Estes 1/200 Scale RTF Saturn V

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Quite frankly, the Q-Jets burn with a rather unsatisfying, fairly quiet, hiss... at least the C6-3 goes WOOSH! It's one reason I consider it unfortunate that AT has discontinued the 18mm single use D's... but I'm not annoyed...
 
Make sure the Qjet igniter is all the way to the front of the motor. Composites burn from the front of the core, if lit from the middle or end they might not build up enough pressure and will stay on the pad and burn.
Thanks for the tip, I just got some QJets and haven’t flown them yet.
 
;)


Launched my replacement today on a C6-3 motor. A slight breeze blowing, maybe 5 mph. Beautiful flight and recovery, slight arcing near apogee.
Will try a Q-Jet C on the next flight. For higher flights and larger fields the Q-Jet D is perfect.:D
One thing I noticed: When loading the motor it is not fully seated at the first "stop". The retainer will not fully thread down and lock the fin can. When I twisted it the motor advanced down a further 1/8" or so and the retainer could be fully threaded down. I think that may be what has led to some of the errant flights that have been reported. Read and follow all instructions and addendums.
Cheers.

Okay, I am watching your video,

How much coffee did you have to drink that morning? ;)
 
Quite frankly, the Q-Jets burn with a rather unsatisfying, fairly quiet, hiss... at least the C6-3 goes WOOSH! It's one reason I consider it unfortunate that AT has discontinued the 18mm single use D's... but I'm not annoyed...

But I love the thick black smoke from the Q-jets.

I like the sound *and* smoke from the Qjets. They are pleasingly different from BP motors, nice to have a change of pace.
 
I like the sound *and* smoke from the Qjets. They are pleasingly different from BP motors, nice to have a change of pace.

For some reason, black smoke doesn't do it for me... I guess it's 'cause I've never seen a Saturn belching dark black smoke... :) At least it doesn't look dark to me!
 
Anybody get one for Christmas?

I got myself a new nose cone for Xmas (along with a dozen other Estes kits that were on sale)!

The old one had drifted into a forest after I broke my own cardinal rule, and used Estes-supplied elastic for shock cord. Total brain fart on my part.
Elastic promptly broke after a few flights, and the light nose cone drifted into the next zip code, while the heavy airframe came back ballistic, core-sampled, yet incurred no damage.

This airframe is gorgeous and indestructible !

a

P.S.: I went back and actually found the nose cone dangling from the tipy-top of a 150+ft tree, now that the leaves are gone. Who knows, maybe the chute shroud lines will rot in a year or two, and I might still recover it! :cool:
 
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I got myself a new nose cone for Xmas (along with a dozen other Estes kits that were on sale)!

The old one had drifted into a forest after I broke my own cardinal rule, and used Estes-supplied elastic for shock cord. Total brain fart on my part.
Elastic promptly broke after a few flights, and the light nose cone drifted into the next zip code, while the heavy airframe came back ballistic, core-sampled, yet incurred no damage.

This airframe is gorgeous and indestructible !

a

P.S.: I went back and actually found the nose code dangling from the tipy-top of a 150+ft tree, now that the leaves are gone. Who knows, maybe the chute shroud lines will rot in a year or two, and I might still recover it! :cool:



Do you usually replace the stock shock cords right out of the box?
 
Got one when they first came out. Flew them a few times nice flights.
But the RTF rockets are boring. I enjoy the build as much as flying them
 
Do you usually replace the stock shock cords right out of the box?
I do. It is fairly common practice to replace the Estes-supplied rubber with elastic, Kevlar, or a combination of both. In addition to the lack of longevity of the rubber, most folks like their shock cords to be longer than what Estes supplies.

Of course, plenty of folks build the kits as-is, too, with success.
 
Do you usually replace the stock shock cords right out of the box?

Yes.
I bought spools of Kevlar cord off Amazon (150 lbs for low-power, and 2000 lbs for mid-power rockets), and religiously trash the elastic cords as soon as I find them in a kit, then replace them with Kevlar lines. Why I did not do it on this kit, is beyond me.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0184ZGSQ2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Yep, that's the one I got.

Now I have one 1:200 18mm MMT SatV, and another 1:200 with 24mm MMT SatV, ready for the next launch.
With the weather the way it is in NE, that may not be any time soon.
 
