Estes BT-56 body tube

My CC Express lost its nose cone so i ordered the BT-56 nose cone. does anyone know for sure if this is the right part?

If you don't get an answer by the time I get home from work. I can provide one. I have the CC Express and I have BT 55 & BT 56 nosecones.

I'd like to know this as well. Where did you order it from? I have some BT56 tubes I bought to rebuild a couple of Estes kits after less than stellar flights and my daughters want to do a scratch build with the extra tubes. I just need to pick up a nose cone.

It looks like our fleet is going to have a bedazzled, extra glittery addition sometime in the near future. :blush:

Place called Hobbylinc.com

Estes does sell a PNC-56 package - it contains 3 PNC-56 nose cones. Since they only have the one cone in that size, they are all the same blow molded nose cone - usually molded in white or black plastic. This is the item:

https://www.estesrockets.com/rockets/accessories/nose-cones/303164-nc-56-nose-cone-4-pk

BTW - you can use this sucker to make a passable clone of the Estes Goblin - just a tiny bit oversized since the Goblin was a BT-55 model (1.33" vs 1.35").

The diameter is advertised as 1.33 inches. A Semroc BT-55 is 1.283. A BT-58 is 1.498 inches, so I assume it's a BT-56. Hope this helps.

...duplicate

Micromeister said:

Standard ESTES BT-55 is 1.283" ID, 1.325" OD Currently rounded off to 1.33" in the 2010 cat.
Unfortunately they do not show BT-56 specs. not sure why. I have some of these tubes and cones in the shop which are larger in OD and have a heavier wall as well, much thicker I think then the usual .021" thickness. but hadn't thought to put I ruler on them.

Could be that the ID is about the same at 1.283" allowing either BT-55 or BT-56 OD Nosecones to be used???

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ps: Seems Tower Hobbies in trying to simplify the sizing situation (reducing for 3 to 2 decimals) has created more of a problem for those of us who use those extra thousandths to identify things LOL!!! .976" BT-50's now listed as .98" .736" BT-20s now .74". I see lots of confusion coming in a few years when folks start trying to Clone stuff with only partical dimensional info.

MrGneissGuy said:

I'd like to know this as well. Where did you order it from? I have some BT56 tubes I bought to rebuild a couple of Estes kits after less than stellar flights and my daughters want to do a scratch build with the extra tubes. I just need to pick up a nose cone.

It looks like our fleet is going to have a bedazzled, extra glittery addition sometime in the near future. :blush:

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BT-56 is the same as the old Centuri #13 tube. Semroc calls it "Series 13" and has dozens of different balsa nose cones for that tube, as well as various other components (transitions, centering rings, etc.).

When my daughter's AstroBeam lawn darted and I promised her I'd rebuild it, I had to do a lot of searching and double and triple checking my measurements to find the right size tubing when I eventually crossed my fingers and ordered a pack of BT56 tubes from Sunward, and it fit perfectly. My other daughter's Cosmic Cobra also met the same fate (I usually have really good flights...honest), and the BT56 tubing was a perfect fit for that cone and fin can as well.

All that to say that both of those rockets are listed at 1.35" diameter (34.2 mm). I just looked up the CC Express on the Estes website and it's listed as 1.33" diameter (33.8 mm). Having said that, I think that is OD, and maybe the ID is the same (or close enough) to where the nose cone you ordered will work.

Oh, and thanks for that link, Greg...ordered a 4 pack of cones with free shipping direct from Estes. I'm not sure what to expect from this bedazzled rocket they're planning. It should be interesting.

Thanks for all the help, I will keep my fingers crossed!

Nope - the CC Express is BT-55 (1.33") - I recognize the shape of the nose cone (It is the same as the nose cone in the Bullpup - a long ogive). The PNC-56 nose cone is used in the Eliminator (yellow), Chrome Dome (gold), Gold Strike (black) Cosmic Cobra (black) and HeliCat (black) and is a parabolic. As I said, I turned a Cosmic Cobra into a pseudo Goblin that looks (and flys) pretty good!

gpoehlein said:

...As I said, I turned a Cosmic Cobra into a pseudo Goblin that looks (and flys) pretty good!

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Have any pictures? My daughter's Cosmic Cobra lawn darted on it's first flight. We had the same trouble with it that we did with the AstroBeam. There simply wasn't enough length of body tube to fit the parachute (and blades for the Cobra) without having to wrap it extra tight and risk the chute not opening. So it was either a half open chute on descent, or the chute wouldn't come out of the tube at all.

