Decals in Kit Not Same as Those Shown on Rocket Picture on Package

[brockrwood]

The packaging people at Estes in the late 90’s put a picture of a very colorfully decorated Maniac rocket on the package insert card. Unfortunately, the decals included in the psckage are not capable of recreating the decal scheme in the picture! I guess I am on my own!
There are no yellow squiggles on the decal sheet. There are not enough red squiggles to duplicate the decal scheme shown in the picture.

Um nope. The picture does NOT show possible decal placement.

 

[K'Tesh]

That kit's been out of production for a *LONG* time... (Since 1998) I don't think you're going to get much satisfaction from Estes if you try contacting them on it (IINM, they've even discontinued the BT-56 body tube).

 

[SecondRow]

The scanned-in plans on YORP show the same decal sheet as what you got. Estes may have made a last minute design change.
https://plans.rocketshoppe.com/estes/est2091/Maniac.pdf

 

[Cape Byron]

Yellow contact adhesive book plastic covering stuff. I have no idea what it's really called. Use it a lot for decals on protos before committing to laser cut vinyl.

 

[brockrwood]

That kit's been out of production for a *LONG* time... (Since 1998) I don't think you're going to get much satisfaction from Estes if you try contacting them on it (IINM, they've even discontinued the BT-56 body tube).

Oh, I am OK with the decals that don’t match the picture. I was just hoping some old Estes employee from the late 90’s might troll this forum and get a chuckle. I am pretty sure the Maniac has reached “end of support”. ;-)

 

[brockrwood]

Yellow contact adhesive book plastic covering stuff. I have no idea what it's really called. Use it a lot for decals on protos before committing to laser cut vinyl.

Good idea!

 

[Cape Byron]

Good idea!

I have them occasionally.

 

[brockrwood]

Oh, I am OK with the decals that don’t match the picture. I was just hoping some old Estes employee from the late 90’s might troll this forum and get a chuckle. I am pretty sure the Maniac has reached “end of support”. ;-)

This shows just how long I keep unbuilt kits in my collection.

 

[brockrwood]

The packaging people at Estes in the late 90’s put a picture of a very colorfully decorated Maniac rocket on the package insert card. Unfortunately, the decals included in the psckage are not capable of recreating the decal scheme in the picture! I guess I am on my own!
There are no yellow squiggles on the decal sheet. There are not enough red squiggles to duplicate the decal scheme shown in the picture.
View attachment 487700
Um nope. The picture does NOT show possible decal placement.
View attachment 487702

Close enough!
Now I need to find a “new old stock” package of E15-6’s or E15-8’s!

 

[GlenP]

Since the tube was already yellow, might be hard to color match exactly, but you can spray paint a sheet of waterslide decal paper with yellow laquer, then cut out the shapes you want.

 

[KenECoyote]

It may have been a last minute change because someone felt yellow sticker on yellow rocket wouldn't look right, so they just changed all the yellow to green. I think it looks better! Regarding the squiggles, I've felt the same when they show decals on the front of the rocket fins and you expect the same on the other side, but they don't provide them.

 

[brockrwood]

egarding the squiggles, I've felt the same when they show decals on the front of the rocket fins and you expect the same on the other side, but they don't provide them.

Seriously!

 

[Initiator001]

Close enough!
Now I need to find a “new old stock” package of E15-6’s or E15-8’s!

Can we say KABOOM!

 

[brockrwood]

Can we say KABOOM!

I ran an OpenRocket simulation of the Maniac on D12-3's. It says the speed at deployment is too fast: 78.5 feet/second. I can fly it on an E9-6 I have in my inventory, but the altitude will be 1,278 feet! I think I will lose it. I also have a couple of C11-5's. Those should work but the altitude is only 240 feet - kind of wimpy for this rocket.

The best motor to fly it on is a D12-5, with a nice apogee at 703 feet! But I don't have an D12-5's in my engine box. :-(

 

[Scott_650]

The Maniac is so late 80s - early 90s looking! Not my style but a great example of a throw back look.

One of the new(er) Aerotech/Quest QJets could be a better choice than a C11 - maybe a C18 or D20 with an 18/24 adapter? The bigger 24mm QJets would probably go at least as high as an Estes E or D so those don’t give you any better options…

 

[SecondRow]

Now I need to find a “new old stock” package of E15-6’s or E15-8’s!

Did you use the kit yellow spacer to glue in the thrust ring? Because the old Estes E15s were shorter than the current 24mm E motors. You might have some trouble fitting an E12 or E9 in there if you built the mount for the E15. The E12 is 6mm longer than the E15.

 

[neil_w]

...or just use AT E15 or E30, or Q-jet E26.

 

[Woody's Workshop]

For what it's worth, I like the decals better than what is shown on the face card.
It's much easier to read.

 

[Bat-mite]

In the picture on the packaging, everything that is green on the decal sheet is yellow in the picture. I think it is either a lighting problem or a printing problem with the picture.

