The rocket that got away...Estes Mosquito
 

I want the kit... i bought 18" of BT-5 and a whole mess of 1/16 inch balsa. I just feel it's not the same as opening that kit, and building the entire rocket in 20 minutes.

Also, everyone i have found selling BNC-5 nose cones, want $1.05 for them, ouch.

Had i known that they were going to be so hard to find, i wouldn't have used A10 motors on the last one's found in my basement. :rolleyes:

Lost all the Mosquitos I've ever had, every single one of them. And on their first (and only)
flights, too. After the third lost model, I said to myself "That's it; I'm not getting these anymore!" I've had better success (and longevity) with classics such as the Astron Scout,
from which I got numerous flights from 1969 until early 2004, when I finally lost it on a C6-7 :mad: :(

Not the Mosquito, but darn close. You can get three for one with our Triple Zip. 13mm, 18mm and 24mm. Check it out at http://tmrk.rocketshoppe.com/triple.htm

That's my eldest daughter in the one pic about 9 years ago. She's a Sophmore in HS now. Boy, time sure files. :(

Now, of course you realize the Estes Mosquito is OOP..... :D

PM me an address and I'll see if I can get you one to produce......probably open bag so you won't get the enjoyment of actually opening the bag but if that matters, I can tape it closed for you..... ;)

Why not modify it to fly on MicroMaxx?

Or you coukld try a C6 in a Micro or go totaly goofy and put a D21 in it (yes they will take it).
But dont expect getting it back unless you are an eagle eye.
Mr. Bob
Starlight guy

If you want to get really cheap, instead of 1/16th balsa just use popsicle sticks (craft sticks) for fins.

A little extra weight won't hurt the performance that much.

That will also cut the building time from 20 minutes to 15! :D

I once launched a Mosquito on an old Centuri B4-5M full-B mini-motor.
It went nearly into orbit but was actually recovered. It was painted fluorescent orange and black and was easily spotted (eventually) against the snow-covered landing area.
Unless it landed over snow I don't think it would have been found.

C6 is 18mm if I'm not mistaken, Or is it not an Estes motor?

Yes, C6 is 18 mm, and Estes & Quest sells it. The Estes Mosquito used the 13 mm engines;
didn't matter, as I still lost all of mine anyway.

I knew the mosquito was a 13mm rocket, but someone above said to try putting a C6 or D12 in it, I'm pretty sure those won't fit in it. :D

Yeah, I know. The closest "cousin" to the Mosquito is the Astron Streak (18 mm), which I also had one and lost it, too. :(

don't we all lose too many rockets? :chuckle:

I've launched three Mosquitos this fall and lost all of them on the first launch. Orange, yellow, green, it didn't matter what they were painted. They teleported off the launch pad, reappeared when the engine emitted smoke and vanished again after the ejection charge, never to be seen again. I even found the ejected engines out of two of them, but not the rocket.

I think part of the problem is that the thermonuclear ejection charges blow the Mosquito off in a random direction at ejection. At least, as far as I could tell, the thing was leaning over into its apogee turn just as the engine blew out. For some reason the ejected engine is always easier to follow than the Mosquito.

Strangely, I was able to fly the Swift about a dozen times before losing it. The Swift isn't *that* different, although the fins are longer, so I suppose there's a bit more drag. Maybe that makes all the difference.

But I got multiple flights out of the Swift with 1/2A3 engines, but immediately lost the Mosquitos on 1/4A3s. Go figure.

Hmmm. I wonder... If one attached a foot or so of thin yellow kevlar to the inside of the nose cone and coiled it up in front of the engine. Perhaps the string would make it visible. Of course it would also probably prevent tumble and lend just enough stability to cause the thing to lawn dart. As light as it is, that might not matter.

Sometimes you have to make a little room for some new ideas.

Joe

When i fly the little buggers, i put as much pink chalk powder in before the motor as i could, it was tight and released the powder as it was falling, i usually didn't lose them until i didn't put enough powder in and it all came out at ejection. Where did you get the mosquitos at?

Ah, the old chalk trick. Actually, we were loading the Swift with talcum powder and i don't think we so loaded the Mosquitos. That could be a significant difference.

I'll tell you one difference a load of powder makes--the rocket doesn't go as high, thus making it easier to track and find. :-)

Having the nose loaded with talc also made the Swift lawn dart. This is good and bad. The good: the impact tends to jolt a puff of powder up into the air. If you're looking in the right general area, you'll see the rocket hit. The bad; it didn't land gently in a featherweight fall. I would not want to be under a powder loaded Swift when it comes down.

Hmmm. Third possible effect: A power loaded bird will not shoot off as far sideways at ejection, because the higher mass means that the momentum transfer (MV) is weighted more toward the M and less to the V.

I bought some red line marking powder at Home Depot (~$2 for a largish bottle; well compared to a Mosquito it's large), but haven't flown since I bought it so have not had a chance to test it out yet.

I got some Mosquitos in a lot on Ebay. If for some reason Barone wasn't able to set you up, PM me and we'll work something out.

Got mine (Mosquitos) via mail order from Estes back when they were first introduced to the
model rocketry world (early 1970's).

1971-2002, well lived

OMG guys, a little spendy but...
http://www.easternhobby.com/index.p...ion=show_detail

Come to think of it, I just might have the needed parts in my stash of spares to build a clone
of the Mosquito. Since the model has only a few parts, it shouldn't be much to put one together.

