BAR Fleet #119 - Alpha VI, 60th Anniversary Edition

Source:  Estes Industries

Kit #: 001958

Type:  Sport Model

Stages: Single

Engine Type: 18mm

Recovery:  Parachute

Length:  32cm

Diameter:  25mm

Weight Empty:  35g

Nose Cone:  Tangent Ogive

Fin Type: Tapered Swept plastic fin can

Number of Fins: 3

 Color Scheme:  Pearl White / Gloss

Metallic Maroon

 Date Completed:  23 March, 2019

 

When I first learned that Estes Industries had produced a special edition of the Alpha model rocket to commemorate the company’s 60^th Anniversary, it was a no-brainer that one should be added to my list of ‘must-haves’ for the fleet.

Since the Hobby Lobby stores carry this model in their sales inventory, one was quickly located and purchased, utilizing a 40% off coupon, of course.

 

 

 Being an E2X model, the Alpha VI is a very quick build.    In just a little over an hour from opening the kit, the model was rendered flight-ready, even with the extra embellishments/techniques I employ in my model rockets.

 Here is a picture of the kit parts, laid out all nice and ‘purty’.

 

 

 One of the first things I do when I build a kit is to throw away the stock rubber shock cord and replace it with a better, longer fiber-elastic one. 

 Because I intend to fly this model only once, I settled for keeping the original rubber shock cord, but I did tie an additional one on to double its length. 

No nose cone snap-back damage for this Alpha VI !

 

 

Another modification I make on any kit build is to replace the bulky ‘tea-bag’ style shock cord mount with a section of manila card stock with three slots through which the cord is threaded and glued. This is similar to the old Centuri / MPC style mounts.

 

 

 The only major down side to the Alpha VI kit is that the body tube is pre-finished, precluding the ability to fill and hide that horribly unsightly spiral seam.   I will just have to live with it.

 All in all, the model turns out looking quite spiffy !  A nice addition to the long history of this famous model rocket design.

 The final touch on my bird is to apply some rub-on fleet number decals.

 

 

#119 is scheduled to be launched at my first flying session for 2019, after which it will be retired and reside permanently in a display case.  I don’t wish to have a model in my fleet that hasn’t flown at least once.

 Here is another pic of the completed model:

 

 

Back In The Day, Part 17 - More Cartoons By ME!

In thumbing through some more issues of ROMAR's Cosmic Steppingstone news- letter, I ran across some more sketches which I rendered.  These are all attached to information/invitation  pages about the HOTROC Regional contests held in Colorado Springs in the early 1980's....

Enjoy !!

 

 

A New Quick Project...

Yesterday I stopped into the local Hobby Lobby and found this...

It's off to the secret basement la-BOR-atory!

Steampunk Protostar, Part 25 - Back To Work

After an extended time away from this build, I finally got busy last night and completed construction and attachment of the third main fin.

Now I can start on the pod attachment, launch lug, and riveted body tube skin detailing.

At the rate I'm going, I might get this model done by 2025!

Ya think?

Cheers.

The BlastFromThePast 2018 Fleet Photo

This is a pic of all the flight-ready model rockets in the fleet as of the beginning of 2019. 

I've had all of the birds out of the boxes this week in order to inspect them and install recovery wadding, just in case the weather suddenly gets better and I can grab'n'go to the flying field.

I figured I might as well fire up the Android and take a group portrait while I had them all unpacked.

I've also been busy building new 'chutes' and streamers, and pre-installing ignitors...I mean, STARTERS... into select motors.

If nothing else, tinkering with and photographing the fleet has had the effect of lifting me out of the winter doldrums and inspired me to get back to work on the Steampunk Protostar.....

















I'm hoping to have at least a half dozen or so new models completed for next year's photo.

Back In The Day, Part 16 - More Cartoons

Back in my 'old fleet days' (1973-1984), I was on-and-off editor of the ROMAR club news letter, as well as a frequent contributor of material to the same. 

That included cartoons.

Since childhood, I had always had an interest in drawing and cartoon art.  

In the early eighties, I entertained some ideas of trying to become a freelance cartoonist.  I managed to land several commissions for ad art for local businesses, as well as selling a few cartoons here and there to national magazines.  The trouble with the latter was that I would often draw up and submit fifteen to twenty cartoons per packet to a magazine of which maybe one or two would get selected for publication.  The pay wasn't too great per piece, so I found that this was not a really lucrative route to take.  Too little return for the amount of time expended.

Any dream of getting a cartoon strip into syndication to newspapers was very much out of the question, since the competition is so great, and my drawing abilities were definitely not in the same class as what was already out there.

So, I pretty much stuck to drawing cartoons for my own personal portfolio and for my own entertainment.

Occasionally, I would work up a model rocket related cartoon for the news letter.

Here are a couple I have found and scanned......

A little note on this last one:  The ROMAR section traded news letters with the old WARP club out in Utah.  This cartoon turned out to be a favorite of a one Mr. Randall Redd. 

I wonder why?

Another note:   Would those happen to be CMR ceramic blast deflectors on the launch rack?

The Winter Blues

I'm suffering from a really bad case.

As far as model rocketry goes, I'm strictly a fair-weather flier.  That wasn't the case back in my old fleet days.  Back then I didn't mind heading out for club launches on days when the temperature didn't top forty degrees, and wind chill made it even colder.  Occasionally, launching would take place on fairly nice days when the field was still covered with snow from a recent storm.

Now, in my advancing years, I refuse to venture out with rockets and range box in hand unless the temperature is in the high fifties or above and wind does not exceed seven mph.  And no snow on the ground....  

This past several months in Colorado, these conditions have just not happened.  Instead, it has been a relatively cold winter, with regular snow storms, wind, and temperatures hanging mostly around freezing. 

The days that have reached up into the fifties have been on my work days.

Sigh.

So, the rockets have remained on their display stands.

Anyway, as I gazed wistfully out the window at the recent falling snow, I was reminded of a cartoon I drew back in 1980 for publication in the ROMAR club news letter, the Cosmic Steppingstone. 

I found the issue and scanned the cartoon for posting here....

Cheers.....