Build Thread - Estes Venus Probe

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Antares JS

Antares JS

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When I was a kid in the 90's, the Venus Probe looked so darn cool. When I finally got ahold of one though, I was never able to make it work right. Whenever I attached the legs and tried to test the deployment, the legs would pop off the capsule. The part that glues to the capsule that the legs mounted to would pop right off. However, this was too long ago for me to remember if I was impatient and not letting the plastic cement fully dry, or if it was an old tube of cement that didn't work so well anymore, or what caused the problem. Regardless, I never flew it and it was eventually lost. Now, I'm looking to rectify that childhood mistake with a new Venus Probe that I found on eBay for $30.

I've cheated slightly and already prepped the wood fins. They are sealed, sanded, edges rounded, and ready to install. Note the octogonal fins are assembled from multiple pieces.

I've seen comments on here that this rocket does not fly well on a C6-3, good to know since I never got to fly mine. I have D16-4 Q-jets and a D13-4W reload that I can use, but if anyone can comment on whether a C5-3 or C12-4 work, I'd appreciate it.

Parts are laid out below.

20210427_185020.jpg
 
Antares JS said:
I spent tonight giving my razor saw a workout cutting the plastic alien and capsule apart and cutting the wood dowels down to length per the instructions. Hopefully I will get to bust out some glue tomorrow.

View attachment 461938
Click to expand...
What, there's an alien? No way... Following this build I wanna see if we can get him back home. Lol
 
Wonderful rocket. Terrible execution.

the forward body tube is waaaaaaaaay too short to fit two parachutes and that big alien bust (head and shoulders) and that big bouncy shock cord AND wadding.

suggested mods.

I put a baffle in the smaller tail end body tube.

I modified it for a D. Only time I have ever had a standard BT-50 blow out. It may be my half moon baffles were too restrictive.

what is really needed is to extend the length of the forward body tube. You will have to adjust the ring retainer that holds the lander legs folded for launch accordingly. Built stock, it is a PITB to pack adding, two chutes, and that huge head in there. If you have extra body tube of the appropriate diameter available, I would add another 6 inches.
Yeah, it may make it a bit OVER-stable, but given you are going up a motor the extra speed off the rod should reduce weathercocking, I think.


I think I adjusted the attachment points for the lander to the alien’s shoulders rather than the way the instructions said, so it would look more like a real parachutist (okay, an alien with no arms and legs stuck in a black cauldron with legs, but at least it wasn’t dangling from a single cord.). Whether or not you do this, I would replace the elastic they give you for Kevlar, simply because the Kevlar should take up less space.


https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/venus-probe-yes-i-do-build-kits-once-in-a-while.121864/https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/venus-probe-1-2-of-a-successful-flight.126148/
other rockets that had the same space (or lack thereof) issues included the ExoSkell (also a two part lander and mother ship combo) and the Cosmic Cobra with its nose cone rotors. Interestingly, the HeliCat is ALMOST the same as the Cosmic Cobra, but with a longer body tube that SOLVES the space problem and the fin can reversed.
 
mine came without the decals, so I did my own paint scheme.

Mylar tape worked well for the legs. Whether you use Mylar or paint, suggest you do it BEFORE attaching the black plastic bits.
 
The pics are a bit misleading, you think only the head and shoulders are inside the forward body tube. The reality is that the forward tube telescopes over the head and shoulders and well into the forward capsule.
 
BABAR said:
mine came without the decals, so I did my own paint scheme.

Mylar tape worked well for the legs. Whether you use Mylar or paint, suggest you do it BEFORE attaching the black plastic bits.
Click to expand...

Yes, my plan is to assemble the capsule tonight by gluing on the leg attach points and the end cap that holds the leg elastic, and then paint the capsule, alien, and leg dowels separately before continuing with assembly.

BABAR said:
I modified it for a D. Only time I have ever had a standard BT-50 blow out. It may be my half moon baffles were too restrictive.
Click to expand...

Since we are living in the age of Q-jets and the revived C5, I am not planning to do this. I like the skinny back tube aesthetic.

BABAR said:
what is really needed is to extend the length of the forward body tube. You will have to adjust the ring retainer that holds the lander legs folded for launch accordingly. Built stock, it is a PITB to pack adding, two chutes, and that huge head in there. If you have extra body tube of the appropriate diameter available, I would add another 6 inches.
Yeah, it may make it a bit OVER-stable, but given you are going up a motor the extra speed off the rod should reduce weathercocking, I think.
Click to expand...

