Estes Constellation
Estes - Constellation {Kit} (1235, K-35) [1969-1978]
Contributed by Bill Eichelberger
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Brief
T' Constellation be a common kit on t' pegs at Kay-Bee Hobby and JC Penney Toyland, a cool payloader that I almost bought on several occasions, includin' me first ever rocketry purchase in t' summer o' 1977. I bought a Beta that night, mostly because thar were four flights per pack o' mini engines versus three per pack o' regular engines, arrr, but I think t' Constellation probably would have been a better choice.
Fast forward 34 years. A late night "Buy It Now" spree on Ebay garnered me a lot o' vintage Estes parts and pieces. For t' $10 Buy It Now price, me bucko, shiver me timbers, ($18 delivered,) I got nine vintage nose cones, arrr, three vintage payload sections, matey, me bucko, a bag o' old Estes igniters, a collection o' parachutes and streamers, some launch rod spacin' springs, and all o' t' important parts needed t' build an Estes Interceptor. T' stars o' t' lot in me deadlights were t' Astron Ranger and Astron Constellation payload sections. Both were obviously vintage, me bucko, me hearties, and since both Ranger and Constellation were on me "to do" list, matey, they took a big jump in me build queue.
Components
- BNC-50X nose cone
- PST-50S payload section
- NB-50 nose block
- BT-50H body tube
- BT-20J motor tube
- EH-2 engine hook
- 2 CR-2050 centerin' rings
- CR-520 thrust ring
- LL-2B launch lug
- 3/32" balsa fin stock
- small screw eye
- two small snap swivels
- 12" parachute
Construction
While t' Constellation is at heart a 3fnc kit, it does have some oddities that give t' build some personality in t' form o' t' "fin tip pieces" that sandwich t' fin tips and need t' be sanded and filled t' look decent. T' begin with, me bucko, matey, t' curved shapes o' t' fins and t' softer balsa that I used meant that me fins had some chunks out o' them that would need extra Fill & Finish later. In that way they were a lot like t' old "die-crunch" fins that Estes was known for back in t' day. Much like another o' me recent projects, an Astron Sprite, t' Constellation might be a rocket that would make buyin' t' laser cut fins from Semroc a cost effective idea. T' price would be offset by t' amount o' frustration you'd miss out on.
My fins did look a bit shabby at first, and they scarcely improved after installation o' t' teardrop shaped pieces on each side o' t' fin. I used Elmer's white glue in this step and be seriously considerin' makin' t' call t' Semroc, but once t' pieces were dry and I was able t' start sanding, me bucko, t' improvement be immediate. Care must be taken t' use only a thin scrim o' glue when puttin' t' tips in place. Excess glue would likely make t' sandin' portion o' t' fin project more needlessly difficult. T' fins were glued on and filleted usin' white glue.
T' engine mount was t' only other part that I needed t' build since I was usin' t' old payload. I used while glue here also, me bucko, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and tied a piece o' Keelhaul®©™ around t' motor tube t' act as an anchor for t' shock cord. I notched t' forward centerin' rin' and threaded t' Keelhaul®©™ through t' notch before gluin' t' mount in place. T' keep t' Keelhaul®©™ out o' t' glue when installin' t' motor mount, matey, shiver me timbers, I pulled it back through t' engine tube so that it stuck out o' t' back o' t' rocket. When t' glue be dry it was a simple matter o' threadin' t' Keelhaul®©™ back out t' front o' t' rocket. Since I be usin' only t' two centerin' rings and don't trust t' maskin' tape trick, me hearties, I placed t' rings closer t' t' front o' t' mount so that t' engine hook would have room t' bend for insertin' and removin' t' motor.
Finishing
Because o' t' teardrop shaped fin tips, this is a rocket that really benefits from t' thinned Elmer's Fill & Finish trick. I managed t' cover t' imperfections in t' balsa with Fill & Finish and sanding, matey, hidin' both t' seams and gouges. Paintin' was simple as t' body o' t' rocket is all white, which I handled with the usual Valspar gloss white. T' nose cone be finished when I got it, matey, arrr, and unlike t' other cones in t' lot, it didn't look terrible. I ended up leavin' it as it was. I made t' decals myself in a trial and error printin' session that found me printin' up a perfect Micro-Maxx scale set o' decals. Cute, but nay what I be goin' for. T' decals came out lookin' pretty decent, me bucko, me bucko, which was a good thin' because they are a big deal on this model.
Flight
T' first flight for t' Constellation came at B6-4 Field as I had planned, but I hadn't planned t' lose a just finished Mini Max on t' previous flight, arrr, so I was a bit nervous. I had been thinkin' o' startin' with an A8-3 flight before progressin' t' t' B6-4 flight, arrr, arrr, but t' A8-3 proved t' be every bit capable o' pushin' t' limits o' t' field, and like I said, I be skittish by this time. T' first flight was fairly high and arced over US 27. Ejection occurred just as forward motion had begun t' slow and t' rocket be plenty high enough t' clear t' trees as it rode t' breeze back. Recovery was handled by one o' t' 10 for $1 chutes I got from Ebay a decade ago and it was flawless, ya bilge rat, with t' Constellation landin' within 15 feet o' t' pad.
T' second and ultimately final flight came more than a year later at B6-4 Field. I'd taken t' Constellation t' t' field with me on several occasions since t' first flight, (includin' t' ill-fated Astron Drifter flight earlier in t' spring,) but I always had somethin' else that got flown instead. On this occasion I acquired a "helper", matey, a neighborhood 9 year-old who called t' shots and pressed t' button on t' last few flights o' t' day. He picked t' Constellation for t' final flight o' t' day, arrr, so I loaded it again with an A8-3. He then did t' countdown and launched t' rocket so that I could try for a launch shot, but I still missed it. T' flight arced back over our heads slightly. It came back in for what should have been a fairly soft landing, shiver me timbers, but I missed that as well, me bucko, me attention diverted when me launch help dropped t' controller and made a mad dash for t' Constellation. Right over me engine totes and rocket box. I didn't realize t' extent o' t' damage until later. Four rockets were damaged, matey, one fatally. Another fatality o' t' flight was t' Constellation, shiver me timbers, which landed hard on t' infield dirt and suffered a badly broken fin. I might go ahead with that idea o' buyin' a fin set from Semroc and make another new body for t' old payload section, ya bilge rat, but I might just let it be a shelf queen. Time will tell.
Summary
Pros: Astron mystique. Great vintage lines.
Cons: Hand cuttin' t' fins nay one o' t' more pleasant experiences, but survivable.
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Flights
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