New Hobby Lobby-Estes Rocket

Hey all-
Just an FYI....I stopped in my Hobby Lobby and found a new release from Estes. Pretty sure this is a Hobby Lobby only kit. I was physically-mentally and emotionally unable to NOT purchase this kit. It is a bigger kit (1.8" diameter) and has a nose cone shape I have not seen before. I like it...photos below. I will build this this weekend..
Andrew

See post #27 on this thread:
https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/hobby-lobby.154863/

Looking forward to your build thread.
Looks like a nice big rocket.

kuririn said:

See post #27 on this thread:
https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/hobby-lobby.154863/

Looking forward to your build thread.
Looks like a nice big rocket.

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OOPS....okay sorry. I don't get the TACR/NAR/"anything else" publications/ads etc, so I did not see that it was out....I thought it was something new. Oh well....Nothing to see here! sorry guys. Maybe I will do still do a build thread. I do like that BT65 though...
Andrew

kuririn said:

See post #27 on this thread:
https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/hobby-lobby.154863/

Looking forward to your build thread.
Looks like a nice big rocket.

Click to expand...

Beat me to it. >smile< Too bad its HL exclusive. It'd be nice to have the BT65 to BT65 coupler and and a different NC65 nosecone.

The post in the other thread about the decals on the rocket looking like they were taken right off a 1970's custom van was hilarious! I think it adds to the charm and fun factor! I still say this is a "well done Estes" kit. I like it.
Andrew

I like it too. Kinda campy, like the Colossus.

How about painting it gold and purple and hanging a tiny disco ball in the clear payload...then line the bottom of the payload with fuzzy carpet?

(Estes....don't worry...I love the rocket....just kidding around here!)
Andrew

I picked one of these up yesterday, very nice looking kit.
I'll have to purchase another one....anybody know where I can get a mini disco ball?

I picked up one of these just before Xmas because I wanted to see if this was the same BT size used in the EST 2037 D-Region Tomahawk. Based on test fitting a spare D-Region nose cone it appears to be the same.

sl98 said:

I picked up one of these just before Xmas because I wanted to see if this was the same BT size used in the EST 2037 D-Region Tomahawk. Based on test fitting a spare D-Region nose cone it appears to be the same.

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This is GREAT information. I will build the one I have and then get another (Olympus) to make a D-Region Tomahawk. Now if i can only find the nose cone for it with all the detail.....

I'm still waiting for an HL store in my area to get this in stock.

It looks like it MAY use the same blow-molded NC and payload section adapter as Green Eggs (which eRockets is selling individual examples of—no need to buy 12 of them) save for the color. It also look like this one, online Green Eggs, will take 24mm E motors as well as Cs and Ds.

Once one of these turns up nearby I will find out.

jlabrasca said:

It'd be nice to have the BT65 to BT65 coupler and and a different NC65 nosecone.

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Estes sells those parts on its website. https://estesrockets.com/edu-tarc/

BTW... I love the corny decal. Reminds me of the Estes Colossus "He-Man" sticker.

That's interesting. I knew they were planning to put some parts up that would be suitable for TARC use, but didn't know they had.

That does look like the same part - the white version in the Olympus.

FYI to those who might be thinking about this for TARC: a large egg in a plastic bag is a snug fit in the plastic payload tube for Green Eggs and I presume also this Olympus. Just something to be aware of.

astronwolf said:

Estes sells those parts on its website. https://estesrockets.com/edu-tarc/

BTW... I love the corny decal. Reminds me of the Estes Colossus "He-Man" sticker.

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Thx.

kuririn said:

I like it too. Kinda campy, like the Colossus.

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I agree..... I normally don't go for the Estes decals and such, but this one works for me.

BSNW said:

How about painting it gold and purple and hanging a tiny disco ball in the clear payload...then line the bottom of the payload with fuzzy carpet?

(Estes....don't worry...I love the rocket....just kidding around here!)
Andrew

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then you'd have to put a sticker on there that says "If this vans a rockin' don't come a knockin'

solid_fuel said:

then you'd have to put a sticker on there that says "If this vans a rockin' don't come a knockin'

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TO FUNNY!!!!!! Cant stop laughing!

I managed to pick up an Olympus kit today at the second-nearest Hobby Lobby.

Some comparison info with the Green Eggs model:

Olympus is six inches longer (all in the main body tube). It uses the screw-on 24mm motor retainer and is set up to take 24mm Es while Green Eggs, stock, only takes C11s and D12s and uses a regular motor hook. The plastic parts appear to be the same save for color - nose cone, payload adapter and payload section tube. The four fins are surface-mounted instead of three TTW fins on Green Eggs.

I'll put it in the near term build queue.

I'm amused at the face card showing an Estes Altimeter hanging down inside the payload section, since there is no provided way to attach one the way it's shown.