This, I will consider. I don't have any extra BT-55 right now but I can definitely get some if it's warranted. I will check for myself how everything fits in the upper tube first. I packed it as a kid though when testing the leg flip-out and don't recall issues with packing, but those memories are from over 20 years ago.

BABAR said:
I think I adjusted the attachment points for the lander to the alien’s shoulders rather than the way the instructions said, so it would look more like a real parachutist (okay, an alien with no arms and legs stuck in a black cauldron with legs, but at least it wasn’t dangling from a single cord.). Whether or not you do this, I would replace the elastic they give you for Kevlar, simply because the Kevlar should take up less space.
Click to expand...

I like this idea and will probably do it.
 
I've been flying this one and the Quest D16-4's are a better choice; otherwise the thing's back on the ground almost before you can turn around and get a camera on it.

I recently re-did my lander leg attachments - same spot, but used my pin vise to drill 4 small holes around the periphery of the attachment point. JB Weld makes a 2 part urethane "Plastic Bonder" that seems to work much better than solvent cement. That and the "epoxy rivets" will, I hope, make the leg attachments more durable. Solvent cement doesn't seem to cut it.

I'm still using plastic 'chutes and yes, laundry space is tight, but I haven't had a bad deployment yet, except for a winter flight when none of the plastic chutes were deploying correctly. The alien got a concussion, but the rocket was not damaged. He has since recovered. He is painted with an Elvis ducktail and sideburns, silver lame jacket with a silver pipe cleaner collar per 70's Elvis flamboyance!
 
Blast it Tom! said:
I recently re-did my lander leg attachments - same spot, but used my pin vise to drill 4 small holes around the periphery of the attachment point. JB Weld makes a 2 part urethane "Plastic Bonder" that seems to work much better than solvent cement. That and the "epoxy rivets" will, I hope, make the leg attachments more durable. Solvent cement doesn't seem to cut it.
Click to expand...

I was planning to use some BSI 30-minute epoxy for those lander leg attach points. I like the epoxy rivets idea - I think I will use that too. I already discovered as a kid that the solvent cement doesn't cut it. As long as those legs are and as fast as the elastic cord snaps them out, they probably produce a fair amount of torque on that point.
 
Antares JS said:
I was planning to use some BSI 30-minute epoxy for those lander leg attach points. I like the epoxy rivets idea - I think I will use that too. I already discovered as a kid that the solvent cement doesn't cut it. As long as those legs are and as fast as the elastic cord snaps them out, they probably produce a fair amount of torque on that point.
Click to expand...
Ironically my failure was too strong a bond, snapped it off with a piece of underlying capsule. Not much to prevent that, except would have been better to have the hinge break off as one piece at the glue joint. This was after several flights.
 
I have one of these in the build pile. This thread may inspire me to dig it out and give it a shot.
I believe K'Tesh did a mod that strengthens the leg joints, but I could be wrong.
 
Well, then, similar to the ACME Spitfire I think at some point we'll have to have a thread of how outrageous you did your alien. With 3D printers one could get pretty creative compared to what I did with my little "alien Elvis" schtick!
 
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Blast it Tom! said:
Well, them, similar to the ACME Spitfire I think at some point we'll have to have a thread of how outrageous you did your alien. With 3D printers one could get pretty creative compared to what I did with my little "alien Elvis" schtick!
Click to expand...
Okay, now a pic is mandatory!
 
BABAR said:
The feather boa is a nice touch!
Click to expand...
Thanks! I was trying to figure out how to put a little wig on the guy, but between the difficulty and the possibility of creating a snag point for the parachutes, I thought I'd better stick with paint. The "feather boa" is a silver-painted pipe cleaner.
 
I modified mine years ago to use the 24 mm Estes C11-3 black powder motor and I kept the alien (a nice green with black eyes). It flies pretty good on a small field. It will surely crash with a standard 18 mm C6-3.
 
I applied popsicle sticks inside the capsule, behind the leg mounting points, then after gluing the brackets in place, I drilled a hole or two (depends on which one you are looking at) and screwed the brackets down.

I also replaced the wood dowels with carbon fiber.
 
