FX Motors

[Karl]

Has anyone heard of these, or know if they are still in production? They seem to have a pretty nice smoke trail!
https://www.cv41.org/personal/gallery/sport_misc/Launch_of_my_Ironman_with_FX_motors

Karl

 

[KenParker]

IIRC FX motors were made by MRC. They produced no thrust. They were a "special effects" device. The kits that used them usually had two FX pods around a central motor tube. You lit the FX motors a second or two before igniting the thrust producing motor. Lots of smoke and then zooom.... the bird would lift off out of the smoke cloud. It was a pretty cool effect.

 

[Karl]

Cool so It's mostly just for the effect? How long did these 'motors' burn for & what dia where they ? Are they still in production or are the only ones out there in peoples 'stashes'?
Thanks
Karl

 

[rstaff3]

Long out of production, but I did see some in a range box a few weeks ago. Oh and they belonged to a TRF member!

 

[Karl]

Originally posted by rstaff3
Long out of production, but I did see some in a range box a few weeks ago. Oh and they belonged to a TRF member!

Thanks! So I take it now that they are long OOP, the price for these babys are 10x more than the old amount? I have a cluster of 3x 18mm outboards and I'd love to see her rising out of a cloud of white smoke If the TRF member who house's these things would like to chime in, Im sure I could come up with a reasonable deal Another problem that strikes me is getting them into the UK

Should these motors be added to the list of possible ways to add smoke to a rocket in the other thread?

Thanks
Karl

 

[Chuck Rudy]

I have a number of them sitting in my motor box, don't ask the answer is no, I'm gonna be using them with a hybrid motor. When the vent is full, I'll fire the FX motor and the 5 count will start.......it should look kinda cool.

They are about the size of a firecracker, yellow and black, and put out a putrid smoke for about 5 seconds.....they smell like a tire fire.

Chuck

 

[rstaff3]

I wouldn't think these were shippable to the UK. As for the price, like most things its what the market will bear.

And Chuck wasn't who I was taking about

 

[Karl]

What type of igniter do they use and do they use a nozzle where the smoke is sort of 'vented' out of?
Thanks
Karl

 

[Chuck Rudy]

They come with an incredibley small Estes type ignitor......they look much like an Estes motor on a miniature scale.....if I can I'll try to get a pic or two, right now it's dark, I'm scared, and they are out in the shed in the woods........this place isn't known as the Bates motel for no reason.......everyone locks the door when they take a shower. What was that!!??

 

[rstaff3]

The igniters I saw with the motors looked exactly like the new igniters that Quest is coming out with, per someone who has both.

 

[shreadvector]

Quest "Q2" igniters are the same as the original MRC igntiers.

FX motors are no longer certified, so NAR insurance won't covere you. (just thought I'd mention that)

Quest motors put out TONS of tracking smoke all by themselves. No extra smoke generators needed.

 

[Karl]

Yeah I've noticed that Quest motors seem to put out a thicker smoke trail than Estes ect! I normaly find the residue of the smoke on the aft end of my rockets when I recover them. Does anyone know why Quest has chosen to do this? And do you think the Composite Quest motors will be like this?
Thanks
Karl

 

[cydermaster]

Originally posted by Karl
Does anyone know why Quest has chosen to do this?

'cos loadsasmoke is cool?

Thats why I use Quest motors, if one is available in the config I want it. They seem to be louder too.

 

[Karl]

Maybe the shape & size of the nozzle is something to do with that?
Karl

 

[Chuck Rudy]

Here's the pic of the FX motors....the Dark Star is there for scale, the ingiter is sitting next to the FX motor.

 

[Karl]

Thanks for the pic Chuck! That igniter looks realy like a TigerTail.....
That Estes Composite motor looks awweesssomme!! Arn't they wayyyy out of production now?
Is the FX motor's 'propellent' visible at the top of the casing like say a D12-0? Or is it more like a P motor with a large clay cap?
Thank you
Karl

 

[shreadvector]

The igniter for the FX motor is the MRC igniter which is the same as a Q2 igniter. See the Q2 flyer for a better view and then look at the photo again:
https://www.rocketshoppe.com/info/quest.jpg

Originally posted by Karl
Thanks for the pic Chuck! That igniter looks realy like a TigerTail.....
That Estes Composite motor looks awweesssomme!! Arn't they wayyyy out of production now?
Is the FX motor's 'propellent' visible at the top of the casing like say a D12-0? Or is it more like a P motor with a large clay cap?
Thank you
Karl

 

[Chuck Rudy]

The DarkStar has been OOP for a few years now.....here's another pic of the motor, it appears I was an inch or so too close but it shows you a tad more. The motor looks like an Esters with no nozzle, no need for one. It's got a whitish clay inside the motor casing.

 

[Ray Dunakin]

Hey, I just checked my box of old rocketry stuff and found I still have two of those, with the igniters. I also discovered I still have a bunch of the old "Sure Shot" igniters, the ones that consist of a tiny piece of Thermalite-type fuse and a little nichrome.

 

[shreadvector]

One of our older club members ahd a huge pile of Sure Shots decomposing in his garage for almost 20 years. I convinced him to let us use them up before they crumbled to dust. The sticks become too brittle to bend or fold, so I simply wrapped the nichrome around them, covered with tape (the tape discs were toast) to secure the wire. I then plopped them into motors for youth group launches and held them against the propellant by running a strap of thin masking tape up and over the stick/wire assy. 100% success rate and we kept the extra igniters that came with the motors to use for fixing misfires for beginers.

Fresh sure shots were great. Old sure shots can still be used for single motors but I would not trust them for clusters.

Originally posted by Ray Dunakin
Hey, I just checked my box of old rocketry stuff and found I still have two of those, with the igniters. I also discovered I still have a bunch of the old "Sure Shot" igniters, the ones that consist of a tiny piece of Thermalite-type fuse and a little nichrome.