BEC said:

I'm amused at the face card showing an Estes Altimeter hanging down inside the payload section, since there is no provided way to attach one the way it's shown.

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Definitely no way to hang an altimeter without adding an attachment point. Plenty of room to turn into a night rocket. I still need to add the nose cone illumination. Also not pictured is white LED poking out bottom to hopefully illuminate chute.

Payload bay is mostly complete. Looking forward to finishing the Olympus night flyer.

Olympus night flyer is complete. I substituted a longer motor mount tube as a stuffer tube and rail buttons instead of lugs.

Clear payload sections are one of my favorite things to add onto a rocket. Omega 2 stage and even an Alpha. Bonus effects with lights.
Thanks for the inspiration.

For the illumination that is. [emoji854]

sl98 said:

Olympus night flyer is complete. I substituted a longer motor mount tube as a stuffer tube and rail buttons instead of lugs.

View attachment 407430 View attachment 407431

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Hi, I know this thread is a few months old, but I'm just getting around to building my Olympus. This will be my first rocket with a clear payload section, and I'm not a fan of securing it only via friction fit as instructed. I was considering Apogee Removable Plastic Rivets, and it looks like you've done something similar here. I was just wondering how that's working out, and if you recommend this approach to securing the payload tube. Thanks!

Spitfire222 said:

Hi, I know this thread is a few months old, but I'm just getting around to building my Olympus. This will be my first rocket with a clear payload section, and I'm not a fan of securing it only via friction fit as instructed. I was considering Apogee Removable Plastic Rivets, and it looks like you've done something similar here. I was just wondering how that's working out, and if you recommend this approach to securing the payload tube. Thanks!

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I also use removable plastic rivets on payloaders - work just fine on my Olympus and multiple other LPR/MPR rockets. I will confess mine didn’t come from Apogee, found them on Amazon a couple years ago when I still had Prime.

I use them on LOC 2.6" kits that have swappable MMTs (4x 18mm; 3x 24mm, 1x 24mm, 1x 29mm, 1x 38mm). I also use them on some of my av-bays to connect the av-bay to the BT.

I wouldn't use them on big HPR rockets because then they'd just be shear pins but just about everything else, they're good. When drilling a hole in the clear plastic, put masking tape both inside and out to help prevent it from cracking. Also back up the inside with a coupler or similar.

Scott_650 said:

I also use removable plastic rivets on payloaders - work just fine on my Olympus and multiple other LPR/MPR rockets. I will confess mine didn’t come from Apogee, found them on Amazon a couple years ago when I still had Prime.

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heada said:

I use them on LOC 2.6" kits that have swappable MMTs (4x 18mm; 3x 24mm, 1x 24mm, 1x 29mm, 1x 38mm). I also use them on some of my av-bays to connect the av-bay to the BT.

I wouldn't use them on big HPR rockets because then they'd just be shear pins but just about everything else, they're good. When drilling a hole in the clear plastic, put masking tape both inside and out to help prevent it from cracking. Also back up the inside with a coupler or similar.

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Thank you both, I'll pick some up for the Olympus and future rockets!

I just used 4, 1/2" 4-40 nylon shear pins (2 in the coupler and 2 in the base of the NC. I'd considered using removable rivets, but I liked the look of the smaller, plastic machine screw better.

Spitfire222 said:

Hi, I know this thread is a few months old, but I'm just getting around to building my Olympus. This will be my first rocket with a clear payload section, and I'm not a fan of securing it only via friction fit as instructed. I was considering Apogee Removable Plastic Rivets, and it looks like you've done something similar here. I was just wondering how that's working out, and if you recommend this approach to securing the payload tube. Thanks!

Click to expand...

The rivets work great. I used the rivets to on this build to access the battery. I bought mine in bulk off ebay. There are a number of sizes available (diameter and length). I also use these same rivets for securing the payload bay to dual deploy AV bays.

I bought one of the Olympus at HL a few months ago, but was unable to launch due to covid until recently.
I secured the clear tube to the bottom part of the polystyrene cube with superbond glue, not trusting a friction fit.
To secure the upper cone to the clear tube I used a strip of black electrical tape. Very strong, pretty light, easy to redo in the field.
I am attaching a photo of the second flight with the instrument package visible in the clear section. I cut and sized the perf board so it just barely fit into the tube.
Unfortunately, the maiden flight with an E12 engine was a CATO and you can see in the second shot that the body tube was crumpled. The payload was forced into the back part of the cone by the force of the explosion and slightly damaged as well.
I am hoping to repair the olympus using a coupler and another tube because the find and end look ok except the screw on engine holder is gone. Have to improvise something for that.Note the superbond and the tape both held, so good to know that these work under 5x normal stress levels!



Unfortunately no data from the flight as the shockwave broke the micro-sd card used to save the data and it was not possible to read the info off.