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  #21  
Old 01-16-2014, 02:09 PM
Old Rocketeer "II" Old Rocketeer "II" is offline
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Default MMI Tower

They did come as kits. The only packaging I am aware of is a 3" diameter green tube. I took a quick look around for instructions and have not found any yet - but they had to exist 'cause it's just too complicated to put together without any...
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  #22  
Old 01-16-2014, 09:22 PM
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Jerry Irvine Jerry Irvine is offline
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I think people on this site are discovering things from longer ago than before.
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  #23  
Old 01-16-2014, 09:30 PM
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JohnNGA JohnNGA is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fireman
Question about MMI towers for Gus, Bill, or anyone else who might know.

The tower I have was purchased already built up as a floor display, but I know they were shipped as kits. What kind of packaging was used for the kits? Was it an illustrated box, a plain corregated carton, or what?

And was there an instruction sheet that came with it, or were you on your own to figure it out?

If anybody has information about this, or better yet, a picture of an un-assymbled kit, a pic of the packaging, or a copy of instructions, cold you please post them here? I would dearly love to see any of the above.

The Fireman


The instructions for that tower can be found on a thread started by Tedster (Ted Mahler) 1-11-2012, look for "Looking for launcher parts & Info"

Last edited by JohnNGA : 01-16-2014 at 09:45 PM.
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  #24  
Old 01-18-2014, 12:24 AM
Fireman Fireman is offline
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John, Bill, Steve, et al.

Thanks so much for your info on this subject. I have loved these towers since the first time I saw one, back about 1958 or so. I finally got one from an old hobby shop in Colorado Springs that was going out of business, but it was already assembled and there were no instructions. I have always wondered what they were like.

The scans of the instructions in the post John refers to above are just what I was looking for. (Just wish they were a bit larger so I could read them better with these old eyes.)

Bill, did you ever consider issuing a modern "clone" of these towers? There is absolutely nothing like them on the market that I know of. I bet there are still a few of us from "the Sputnik generation" that would love to get one, as well as some of the "youngsters" here who missed out on them the first time. Shipping would be prohibitive for steel towers, but perhaps a clone could be made of Aluminum instead? That would also keep re-issue towers from being confused with the old MMI originals. It would be just the thing to go with thos "aniversary re-issues Aerobee kits from a while back. Just a thought.

Just one more note for anyone interested in towers. On the "Peak City" site with the tribute to William Roe, there is a newspaper clipping showing the adjustable towers that we had at the Peak City range. They were used for everyday use at the range, and were also used for a couple of the early NARAMS. These towers were hand fabricated in the Palmer High School metal shop. I have often wondered whatever happened to these when Peak City went dormant. Bill, do you happen to know what happened to them?

Anyway, I continue to be amazed by this forum, by the depth and bredth of knowlege of the members, and above all, by your willingness to share what you know with the rest of us. From MMI towers to crayon sharpeners, to old Popular Mechanics articles, it is incredible to see some of the old material re-appearing on the forum. Thank you all!

The Fireman

Mitch Meigs,
formerly NAR 2217,
Peak City section *2
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  #25  
Old 01-31-2019, 01:22 PM
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Ez2cDave Ez2cDave is offline
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  #26  
Old 03-15-2019, 11:27 PM
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Gus Gus is offline
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Lots of pictures of early launch towers on the new Museum of Flight G. Harry Stine Flickr page.

It appears the earliest towers were single color. Bill Stine recently told me they came as unfinished aluminum and the builder could paint as desired. Same as mentioned above by Billspad.

The photo below from NARAM 3, however is the first time I've seen an MMI tower in a package. The package sure looks like a "3 inch tube" like Bill described above. I'm not sure if the large label on the package was what was really on the packages as sold or if it's just a big label for the NARAM prize.

Second photo shows models being placed in an MMI tower. Of more interest to me, however, are the towers further to the left in the photo. They look like pretty straightforward tower launchers, similar to what folks still use today. But the ones in the photo look fairly standardized. Not sure if they were a kit or scratch built.

Steve
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