Old Estes Alpha III

[scigs30]

I have always liked the old White and Red Alpha III. I do not like the current black and orange version. Estes is producing the old red can for the Shac event, wonder if Estes could do a release of the older version. Here is a picture of the rocket that will be used, it is a longer Alpha III.

[John Brohm]

I have always liked the old White and Red Alpha III. I do not like the current black and orange version. Estes is producing the old red can for the Shac event, wonder if Estes could do a release of the older version. Here is a picture of the rocket that will be used, it is a longer Alpha III.

It appears to be longer because of what looks like the PNC-50Y nose cone; can't tell from the photo if the body tube is the same or different.

[blackshire]

I have always liked the old White and Red Alpha III. I do not like the current black and orange version. Estes is producing the old red can for the Shac event, wonder if Estes could do a release of the older version. Here is a picture of the rocket that will be used, it is a longer Alpha III.That bird looks like an MRC Mach V (see: http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/catalogs/mrc/mrc10.html and http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/catalogs/mrc/mrc4.html ) with reversed-color nose cone and fin unit.

[BEC]

It appears to be longer because of what looks like the PNC-50Y nose cone; can't tell from the photo if the body tube is the same or different.
....which of course means that it could be basically the same as the current RTF HiJinks, which has the Alpha III fin can and the 50Y cone in either yellow or gold depending on version. The body is half an inch longer on a HiJinks than an Alpha III (BT itself is 6 inches). There's also the RTF Athena. Again the same fin can and cone but with a 7.75 inch BT.

I looked at the specs in the original post....at 16 inches overall that's the length of the RTF Athena. The other specs (weight, predicted altitude) match the Athena box, too, though the weight is overstated compared to the actual models (yes, I know, that's unusual). The Athena has a 12 inch 'chute rather than a streamer, but a streamer would certainly be a good choice.

So - Alpha III fin can, a body tube 2.25 inches longer than an Alpha III and the PNC-50Y nose cone.....

What is "the Shac event"?

I'd like to see the Alpha III back in the original red/white as well. A colleague of mine at work repainted a current one that way and it looks nice indeed.

I rebuilt a crashed Alpha III (see the Altimeter One thread on TRF) with a white BT (Semroc ST-9) and it doesn't look half bad in orange and white either.

[blackshire]

-SNIP- What is "the Shac event"? -SNIP-The "Shac event" was a mass model rocket launch conducted at the Boy Scouts of America SHAC Jam event in October to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the BSA. Interestingly, the kit instructions for the BSA livery Estes Athena rockets used for the event gave the rockets' name as "Make-It, Take-It." A 12-minute "How-To" video on building this rocket (which shows the kit name), as well as multiple videos of the spectacular 3,200-rocket launch attempt (3,130 ignited, setting a new Guinness World Record) can be viewed here (see: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=SHAC+Jam+rocket&aq=f ). I just wish Estes would make this kit available to the general public, as its pre-colored red, white, and blue decor scheme is quite attractive!

[BEC]

Thanks for that. Amazing to see all those go up (and come right back down) like that. Must've been A8-3s, the flights were so short.

I agree that the "Make-It, Take-It" would be a nice general release.

[blackshire]

Thanks for that. Amazing to see all those go up (and come right back down) like that. Must've been A8-3s, the flights were so short.You're welcome. Yes, the SHAC Jam rockets used A8-3 motors (the pre-event information online mentioned it). The recovery system was a 30" streamer, tied in the middle to the shock cord. Also...I agree that the "Make-It, Take-It" would be a nice general release.It could (with appropriate livery decals) be the Official Cub Scout model rocket kit because it's so simple, and a BSA livery Akela-1 (Viking) could be the somewhat more challenging Official Boy Scout model rocket kit. The "Make-It, Take-It" kit without any Scouting decals (it could be supplied with Estes logo decals and stripe/lettering decals instead) would be a perfect E2X kit for the general public--its patriotic color scheme would make it a natural choice for Estes, "box store," and hobby shop summertime promotions.

