[Clone] Astron Cobra!

Here is my cloned Astron Cobra! I used Semroc parts.





Tissue paper and white glue "putty" worked well!


It has an 18" chute with a spill hole. Gotta love an "Astron"!

Ah, another Cobra enthusiast! We had one when I was a kid, and when it met it's demise, I lost interest in clusters. Last year I decided I'd give it another go, but I upscaled it to use 3 24mm motors. This thing is a hot dog leaving the pad.

I bought an Astron Cobra clone from BMS, but haven't built it yet. It's one of my favorite Estes rockets and it just exudes "old-time" model rocketry.

Nice clone 'pirate and to you too Gary, with that upscale. I reckon I might start mine when I pick-up the glue bottle again.

foamy said:

I bought an Astron Cobra clone from BMS, but haven't built it yet. It's one of my favorite Estes rockets and it just exudes "old-time" model rocketry.

Nice clone 'pirate and to you too Gary, with that upscale. I reckon I might start mine when I pick-up the glue bottle again.

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With those big fins, you truly get stability with this design. Nose weight was not necessary.

I have one with the the "static" line to one of the fins. Always gets noticed with descent under chute nose side "half cocked down". I added clips to the motor tubes for faster changes. Kurt

Great looking clone!

Great looking clone of a rather ugly rocket.
You did a very nice job on your model, Hope you have as much fun flying it clustered as I have all my other clustered models.
I think the Cobra is the only clustered motor model plan Estes released in the 70's I never built. just never moved me.

Micromeister said:

Great looking clone of a rather ugly rocket.
You did a very nice job on your model, Hope you have as much fun flying it clustered as I have all my other clustered models.
I think the Cobra is the only clustered motor model plan Estes released in the 70's I never built. just never moved me.

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I'm sure that's just a typo Micro. 1964 Estes catalog (first appearance I think)



It's a distinctive look. I kinda like it, although I haven't built one (yet).

samb said:

I'm sure that's just a typo Micro. 1964 Estes catalog (first appearance I think)

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It's a distinctive look. I kinda like it, although I haven't built one (yet).

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On that note, I kinda like the chunky look of the Cobra. I bypassed the Ranger altogether. I saw it as a modified clustered Big Bertha, which btw got phased out in 71. The Cobra lasted till 73.

Gary Byrum said:

I bypassed the Ranger altogether. I saw it as a modified clustered Big Bertha...

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Someone's bound to chime in at this point - so it might as well be me. It is the other way around, of course. The Ranger came first. Big Bertha is a simplified single-engine Ranger.

To the OP and Gary both - I had a Cobra "back in the day" and keep threatening to do another. I should.

BEC said:

Someone's bound to chime in at this point - so it might as well be me. It is the other way around, of course. The Ranger came first. Big Bertha is a simplified single-engine Ranger.

To the OP and Gary both - I had a Cobra "back in the day" and keep threatening to do another. I should.

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I realize I stand corrected, but when I was just getting started in rocketry, BB was my 2nd investment. I had no idea (at that time) that the Ranger preceded the BB. So, that's the way I saw it. That was then, this is now.

I always wanted a Cobra, but it went OOP. I always saw it as a studly rocket. I may build a clone someday myself.

Rob Campbell said:

I always wanted a Cobra, but it went OOP. I always saw it as a studly rocket. I may build a clone someday myself.

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My upscale on the Cobra was a bit of a redemption build. Back when we were kids, my brother and I built the Astron Cobra, and I took the initiative, to construct the clip whips as suggested in the instructions. Even though my electrical skills were better than my brothers, I really did a lousy job on them. When it took off with 3 C6 5's. It only reached an altitude of 50-75', turned over and blasted it's way into the hard red dirt the Carolina's are well known for. It was a total loss. For years, we never figured out what could have caused that until later down the road, LW and I sorta came to a conclusion that, since only one motor ignited at liftoff, that was the reason for the short flight. The rocket had just enough time to turn around, and it seemed likely, that some of the delay from motor #1, may have dribbled out of the nozzle, and fell into nozzle #2 at apogee, thus speed packing it to the ground. Man, That would have made for a really killer video.

Thanks for the compliments guys! This is my third cluster rocket, I have a Semroc (Centuri) Defender and a Semroc Goliath too. I have the parts for a cloned Astron Ranger also. I will have a cluster of clusters!

Here's mine a few years ago at NARAM 53

The Cobra has that Tom Corbett/Rocky Jones retro-futuristic vibe going for it.

The Cobra design didn't appeal to me when I was younger, but now I like it for the same reason Cookie said. I kinda feel a 3"/2" upscale with 3x24mm power in my future.