Estes - (Astron) Beta (K-45 or #1245) Gallery

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JAL3

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Welcome to the Estes (Astron) Beta (K-45 or #1245) Gallery on TRF.

This gallery showcases the Estes (Astron) Beta (K-45 or #1245) and those rockets derived from it. Particularly appropriate in this thread are the following:


Estes: Astron Beta: K-45 or #1245



as well as any upscales, downscales, clones, kitbashes or other derivative works. Even Goonies qualify!



 
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Estes (Astron) Beta (K-45 or #1245) Basic Information.

estes.gif
Estes Industries

MODEL NAME: Astron Beta Also known as: Beta

NUMBER: K-45 or #1245

Introduced: 1970
Final Year: 1973
Designer: Bill Simon

Type: 2 Stage, Sport
Motor Mount:
Recovery: Tumble/Parachute
Stages: 2
Length: 13.75"
Diameter: 0.736"
Span:
Weight: 0.75 oz

Mfg. Description: Sleek and trim, this bird really goes! Easy to build, the Beta can be flown single stage or with a booster for really high flights. The Beta features low weight, streamlined design, and parachute recovery. Engines not included. (Estes 1970 Catalog)


Advertising Liveries

estes-beta%20k45-1970%20cat.jpg
1970 Catalog


Face Card(s)

estes-beta%20k45-face%201.jpg
estes-beta%20k45-face%202.jpg
estes-beta%20k45-face%203.jpg


Instruction Header(s)

estes-beta%20k45-instr%201.jpg




First post in this thread featuring this rocket.

See Also:
TRF Build Threads

TRF Applicable Threads

LINKS
EMRR
RocketReviews
Mfg. Page


If you have any additional information on this rocket and/or catalog photos please let us know.
 
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My fourth Beta is an eBay rescue bird. It flew Saturday for the first time on an A10-0T/A3-4T combo. I have another vintage one in the bag that I plan to build when it crossed my mind.
 

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Estes (Astron) Beta (K-45 or #1245) Basic Information.

estes.gif
Estes Industries

MODEL NAME: Astron Beta Also known as: Beta

NUMBER: K-45 or #1245

Introduced: 1970
Final Year: 1973
Designer: Bill Simon

Type: 2 Stage, Sport
Motor Mount:
Recovery: Tumble/Parachute
Stages: 2
Length: 13.75"
Diameter: 0.736"
Span:
Weight: 0.75 oz

Mfg. Description: Sleek and trim, this bird really goes! Easy to build, the Beta can be flown single stage or with a booster for really high flights. The Beta features low weight, streamlined design, and parachute recovery. Engines not included. (Estes 1970 Catalog)


Advertising Liveries

estes-beta%20k45-1970%20cat.jpg
1970 Catalog


Face Card(s)

estes-beta%20k45-face%201.jpg
estes-beta%20k45-face%202.jpg
estes-beta%20k45-face%203.jpg


Instruction Header(s)

estes-beta%20k45-instr%201.jpg




First post in this thread featuring this rocket.

See Also:
TRF Build Threads

TRF Applicable Threads

LINKS

EMRR
RocketReviews
Mfg. Page


If you have any additional information on this rocket and/or catalog photos please let us know.
Hey John do you happen to know anything about this particular version? I was told that this version should not have the yellow hang tag with the pink card and I was also told that yes it did have it but it is very rare because that version apparently didn't last very long.
And it's always every time I go searching for information your name pops up.
 

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Sorry.

I'm not sure that I ever had a definitive answer for you but, even if I did, the laptop on which I was keeping all my records was one of the casualties when my parsonage was looted in the aftermath of hurricane Harvey.
 
Sorry.

I'm not sure that I ever had a definitive answer for you but, even if I did, the laptop on which I was keeping all my records was one of the casualties when my parsonage was looted in the aftermath of hurricane Harvey.
Man that darn hurricane! 😕
 
Man that darn hurricane! 😕

The parsonage survived the hurricane pretty well and so did the church I had. In fact we were ground zero for rebuilding. I had volunteers from all over the world living in my church gym for over a year.

It was the looters and did so much damage to me personally. I lost about 85% of everything I had. No insurance. I had never had to live in a parsonage before and it never occured to me to get renter's insurance since I didn't pay rent.
 
Estes Beta clone.jpg
Estes Beta flight 2K.jpg
Estes Beta Hippy Dip.jpg
My first rocket was a Beta circa 1977, but I never had the means to take a picture of it back then. I built the top one here in 2002 and it core sampled on the first launch. The all white one is an original that I built and flew for my 2000th flight in the spring. The neon pink one is the Hippy Dip Beta that I got as a throw in in an eBay lot I purchased. I love the "let's paint it with what's on hand" vibe.
 
A few entries. NOTE that these are for the TK-45/0845 Beta, which was redesigned for 13mm motors rather than 18mm shorty motors used in the original K-45. Unlike some other TK-xx variants, for the Beta the necessary parts to add 13mm motor mounts, plus a stage coupler, were added to the existing design with no other significant changes. The same fin patterns, body tube lengths, nose cone and paint/decals were used.

First, the aftermath of a sustainer motor failing to light while flying over a pretty hard surface. This particular Beta was given to my club some years ago, unflown. I replaced the shock cord (and 'chute, I think) and quickly learned it was quite a nice flyer on A10-0 to 1/2A3-4T. But on this flight, its unlucky seventh, the sustainer just didn't light. Ouch! Fortunately the Adrel ALT-BMP aboard was not damaged. It reported an apogee of 84.6 meters. The flight before, earlier that day, on the same motor combo (but with the sustainer lighting, of course), got to 187.3m (or just over 700 feet). Those white bits on the ground are parts of the nose cone that were shaved off as it was pushed into the body by the impact.

IMG_6933.JPEG

I considered scrapping the model after this, since I was planning to build another for Classic Model at NARAM-64. But then I decided to repair it....even though I'd never be able to match the patina of the old white dope with a contemporary paint. So the next picture is the same model before its eighth flight about a week after the crash. Everything above the lower roll band (stars) is new to the model, though the BNC-20N used is a vintage part. It flew three times that day, all on A10-0T to 1/2A3-4Ts to apogees ranging from 168.8 to 211.8 meters.

About three weeks later it finally was flown A10-0T to A3-6T. That flight went to 268.7m (882 feet). Pretty good performance!

IMG_6940.JPEG

Finally, one of the two I built so I could enter one in Classic Model under construction. I will have to put a picture of the finished one up in this thread.

IMG_6957.JPEG
 
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