Estes Star Blazer #TK-31

[naslrogues]

Can someone please post the actual dimension of the fins and vertical tail for the Estes Star Blazer #KT-31? I can get the patterns but don't know how much to scale them.
Thank you!

 

[astronwolf]

You didn't say where you got the patterns. The scan of the original fin pattern on the plans at Rocketshoppe have a inch-scale with them. Print, and check with a ruler.
https://plans.rocketshoppe.com/estes/estK-31/estK-31.htm

 

[kuririn]

You didn't say where you got the patterns. The scan of the original fin pattern on the plans at Rocketshoppe have a inch-scale with them. Print, and check with a ruler.
https://plans.rocketshoppe.com/estes/estK-31/estK-31.htm

Different Starblazer.
I think he wants the patterns for the Starblazer TK-31.
They're on YORP but no inch scale.
https://plans.rocketshoppe.com/estes/estTK-31/estTK-31.htm

 

[naslrogues]

The Star Blazer TK-31 pattern does not have a ruler scanned with the patterns. TK-31was the later version of the Star Blazer.

 

[astronwolf]

The TK-31 has a fin marking guide on it. It should be 2.312-inches wide, based on 0.736/2 * PI * 2, or just 0.736 * PI. Scale the tif to that measurement.

 

[kuririn]

It should be

I'd be rich if I had a dollar for every time one of those wrap around tube fin guides was mis-sized. And yes, C=pi X diameter (2R). But that does not take into account the thickness of the cardstock.
Hopefully someone with an actual kit template will see the post and give the OP the ACTUAL measurements.

 

[astronwolf]

I'd be rich if I had a dollar for every time one of those wrap around tube fin guides was mis-sized. And yes, C=pi X diameter (2R). But that does not take into account the thickness of the cardstock.
Hopefully someone with an actual kit template will see the post and give the OP the ACTUAL measurements.

Life is tough. Several folks at YORF have cloned this kit using these same plans. Not having exact measurements didn't stop them. Sometimes you just have to adapt and overcome.

 

[kuririn]

Life is tough. Several folks at YORF have cloned this kit using these same plans. Not having exact measurements didn't stop them. Sometimes you just have to adapt and overcome.

Tell me about it. I have cloned dozens of plans over the years without the exact dimensions both here and at YORF. Just using eyesim. But the OP is asking for the CORRECT dimensions. Hopefully someone can supply that.

 

[kuririn]

Interesting aside for the OP:
Downscaled 13 mm cardstock Starblazers K-31 and TK-31 side by side.


Around 1968ish Estes was giving K-31 Starblazers as free gifts with orders above a certain total.
I must have had 3 or 4 of them. Vividly remember shaping the canopy from a block of balsa. What a PITA.
Laters.

 

[naslrogues]

I have "adapted and overcome." Not my first rodeo. Been in and out of the hobby since 1974. Should have known better than to post on this forum.

 

[kuririn]

naslrogues, 99% of the people on this forum are helpful and supportive.
Please don't let one post sour you on the entire forum.

 

[DeWain]

I have my original templates from my 1970's TK-31 (and I have the original model too). That's the good news. The bad news is that it will be a challenge to find them. When and if I do find them, I will measure them and post the dimensions.

 

[bjphoenix]

If you can find a photograph taken at the right angle you can try to scale from that. I've cloned a few designs that way.

 

[Ronz Rocketz]

Different Starblazer.
I think he wants the patterns for the Starblazer TK-31.
They're on YORP but no inch scale.
https://plans.rocketshoppe.com/estes/estTK-31/estTK-31.htm

This is the song that was stuck in my head last week.



I kept singing it and driving Gary nuts (or more accurately he thought I was nuts).

 

[user 35280]

This is the song that was stuck in my head last week.



I kept singing it and driving Gary nuts (or more accurately he thought I was nuts).

Man I loved that series.

 

[DeWain]

Well, I couldn't find my original templates, but I did find this PDF that I used for making a clone and a 1.8X upscale.
I verified that the template page prints out to the correct size (the tube marking guide is the correct length for the diameter of a BT-20).

 

[Hobie1dog]

I have "adapted and overcome." Not my first rodeo. Been in and out of the hobby since 1974. Should have known better than to post on this forum.

use that fantastic feature we have on here called "ignore" once you put that with a person's name then you'll never see anything they post again kind of out of sight, out of mind. I have an enormous ignore list

 

[jqavins]

naslrogues, 99% of the people on this forum are helpful and supportive.
Please don't let one post sour you on the entire forum.

Or even one or two normally helpful people having a disagreement and a bad mood.

 

[Tramper Al]

Perhaps this image (not mine) could be used to re-check any fin dimension calculations? I have this in my files for this exact purpose. The grid (at the same level as the fins) could be used for scale, obviously, and any concerns about distortion at the edge of the pic (vs. fins near the middle) could be empirically evaluated. I too have planned to use the fin guide for scale, though looking at it now it's not clear to me that the guide isn't designed to overlap slightly. Or maybe I'll check the measurement under the assumption that the rudder and launch lug are 180 degrees apart. If I get 2 or 3 approaches leading me to the same dimension estimates, I tend to think it is likely correct. Just trying to help.