Estes Quinstar

Estes will soon be releasing a new kit named Quinstar.

The SRP on this model will be $19.99.

I would refer to it as a similar concept to the Blender kit but with a 18mm motor mount.

Another neat idea from John Boren.

I feel like John B is targetting my wallet.

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?51716-Estes-Blenders&p=1501706#post1501706

This looks pretty sweet- I like saucers, and it looks like the construction is strong enough to handle hard landings.

@Charles- you'll have to race one of these against your scratchbuilt one

NICE! Just in time for NorthEast winter local park flights since many clubs shut down at that time and only crazy "odd-roc-keteers" launch in the snow and cold.

That's right up my alley. Now to get some AT D10W motors for it...

Looking more closely, I see that it spins...very nice! I love the Rocketarium Vorticos and had a custom design sketched for a spinning saucer, so this is a must-have for me!
:marshmallow::happydeer:

Looks great? Can't wait to try one! Or 2...

I see that it spins

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Nine times out of ten it spins going up one way, stops and begins to descend still right side up, and then spins the opposite way all the way down to the ground. Cleaver people could easily modify it for 24mm motors and then use a 24mm to 18mm motor adapter to fly on B6-0 and C6-0 motors. Or do what I did and fly it on a 18mm composite D10 motor. None of what I just stated is recommended my Estes.

John Boren
Just another modeler

Any idea of when this will be available as this is a kit I will be HIGHLY interested in getting.

I have built and flown the Blenders, loved them.

JumpJet said:

Nine times out of ten it spins going up one way, stops and begins to descend still right side up, and then spins the opposite way all the way down to the ground. Cleaver people could easily modify it for 24mm motors and then use a 24mm to 18mm motor adapter to fly on B6-0 and C6-0 motors. Or do what I did and fly it on a 18mm composite D10 motor. None of what I just stated is recommended my Estes.

John Boren
Just another modeler

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When I first saw this thread that was the first thing I thought, let's upsize the MMT to 24mm! Nice.

Any idea of when this will be available

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I believe it will be out by the end of the year. Once it is listed on the Estes web site I would then look at the towerhobbies.com site and they should have at least a month listed when it will be out.

John Boren

JumpJet said:

Nine times out of ten it spins going up one way, stops and begins to descend still right side up, and then spins the opposite way all the way down to the ground.

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Hey John, I'm actually really impressed with this design! Being a saucer-head, I thought I've seen most rocket saucers, but this one really is a great design...not something I could've even imagined and it looks soooo good!

Regarding the way it spins and descends, that's also clever in that it sounds like both top and bottom have pitch to allow spinning in either direction of movement. I don't think I've seen this before (I was thinking of modifying a Rocketarium Typhoon to do the same). Next you should add whistles and bubbles. :wink:

I had brainstormed a saucer design this past winter (note that my ideas are years ahead of my actual execution), where a dish-type saucer would have circular holes in the body and a flapping disc/baffle covering the hole on the way up, but after the saucer hits apogee and starts to fall, the baffles open to allow the air through and since the baffles are limited in movement, the saucer spins on the way down. Of course this can be reversed, but I would think this design is better for more controlled launch up (and more altitude) and a slower descent down. Any feedback or thoughts on this?

BTW - Ashamedly, earlier this month I had started plans and gotten parts to make a spinning rocket that has whistles and maybe bubbles. :tongue:

This model goes together pretty easy once the five center pieces are slide together. It's one model I don't recommending putting a nice finish on. I would sand the entire thing smooth and simply spray or brush on some paint. If you wanted a display model you would have to prime and sand just about all the parts before assembly, then putty the seams and notches and spray more primer before the color goes on. This finishing process would add WAY to much weight for this model to come down slowly like it currently does so keep the final finish of this model simple. Hopefully Bob will take a few images on how this thing goes together.


John Boren

As a finishing method for something like this could you just sand the parts and wood stain everything prior to assembly?

This thing looks really cool, and I do like me an odd-roc.

Is this all balsa construction? (Except for mt if one of course.)

Yes, it is. I'm assembling one today.....

It would be ridiculously easy to set up as 24mm - just not use the 18mm tube, the mylar hook retention ring, the 18mm motor block and the aft (split) centering ring. Retain the motor hook on the outside of the MMT with a turn of blue tape.

When they're available I'll have to get another and do it that way. (I still need to make the 24mm version of George Gassaway's spider candy bowl rocket.)

For those that might like to see a drawing of how the inner parts look when assembled. There are five parts that make up the main structure of this model. They are almost identical except they have different notches on their top and bottom so they go together in a specific order. Once this is assembled and glued together the rest of the build is straight forward. Just take your time when aligning these parts before the glue dries.


John Boren

I bet an E6 in this would really be something to watch!

That's cool!

I have been taking pictures as I go assembling one. I will try to post a build thread soon. In it I will also show what happens when one isn't paying attention nesting those five parts in John's CAD illustration (three posts above) together and puts one in backwards - and how I recovered from that far too late to take it back apart again.

I'm curious if this is just a balsa frame or light plywood?
Seams to me that balsa wouldn't cut it in the finishing manner you suggest.
Light ply would be much better for larger engines as a production model.

It is built completely out of 1/16 sheet balsa. It was strong enough for the 18mm D10 motor I tested for the heck of it, but since the model is built to fly on B6-0 and C6-0, I won't promise it will stay together with any other motor.

John Boren

The more I see, the more I like and want. Great design! Looks really awesome and strong.

I will try to post a build thread soon.

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It's been five days, where is the build thread? :cyclops:


John Boren

It's been a crazy few days. Let me upload the pics from my iPhone to the computer and I can get that going......

JumpJet said:

It's been five days, where is the build thread? :cyclops:


John Boren

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OK, John (and the rest) - here you go: https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?129460-Estes-Quinstar-build

JumpJet said:

It is built completely out of 1/16 sheet balsa. It was strong enough for the 18mm D10 motor I tested for the heck of it, but since the model is built to fly on B6-0 and C6-0, I won't promise it will stay together with any other motor.

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D10 isn't available with zero delay (as far as I can figure out); did you just use a -3?

Trying to decide whether to build mine with a 24mm mount; I guess there's no real reason not to given the possibility of using with an 18mm adapter (I have a pack of C6-0's ready to go). D12-0's would be nice, but the E15 (plugged version would work here, right?) is what I'd really want to try.

There is NO technical reason why you can't fly this model with a motor that contains an ejection charge. Just be aware that you will have a lot more flame and smoke coming out the top of the model which is normally contained inside a body tube pushing out a recovery system. So if you do use a motor with an ejection charge keep the delay as short as possible since you don't want the model to land and then have the ejection charge going off straight down into the grass.

John Boren

Fortunately you can easily remove the ejection charge from the AT 18mm SU motors. All you have to do is gently pry up the paper cap and dump out the BP. I would then seal the hole with some Estes type wadding and apply some tape to hold it in place. This would keep any burning delay bits inside the motor.

I always did this with oddroc flights to insure a grass fire would never occur.

I'm thinking that with a 24 mm mount I should have no reason to use a D10, since I could just use a BP D12-0. In that case I'd never have need to use other than a 0 delay or plugged motor, so I think everything should be OK (unless there's some sort of catastrophe, the rocket should be in the air when a zero-delay fires).