a try.

[EchoVictor]

Great eye, Arley!

Bill, if you look real close, it seems to me that it shows an overall length of 37.78cm. This converts to 14.875 , not 14.375. I might take a crack at this one soon myself.

Later,
EV

[Arley Davis]

I might someday myself put I still would rather have a copy of the actual Kit including a decal copy. Put if it never surfaces will I will do the same.

As for the length of the rocket I used a magnifying glass and it list the length in Inches as will and its 14.875 In. That would be if i am not mistaken 14 7/8 inches long.

At one time in my life I was an Arcitectual Draftsman.

[EchoVictor]

I did some back calculating from the #1374 Attack Craft Orion plans. They show an OAL of 12.32" and use of a BT-50H, which is 7.75" long. Printing out the wing pattern, it shows a rearward sweep of 1", so;

12.32 - 7.75 - 1.0 = 3.57" Length of the PNC-50 cone.

Since the Python Fighter has swept-forward wings, the OAL is simply the nose cone length plus the body tube length, thus;

14.875 - 3.57 = 11.3" Body Tube length.

I'm working on scaling the wings from the picture right now. They're definitely not exactly the Starblazer fins, but they're pretty close.

More to follow.....

Later,
EV

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

Great eye, Arley!

Bill, if you look real close, it seems to me that it shows an overall length of 37.78cm. This converts to 14.875 , not 14.375. I might take a crack at this one soon myself.

Later,
EV

Oh, yeah, if you want to be all EXACT and everything I guess you could use a magnigying glass. :rolleyes:
I meant to do the conversion also, but I got busy at work and forgot. At least I hadn't cut any tubing yet. ;)

[Arley Davis]

I take it you never read my thread in Rocketry Forum under Please Help My Business to Grow. But I am disabled and legally blind, even to read 12-point print I need a magnifying glass. I had surgery on my eyes and at least I am no longer going blind put I have 20 – 100 vision.

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

Ease up, Arley. That wasn't a shot at you. I could have sworn it said 14.375. I was at work and with the monitor I have there I might as well be blind. It has no working controls unless you count the wheels that spin uselessly under the screen. We haven't had a good technician since that Barney Rubble guy retired. :eek:

[EchoVictor]

Ah, the joy of Estes messin' with Overall Lengths....

I just did a quick measurement of my PNC-50, and the cone length is 3.75"

That would put the body tube length at 11.125" to get that 14.875" OAL as reported.

I've been busy getting the house ready for listing, so I won't have the wings and such done until sometime on Tuesday.

Later,
EV

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

Ah, the joy of Estes messin' with Overall Lengths....

I just did a quick measurement of my PNC-50, and the cone length is 3.75"

That would put the body tube length at 11.125" to get that 14.875" OAL as reported.

I've been busy getting the house ready for listing, so I won't have the wings and such done until sometime on Tuesday.


Then you'll be in the same boat that I'm in. Hope your prospective buyers are less "flighty" than ours. :confused:

[Arley Davis]

Thank you But I am not upset, The truth is I could not make the MM out myself but luckily the rocket was in inches and MM and the inches were 14.875” and if the nose cone is 3.75” or 3-3/4” then the body tube is 11-1/8”.

[Arley Davis]

Here is a blown up view of the bottom of the rocket, its very close to scale. From this fins can be drawn.

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

Thank you But I am not upset, The truth is I could not make the MM out myself but luckily the rocket was in inches and MM and the inches were 14.875” and if the nose cone is 3.75” or 3-3/4” then the body tube is 11-1/8”.

I saw that, but I was handicapped by a school system whose idea of teaching metric was to tell us "It's a-comin',". ;)
I was kind of popping in and out of the forum while I was at work and really didn't have the time to try and do the calculations.

[Green Dragon]

Here is a blown up view of the bottom of the rocket, its very close to scale. From this fins can be drawn.

looking at these myself, and they certainly DO look like the Estes X20 starfighter to me ( as Arley noted earlier ) .

not certain, but I did have an X20 way back ( lost in the woods).

~ AL

seems liek other fins were reused of course, to help pay for the dies - I;m building an F61 right now, have pieces of my first one left, so ....
and, form the looks the fins are the same as the Odyssey .

can anyone verify ?

[EchoVictor]

Well, here's my first attempt at this bad boy. Scaling as best I could from the single low-res photo, I got a fin root edge of 1.5" and a width of 2". I used the Starblazer X-20 fins as a starting point, but I had to modify them to fit how I saw the picture. It seems to be pretty close, but I'll let you all be the judge...

Later,
EV

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

Well, here's my first attempt at this bad boy. Scaling as best I could from the single low-res photo, I got a fin root edge of 1.5" and a width of 2". I used the Starblazer X-20 fins as a starting point, but I had to modify them to fit how I saw the picture. It seems to be pretty close, but I'll let you all be the judge...

Later,
EV

Looks close enough to fool me. What mods did you have to make to the fins?

[EchoVictor]

A straight upscale of the main fins to get the 2" width would have made them about 2.5" thick. Also, the wingtip panels on the X-20 were much longer and narrower. I've got a PowerPoint presentation at work that I can send to anyone who wants to use these fin patterns. My next step is to fake the decals. The text and stripes should be no problem, but that shield/sword? thingy on the wings will be obviously a S.W.A.G.

Later,
EV

[Arley Davis]

Nice clone but the ridge bored on top of the fins, it looks about 1/8” square needs to be added and if you blow up the tail section you will see that the small fin resembles the interceptor tail fins and do not come to a point.

A smaller image of the tail section.

[EchoVictor]

Arley,

I've got the little 3/32" x 3/32" ridge that goes on each wingtip panel cut out. I was just getting pretty tired last night.

As for the smaller fins, I only have the single low-res photo to go off of, so I took my best shot. Yeah, there could be a little bevel on that front tip, but without having an actual catalog to look at or model to measure, I think I did alright.

More pictures and an attempt at decals to follow....

Later,
EV

[Arley Davis]

Here is my attempt at redrawing the fin patterns, I hope it is at least close to the original Python Fighter. It is on an 81/2 x 11 sheet of paper.

I used an enlarged copy of the tail section close to scale.
If anyone wants a copy email me at arleydavis@cox.net

[EchoVictor]

Arley,

looks like we're on the same wavelength. My fins are overlaid in red....

BTW, I made a mistake on the Overall Length. The PNC-50 is 3.875 from the tube shoulder to the tip, so the length of the body tube is a straight 11.00".

Later,
EV

[rraeford]

These fins look a lot like the Estes Starblazer X-20 fins only swept forward instead of back. Could they be the same?

http://www.ninfinger.org/~sven/rockets/catalogs/estes80/80est34.html

rraeford

Live and learn. Die and forget it all.

[Arley Davis]

No I am sure they are not for I had a copy of them on the page with the enlarged Tail section. The fins are shorter and 3/32” on the Python Fighter and on the X-20 there 1/8” Balsa.

[EchoVictor]

Arley,

I was wondering, for the shape of the smaller fins, how can you see through all that graininess? Do you have an original catalog that you're using a magnifiying glass on?

Thanks,
EV

[Arley Davis]

The Python Fighter is on the list of rockets that Semroc may produce; so vote for it and maybe we can all get the kit.