Old Estes Rocket: Trident....anyone recall it from the early 1970s?

[Kirk G]

A good grade school friend got into model rocketry thanks to an add on the back of a comic book in the late 1960s.

After all these years, he remembers building something called "Trident" and urges me to "look it up".

We haven't seen each other in like 40 years, but he brings this up at our 40th high school reunion.

Anybody familiar with this thing? Do they still sell it?

 

[K'Tesh]

Semroc has it... erockets.biz

I'm trying to sim it.

Mind you, the Semroc version has you build the side pods using 6 smaller lengths of BT-5, rather than the original's 3x18 inch BT-5 tubes.

Instructions:
https://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/estes/k-33.pdf

 

[qquake2k]

I remember it well. I wanted one bad when I was a kid. Never got one. I've thought about upscaling it, but haven't.

https://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/k-33.htm

https://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/nostalgia/72est024.html

 

[les]

Here is a trio of 'dents

A clone of the Estes Trident - used parts from Semroc before they came out with their kit
A Goonydent - lost that one
And an upscale

 

[Oldschool77]

Yep I had one years ago. Cloned it and also built a 24mm upscale. I've got parts to build a version similar to the former Hawks Hobby upscale. And parts for a 13mm downscale.

 

[Trident]

My original, and most of the parts for a 2.3X upscale. The three ducting tubes need to be longer, I have a 4th tube to extend them. It also looks like I reversed the two nose cones in the upper section when I took the picture. The shorter cone should be the top nose cone.

 

[TangoJuliet]

I just finished building a Semroc Trident. I'll be priming/painting this weekend, hopefully.

 

[JoeG]

Kirk,

Upscale Trident on an Aerotech I211 at Bob Evans Farm.. I had three flights on it before an early deployment rekitted it.

Here it is standing beside my basement doorway.

 

[TangoJuliet]

That's cool!

Even though I'm just finishing my Retro-Repro, I already want a MPR upscale! Not going to HPR.

 

[Flyfalcons]

That's cool!

Even though I'm just finishing my Retro-Repro, I already want a MPR upscale! Not going to HPR.

I remember saying that a little over a year ago......

 

[TangoJuliet]

I remember saying that a little over a year ago......

It's really not worth it for me. The nearest clubs are over two hours away. They have limited launch schedules. I'm only home every other weekend. I can get far more enjoyment for my $$ and time with LPR and MPR.

 

[qquake2k]

Kirk,

Upscale Trident on an Aerotech I211 at Bob Evans Farm.. I had three flights on it before an early deployment rekitted it.

Here it is standing beside my basement doorway.

That's beautiful!

 

[Nathan]

I built one about 1971. One of the last rockets I built as a kid.

 

[Lowpuller]

Is the SEMROC version the same as the Estes in size? It just uses different tubes to get there?

 

[soopirV]

I cloned one a few years ago off of plans I found on YOR I think? It's a fun flyer! I love the idea of the upscale...beautiful work!

 

[JoeG]

Thanks guys,

I built my first Trident in the projection room of the theater I was working in just after graduating high school many, many years ago while running Barbra Streisand's movie "On a Clear Day." It's amazing that I can remember that and forget where I put the glue five minutes ago.

The upscale shown above also used the original "gas ducting" ejection system and it actually worked very well. I upgraded to an altimeter on the last flight and that went off early . I guess I should have stayed with the KISS principle.

 

[BEC]

Is the SEMROC version the same as the Estes in size? It just uses different tubes to get there?

Yes it is the same size. Several things are done in the Semroc version to make it easier to build: laser cut fins, laser cut gas passages in both the BT-5 and BT-50 tubes, a nice jig for assembling the whole thing is included, and as Jim noted the BT-5 side tubes are in two pieces (with a stage coupler at the joint) instead of one-piece. The laser cut gas passages are also larger, which is a good thing with occasional aggressive ejection charges. The first one I built (xKit) where I had to cut the passages by hand blew out the lower main tube on an ejection.

But if you set them built examples side-by-side they would be very hard to tell apart.

 

[RocketT.Coyote]

A buddy had one. Never saw it fly though.