favorite featherweight rocket

[caheaton2]

Hello. I'm talking about the Estes 220 Swift, mini Mosquito, Astron Streak, Semroc Triton, Centuri Satellite 62SL, etc. What's your favorite and why? Just recently built a 220 Swift and am now contemplating building another, but painted to resemble the rifle cartridge. For some reason I've been drawn to these little guys lately....maybe it's because they look so cute when slip them into my wife's china cabinet!

 

[kuririn]

#1 would be the Centuri Li'l Herc.
It was in my first rocket order when I was a kid.
#2 is the Astron Streak.
Split the nose cone in half and hollowed it out.
There was a choice of three fin shapes, I believe, in the instructions.
So I picked the popsicle shaped one to give maximum apogee.
Rounded the leading edge and tapered the trailing edge razor thin.
Put in a C and launched it.
Lost sight of it going up, saw the puff of smoke at ejection, but never recovered it.
It was worth it.

 

[BEC]

Well, if cute is one of the objectives, and you have a Hobby Lobby within reach, the Luna Bug is certainly an option.

It has the advantage over the Mosquito and especially the 220 Swift and Quark in that the little "landing pads" slow it down during recovery enough that you don't have to worry if it comes down close to people as all three of them streamline in after kicking out the motor. The Luna Bug just does so much more slowly so that you can actually see it. The 220 Swift or Quark with their pointy plastic nose cones would really hurt if it landed on you, I think.

I have the parts necessary to clone a Streak (some of the few parts I have from my Jr. High/High School rocketry days). I should do that. I had one as one of my first (if not my first) rocket but of course it's long gone. Between the 1/8 ounce all up weight and that blunt BNC-10A balsa nose cone, that one doesn't concern me if it happens to land nearby either.

 

[ewomack]

I will always have a soft spot for the Skeeter - shown here hanging in a local hobby shop with the latest packaging, waiting to get bought, built and disappeared into oblivion.

 

[user 13]

The Estes/Semroc spaceman, Builds nice, flies nice, and you can get creative with it. Also It's not a conventional rocket. It mods well also.

https://www.erockets.biz/semroc-flying-model-rocket-kit-spaceman-kv-10/
Here is Octo-Pete from space, a 4 leg/4 arm Spaceman with my not finished Spock Spaceman.

The Birdie is a close 2nd.

 

[Colorado John]

For me my favorite has to be the Micro or Mini Goblin from cardstock. It is around the size of the 220 Swift or mini Mosquito however it uses a small streamer for the recovery. I like it and it is fun to see something that was a flat sheet of paper go very fast and several hundred feet into the air. Here is a photo with two of my Micro Goblins in it. You can get the plans to print out one of your own over in the Cardstock Rockets section.

 

[jqavins]

Flutter-By.

Oops, I meant to put that in the "Suggest me a kit for the A8-3" thread. It's not technically feather weight, even though each piece on its own is.

 

[milehigh]

I'll go with the Mosquito on this one. My very first kit build in 1973 was a Mosquito. An additional two were built in the old fleet days.
My BAR era Mosquito, built in 2016, has 11 returned flights with more yet to come.

 

[caheaton]

Guess I should toss mine in here. For me, it was the Centuri Satellite 62SL. (Likely because it was one of my early rockets when I was a teenager). Sadly, it was lost one day when I launched it from the front yard....I suspect it landed in a tree somewhere as I did a thorough search of the yard and even the roof!

 

[Joekeyo]

Astron Sprite? Mosquito? It's a toss up. The Everglades Mosquito is photo bombing. The babies haven't flown yet, so the jury is still out. The EM is a workhorse and loves a C6-5.

 

[Joekeyo]

Rounded the leading edge and tapered the trailing edge razor thin

Even as a naive teenager, I didn't think an airfoil was necessary on the mosquito. I was right. I do remember actually recovering it at least once.

 

[Joekeyo]

Does anyone remember a featherweight rocket that had a clear BT? Was it an early version of the mosquito? I remember using adhesive strips on the BT to give the NC glue something to stick to. From faint memories from back in the last millennia, I seem to recall having more than one of these. I suspect they were low priced.

 

[GlenP]

Shave and a HairCut ...

https://jonrocket.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_38_243&products_id=1756
Came with two cardstock models, one printed and one blank so you could color your own. One plastic nose cone and one balsa block to shape your own cone. I think I got that one free with coupons from all my mail in orders I made back when I was spending all my paper route money on rockets. The cardstock fins are pretty thick and high drag, so you won’t lose this one.

 

[jqavins]

The rocket looks like fun, sure. Just having Centuri NOS is awesome.

 

[shuyge]

Does anyone remember a featherweight rocket that had a clear BT? Was it an early version of the mosquito? I remember using adhesive strips on the BT to give the NC glue something to stick to. From faint memories from back in the last millennia, I seem to recall having more than one of these. I suspect they were low priced.

This was the Astron Streak. Which is also my pick. Purely for sentimental reasons. I built one in my youth back in the late 70's.

I think I'll pull one of from my stash and build it.
JimZ has the plans here: Astron Streak

Stan

 

[caheaton]

$18? But the package says it only costs 4 bits! ;-) (LOL)

 

[caheaton]

Aaaannnnnndddd it's done. Flew the 220 Swift this morning for it's maiden flight and never saw it land. I saw and heard the ejection, but never did find where it landed....even though it's a mowed grassy field. Soil was soft, so I suspect it may have buried itself and I just didn't walk over it. After an hour search I quit. :-( I gave it a 50 50 chance of that happening, so not too hurt over it. Next build is going to use nose blow recovery....that may help a bit (and maybe a tiny streamer....). Nice flight though, saw the stream of smoke all the way up on a 1/4A3 motor with a touch of a wobble and a slight arc into very light wind.

 

[Joekeyo]

1/4 A ? I was thinking I'd find my tiny rockets using 1/2 As. I will order some 1/4 As.

 

[GlenP]

(and maybe a tiny streamer....).

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Bird-B-Gone-Flash-Tape-Bird-Repellent/999990234I use this for streamers in my 13mm min dia rockets.

 

[Joekeyo]

This was the Astron Streak.

Yes, that's it. I always wondered if the ejection charge would melt the clear BT. I can't recall ever getting one back to find out ???

 

[shuyge]

Yes, that's it. I always wondered if the ejection charge would melt the clear BT. I can't recall ever getting one back to find out ???

I can't exactly recall either, but I'm sure that they're good for several launches at the very least.

 

[shockie]

Hello. I'm talking about the Estes 220 Swift, mini Mosquito, Astron Streak, Semroc Triton, Centuri Satellite 62SL, etc. What's your favorite and why? Just recently built a 220 Swift and am now contemplating building another, but painted to resemble the rifle cartridge. For some reason I've been drawn to these little guys lately....maybe it's because they look so cute when slip them into my wife's china cabinet!

back in the day : Astron Scout, Sprite and Streak...... I could launch all 3 in the backyard on 1/4A-1/2A and never lose them.....

 

[mooffle]

Can I plug my own just finished build? Or do I need to wait until it's proven itself and flown?

 

[jqavins]

"This is my new favorite design."


"This is my new favorite flyer."

Why not both?

 

[caheaton]

Please, show us your design

 

[mooffle]

Here's my Lepton build thread, it's a cross between a scout and a sprite, with lateral spin recovery.
I am hoping to fly it by this weekend. If the recovery method doesn't work it will definitely be featherweight. If it's successful you all get to decide