Auction: Advanced Rocketry Components (ARC) Black Widow Kit

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

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

jadebox

Roger Smith
TRF Sponsor
Joined
Jan 18, 2009
Messages
5,933
Reaction score
569
Our latest auction offering is an ARC Black Widow kit from 1988. This is an all-fiberglass rocket kit which includes a parachute and hardware such as threaded rods for motor retention.

014.JPG

The photo is not very interesting because the kit was originally shipped in a cardboard box. Additional photos are in the eBay listing and at https://www.payloadbay.com/gallery/v/other/vintage/?g2_page=4.

The completed rocket is 60" long, 2.685" in diameter, and weighs about 6 pounds. It has a 54mm motor mount.

When I carefully unpacked the box, I discovered that the motor mount was already epoxied into place. I was afraid someone had started assembling the kit. But, then I read the instructions which state that those parts come pre-assembled.

Unlike most modern fiberglass kits, this one includes a parachute and other recovery system parts. It also has motor retention built in (although, the instructions refer to adding a motor block in the motor tube - this kit was released before thrust rings on motors were common).

I couldn't find much information about this kit on the web, so it must be really rare. I only found one site with photos of the completed rocket. And the rocket at that site is actually from a later version of the kit by Dynacom. ARC later became Dynacom. The Dynacom version of the Black Widow kit was slightly different - the motor mount, for example, wasn't pre-assembled.

https://www.jonrocket.com/auctions.html

-- Roger
 
Last edited:
I still have mine, built in 1989. There is very little room for the chute, not enough for dog barf and no provision for electronics. The stock 36" chute is too small and not enough room for a bigger one. I flew mine a few times on H340 and I220 54 mm SU motors but haven't flown it since about 1991.
 
I still have mine, built in 1989. There is very little room for the chute, not enough for dog barf and no provision for electronics. The stock 36" chute is too small and not enough room for a bigger one. I flew mine a few times on H340 and I220 54 mm SU motors but haven't flown it since about 1991.

It does seem very heavy for a rocket of that diameter. My Performance Rocketry Broken Arrow is twice the length and twice the diameter and doesn't weigh much more.

If the person who bought the kit decides to fly it, he may have too look at replacing the parachute with something like one of the Top Flight's thin mill parachutes.

-- Roger
 
Back
Top