Have followed this thread, then bought a 1/200 Saturn V, then joined forum and would now like to make a post. I see no big deal in sliding the motor in and making sure it seats firmly at the front. When sliding motor in you can feel the edge at the top. If you are misaligned, move it a little and it will clear it and fit right in. Where you have to be careful is with the motor retainer ring. It is very easy to barely cross thread it just enough to where it is not flush against the clear fin unit. This in turn can cause a slight wobble. The thread used is large and it is very easy to cross thread just enough to cause problems when in flight.
 
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Have followed this thread, then bought a 1/200 Saturn V, then joined forum and would now like to make a post. I see no big deal in sliding the motor in and making sure it seats firmly at the front. When sliding motor in you can feel the edge at the top. If you are misaligned, move it a little and it will clear it and fit right in. Where you have to be careful is with the motor retainer ring. It is very easy to barely cross thread it just enough to where it is not flush against the clear fin unit. This in turn can cause a slight wobble. The thread used is large and it is very easy to cross thread just enough to cause problems when in flight.

I'd agree except when it's 80+ degrees and the humidity is same or worse. What was the temp and humidity when you flew yours?

We pulled one apart where we could see directly what was going on and found that the cardboard tube could swell enough that it had to be sanded some to get the motor into the recessed area (forward retention ring).
 
I'd agree except when it's 80+ degrees and the humidity is same or worse. What was the temp and humidity when you flew yours?

We pulled one apart where we could see directly what was going on and found that the cardboard tube could swell enough that it had to be sanded some to get the motor into the recessed area (forward retention ring).


Not meant to sound rude: So, sand it a little for fit. These things are not multi million dollar machines really meant to go to the moon. They are to have fun with. I live in Houston Texas. It gets very hot and humid here. :eggnog:
 
Not meant to sound rude: So, sand it a little for fit. These things are not multi million dollar machines really meant to go to the moon. They are to have fun with. I live in Houston Texas. It gets very hot and humid here. :eggnog:

Sure, but the original point was that it is very easy to get a motor it cooked if you are not aware of the defect. If Estes had simply made the forward retention ring a little deeper it would have been impossible to incorrectly install the motor. The problem is compounded by the fact that the rocket is underpowered using the recommend motor.
 
Sure, but the original point was that it is very easy to get a motor it cooked if you are not aware of the defect. If Estes had simply made the forward retention ring a little deeper it would have been impossible to incorrectly install the motor. The problem is compounded by the fact that the rocket is underpowered using the recommend motor.

Like I said, it's a $50.00 to $60.00 dollar rocket. I have no problem with the length of the forward retention ring. Again, not trying to be rude: If you dislike it so much just stop flying it. 🚀
 
You
Like I said, it's a $50.00 to $60.00 dollar rocket. I have no problem with the length of the forward retention ring. Again, not trying to be rude: If you dislike it so much just stop flying it. 🚀
You are not being rude, but you are missing the point.
 
I get your point. And I have followed this whole thread. You expect Estes to make a perfect rocket, and it be a ready to fly at that. And keep it under 60 bucks. Well, in todays world...................that probably wont happen. I am very happy that there is a Estes, "Ready to fly" Rocket now for folks like me that can't stand building or have real problems with building. If somebody wants perfection then they will need to build a kit themselves. For as mass produced ready to fly Saturn V at a great price point I think Estes did very well. Is it perfect, no..........but not much is. Is it good looking, fun to fly (With a little common sense), and a good buy.........I think it is. My new Rocket friend, sometimes you just need to walk away from something. I think it's time you walk away from these. 🚀 :eggnog:
 
No you clearly don't. I expect Estes to make a product that is as safe as practical (not "perfect"). They failed in this case which is why they issued an addendum and started including it in the packaging. Clearly even Estes does not agree with your assessment.
 
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If you feel that they are so unsafe why are you even getting around them? How can you drive out to the flying field? You have a much higher chance of being hurt from a traffic accident then from flying one of these rockets.
 
We have addressed the safety of this rocket (and others) in 3 ways. 1) LPR pad positions that exceed the minimum required by code by several factors (we do this for all LPR and MPR). 2) The RSO inspects specifically for an incorrectly installed motor and indication that the rocket flew previously with an incorrectly installed motor. 3) Asking the flyer if they are aware of the issue and/or have read the addendum.
 
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