Original Designs For Estes Longshot & Eliminator Fin Cans
 

Well, I will have a couple of extra fin cans left over after I run out of EnerJet sounding rockets to clone :D

But what to do with those fin cans instead of just another carbon copy of the Estes Maniac or Eliminator design?

I tweaked a file I used for my "Reunited Ripper" rocket that placed 3rd in the EMRR Reunion Virtual Rocket Contest. (Well Nick said it looked like a worm so I figured it needed a makeover).

http://www.rocketreviews.com/virtual_contest8.shtml

I call it "Wormloader". I dropped two fins and added a parachute to the sustainer. Basic EnerJet 1340 with a transition to the sustainer for a total of three transitions. Would need electronics in the sustainers worm-like payload section to stage it so I guess that's what it's there for :) A new variation on the fin can color too - bright green!

Any of you guys have any other design suggestions for what to do with those fin cans? Since I didn't use the RockSim "subassembly" feature to make the fin can a single part, you would have to copy and past these three parts from the design file to use them: Fin Can Molded Launch Lug, Fin Can Sleeve Only & Fin Can Fin Set (4).

I built a Challenger-II clone. It's the official unofficial D powered booster for the Astrocam.

Catalog Link 1981.

This was also what I had planned, but the Enerjet kits are too cool to ignore. :cool:

I didn't remember the Challenger-II. Funny you should mention that one. Earlier this month I had read the article Bill sent to EMRR for his Challenger-1. The decal scheme looks to be about the same as the smaller Challenger-1.

Black fin can, white body tube & yellow nose cone. Was the nose cone molded in yellow or do the catalogs just show it that way?

Molded in Yellow; photo of my Challenger II kit-in-bag, below.

I just reread the catalog link and with the molded colors for the nose cone and fin can with the pre-colored white tubes it was one of those "less than one hour" builds.

My thanks to all of you for your suggestions. This is do-able. I have a fin can from the Longshot, a nose cone from the Eliminator and the white tubes from an Eggspress. I have all the engine mount parts from the Eliminator too. I pretty much have everything I need.

John your built Challenger-II looks great! I guess I'll have to put this one in the build queue too. Did you clear coat the nose cone along with the rest of the rocket to get it looking so nice? I noticed you sent a .tiff decal scan to YORS for this one as well :D

Also, is it a single 18" length of BT-56? All I have are short 12" sections unless I cut what I need from some Semroc ST-13 I have on hand.

Thanks Steve - the nose was taken from an Estes NC-56 nose cone pack. It was one of the canary yellow ones (same one that goes with the Eliminator). I sprayed it with Testors #1214 Gloss Yellow, as this color is a good match to the orignal (you can see this in the photo). Out of the bag, the Eliminator nose cone is a bit bright and light by comparison.

The body tube is a single 18" length of BT-56 per the original - I believe it came from the now hard to find (at least around here) BT-56 Tube Packs that Estes used to produce. Sunward, ARG, and others offer direct equivalents.

My fin can came from either a Maniac or an Eliminator (I can't quite recall), so it had to be painted. A quick word about the fin can - unlike the nose cones, which are ABS, the fin can is a type of polystyrene, so Krylon is a big no-no. You have to go with a non-lacquer based paint, like Testors, or Rustoeleum, or perhaps Duplicolor - I think it's Duplicolor Gloss Black that was used on my Challenger.

The decals were printed directly from that TIFF file you found on YORS on Expert's Choice clear decal film. I think Expert's Choice is one of the best decal films around to work with - thin, but tough, so it can take a little handling during the application process without breaking up, like some other thin films tend to do. The whole rocket was clear coated with Testors Gloss Cote.

When building my clone, I went ahead and made the motor mount the right length to take an E9 size (or F21!) motor. Haven't tried that impulse in this model yet - so far it's been flying great on a C11.

Make sure you post some photos of your Challenger II when you have it done!

John thanks for all your great tips and advice. I do appreciate it.

A closer look at your photo and I see what you described concerning the yellow color.

You know I never really thought about it but I did use Krylon spray on my fin cans and thinking back using a lacquer based paint on that styrene fin can could have caused problems. I may have gotten away with the two I painted because I used two very light coats of Krylon white before I shot the heavier final coats and the thin base coats seemed to dry in an instant. I've used Duplicolor and Testors in the past with good results so I'll probably go that way on future builds with those parts.

Challenger-II was a great suggestion for a project. It's something you don't see everyday since it was only offered from 1980-1985 according to the list at YORF. My personal preference is to build something a little less common and I like the way it looks. I have a couple of other projects to finish up first but I do want to build this one and having most of what I need makes it that much easier.

Thanks again!

Are the Challenger II decal scans available anywhere?

John sent the Challenger-1 and Challenger-II decals up to YORS

I found them here:

http://www.oldrocketplans.com/decals.htm