So when I rebuilt both, I added several inches to the length.

Maybe I should have waited to order my nose cones...Rocket Man might have one he needs to get rid of soon.

gpoehlein said:

Nope - the CC Express is BT-55 (1.33") - I recognize the shape of the nose cone (It is the same as the nose cone in the Bullpup - a long ogive). The PNC-56 nose cone is used in the Eliminator (yellow), Chrome Dome (gold), Gold Strike (black) Cosmic Cobra (black) and HeliCat (black) and is a parabolic. As I said, I turned a Cosmic Cobra into a pseudo Goblin that looks (and flys) pretty good!

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SEMROC has a lot of different BT-56 nose cones (actually 26 different nose cones for the BT-56) but they don't call that size body tube a BT-56. They call it a "series 13 tube".

A BT-56 (1.34" O.D.) is the series 13 body tube size that Estes inherited from Centuri.

Now I don't want to quibble about who purchased who.

Yeah, all said above is true... and no the nosecones don't really interchange between BT-56 and BT-55...

You can add a wrap or two of tape to a BT-55 nosecone and install it on a BT-56 rocket, but the nosecone will have a slight "step up" at the tube joint... (tube slightly larger than the cone).

A BT-56 nosecone won't really fit in a BT-55 without "stretching" the tube (usually ends up splitting it instead).

At least that's my experience...

later! OL JR

Wayco said:

I found this old thread doing a search for BT-56 tubes to repair my Estes Eliminator. I think that is the correct size tube for it. I crumpled the BT on it's first flight and would like to repair it with a coupler and some more tube. Does anyone know where I can find the correct coupler for this size tubing?

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You can order stuff from Semroc for "Series 13" tubes (they're BT-56 under the old Centuri numbering system). Another option is Sunward... they carry BT-56 components.

The BT-56 is a HAIR bigger than BT-55, so close they LOOK interchangeable but they're not (as far as cones/couplers go). The Maniac/Delta II was BT-56, as was the Astrocam 110, among others. There was also the two-stage Maniac (that I can't recall the name of ATM) which was also BT-56. It's a nice size tube and I wish they used it more...

Later! OL JR

Why did estes make the BT 56? Why didnt they just use a BT 55?

MrGneissGuy said:

Have any pictures? My daughter's Cosmic Cobra lawn darted on it's first flight. We had the same trouble with it that we did with the AstroBeam. There simply wasn't enough length of body tube to fit the parachute (and blades for the Cobra) without having to wrap it extra tight and risk the chute not opening. So it was either a half open chute on descent, or the chute wouldn't come out of the tube at all.

So when I rebuilt both, I added several inches to the length.

Maybe I should have waited to order my nose cones...Rocket Man might have one he needs to get rid of soon.

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Wrap the chute with just a turn or two of string, then stick it in between the folded blades and slide the whole assembly in. I've never had a failure with this method.:wink:

Aksrockets said:

Why did estes make the BT 56? Why didnt they just use a BT 55?

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It was a Centuri body tube size. Estes inherited the size (series 13) when they acquired Centuri.

Aksrockets said:

Why did estes make the BT 56? Why didnt they just use a BT 55?

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Estes "inherited" the BT-56 when they bought Centuri (or vice versa depending on the version of the story-- Estes actually bought Centuri but played it the other way around because there were benefits to being a corporation in Arizona so they considered themselves a subsidiary of the company they bought to obtain those benefits, IIRC). Since Estes continued to produce some of those kits, it then 'adopted' the very close tube size into their lineup, renaming it from "series 13" to "BT-56" (bigger than BT-55 but smaller than BT-60).

Later they used it on Astrocam and a few other kits that weren't directly created by Centuri.

At least that's how I understand it...

Later! OL JR

sandman said:

It was a Centuri body tube size.

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Yes, and they weren't the only one to use it. FSI used this size, too.

I built an Echo-1 kit, and, needing to upgrade the motor tubes to standard (18mm) sizes, assumed it was BT-55. I needed to build up the outside of the CR-20-55 rings, and just assumed it was a sloppily made BT-55.

It was only later I realized what the real problem was

Doug

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luke strawwalker said:

You can order stuff from Semroc for "Series 13" tubes (they're BT-56 under the old Centuri numbering system). Another option is Sunward... they carry BT-56 components.

The BT-56 is a HAIR bigger than BT-55, so close they LOOK interchangeable but they're not (as far as cones/couplers go). The Maniac/Delta II was BT-56, as was the Astrocam 110, among others. There was also the two-stage Maniac (that I can't recall the name of ATM) which was also BT-56. It's a nice size tube and I wish they used it more...

Later! OL JR

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Thanks, I found it on Semroc and also on a new website here: www.brshobbies.com
I sent an email to Estes though, explaining my problem and Christine in Customer service is sending me a purple body tube and coupler FOR FREE! The history on this rocket is interesting, I got it for free when an Estes E-9-6 blew up my Apogee aspire, along with two packs of D-12-6 motors because they can't ship E's without the hazmat charge. When I flew it the first time, it hit hard packed dirt and crumpled the BT. I told Estes it was probably because I used a Mylar streamer instead of the plastic parachute, but they warrantied it anyway. That's above and beyond good customer service.

Wayco said:

Thanks, I found it on Semroc and also on a new website here: www.brshobbies.com
I sent an email to Estes though, explaining my problem and Christine in Customer service is sending me a purple body tube and coupler FOR FREE! The history on this rocket is interesting, I got it for free when an Estes E-9-6 blew up my Apogee aspire, along with two packs of D-12-6 motors because they can't ship E's without the hazmat charge. When I flew it the first time, it hit hard packed dirt and crumpled the BT. I told Estes it was probably because I used a Mylar streamer instead of the plastic parachute, but they warrantied it anyway. That's above and beyond good customer service.

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Yep... I learned about BT-56's when I did a lot of Astrocam flying-- They used to offer a "Mighty D" engine booster called the Delta II, in a MUCH more attractive paint scheme (black plastic fin can, gold nosecone, white body, black and gold trim decals). When I started flying the Astrocam, I RAPIDLY grew tired of the C motor flights, and wanted to move up. BY that time Estes had quit selling the Delta II, and I had to look for a replacement. Interestingly enough, in the interim the "Maniac" with it's blue fin can and nosecone and yellow body tube with its rather ugly looking decals entered the market, and upon quick check was virtually identical to the discontinued Delta II... So I bought a Maniac to fly my Astrocam on. Worked great! The first one got rather worn out, so I bought a second Maniac... They were a nice flying rocket and I enjoyed flying it even when I wasn't "astrocamming"...

The second one flew a beautiful first flight, and I got busy and didn't get around to flying it for a month or so after that. While prepping it for the second flight, I noticed the rubber band shock cord was 'alligatored' (checks/cracks in the surface of the rubber) and when I pulled it they parted a bit, but the shock cord seemed pretty strong and didn't look to fail, so I flew it. Ejection and POW! the shock cord popped and as the nosecone and chute headed for the next county, the rest of the rocket dropped STRAIGHT DOWN and screamed in... it had rained some the previous week and our heavy clay soil was damp and soft... The thing hit about 100 yards away-- it hit the ground, and the first inch of tube penetrated the soft ground to harder ground underneath, which effectively sealed the tube off like a cork, then the above ground part started neatly accordion-folding the length of the tube-- after compressing about 4-6 inches, the tube overpressurized from the air trapped inside being compressed and EXPLODED, sounding for all the world like a 12 guage shotgun shell! The tube split along the spiral seam from the accordioned part clean down to within about 2 inches or so of the fin can end of the tube. After retrieving what was left, and chasing down the cone and chute, I returned home a rather unhappy camper. Maybe the kit sat in the hobby shop window too long, allowing direct sunlight to attack the rubber shock cord (the shop I bought most stuff from in those days was an electrical supply and the guy who owned it also flew model planes and rockets occassionally, which is why he ran the 'side business' of carrying hobby stuff (to get it wholesale I bet) while pretty much cramming everything into the corner and windows of the shop, and keeping the more valuable electrical/electronic stuff and police light bars and stuff out of the sun...) Maybe the sulfurous heat and fumes from the ejection charge attacked the rubber and hardened it, I dunno... all I know was I only got two flights out of a (then) $8 kit... So I fired off a letter to Estes customer service, which was rather out of character for me-- I usually just put such incidents into the 'oh well' category and forgot about it. Much to my surprise I had a new Maniac kit mailed to me within two weeks...

The old one I managed to salvage-- I cut it off about 2 inches in front of the fin can, and cut a pair of vent holes in the side, and glued in a coupler-- now I had a booster stage for my other (old) Maniac. Worked good! Later Estes created a two-stager kit with just such a booster stage. (can't recall the name ATM).

Now the "Maniac" is something else IIRC... last time I looked anyway. They switched to a purple body tube (bad to worse!) and I think the fin can and nosecones are black now-- I know they offer the same old rounded-tip ogive nosecones that the Maniac came with in the hobby shops as a pack of three spare parts. Of course Estes doesn't offer the tubes for sale for some silly reason-- what use are those size nosecones without the tubes to put them on for scratchbuilding?? The don't offer the fin can either AFAIC...

Later! OL JR

According to the handy dandy Estes Body Tube List, the CC Express is a BT-55. You'll have to do some light sanding. I usually start out with 220 grit and end up with a Scotchbrite pad and gel toothpaste.

PhlAsh said:

According to the handy dandy Estes Body Tube List, the CC Express is a BT-55. You'll have to do some light sanding. I usually start out with 220 grit and end up with a Scotchbrite pad and gel toothpaste.

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I knew there had to be a list like that somewhere, thanks for the link. The rocket I'm trying to repair is the Estes Eliminator and your list says it uses the BT-56. I got one coming for free from Estes. (see above)
I sure do like this forum, ask and you will receive more info. than you can ever remember.

Wayco said:

I found this old thread doing a search for BT-56 tubes to repair my Estes Eliminator. I think that is the correct size tube for it. I crumpled the BT on it's first flight and would like to repair it with a coupler and some more tube. Does anyone know where I can find the correct coupler for this size tubing?

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You are correct. BT-56, otherwise known as ST-13 from Semroc or Centuri, is the tube used in the Eliminator. I would try Semroc for a coupler.

RoyAtl said:

You are correct. BT-56, otherwise known as ST-13 from Semroc or Centuri, is the tube used in the Eliminator. I would try Semroc for a coupler.

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That's right... the "Maniac" is the "Eliminator" now...

It was the "Delta II" (or was it "Challenger II") before, and I think the same basic rocket had a different name under Centuri-- I looked it up a few years ago on ninfinger's site in the old catalogs-- both the Series 13 tubes and plastic fin cans/nosecones came to Estes from Centuri when they merged, but I can't recall ATM what the old Centuri version of this kit was called...

Was the two stage version called the "Longshot"?? I looked that up too once upon a time but can't recall the exact name ATM either...

That particular rocket design has been around a LONG, LONG time!

Later! OL JR

Yup, Challenger II was the "D11-9" powered booster for the Astrocam 110.

The fin can made it's debut in 1973 on Centuri's Argus Research Rocket and the nose cone came around in 1978 on Centuri's Phoenix Bird which was the start of the long line of these rockets.

The Long Shot was indeed the two stage version of the rocket, introduced in 1997.

RoyAtl said:

Yup, Challenger II was the "D11-9" powered booster for the Astrocam 110.

The fin can made it's debut in 1973 on Centuri's Argus Research Rocket and the nose cone came around in 1978 on Centuri's Phoenix Bird which was the start of the long line of these rockets.

The Long Shot was indeed the two stage version of the rocket, introduced in 1997.

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Thanks... glad to know my memory isn't *completely* gone...

Now where did I get "Delta II"... is that what they called the 'standard' Astrocam launch vehicle that it came with??

Mine lasted a pretty good while, but the fin can cracked around each of the fins from hard landings (undersize chute on the Astrocam to prevent it from drifting off). The Challenger II/Maniac was FAR less prone to this since it landed 'motor casing first' most of the time (those thumb-hook engine hooks didn't last long though!). Can't recall what the "stock" A-cam booster was called...

PHOENIX BIRD was the Centuri kit I thought of but couldn't recall the name of... the one that 'started it all'... LOL

Don't know why Estes went with the garishly colored tubes and tacky decals on the "Maniac" and only slightly better with the "Eliminator"... the Challenger II was a NICE looking rocket! Guess they'd figure it'd sell a few more...

Later! OL JR

PS. do you know when they quit making the "Longshot"?? Basically I was flying one of these 20 years ago thanks to the crash-shortened Maniac #2...

PPS. Still have some of those D11-9's that I picked up in leftover stuff when the electrical supply house/hobby shop sold off all his hobby junk 20 years ago... those old packs are pretty ratty looking-- the plastic shell over the motors is pee yellow from them sitting in his shop window for probably YEARS and last time I launched one they seemed pretty weak, so I'm keeping them as keepsakes more than anything... I usually launched my A-cam on D12-7's which it seemed to ALWAYS make a nice high shot on...