NCR Eliminator

My first MPR kit was the Eliminator from North Coast Rocketry in 1991 or 1992. I've been searching the web for info on NCR, I guess they were bought as an experiment by Estes and then folded. A bunch of the links I've come up with for the NCR Eliminator (not the Estes) mention 3 fins, mylar decals, and other stuff that sounds nothing like mine which had 4 fins and a poor decal sheet that really didn't work.

I'm also wondering about the motors. Info I've found mentions how all North Coast Rockets were specifically designed to accept only Black Sky motors or something, and a lot of people modified them. Well, I didn't modify anything, and mine has a 29mm mount and I've always flown Aerotech motors. Am I in the twilight zone on this rocket or something? Granted I did some things in college and early 20's that might've affected my memory, but not like this...

North Coast went belly up some time ago. I do not know the details.

This is the one you're talking about. https://www.rocketreviews.com/reviews/mods/ncr_eliminator.html
I have a '94 NCR catalog that has some nice info in it as well. You can find the occasional NCR by Estes Eliminator on EBay for a price. Nice looking rocket.

From the '92 NCR catalog off of the ninfinger site:https://www.ninfinger.org/~sven/rockets/catalogs/ncr92/92ncr10.html

I hated mine. Every landing ment another fin repair.
I did their "poke holes for glue rivits" thing, when the fin ripped off again I slotted the fin root and added birch dowel pins into the body.

Same results.

To top it off my only entry into "High Power Rocketry" tells of how the nozzle blew out from a bad batch of H97 BJ reloads. The fuel was very crumbly and when it ignited the fuel in the top half of the top fuel grain collapsed and clogged the nozzle.
It was very odd seeing half of the fuel gone to the wall, it just crumbled.

I've yet to get a replacement from the dealer.

I hated mine. Every landing ment another fin repair.

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That's strange. Mine is like a rock a rock on the aft end. The worst part about it is the foam nose cone, which gets dinged up if you look at it funny.

"foam nose cone"
Are we talking about the same rocket?
Mine had the standard 2.6 plastic one and swept back fins prone to breakage.

Didn't know about a foam-nosed one.

Originally posted by dave carver
"foam nose cone"
Are we talking about the same rocket?
Mine had the standard 2.6 plastic one and swept back fins prone to breakage.

Didn't know about a foam-nosed one.

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NCR used something they called "Aerofoam" to make nose cones for awhile. All the ones I have have a pretty hard shell and are fairly tough, but they were handmade so I guess some of them may have come out soft.

Their main problem was that they would continue to expand after being removed from the mold, such that the shoulders had to be worked to get them into the body tubes. And they would occasionally have gas bubbles near the skin such that they'd have big holes to fill, or the skin would bulge out at that point.

I think by 1991 Matt was getting away from the foam cones and started to use LOC and ACE nose cones.

NCR used something they called "Aerofoam" to make nose cones for awhile.

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Exactly. That's what it was called. The outer shell was fairly hard on 2/3 of the surface area, but one side was very thin and prone to denting. And yes, it had a bubble or two as well.

The vast differences in people's Eliminators are just the point I was trying to make. It seems like very few people know the version I have.

Here's a picture. She's never flown with this paint job. Moved across the country twice but not been flown.

Bringing an old thread back to life....

Anyone else still flying an NCR Eliminator? This is still my favorite mid power sport model.

I recently restored one that I built in the early 1990s to flying condition. A fin had vanished in the 20 years of storage, so made a new on and installed it and blended in the red lacquer paint on the aft end of the rocket. Flew it once last year on an F25-6WL and flew it last Friday on a G40-7WL in a demo for some R/C guys that had never seen a compostite motor before..

Will post some pics of last weeks launch.

The Eliminator launched into in a 5-7 mph breeze and it landed back within 100 feet of the pad....

tab28682 said:

Bringing an old thread back to life....

Anyone else still flying an NCR Eliminator? This is still my favorite mid power sport model.

I recently restored one that I built in the early 1990s to flying condition. A fin had vanished in the 20 years of storage, so made a new on and installed it and blended in the red lacquer paint on the aft end of the rocket. Flew it once last year on an F25-6WL and flew it last Friday on a G40-7WL in a demo for some R/C guys that had never seen a compostite motor before..

Will post some pics of last weeks launch.

The Eliminator launched into in a 5-7 mph breeze and it landed back within 100 feet of the pad....

Click to expand...

...parts of mine are still flying...on 3 different rockets....

I have a still boxed pre-Estes NCR Eliminator kit.

I have built and flown a NCRBE Eliminator on nothing but NCRBE F62-6 Dark Star motors.
It's latest flight was at NSL-2013 in Colorado.

The rocket club received a partially built NCR Quasar from an estate donation that I finished up and flew at the club last winter. The old guys knew the kit and got a big grin when I told them what I had interpreted from reading the early 90's instructions. Basically it is a high power, large and dangerous rocket flying on new and awesome composite F and G motors. It should be used as a demonstrator to the public, showing off this new age of high power rocketry. Old School fins are a must. Very thin and light plywood is the way too go. Bulletproofing was unknown, you fixed your broken fins like a man and did not whine about it. Peel & stick decals and quarter inch launch lugs are awesome dude. You are BIG TIME flying this kit.

Did not make much of an impression with the younger crowd. Kind of a silly looking attempt to make a cool rocket plane thing. Where are the rail buttons? Those fins are way too weak! Tiny motors.

Then it ripped off the pad on a G 64. Dude, that rocket must be really light! Even with the big chute a fin broke clean at the root - but it did land on ice! Ho hum, it must have been awesome in '91, back in the olden days.

tab28682 said:

Bringing an old thread back to life....

Anyone else still flying an NCR Eliminator? This is still my favorite mid power sport model.

I recently restored one that I built in the early 1990s to flying condition. A fin had vanished in the 20 years of storage, so made a new on and installed it and blended in the red lacquer paint on the aft end of the rocket. Flew it once last year on an F25-6WL and flew it last Friday on a G40-7WL in a demo for some R/C guys that had never seen a compostite motor before..

Will post some pics of last weeks launch.

The Eliminator launched into in a 5-7 mph breeze and it landed back within 100 feet of the pad....

Click to expand...

Mine still fly!

And I adapted it to regular 29mm motors.

I have one brand new and sealed in the box. It's the latter Estes version.

I do want to build a copy out of some bluetube or loc tubing. Just need to get a decent sim file to copy the details and fin template.

Here are some pics of my very old and slightly decrepit NCR (BE) Eliminator on that G40-7WL demo flight in Little Rock, AR last week:

If I ever loose or destroy this model, I will have to clone it right away!