From my local hobby shop is news of the next Estes Designer Signature Series rocket kit. Following last year's Orange Bullet comes #7310 Antar. Should be available within the next 30 days, or sooner. MSRP is $39.99. Sorry no dimensions info yet. Assume it will be shown at the virtual NARCON 2021 manufacturer's forum later this week.

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turbofireball
NAR 25162
SAM 0278

The Orange Bullet really didn’t do much for me, I liked the Designer Signature Series concept and the OB is a neat little rocket but just not enough to get my money. But this is intriguing - a flying model of a G. Harry Stine concept design - now that’s something else!

here are 3 G.H.Stine designs from the early to mid 50's ....these are rocket models, ie, not model rockets.... the FAFNIR was on the cover of the GHS book " ...And A Star to Steer Her By..." circa 1953...GHS handmade this model 4 to 5 years before model rocketry existed....the exhaust is cotton balls . This are just models, not flying model rockets although I'm sure they might be able to be converted. this book: https://www.amazon.com/Spaceship-Ha..../dp/097076040X has all the detailed drawings of them. GHS books also has drawings of them . The Absyrtis is in Contraband Rocket. Also check out Rocketman and Starship Thru Space. The last pic is GHS with his cat Cosmos who was a character in his book Starship Thru Space. This isn't a very good pic but if you look real closely next to the FAFNIR is a scale rocket to give you an idea how BIG the FAFNIR would have been in real life. The launchpad is depicted in a drawing of the cover of Rocketman.

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"Old Rocketeer's don't die; they just go OOP".....unless you 3D print them.

That new one looks a lot more interesting than the Orange Bullet.
Will have to grab one.
Is the 2021 catalogue out yet ?
Never understood why their yearly catalog is never out by December.

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When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, and HAVOC !

That's a cool one. Ah, another project....

I was disappointed that the Orange Bullet, as kitted, did not actually work as originally designed. That is, it did not go unstable after ejecting the motor, but instead just depends on being light and blunt for safe (probably straight in) recovery. The fin tip weights were just simulated with lasered cardstock bits.

But this one looks good.

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Bernard Cawley
NAR 89040 L1 - Life Member
SAM 0061
AMA 42160
KG7AIE

I launched mine 4 times, adding more weight to the fins each time, never could get enough to get it to tumble, finally lost it on the 4th try.

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Paul
If we weren't all crazy, we would go insane - Jimmy Buffett
NAR #87246 www.wooshrocketry.org

I can answer that question about the catalogs. Coming out with a new catalog in December with new products could be a deterrent to selling items already on the shelves for the holiday season sales, and after season sales. That is standard practice of pretty much all hobby (and toy) manufacturers. Also, the catalogs are timed with what usually is either the first hobby show (or toy show of the year), which is generally around Feb. 1.

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turbofireball
NAR 25162
SAM 0278

Thanks for posting the pics of G. Harry's rockets. I see you have the Athena in there, as well. I am almost done with a RC RG of the Athena from the Saturday Evening Post story "The Day the Rocket Crashed".

Big fan of the Spaceship Handbook. Used the Athena drawing in there to scale my RC RG version. It is BT-80 sized with Dynasoar Rocketry/Frank Burke style Depron flying surfaces. Done except for a custom 3D printed nose cone and the canopy fairing. Pic attached. Have a PNC-80 on there for now. If the custom printed cone takes too long, I will put a paper hat on it and go ahead and fly.

The rockets from G. Harry Stine's stories were fairly huge. The Athena as designed (as interpreted by Jon Rogers) was 136 feet long. The Fafnir was 303 feet long and the Absyrtis was 197 feet long. The BT-80 Athena works out to 1/46.15 scale.

Anyone know if the Antar design was featured in one of his stories? And, are there other G. Harry Stine fictional rocket designs floating around out there, besides the ones in the Spaceship Handbook and the Antar?

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Tom Blakeney
NAR 52002 L1
AMA 28682
TRA 2150 (lapsed)

I like that design on rocket - realistic!!!

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Steve

I don't know if the Antar was featured in any of his stories, but I'm trying to find out. In Earth Satellites and The race for Space Superiority on page 65 is a diagram for a rocket called the Griffon, on page 55 Aeolus and Nomad. There may be some rocket designs in RocketMen

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"Old Rocketeer's don't die; they just go OOP".....unless you 3D print them.