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aerostadt said:
I modified mine years ago to use the 24 mm Estes C11-3 black powder motor and I kept the alien (a nice green with black eyes). It flies pretty good on a small field. It will surely crash with a standard 18 mm C6-3.
Click to expand...
I've flown mine successfully on C6-3 but it's just over so quickly. Stuck with the 18mm mount, I will use the quest D16-4. It gave good performance last winter, if the 'chutes would have opened it would have been just fine. But yes, a 24mm mount would be better. Hmm. I could grab a set of plans and parts and build a 24 mm booster! The lander is 100% separate! Wow! I just had a synapse! What a red-letter day for me!
 
Antares JS said:
When I was a kid in the 90's, the Venus Probe looked so darn cool. When I finally got ahold of one though, I was never able to make it work right. Whenever I attached the legs and tried to test the deployment, the legs would pop off the capsule. The part that glues to the capsule that the legs mounted to would pop right off. However, this was too long ago for me to remember if I was impatient and not letting the plastic cement fully dry, or if it was an old tube of cement that didn't work so well anymore, or what caused the problem. Regardless, I never flew it and it was eventually lost. Now, I'm looking to rectify that childhood mistake with a new Venus Probe that I found on eBay for $30.

I've cheated slightly and already prepped the wood fins. They are sealed, sanded, edges rounded, and ready to install. Note the octogonal fins are assembled from multiple pieces.

I've seen comments on here that this rocket does not fly well on a C6-3, good to know since I never got to fly mine. I have D16-4 Q-jets and a D13-4W reload that I can use, but if anyone can comment on whether a C5-3 or C12-4 work, I'd appreciate it.

Parts are laid out below.

View attachment 461907
Click to expand...
I do not understand that comment...I flew it on C6-3's and it was just slightly underpower....maybe 200-250 feet. And since it comes down in 2 pieces, I am afraid launching on a D 12 and you lose a piece..so try those new C5's.....the smaller tube...if I remember can be somewhat fragile............and only issue I had with plastic cement is cementing alien into capsule...took a few times of trying to cement him in. If you ever lose the alien...I have him safely here on earth... Lose the booster to a tree.
 
When I was replying before, I was at work, and on the phone... I didn't have time to respond much, nor look up old info... Here's something for those who might be inspired to build one of these kits (it *might* be too late to help the OP).

To prevent the alien's tube from breaking loose of the capsule, instead of forcing the shock load to stress its joint by building it stock, I extended the line (that the parachute is secured to) to the top of the capsule (or bottom when deployed), and tying it off there... Here's a couple of photos.

1619802413510.png 1619803097785.png

As for the legs... Every glue (thin plastic cement, tube glue, Plastistruct Plastic Weld, Tenax 7R, CA) I've tried failed to secure the plastic brackets to the capsule. The legs would open up, and at least one would pop off. Despite all the scratching to give the glue something to 'bite' into. That's when I decided to go for a mechanical bond. I recycled some old screws from broken toys (the kind used to hold battery lids down, etc.) to really reinforce the joint. So far, I haven't had a failure since (I haven't launched, but tests in my apartment haven't had the legs pop off like they always did before). The wood is just a little insurance that is there to prevent it from having a failure due to the stresses being focused on the plastic of the capsule at a single point.

To keep the elastic looking clean, I decided to use a Sharpie to make them black (will hide dirt/dust better).



Here's a link to my build over on YORF... https://www.oldrocketforum.com/showthread.php?t=12494
 
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I've put the centering rings and motor hook on the skinny tube. A couple of notes - the tube seems to be a BT-20H. The wall is quite stiff and a full millimeter thick. Also, like many Estes kits from the 90's, it has no thrust ring, relying on the upper part of the motor hook to act as one. Having had several bad experiences with this approach, I added a thrust ring from my parts stash.

20210430_203152.jpg
 
Antares JS said:
I've put the centering rings and motor hook on the skinny tube. A couple of notes - the tube seems to be a BT-20H. The wall is quite stiff and a full millimeter thick. Also, like many Estes kits from the 90's, it has no thrust ring, relying on the upper part of the motor hook to act as one. Having had several bad experiences with this approach, I added a thrust ring from my parts stash.
Click to expand...
Looking good!

My Venus Probe was the 2nd rocket I'd begun, working semi-concurrently with the Merc-Redstone, as a BAR. Though I'd started posting here, I had (and have) a lot to learn. You made me look- you're right - no thrust ring!
 

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