top estes kits that is upscaled

[chris m]

Hey just a quick post , to get ideas . But not saying what direction I will go in .
Ok some what do you think ( everyone maybe different ) would be the most upscaled Estes kits . One that I know of and made by many companies is the Nike smoke .I think it very cool to clone and or upscale kits you have not seen in a long time . Seeing a lot of red Der max . I also would like to fine some very small companies that are no longer around and build some of them . But now I'm getting off track . Thanks chris :lol:

 

[K'Tesh]

Cherokee D (long and short versions)123% (BT-60)
Supernova 168% (BT-60)
Yellow Jacket 168% (BT-60)

 

[chadrog]

The Goblin is a popular upscale, as is the Alpha. Most common upscales I've seen have been the classics, a lot of re-living going on. Good stuff.

 

[JPVegh]

I've seen Big Berthas done in 3.1", 4" 5.54" and 7.67". I'd like to do a 10x Bertha someday.

 

[Fishhead]

I've done a BT-70 Screamer, BT-80 Wizard and all of the original Goonys in BT-80.

 

[dgreger]

I did a 2x Guardian using Pro Series parts. https://www.rocketryforum.com/album.php?albumid=464&attachmentid=137508
The Phoenix and Bull Pup are very popular upscales.
An Aim-9 Sidewinder would be a good one. Multiple sets of fins, bands, and the wheels on the main fins would be great to detail in upscale.

 

[jimzcatz]

Four and six inch Swats, 4 and 5.5" Explorer Aquarius

 

[qquake2k]

The Estes upscales I've done are the Shadow (my L2 bird), Vagabond, and my favorite, the Alpha III (my first rocket as a kid). If I'm upscaling a current kit, I always buy the kit first. It only seems fair since it's their design, and then you can use the kit components for measurements or whatever, and scan the decals for reproduction.

 

[jeffgeraci]

I just don't get the whole desire thing about wanting to build, clone, or upscale an existing design. There's just too many things that have yet to be done with respect to new design and experimentation. I don't want to color someone elses picture; I want to draw my own and color my own, and bring something original to the table. So little time and so many possibilities- why would anyone want to essentially follow a recipe for building a rocket that's been done by several people already? It's like painting by numbers... ugh! I'll probably get a lot of heat for saying all this, but it's just my opinion. Kits were great when I was just starting out, but now they're old hat. On the flip side, a lot of guys get real satisfaction from building kits- it's all good. I say, if you're gonna invest your time in the hobby, then do what fulfills you the most. But scratch building is like a box of chocolates... you know the rest.

The Estes upscales I've done are the Shadow (my L2 bird), Vagabond, and my favorite, the Alpha III (my first rocket as a kid). If I'm upscaling a current kit, I always buy the kit first. It only seems fair since it's their design, and then you can use the kit components for measurements or whatever, and scan the decals for reproduction.

 

[jeffgeraci]

Didn't mean to include qquakes quote in my last post, oops.

 

[kelltym88]

These were challenging, but they look so much better upscaled.......

 

[qquake2k]

Didn't mean to include qquakes quote in my last post, oops.

No worries, I wasn't offended. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion! I do mostly scratch builds. But I do enjoy upscaling designs I like. In some cases, like the Shadow, it's out of production, so a clone or upscale are your only options. In other cases, like the Alpha III, the design has meaning to me, it was my very first rocket. And then, as with the Vagabond, it's a design I really like and wanted to duplicate in a larger scale. To me, an upscale is a scratch build, just without the design aspect. But you still have to "run the numbers", to make sure it looks and flies like the original.

 

[qquake2k]

These were challenging, but they look so much better upscaled.......

I love the Photon Disruptor!

 

[Cl(VII)]

I started cutting and fiberglassing fins for a 2.56" Satelite Interceptor last night, and I've made the OR file and fin paterns for a 3" photon disruptor also. Come on BOGO sale at Stickershock!

 

[JohnCoker]

I just don't get the whole desire thing about wanting to build, clone, or upscale an existing design. ... Kits were great when I was just starting out, but now they're old hat.

Upscaling is scratch-building. It's basically the same as scale modeling; just the prototype happens to be smaller than your model.

If you take a look at some of the beautiful examples on this page, you'll see that dismissing people who upscale is just silly.

