The return of the LOC Viper 4 and Ultimate kits

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bob jablonski

bob jablonski

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With more clusters coming out of the wood work (partially thanks to the AT DMS motor) we have brought 2 more classic LOC Cluster kits back. first is the Viper 4. 4 24 mm motor mounts. can fly on 2 (as long as 2 of the motor mounts are plugged) or 4 motors D-f. with Estes going to 2 pack D and E motors and Aerotech has the E20 and F Economax in 2 packs it make the time rite to bring it back. Next is the LOC Ultimate. 7 29mm motor mounts in a 4 inch tube. Fly it with 1 , 3, 5 or 7 motor cluster. (can you say air starts?). Perfect for E-H motors. Why did we bring it back? Clusters are cool!
If there is any LOC OOP kits you would like to see come back let me know. It may return for Black Friday like the Tristar did.
Mr. Bob
Countyline Hobbies
Grovertown, IN.
574-540-1123
[email protected]
www.countylinehobbies.com
Like us on Facebook
Mr. Admin. if you need to move this to anothere area like I PMed you about feel free.
 
Ultimate is, well... Ultimate!
20130430_202423_zpsded00865.jpg


Note: If you plan to use reloadables, make sure you have some cases with aft closures installed when gluing the motor tubes together. You will need a little more space than the LOC rings account for. I had to dremel mine out a bit and just shim between the tubes while the epoxy kicked.
-Ken

IMG_3845.jpg
 
I have to do a Ultimate as I am acluster freak. A I205W DMS in the center, airstarting a pair of G75 sparkies folloed by a pair of G80 T (for blue flames), finishing off with a pait of Econojet red.
 
I have to do a Ultimate as I am acluster freak. A I205W DMS in the center, airstarting a pair of G75 sparkies followed by a pair of G80 T (for blue flames), finishing off with a pait of Econojet red.
 
Mmm, love clusters! It's not an Ultimate, only flew it once on 7 G40s but it was beautiful. Thoy Nighthawk.

Nighthawk1.jpg
 
Thoy had some cool kits. I wonder if Thoy Rocket R&D and Cluster R kits (all made by Gary & JR Buck in the end) will ever be made again?
 
Viper 4 was my first Loc kit, 4 D12s all the time. I still have my Ultimate, 7 D12s. Perfect for small fields.
 
PokerJones said:
Mmm, love clusters! It's not an Ultimate, only flew it once on 7 G40s but it was beautiful. Thoy Nighthawk.
Click to expand...

Yes!! I remember finding this in my younger days when I had my THOY Nighthawk!! Always liked that paint scheme too. I think I have the liftoff photos stashed away somewhere as I know I printed them out. Cool coming across the actual flyer after all these years! Here are my "throwback" Nighthawk shots. Mine flew several times, had one crash, then died when a G64W CATOed in it. This was my first composite cluster flight, (1) G38FJ and (2) F23FJs:

thoy_nighthawk.jpg
thoy_nighthawk02.jpg


bob jablonski said:
I have to do a Ultimate as I am acluster freak. A I205W DMS in the center, airstarting a pair of G75 sparkies followed by a pair of G80 T (for blue flames), finishing off with a pait of Econojet red.
Click to expand...

That would be fun! Although I'd do the blues on the pad or earlier--hard to see those flames way up there. I had a late-starting center G80T once and it was hard to see. I have a vid of that and other flights that are on FB...need to convert them to Youtube clips and share here. I will, once again, share the video of the largest full-up flight of my Ultimate, see below. I need to actually go fly some rockets so I can provide new video!

[video=youtube;JJbUD5Hme-4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJbUD5Hme-4[/video]
 
Last edited:
marcusSRG said:
Yes!! I remember finding this in my younger days when I had my THOY Nighthawk!! Always liked that paint scheme too. I think I have the liftoff photos stashed away somewhere as I know I printed them out. Cool coming across the actual flyer after all these years! Here are my "throwback" Nighthawk shots. Mine flew several times, had one crash, then died when a G64W CATOed in it. This was my first composite cluster flight, (1) G38FJ and (2) F23FJs:

Wow, that must have been in your much younger days...this was in 1997 at Argonia. I have a couple pics and a video of the flight a friend of mine took but keep in mind this was a "90's" video camera so it's not quite HD quality. Oh, and yes they all ignited.


https://youtu.be/_saJVgZ9lVE

Nighthawk4.jpg

Nighthawk7.jpg
Click to expand...
 
PokerJones said:
Wow, that must have been in your much younger days...this was in 1997 at Argonia. I have a couple pics and a video of the flight a friend of mine took but keep in mind this was a "90's" video camera so it's not quite HD quality. Oh, and yes they all ignited.


https://youtu.be/_saJVgZ9lVE
Click to expand...

Awesome! Had no idea a video existed. Yeah, that was way back in '99-'00 so that timeline makes sense. I'm gettin' old now! Can you recall what igniters you used for that? Remember the old Trailing Edge Tech tungsten bridgewire igniters? Those were killer, used to use them a lot.

EDIT: I see you just uploaded it today. Thanks a lot for sharing that!
 