[BEC]

A short follow up on the Make It-Take It: Since I now have one of those kits thanks to Estes sending to those of us who got the LED-based Electron Beam controllers to test, I can say:

The Make It-Take It is the same in all major dimensions and components as the ready-to-fly HiJinks. The nose cone is the same save for color. They both use the Alpha III fin can, and the body tube is a 6.0 inch long BT-50 in both cases. The only real difference besides component color is that the Make It, Take It kit uses a "standard" launch lug rather than the two-loops-on-a-plastic-base type of the RTF (and the Alpha IV).

It might be amusing for someone to make up a list of all the rockets that use the Alpha III fin can with the body tube length and nose cone type, as well as component color called out. Off the top of my head I can think of the following that all use the Alpha III fin can: Alpha III and IV, the BT-50 Phantom, the HiJinks and Athena RTFs and the Make It-Take It. I wonder if there are others......

[gpoehlein]

It might be amusing for someone to make up a list of all the rockets that use the Alpha III fin can with the body tube length and nose cone type, as well as component color called out. Off the top of my head I can think of the following that all use the Alpha III fin can: Alpha III and IV, the BT-50 Phantom, the HiJinks and Athena RTFs and the Make It-Take It. I wonder if there are others......

Another is the original Super Alpha that was discussed here in another thread. It used the Alpha III fin can, a longer BT and I think it used the blow molded PNC-50Y nose cone.

Greg

[CPMcGraw]

It also resembles the "Athena" that was released last year, before the transition.

[John Brohm]

...

It might be amusing for someone to make up a list of all the rockets that use the Alpha III fin can with the body tube length and nose cone type, as well as component color called out. Off the top of my head I can think of the following that all use the Alpha III fin can: Alpha III and IV, the BT-50 Phantom, the HiJinks and Athena RTFs and the Make It-Take It. I wonder if there are others......

Yes, there's the #1989 Liberty, also in red molded plastic. There's also the #0730 Patriot and the #0731 Minuteman from Estes' "Revolutionary Series"; these two RTFs used the Alpha III fin can but what appears to be a PNC-50YR nose.

[BEC]

It also resembles the "Athena" that was released last year, before the transition.

Craig,

Yeah, I mentioned the RTF Athena. The main difference there is that it's 1.75 inches longer than a HiJinks/Make It-Take It. Of course, it's blue fins and NC with a white BT, too.....

I am VERY familiar with the RTF Athena as I fly two of them (one modded to have a small payload section in the same body length). I have bought a bunch of them to prep them and keep them handy to give to interested kids at launches as they are great flyers, well matched to the standard Estes A8-3, B6-4 and C6-5 delays. Prepping consists of cleaning up the mold flash off the TEs of the fins with a sanding bar, doubling the shock cord length with some additional 1/8 inch flat rubber and installing the 'chute - so they are truly RTF when I hand one to a kid.

This Athena is available now in both mass marketers (they have them at Fred Meyer and Fry's in this area) and at hobby shops. The latest ones have box art that actually looks like the rocket in the box (the original had a picture of an entirely different fin unit) and they now come with the orange/white 12 inch 'chute. My oldest ones have the plain white 'chute and the more recent ones have the plain red one (which I like a great deal).

Which reminds me - I forgot to mention that the Make It-Take It kit I received has the orange/white 12 inch 'chute, not a streamer as was used in the rockets at the Sam Houston Area Council of the BSA mass launch.

[blackshire]

Yes, there's the #1989 Liberty, also in red molded plastic. There's also the #0730 Patriot and the #0731 Minuteman from Estes' "Revolutionary Series"; these two RTFs used the Alpha III fin can but what appears to be a PNC-50YR nose.The Quasar also used the Alpha III fin unit and nose cone, although the earlier ones had "docked" rear fin tips (mine was a later-release Quasar with "un-docked" rear fin tips and a white nose cone and fin unit).

[CPMcGraw]

Craig,

Yeah, I mentioned the RTF Athena...

I saw that... late, of course... :o

I've got one, haven't flown it yet, but figured it would fly reasonably well. I also remember those 'other two' versions, Minuteman and Patriot from when I worked at a LHS.