I've been a big fan of Estes Rockets over the years as I grew up with them. I liked a lot of their designs and have built hundreds of their kits over the years.
The one complaint I always had was that a lot of their rockets are just too small. While I have dabbled in upscaling a little here and there, I haven't really jumped in with both feet until now. I noticed that Estes has recently released their 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 Pro series body tubes and nose cones. I'm really hoping that some of the fantasy style nose cones become available but until then I can stay busy upscaling some of my favorite little rockets.
I took some time away from building to plan a large number of upscales and gather the required parts and it's finally time to get started. I'll post the build as it happens and post up the completed OR Sim file after everything is together and flown successfully.
For this build we're going to use the Estes 2.0 body tube and nose cone. While the Nose Cones isn't an exact upscale, it's close enough for me.
Some DIM's to get us started.
Lower tube. 13.5"
Upper Tube. 7.75"
Motor Tube. 29mm, 8.625"
Centering rings. 3/16" ply.
Fins. 1/8 Basswood.
Estes 29mm motor retainer.
Launch lugs. 1/4"
Tube Coupler with baffle plates. 4"
500# Kevlar
3/8" Elastic Shock Cord.
Below we have all of the materials cut and ready to go. I have already measured and cut the necessary slots in the lower tub for the TTW fins.
Here is another pic with some additional components that will be used as well as my stock BT20 Estes Ninja for size comparison.
The one complaint I always had was that a lot of their rockets are just too small. While I have dabbled in upscaling a little here and there, I haven't really jumped in with both feet until now. I noticed that Estes has recently released their 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 Pro series body tubes and nose cones. I'm really hoping that some of the fantasy style nose cones become available but until then I can stay busy upscaling some of my favorite little rockets.
I took some time away from building to plan a large number of upscales and gather the required parts and it's finally time to get started. I'll post the build as it happens and post up the completed OR Sim file after everything is together and flown successfully.
For this build we're going to use the Estes 2.0 body tube and nose cone. While the Nose Cones isn't an exact upscale, it's close enough for me.
Some DIM's to get us started.
Lower tube. 13.5"
Upper Tube. 7.75"
Motor Tube. 29mm, 8.625"
Centering rings. 3/16" ply.
Fins. 1/8 Basswood.
Estes 29mm motor retainer.
Launch lugs. 1/4"
Tube Coupler with baffle plates. 4"
500# Kevlar
3/8" Elastic Shock Cord.
Below we have all of the materials cut and ready to go. I have already measured and cut the necessary slots in the lower tub for the TTW fins.
Here is another pic with some additional components that will be used as well as my stock BT20 Estes Ninja for size comparison.