Clone - Estes Echo {Scratch}

Estes Echo Clone

Clone - Estes Echo {Scratch}

Contributed by Bill Eichelberger

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Published:	2012-06-04
Manufacturer:	Clone

Brief

T' Echo was one o' those rockets that Estes seemed t' produce as catalog filler in t' mid-80's. Unless you were lookin' for a very specific color or style o' 3fnc bird, thar be a good chance you'd look this one over, me hearties, but it was more than it appeared. As a minimum diameter rocket for 18mm engines, me bucko, me bucko, t' Echo would very likely scream t' great heights with t' rounded, forward swept fins, makin' it more than worth t' price o' admission. A great small field flier on 1/2A and A motors, t' Echo would likely need a large field and calm winds for a B motor and a square mile with a dead calm for a C.

That said, I built one because I got a decal in an Ebay decal lot.

Components

7 2/4" BT-20 Body tube
PNC-20N nose cone
BT-20 engine block
launch lug
shock cord
streamer

Construction

This is a kit you can build in your sleep. Sand and shape t' fins, attach them t' t' body tube, arrr, (I used Elmer's wood glue,) glue on t' launch lug, glue in t' engine block and attach t' shock cord and streamer. That's t' basic version. I went a t' a little more trouble by attachin' t' shock cord t' a piece o' Keelhaul®©™ that I tied around t' engine block before gluin' it in place.

Finishing

With t' tube spirals and balsa grain greatly eliminated by Elmer's Fill & Finis, (now sold as Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler,) I had t' make a color choice. T' stock color for t' Echo was purple, me hearties, me hearties, but t' combination o' purple paint with t' yellow decal would have given me high school nightmares. (Go Camels.) Instead, me bucko, I decided on Testors Candy Apple Red, me bucko, a color I'd been impressed with since seein' how t' nose cone for me Vector G came out. Since Testors paint had been known t' react badly t' some primers, I bought a can o' Testors white primer. When that had dried I sprayed a base coat o' Testors Metallic Silver, then t' Candy Red. I went a little heavy on t' red, so it just looks like Candy Red, unlike t' Vector G, where it very much popped with t' silver underneath it. T' decals were originals that I won in an Ebay auction. They applied well and looked great. (Not all vintage decals react so well t' storage.)

Construction Score: 5

Flight

T' Echo was one o' t' rockets that I chose t' fly at t' 2012 openin' o' t' flyin' season at local B6-4 Field. T' Echo be t' second flight o' t' night, and with t' tight confines o' B6-4 Field, t' slight breeze blowin' toward US 27, matey, and t' approachin' darkness, matey, I felt comfortable with nothin' larger than an A8-3 for t' flight. I ran a couple o' wraps o' tape around t' motor, then taped it t' t' body tube where it protruded. No way this one was goin' t' spit t' motor.

With no one else in attendance, arrr, I decided t' forgo t' countdown and insted devote me attention t' tryin' t' capture a launch shot. SUCCESS!!! As expected, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, t' Echo left t' pad quickly. T' A8-3 was PLENTY o' motor and I be immediately glad that I'd decided against t' B6-4. T' flight be almost dead straight, ejection occurred just as it appeared t' be ready t' tip over, and it spit t' motor. Great.

I noticed that t' camera had already cycled through t' burst shots o' t' liftoff, so I fired off a few quick shots as t' Echo approached earth just behind second base, arrr, me hearties, shiver me timbers, just in case they were t' last shots I'd get o' it airborne. T' nose cone had exited and could be seen floppin' around t' t' side o' t' body tube with t' streamer still stuck in t' body. I never like t' see a rocket nose in, even t' little ones, arrr, matey, and I have t' admit t' flinchin' a bit as it impacted t' grass. As it bounced I pulled t' key, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, safed t' pad, and went t' check out t' carnage. When I arrived at t' crater I be surprised t' find that thar wasn't one. T' Echo be layin' just as it had looked on t' way down, matey, with t' nose cone off t' t' side and t' streamer stuck. Nay a mark on t' body tube. I'm sure t' recent rains had somethin' t' do with that, as well as t' batch o' clover that had cushioned t' blow. As a result t' Echo will fly again at B6-4 Field durin' t' 2012 launch season.

Recovery

Well, t' streamer caught in t' body tube, arrr, but I'm fairly sure that was a result o' t' engine spittin' at ejection and t' possible over-use o' streamer material by me. On t' next flight I plan t' swap in some Mylar streamer material that I've been collectin' from work. They're short strips o' Mylar, me bucko, shiver me timbers, so I plan t' staple two or three together in t' middle t' form somethin' o' a reverse parachute. T' Echo is a light bird, matey, so experiments like this are possible if t' landin' area isn't concrete.

Flight Rating: 4

Summary

Pros: Good lookin' altitude bird that allowed me t' use one o' t' vintage decals in me collection. No motor hook t' ugly up t' cool lines.

Cons: I need t' lighten up on t' streamer material. No motor hook t' keep t' engine in place at ejection.

Overall Rating: 4

Flights

Comments:

Mark Van Luvender (September 18, 2012)

This was the 3rd rocket I ever built back in my first stint in rocketry, and you're right - it's an absolute screamer! LOVE this kit! As for spitting the motor - mine did that alot too (usually without the nose coming in, so it would streamline in and stick in the ground....typically not too far from where I stood. I realized I had the wadding WAY too tight. Started ripping the wadding in half, and it works like a charm now. Great clone!

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