Mystery nosecone... Solved! Estes Bandit

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

K'Tesh

.....OpenRocket's ..... "Chuck Norris"
TRF Supporter
Joined
Mar 27, 2013
Messages
22,448
Reaction score
14,747
This is one of the nosecones that TopRamen recently gave away... It had a price tag on it, so it was probably found in a parts bin. I'm trying to figure out what rocket it belongs to. Obviously it's a payload rocket, but it's an odd diameter 1.08" OD (1.033" at the shoulder), 4.625" exposed. The NC is made from what feels like polyethylene, and it's blowmolded in yellow.

Anyone recognize were it came from?

15872187549_4fa40e4de9_c.jpg
 
Last edited:
It was in one of the Builder's Specials but I remember it being white. The Builder's Special it came in was notorious as a box of junk, almost nothing fit together. The box was black, the desired Builder's Special had a Graph paper motif and you could actually make rockets from it. Some of them might be yellow but I don't know what it was made for in the first place.
 
It was in one of the Builder's Specials but I remember it being white. The Builder's Special it came in was notorious as a box of junk, almost nothing fit together. The box was black, the desired Builder's Special had a Graph paper motif and you could actually make rockets from it. Some of them might be yellow but I don't know what it was made for in the first place.

Thanks for the info, but who's Builder's Special are we talking about here? Estes? Quest? Sky? I've never heard of a body tube that is 1.08" OD
 
Last edited:
sounds like it would be pretty close to a 'series 10' tube, so the answer would be Estes.
Rex
 
This is one of the nosecones that TopRamen recently gave away... It had a price tag on it, so it was probably found in a parts bin. I'm trying to figure out what rocket it belongs to. Obviously it's a payload rocket, but it's an odd diameter 1.08" OD (1.033" at the shoulder), 4.625" exposed. The NC is made from what feels like polyethylene, and it's blowmolded in yellow.

Anyone recognize were it came from?

15872187549_4fa40e4de9_c.jpg

Yep, that's from an Estes Bandit...the E2X version, kit #2060. From the same lineup was the Rampage and Dagger. They also use that cone in the Heatseeker, and probably a few others. Estes refers to that size airframe as a HBT-1090...presumably Heavy Body Tube 1.090 diameter.

Always kinda liked the Bandit; had one "back then" and recently built another a year or two ago to get it back into the fleet.

Link to the Bandit instructions: https://plans.rocketshoppe.com/estes/est2060/est2060.pdf

-Eric-
 
Last edited:
I did find it in a miscellaneous parts box at Coins and Hobbies, in Barre, Vt.
When I baught it I just got it because it was so different, and I figured that eventually someone here would need or want it.
Coins and Hobbies does have a decent selection of LPR Estes stuff, and they've been in business for decades, but the owner does not pay too close attention to the what and why of the Rocket stuff, as they don't seem to move it in high volume, so asking him if he knew which kit or parts set it came from would likely be fruitless.
 
Looks like Eric nailed it.

Now that I know what it's for, I'm wondering how it'd look for a Estes Magnum downscale (minus clear payload section).

Thanks for all the help guys!
Jim
 
I helped my dad repair and fly an old Estes Bandit a week or so ago, and I'm sure it was 1.33". It wasn't an E2X kit --- it had balsa fins and tri-fold shock cord mount, both of which neded repairs. I guess they must have changed the dimensions when they released the E2X kit.
 
I helped my dad repair and fly an old Estes Bandit a week or so ago, and I'm sure it was 1.33". It wasn't an E2X kit --- it had balsa fins and tri-fold shock cord mount, both of which neded repairs. I guess they must have changed the dimensions when they released the E2X kit.

Different kit, reused name.
 
Back
Top