Last edited:
marcusSRG said:
Awesome! Had no idea a video existed. Yeah, that was way back in '99-'00 so that timeline makes sense. I'm gettin' old now! Can you recall what igniters you used for that? Remember the old Trailing Edge Tech tungsten bridgewire igniters? Those were killer, used to use them a lot.

EDIT: I see you just uploaded it today. Thanks a lot for sharing that!
Click to expand...

The igniters were made by Jim Turner, funny you mention Trailing Edge...I still have 7 of those igniters and 7 plugged G40s I had for a second flight, never got around to it though.
 
My old reliable igniters back in the day was the Robby's Rockets Flash Bulb igniters. Add that with Termolight across the main motor nozel so the main motor would light it for air starts. Did I just show my age? Or is it the Grey in whats left of my hair?
 
bob jablonski said:
My old reliable igniters back in the day was the Robby's Rockets Flash Bulb igniters. Add that with Termolight across the main motor nozel so the main motor would light it for air starts. Did I just show my age? Or is it the Grey in whats left of my hair?
Click to expand...

Naaaaaaah. I've got some thermalite in my range box! Great for BP airstarts...composite too.

I really really wish they still made the stuff.

Edit: uploaded a couple other Ultimate vids, including a thermalite airstart:

Ultimate on a central DMS H115DM airstarting 2 D12's with thermalite. One of the thermalite fuses was too long so I folded it to be the same length as the other, hoping it would burn both sides and burn at the same rate. As you will see, that did not happen. Rocket was fine...just got a nice horizontal boost at apogee!! Live and learn:

[video=youtube;2pCrMNe5Gj4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pCrMNe5Gj4[/video]

Ultimate on a central DMS G80T and (2) G53FJs. G80T took a surprisingly long time to come up to pressure but made for a nice airstart effect. Lit with long Q2G2s dipped in Magnelite ClusterFire pyrogen:

[video=youtube;7w--wYnNTy8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w--wYnNTy8[/video]
 
Last edited:
PokerJones said:
marcusSRG said:
Yes!! I remember finding this in my younger days when I had my THOY Nighthawk!! Always liked that paint scheme too. I think I have the liftoff photos stashed away somewhere as I know I printed them out. Cool coming across the actual flyer after all these years! Here are my "throwback" Nighthawk shots. Mine flew several times, had one crash, then died when a G64W CATOed in it. This was my first composite cluster flight, (1) G38FJ and (2) F23FJs:

Wow, that must have been in your much younger days...this was in 1997 at Argonia. I have a couple pics and a video of the flight a friend of mine took but keep in mind this was a "90's" video camera so it's not quite HD quality. Oh, and yes they all ignited.


https://youtu.be/_saJVgZ9lVE
Click to expand...

Awesome. Thanks for posting Jeff!
Click to expand...
 
PokerJones said:
The igniters were made by Jim Turner, funny you mention Trailing Edge...I still have 7 of those igniters and 7 plugged G40s I had for a second flight, never got around to it though.
Click to expand...

The Great Jim Turner at Trailing Edge. What a cool guy and he is sorely missed. I still have one of his igniters but sadly the pyrogen has crumbled off.
 
bob jablonski said:
My old reliable igniters back in the day was the Robby's Rockets Flash Bulb igniters. Add that with Termolight across the main motor nozel so the main motor would light it for air starts. Did I just show my age? Or is it the Grey in whats left of my hair?
Click to expand...

I remember using Robby's Rockets Flash Bulbs for ejections charges way back when. And of course, thermalite! I actually bought some for Jim Turner at a PGI convention in the late 90's. If I recall it was increasingly difficult to find at the time and there was hardly much to find even at the convention. Good stuff.
 
Anyone who wants a Loc viper 4 can contact me off list. When it was announced they would go OOP, I bought out the last of the inventory.

They came with the decal in the bag!

you can get one without shipping by stopping by my trailer at METRA or CATO
 
bob jablonski said:
Thoy had some cool kits. I wonder if Thoy Rocket R&D and Cluster R kits (all made by Gary & JR Buck in the end) will ever be made again?
Click to expand...

Yeah Bob, I think just about everyone I knew back then had a THOY Falcon. I recall a Falcon drag race on small Js that didn't end well, fire was involved :) I may have that one on video if I dig around.
 
pyrobob said:
The Great Jim Turner at Trailing Edge. What a cool guy and he is sorely missed. I still have one of his igniters but sadly the pyrogen has crumbled off.
Click to expand...

No doubt about it Bob, Jim was the man. Here are the last 7 of his igniters I have, do these look familiar. Pyrogen is a little crumbly on these too but I have no intention of ever using them, although I bet they would still fire. I should probably take them out of my range box in case I get confused at a launch, which is very likely these days ;)

20150805_173548.jpg
 
JDcluster said:
Any chance of getting the 38 mm version of the Ultimate resurrected?


JD
Click to expand...
Don't give away one of my Black Friday suprises. Duoh.I can' aford to sell as mess of stuff at dealer cost but I can do a bit of discounts and come up with some cool throughback kits (aka 4" Tristar last year. I have the kit lined up. Maybe a motherload for one lucky individual?
 
I have the Viper 4 and Ultimate on the regular pipe line. as long as LOC keeps there doors open I can get them.
 

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