IIRC, the cone for the Astron Explorer (and Dark Energy) is from a new mold with some minor changes compared to the Odyssey and Rigel-3. Not enough changes to prevent a nice clone model, though. I've never had my hands on the vintage cone so I couldn't say what the changes are.

Edit: Here is John's explanation of the nose cone.
https://oldrocketforum.com/showpost...735&postcount=3

__________________
I love sanding.