WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ESTES MINI-BRUTE?

[goose_in_co]

Did someone say Mini-Bertha?



It's another clone.

 

[SCooke123]

I built the Screamer and Little John years ago - never did launch either!

 

[dpower]

They're all great! I flew many of them, they were cheaper. Screamer is probably my favorite, but I recall flying the Javelin and Super Flea, once... Still have my mini-brute Bomarc - Canadian paint scheme.

 

[T-Rex]

Had the Javelin/Super Flea combo. Friend built a rogue, which I liked better. Cloned one couple years ago but it was destroyed before it saw paint. Will build another, and been thinking of cloning a Screamer

 

[Fishhead]

Condor!

 

[jetlag]

Mini-brute Bomarc.

 

[Mugs914]

Had a Rogue that I built as a 18mm min diameter like the WAC Corporal. Screamer was a favorite. Always wanted a Wolverine but never got one...

Might need to get a few clones going!

 

[foose4string]

Only one I had was the Beta. Went full bore first flight and never saw it again.

 

[DeWain]

I only had one when I was a kid - the TK-31 Star Blazer. Absolutely loved it. The "United States" and USAF roundel on the wings were ridiculously out of proportion... but I loved it. I still have my original, the original instructions, and the original fin templates. I built a newer clone (with much better building techniques) a few years ago, and I am building a 1.8x (BT-55) upscale right now. I always wanted to build all of them.

I did have a Midget, and loved it too (hey-- a two-stager that you can launch in a small field!). But the one that I had was the K-40 that was built for 18mm short motors, so it really wasn't the TK-40 mini brute.

As a BAR, I've built the Mini Bertha, Mosquito, Screamer, and Beta. The Little John is awaiting paint and decals. The Mini Bomarc, Javelin, and Super Flea are in the build queue.

 

[BWP]

Looking at all the nice mini brute builds has convinced me to build and fly some of these kits. Thanks

 

[PXR5]

Great thread
Takes me back, I had several Screamers. Easy recovery

Sadly I don't think I ever had a Super Flea.
Did have a bunch of Mosquitoes, one of my favourites.

 

[Ez2cDave]

Great thread
Takes me back, I had several Screamers. Easy recovery

Sadly I don't think I ever had a Super Flea.
Did have a bunch of Mosquitoes, one of my favourites.

JAVELIN & SUPER FLEA !

https://www.erockets.biz/semroc-laser-cut-fins-super-flea-javelin-1-16-balsa-sheet-sem-fes-0815

PDF File below . . .

Dave F.

 

[DWonders]

Goose-in-co

Did someone say Mini-Bertha?

View attachment 411550

It's another clone.

is your mini bertha an 18mm?

 

[Ez2cDave]

Goose-in-co

is your mini bertha an 18mm?

"Back in the day", a B14 would have made that disappear off the pad "in the blink of an eye" !

 

[DWonders]

Disappear being the operative word here!

 

[goose_in_co]

Goose-in-co

is your mini bertha an 18mm?

Nope, It's 13mm. The 1/2A3-4t sent it out of sight. Fortunately there was no wind, and I used a streamer. I like to get my rockets back.☺

 

[jetlag]

I built 3 Mini-Bomarcs, a Wolverine, and a Star Blazer. The Bomarc remains my favorite Mini-Brute in case you weren't sure!

 

[Marc_G]

Love the Screamer! It was my first rocket, at camp in the 1970s. I have many upscales of it!

 

[Claviusbase1]

Star Blazer. But I also loved the mini-powered plastic Estes X-15. I have a love for any mod-roc that looks liked anything that could be manned....

 

[EvryThngIsAOk]

StarBlazer or Wolverone.

 

[goose_in_co]

Just finished the clones of the Super Flea and Javelin.

I have all the parts for a Rogue clone ready for a build now. Stay tuned.

 

[SolarYellow]

I'm starting to think the Mini Bertha is my favorite version. I like the roll pattern and the goofy decals are actually cool. Like they finally got some artists having fun, rather than a bunch of dorks making lines and rectangles. Might have to upscale it to BT-60 one of these days.

 

[Ez2cDave]

Definitely the JAVELIN ( combo with Super Flea ) . . . I used to fly those on "Mini-B's" . . . G-O-N-E ! ! !

 

[Claviusbase1]

My favorite was the Starblazer. (No secret; I like rockets that look to be manned {excuse me, “crewed”}). Unfortunately my dog chewed it up before I had a chance to launch it. Balsa nose cones are nice and chewy. The Little John was simple and a good performance flyer. Later I also got the EAC Viper; another solid flyer.

There is a website out there that has some paper model rockets, including the Starblazer, that match up very well with BT-5.

Currently have a scratch built mini- Mercury Redstone (BT-50) and mini-Centuri Orion of similar diameter (got that BT and NC from eRockets).

 

[techrat]

I had the Star Blazer, but I modified it heavily, adding more wing area along the length of the body tube, and then cutting extra wingtip pieces angled downward. It ended up looking more like a mini "interceptor", but the interesting thing is that under power it flew straight, but during the delay period, it glided like a winged vehicle -- or at least that's how it looked. Going through my 1976 Estes Catalog though... I'd say my favorite right now is the Wolverine.

In fact, the Wolverine may be my favorite Estes rocket at this time. I might want to build a larger one. BT-60 at least.

 

[GlennW]

Built the Javelin & Super Flea back in the day. Super flea was lost to a tree about 15 years ago but still have the Javelin, as well as a Mosquito that's flown many times over the years and is always a crowd pleaser at the launches!

 

[BEC]

I have become enamored of the TK-45 Beta to the point that I built one for Classic Model at NARAM-64.

Flown A10-0T to A3-6T it will do 900 feet (altitude from either Adrel ALT-BMP or FS Comp carried aboard), which is plenty high enough for a model that small.

The first two of these pictures are of one that was donated, unflown, to my club maybe 10 years ago. I put in a 'chute and a new shock cord and flew it several times A10-0T to 1/2A3-4T (about 700 feet) until one time the sustainer didn't light. The result is the first picture. The second one is that same model after the sustainer, from just above the lower roll pattern up, was replaced. I made no attempt to match the older white dope color, which was ~40 years old, with the new white paint.

The third picture is one of the two I built for NARAM under construction.



I have also cloned and enjoy flying the Mini Bertha.


But for me the original K-31 Star Blazer is the only one. The TK-31 is an imposter....

 

[Initiator001]

The Mini-Bomarc is my favorite mini-brute model.

 

[Initiator001]

...But for me the original K-31 Star Blazer is the only one. The TK-31 is an imposter....

You got that right!