(And yeah, I recently did an Estes upscale and am working on another, as a break from sport-scale models.)

 

[K'Tesh]

An Aim-9 Sidewinder would be a good one. Multiple sets of fins, bands, and the wheels on the main fins would be great to detail in upscale.

Those "wheels" are called rollerons...

https://www.howstuffworks.com/sidewinder4.htm

I used to load AIM 9's on the F-111E's of RAF Upper Heyford, and I want to upscale one of those too... I'm thinking about something in the 1/1 scale.

 

[kelltym88]

I love the Photon Disruptor!

Thank you. Check out gdsky's pic of it on a Skidmark.......

Upscaling is scratch-building. It's basically the same as scale modeling; just the prototype happens to be smaller than your model.

If you take a look at some of the beautiful examples on this page, you'll see that dismissing people who upscale is just silly.

(And yeah, I recently did an Estes upscale and am working on another, as a break from sport-scale models.)

Well said. Other factors of upscaling are making sure it's stable. As build techniques differ from putting together a smaller kit vs. building the upscale from scratch. While they do look cool, they are not always easy, sometimes even a little more difficult.

 

[jpummil]

I'm a huge fan of the upscales. Certed L2 on a 4" Cherokee D and recently completed and flew a 5.38" Der Red Max.



Now working on a 3" Super Neon with 38mm motor mount.

 

[chris m]

Yes I love scratch building . And if I am doing a kit that is in production will buy the kit . Some great stuff glad I made this post chris

 

[PhlAsh]

I used to load AIM 9's on the F-111E's of RAF Upper Heyford, and I want to upscale one of those too... I'm thinking about something in the 1/1 scale.

When the ex was stationed in Brawdy, we used to have to drive several hours to Upper Heyford for pizza and a decent Exchange!

 

[oddmanrockets]

some of my estes upscales aren't the easy ones though,did a 4 in mosquito but also the Andromeda 4x Photon torpedo , and a 3x Orbital transport. in process of building a 4x Satellite Interceptor also built a 4x Blackhawk from estes

 

[eedetail]

I like the idea of upscaling obscure kits.
Here is my 2.2x Tornado:

 

[rocketguy101]

I built a 3" upscaled Yellow Jacket...that graphic was hand-cut from Trim Monokote, so it is definitely scratch built

 

[SMR]

Hey just a quick post , to get ideas . But not saying what direction I will go in.

There have been many kits made available by Estes (and others), and anything can be upscaled, so I guess the question is, "What do you prefer?" IMHO, the favorite rocket from your youth, or something with significant engineering challenges would be most satisfying / personally rewarding. For a real challenge, some of the truly talented members of WOOSH did an upscale Outlander a few years back, which was pretty cool.

 

[blackbrandt]

You guys are seriously forgetting one of them. The Fat Boy??

 

[jazzviper1]

It has to be the Citation Patriot.

 

[Dale Saukerson]

Here is my BT-70 (3.01x) Gyroc. C cell for size comparison.
I intend to build a BT-101 upscale (5.35x).

 

[thobin]

+1 for the Patriot.


TA

 

[stantonjtroy]

4" upscale Orion Star Fighter
3" upscale Star Speeder
5" upscale Der Red Max
4" upscale Starblazer X-20

 

[stantonjtroy]

I just don't get the whole desire thing about wanting to build, clone, or upscale an existing design. There's just too many things that have yet to be done with respect to new design and experimentation. I don't want to color someone elses picture; I want to draw my own and color my own, and bring something original to the table. So little time and so many possibilities- why would anyone want to essentially follow a recipe for building a rocket that's been done by several people already? It's like painting by numbers... ugh! I'll probably get a lot of heat for saying all this, but it's just my opinion. Kits were great when I was just starting out, but now they're old hat. On the flip side, a lot of guys get real satisfaction from building kits- it's all good. I say, if you're gonna invest your time in the hobby, then do what fulfills you the most. But scratch building is like a box of chocolates... you know the rest.

Speaking for myself, all of my upscales are from kits I had as a kid back in the 70's and early 80's. They seemed bigger back then (guess I was a LOT smaller). So...I have them again and they're BIG again. :grin: Guess it's a way to recapture some of the cooler parts of my youth and mix it with my present.