Ever since buiilding my first Quest kit with the Kevlar string tied to the engine block as a way of anchoring the shock cord and protecting it from the hot gases, I've never gone back to the old Estes tri-folded paper anchors that interfere with chute ejection and are hard to remove when the elastic shock cord burns through. I still build Estes' kits, but I've adapted the Quest anchoring system for all my shock cord anchors.

Anyway - it just occurred to me that Estes was on to something when they designed the Star Dart with the two piece tube and anchored the shock cord to the coupler... (since there obviously isn't much room in the BT-5 for a tri-fold paper anchor).

It must have pre-dated the Quest system - may have even inspired it (?), yet it took Quest to make the long term commitment to what I consider to be a superior anchoring system.

Well, All this talk sbout the star dart made me buy another one! Doc told me about the one on E-Blah and I jumped. I look forward to building that little gem again!

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You are only limited by your imagination......

Ryan Leach
NAR# 87642
SAM #216
SoJARS NAR Section 593
Aerospace Education Officer
X-15 FANATIC

Enjoy your kit. a pleasure to help you out.

My PM mailbox is open again.

The Estes Star Dart #0860 laser-cut fins set is now available from Semroc: http://www.semroc.com/Store/scripts...?idproduct=2329 This is the fin shape that was used for all of the kit's time in production except for its last year, when the fins from the Vector #0871 (see: http://www.oldrocketplans.com/estes/est0871/est0871.htm ) were substituted. The Star Dart uses a 6" BT-5 body tube (either one-piece or two 3" pieces, depending on the version of the kit).

(The Vector's exactly 5" long BT-5 body tube can be built-up by connecting a 2" length and a 3" length of BT-5 [both of which Semroc carry] with a BT-5 stage coupler.)

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Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR