WANT !! WANT !! WANT !! (New Estes Shuttle and Stack)

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Jumpjet, do you have a completed build picture of the shuttle to share?
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I've built seven of these models for test flying. None were built to look pretty or painted like the package, nor have I ever taken a photo of one, so no, I don't have any pictures I can share. I guess you will just have to purchase one and build it to see what it looks like.:)


John Boren
 
Jumpjet, with the balsa glider I'm guessing filling the grain would add too much weight for a good glide correct?
 
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JumpJet said:
That's COLD. Even if you are going to do this you shouldn't announce it, you may hurt the feelings of the guy who designed it. You probably don't have the skills to build and fly the full stack any way! Maybe you should purchase TWO:wink: KITS, built one stock and do your powered shuttle version with the other.

John Boren
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You're spot on with the comment on my skills or lack thereof.... yet. It's been a while. I didn't mean to ruffle any feathers there. I probably should have said that I would carefully and gently store the parts that I don't use in a hermetically sealed steel chamber encased in concrete for my descendants to build. :p:



But I was right about the shuttle,wasn't I?
 
Jumpjet, with the balsa glider I'm guessing filling the grain would add too much weight for a good glide correct?
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Gliders almost always fly better when they are lighter in weight. I typically shoot one coat of primer and one coat of paint for all my test models. I think good old dope sanding sealer would be the best way to go. It would be real light. A coat of acrylic paint would finish it off nicely.

John Boren
 
That is a nice model. I'm tempted to get one mainly as a reference for upscaling ( built to fly, of course! ). I'm more into MPR and HPR these days, and R/C gliders. So it could be right up my alley.

As it happens, I had one of the original vaccum-formed shuttles when I was in middle-school ( early 90s ). It survived many flights beautifully, only to be destroyed by ham-fisted students when I took it to a school launch. I was not pleased, as you might imagine. I've always wanted to build another.

Martin Jay McKee
 
JumpJet said:
Gliders almost always fly better when they are lighter in weight. I typically shoot one coat of primer and one coat of paint for all my test models. I think good old dope sanding sealer would be the best way to go. It would be real light. A coat of acrylic paint would finish it off nicely.

John Boren
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Any chance you remember what the prototype gliders weighed? The little Spectrum brick and a small 1S lipo will add 6-8 grams, plus a touch more for linkage. Hopefully can offset a little of the weight gain of the R/C conversion with some lighter balsa parts, some other lightening and a very light finish.
 
Yes this one does look cool, but I have to admit I was a little disappointed when I heard new shuttle kit from estes and it wasn't the scale one. I built the 1284 full stack model from the 80's and it still flies occasionally, but I'd love it if Estes did an updated version, maybe a little bigger. I did an ok job on the one I have but I'd really love a second crack at getting it just right! Well, one can hope....

Glenn
 
For a balsa build and rapid grain filling try light weight model (JAP) tissue and a couple of 50/50 dope and thinner coats. Get clever with the colours and you have little need fro paints. Light and looks right good (and adds loads of strength too) :)
 
JohnRE said:
For a balsa build and rapid grain filling try light weight model (JAP) tissue and a couple of 50/50 dope and thinner coats. Get clever with the colours and you have little need fro paints. Light and looks right good (and adds loads of strength too) :)
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Another trick would be to use a marker (like a Sharpie) to draw on it. Keep in mind however that Sharpie ink is soluble in dope/thinner. Another option would be to paint the balsa with RIT dye mixed with alcohol, but again dope soluble.
 
tab28682 said:
And mine arrived yesterday. Very nice job on the kit. Looks like a fun build.
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I saw one at my Hobby Town today...I looked it over, decided to pass until I can see all the contents and instructions...what' the glider /orbiter constructed of?...it looked like square slab sided paper on the picture.
 
These pics go up to the first shot of primer. Second is on now and drying

160610-02.jpg160611.jpgSANY0015.jpgSANY0016.jpgSANY0017.jpgSANY0020.jpgSANY0021.jpgSANY0022.jpgSANY0023.jpgSANY0024.jpg
 
MaxQ said:
I saw one at my Hobby Town today...I looked it over, decided to pass until I can see all the contents and instructions...what' the glider /orbiter constructed of?...it looked like square slab sided paper on the picture.
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Per the pictures another builder posted, it is mostly balsa. Only the top and bottom fuselage sheeting is light weight card stock, plus a section of BT5 that serves as an assembly device.
 
After looking at these pics, this is proof of what happens when "Estes" becomes part of "Hobbico", you get a "Great Planes" style Rocket/glider! :) This is definitely on my wish list. The orbiter looks quite sturdy and should survive a few landings. If anyone from Estes is reading this, thanks for a cool kit.
 
If anyone from Estes is reading this, thanks for a cool kit.
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Your welcome. It was a fun kit to design and build. For the most part Hobbico has stayed out of the Kit side of Estes. I have had pretty much free rain on what to design. My direction mainly comes in the form of, for next year we need another skill level 3 , 4 and 5 kit, and I then design something. There have been many times I simply create stuff and if my co-workers like it we make a kit of it. The main reason for the Rocket/Glider type kit is because I am an airplane guy at heart who LOVES just about anything that flies with OLD NASA style 1960, 1970 and 1980 shuttle and lifting body concepts at the top of my list of what is cool. Hope fully one day I'll get to design a new larger NASA Shuttle full stack model to go along side our re-release Saturn V, Little Joe, Mercury Redstone, ???, ??? and other NASA favorites.


John Boren

www.johnboren.com
 
I, for one (and probably one of many), will be quite interested to see what the "...???,???..." eludes to. But I'll be patient! I would, however, love to have another go at the Titan IIIE...
 
JumpJet said:
Your welcome. It was a fun kit to design and build. For the most part Hobbico has stayed out of the Kit side of Estes. I have had pretty much free rain on what to design. My direction mainly comes in the form of, for next year we need another skill level 3 , 4 and 5 kit, and I then design something. There have been many times I simply create stuff and if my co-workers like it we make a kit of it. The main reason for the Rocket/Glider type kit is because I am an airplane guy at heart who LOVES just about anything that flies with OLD NASA style 1960, 1970 and 1980 shuttle and lifting body concepts at the top of my list of what is cool. Hope fully one day I'll get to design a new larger NASA Shuttle full stack model to go along side our re-release Saturn V, Little Joe, Mercury Redstone, ???, ??? and other NASA favorites.


John Boren

www.johnboren.com
Click to expand...

You do some great work.
I'll be building this one shortly.
Really like the looks.


What do you think of the SR-X ?
Curious about that one.
I've got two, not flown yet but given I love the rocket glider stuff I had to get them.
 
It seems to me that the thing to do with this would be to get two... One loses its shuttle, the other loses it's extra body tubes, and picks up the extra shuttle.
 

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