Here's a fun project for you -- apply the decals, noting that green goes where yellow should go, then see if you can get the lighting right to photograph it so that it looks like the package.

 

[Back_at_it]

In the picture on the packaging, everything that is green on the decal sheet is yellow in the picture.

I noticed this when I built mine years ago. Makes sense that they would not include a yellow decal on a yellow rocket. If you really want yellow then pick up some vinyl from HL and cut it out.

 

[Bat-mite]

I noticed this when I built mine years ago. Makes sense that they would not include a yellow decal on a yellow rocket. If you relaly want yellow then pick up some vinyl from HL and cut it out.

The "yellow" decals in the picture are a very pale green. I'm pretty sure it's just the lightning.

 

[brockrwood]

Did you use the kit yellow spacer to glue in the thrust ring? Because the old Estes E15s were shorter than the current 24mm E motors. You might have some trouble fitting an E12 or E9 in there if you built the mount for the E15. The E12 is 6mm longer than the E15.

Yes, I did. I figure I can just bend the engine hook slightly and use a little masking tape to hold the newer E motor in place. Not a very elegant solution, but it should work, no? What do you think?

 

[brockrwood]

For what it's worth, I like the decals better than what is shown on the face card.
It's much easier to read.

Agreed! I just wish I had more green and red squiggles for the fins.

 

[brockrwood]

Did you use the kit yellow spacer to glue in the thrust ring? Because the old Estes E15s were shorter than the current 24mm E motors. You might have some trouble fitting an E12 or E9 in there if you built the mount for the E15. The E12 is 6mm longer than the E15.

I don’t have a flying area big enough for an E motor right now if the simulation apogee of over 1,200 feet is accurate. I could try flying it at one of the club launches here in Colorado. CRASH, COSROCS, and NCR are the clubs I know of.

 

[brockrwood]

...or just use AT E15 or E30, or Q-jet E26.

I thought about not building the Maniac and keeping it as a collector item. But an ARTF rocket from years ago with press on decals doesn’t seem very collectible. Also, to me, model rockets are meant to be built and flown.

 

[SecondRow]

Yes, I did. I figure I can just bend the engine hook slightly and use a little masking tape to hold the newer E motor in place. Not a very elegant solution, but it should work, no? What do you think?

I think that will work. Just remember that the motor will hang out the back an extra 1/4 inch. You should consider possible stability issues, but it’s an Estes rocket. It’s probably over stable by a wide margin.

Also, for a D motor use the orange spacer the kit came with. It‘s length corresponds to the shorter E15. One of the current orange spacers will leave your D hanging out the back, as well. Or just cut a new one.

 

[brockrwood]

Other than being big, and flying on powerful rocket motors, there is nothing “Skill Level III” about this rocket. You don’t even have to sand, fill, and glue on wood fins. I would call this an “ARTF” or Skill level 1 rocket. I guess handling the more powerful motors and the “E” launch controller made the folks at Estes in the 90’s decide to market the Maniac as Skill Level III”.

 

[Ronz Rocketz]

Other than being big, and flying on powerful rocket motors, there is nothing “Skill Level III” about this rocket. You don’t even have to sand, fill, and glue on wood fins. I would call this an “ARTF” or Skill level 1 rocket. I guess handling the more powerful motors and the “E” launch controller made the folks at Estes in the 90’s decide to market the Maniac as Skill Level III”.

I suspect the skill level also has to do with the probability of losing the rocket, especially for newbs who buy the biggest rocket they can and use the biggest motor they can only to have it land in a different zipcode.

On a side note, I bought these recently for a couple dollars each (can’t remember where). They look like they fit BT-56 tubes. The yellow one looks similar to the ones in the instructions.

 

[brockrwood]

I suspect the skill level also has to do with the probability of losing the rocket, especially for newbs who buy the biggest rocket they can and use the biggest motor they can only to have it land in a different zipcode.

On a side note, I bought these recently for a couple dollars each (can’t remember where). They look like they fit BT-56 tubes. The yellow one looks similar to the ones in the instructions.

View attachment 487827

The yellow one on the left is from the Quest Bright Hawk. The Bright Hawk is a great, durable flier and good for kit bashing if you buy two or three of them.

 

[icyclops]

The packaging people at Estes in the late 90’s put a picture of a very colorfully decorated Maniac rocket on the package insert card. Unfortunately, the decals included in the psckage are not capable of recreating the decal scheme in the picture! I guess I am on my own!
There are no yellow squiggles on the decal sheet. There are not enough red squiggles to duplicate the decal scheme shown in the picture.
View attachment 487700
Um nope. The picture does NOT show possible decal placement.
View attachment 487702

I’m sure the photo prototype was built first and they made the call to change out the decals obviously. I have an idea why as the MANIAC “A and I“ are lost on the Yellow background body color so they must have made that call to change….interesting catch as I don’t know of another Estes kit where they did that….wild!