#51
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I went ahead and purchased one of the Estes Falcons - basically just to add to my 1/100th static display. It does help demonstrate just how big the Falcon 9 is - as tall as the Saturn 1B, and simply dwarfs the Gemini-Titan (that's a really cool thing about same-scale displays - it dramatically demonstrates how things have changed over the years). It is a fairly nice and detailed model (although - unlike the Saturn V and 1B - I'm not as up to speed on the intricacies of the Falcon 9 to readily spot scale errors).
The box the Falcon 9 comes in is serious overkill - probably added ~10% to the price - and yet isn't suitable for displaying the model. Quote:
That might interest me - after getting my high-power certs I've become less and less interested in anything with less than a 29mm mount. |
#52
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The Javelin has been out for a while, at least, you could order one. https://northcoastrocketry.com/prod...ecember-15-2020
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-Wolfram v. Kiparski NAR 28643 - TRA 15520 MTMA Section #606 President |
#53
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Wolf - Tigerhawk is probably referring to the lower priced, “semi-scale” version of the Argo-Javelin that Matt has talked about since the $500 kit was released. I know it makes more sense marketing and sales -wise but of all the future products Matt has spoken of since NARCON and last year’s NARAM I wish we were seeing the rerelease of the NCR 4” kits - especially the Quasar
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John Scott B. NAR #102949/L1 |
#54
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Agree... not really interested in RTF at this point. I'd rather scratch build, and considering kit prices, that's mostly what I do. I'll get around to my own Falcon 9 at some point. I got in on the special price they had on the Estes Saturn V years ago ($99 bucks IIRC) and ended up with two-- the one they sent the morons delivered it and left it on the front steps in a full-on monsoon rain-- we were in Indiana and my nephew who was living with us at the time called me after work when he got home and finally saw it, asked what to do... I had him bring it in, open the box, and stand all the tubes up over the heater vents in various parts of the house to dry them out. I called whomever I bought it from that was doing the specials at the time and they sent me another kit free, which was delivered PROPERLY. I managed to salvage the one with little/no apparent damage, the tubes were dry when we got home a week later as they'd had plenty of heater cycles blowing warm air up the tubes to dry. Who knows about the longevity though... Anyway, not really interested in RTF. Not really interested in ANY rocket at $150 bucks +, I know my craftsmanship skills and I can do better at a lower price in the end, even if it takes me longer... Oh well...
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The X-87B Cruise Basselope-- THE Ultimate Weapon in the arsenal of Homeland Security and only $52 million per round! |
#55
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Makes sense, since the Falcon 9 is basically a modern reincarnation of the Saturn I-B... if they had replaced the Saturn IB's "Cluster's last stand" of 8 Redstone size tanks surrounding a Jupiter size tank first stage with a 260 inch diameter stage using a single LOX and RP-1 tank similar to Saturn V, with the intertank, and kept using the S-IVB for the upper stage, it would have been rather similar to Falcon 9... only using 8 H-1 engines instead of 9 Merlins on the first stage, and a single hydrogen burning J-2S instead of the kerosene burning Merlin Vac engine on the Falcon 9. The liftoff thrust is similar and with a hydrogen powered upper stage the performance capability to orbit would be similar. BUT the Falcon 9 wasn't built for all-out maximum performance, it was designed for lowest-cost, particularly on the second stage which is thrown away, and for reuse on the first stage. Having a kerosene upper stage, while it hits the performance capability somewhat, is MUCH easier than messing with liquid hydrogen and reduces the size of the rocket, plus it greatly simplifies the GSE servicing the rocket and filling its propellant tanks. Plus if they wanted to switch to a hydrogen burning upper stage at some point it would give a nice performance increase due to the added specific impulse of hydrogen propellant over kerosene.
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The X-87B Cruise Basselope-- THE Ultimate Weapon in the arsenal of Homeland Security and only $52 million per round! |
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