They are easy as sin to clone, so that's what I do. I built two of them in, oh, a half hour, give or take a few minutes. Neither has flown yet, though. One was built for another project that I haven't started yet, and just last week I made a removable Micromaxx motor adapter for the other one. The adapter has a 2-56 socket head machine screw that extends through the motor block in the Micromaxx motor tube, and then screws into a really tiny 2-56 brass threaded insert that I screwed into the base of the nose cone and reinforced with CA. To mount and unmount it, I just insert a 5/64" hex wrench into the adapter's motor tube and turn the machine screw into or out of the threaded insert. The thing is, I made this adaptation after the Mosquito was built, so I had to work the insert into the base of the nose cone and CA it in while working blind from the back end of the Mosquito's body tube. The threaded insert, by the way, is really tiny. It didn't look for awhile like I could get it bored in, but persistence paid off. Applying CA all around it without getting any into the insert was also kind of tricky, because I couldn't see what I was doing. Did I mention that the threaded insert was really tiny? :eek:

Mark \\.

wow, you did a great job on the sanding to an airfoil shape. How did you do it, i've tried three times, and snapped the fins everytime,lol!

You can see that in the photos?? Yes, the fins are airfoiled, but I didn't think that it was apparent in the photos.

1. Use hard, C-grain balsa as fin stock.
2. Mount your sandpaper on a sanding block.
3. Avoid pressing down on the sanding block as you sand. Let the weight of the block supply the pressure.
4. Lay the fin on a flat surface.
5. Sand slowly and carefully in one direction only.

Mark \\.

Oh, another thing, too: always sand your fins into shape, even if you are just rounding the edges, before you attach them to the rocket. That was implied in #4 in the last post, but I want to make sure to mention this point. It makes a world of difference.

Also, for very small fins like those on the Mosquito, put a strip of double-sided tape down on your cutting mat or board first, and then lay the fin on it. You won't have to try to hold the fin in place with your fingers while you are sanding it then.

Mark \\.

Thank you, i w did not sand them before i put them on the rocket. What I was thinking, I'm not completely positive. I guess i will just sand an airfoil shape in my next kit or clone. Thank you for your help

8 Mosquitos and 2 Quarks on eBay now ... a 10-pack of rockets.

thank you lee, i will be watching that, my love for the mosquito prevails!!!!!

LOL! this is a funny thread!
I've been using mosquitos as photo props for a long while now. back in the mid 80's my BSA troop had a Mosquito build and fly at least once a year. Many of my scouts painted their models in Camouflage colors and generally flew them on A3-6T or A10-3Ts I can't recall recovering many regardless of the color or motor selected even down to 1/4A3's.

I made a six model "rainbow" swarm of mosquitos in 1990, all finished in Flourescent colors and have used the swarm to photograph most of my other models since. Looking at my OOP kit stash list I noticed I do indeed still have a single 801 kit listed tho I haven't actually put my fingers on it, and still have above 2 dozen BNC-5V nose cones used often on 13mm competition models.

I think the part I find really funny here is Upscaler complaining about paying 1.05 for a turned balsa nosecone. If you think about the time it takes to make one, materials and equipment involved the price seems more then a fair. As I mentioned in another thread if you think buying cones is to expensive these days, do what many of us do; Turn your own.

As for cloning mosquitos, it's just about the easiest model in the world to do. I've made more then a hundred over the years for the scout troop and other youth groups as a quick and easy fun fly model even the youngest Tiger cubs can slap together.

As Mark II mentioned if you want to ensure you'll get it back and still have a decent flight profile, convert the model for MicroMaxx motors. I've even gone a step further by incorporating a rear ejection motor pod with Teflon plumbers tape streamer that further helps spot and recover the models. If you build the model as light as you can ( Hollowing out at least the shoulder of the NC ) you can get about 90-100foot flights out of them:)
a Little 9" x 1/2" teflon streamer brings them back easy and a lot slower so they can be seen on the way down.... Even in darker colors.

As for the difference between building a mosquito clone or kit, once a model is painted unless you tell people it's a clone. NOone will know the difference LOL!!!!!!
Hope this helps a little.

Starlight has you skeeter fans covered this holiday season. You gotta clone a skeeter we got all the parts. It's not on the web site but for the ORF folks we have the full set of parts. NC, BT, LL and fin stock for the pricey sum of $1.50 plus shipping. Catch? Nah. but you may want a few or other kits and parts cuz of shipping. To take advantage of this offer contact me at spootski@kconline
Fly high and loose em'
Mr. Bob
Starlight dude
www.starlightrocketry.com

That's a great deal, Bob.

It looks like you missed part of your email address though.

oops your right it's spootski@kconline.com :o
Mr. Bob

Out bid with 2 minutes to go... :( :eek:

I had a Swift too but once I launched it, it just went whoosh and goodbye on its first flight, with a 1/2A3-4T. However, it was not powdered. I'm thinking about getting another one. If I get another one I'm limiting myself to 1/4A3-3Ts

I have a Mosquito some Tornados and a bunch of other "little" rockets like the Alpha, Viking, Ninja etc. in the YORF auction now all for one price!

Go bid!

http://www.rocketshoppe.com/cgi-bin...isp&disp=allnew

It's the Multiple Kit Jackpot auction.

Man... all gone!

??????? :confused:

Link doesn't show anything.....

This link doesn't show any of the mentioned kits.....

http://www.rocketshoppe.com/cgi-bin...egory=kits_0060

But this link I think is the right one......

http://www.rocketshoppe.com/cgi-bin...tem=21233608918

OK, I see.

I guess I didn't think to try the link. :o

I'm old...easily confused. :o

So does anyone know why Estes discontinued the Mosquito?