wich one

[lipp]

I was wandering if I could get some suggestions on what would be a good first mid power rocket kit?????? other than Estes kits...

 

[Initiator001]

AeroTech Initiator.

 

[sandman]

Aerotech Mustang!

Sorry, I just like mine.

 

[Justin Horne]

Both good, but one thing I learned after buying an AT kit, then a different brand, is that AT kits go together significantly differently than any others.. Id suggest any of Binder Design's kits, specifically the Stealth Jr.

www.binderdesign.com

 

[KarlD]

I recommend a PML Explorer myself. Tank of a rocket, and flys very well with G54's You can even Cert lvl 1 if you have a huge field.

 

[DynaSoar]

Originally posted by sandman
Aerotech Mustang!

Sorry, I just like mine.

Agreed. A very good intro to mid power.

I like mine so much I doubled the length of the body and gave it a payload section.

Yes, At kits go together very differently than any others. Better, in my opinion. I've already started buying AT parts to make my own with.

 

[lalligood]

I've been very happy with my US Rockets Banshee--it's my favorite MPR in my fleet. It has parts that you're already familiar with (including a balsa nose cone!), just that everything is bigger. It comes with a 29-24mm motor adapter so you can fly it on as little as a D12-3 all the way up to Hs (if you're brave & have a large field).
Check out my Banshee review over at EMRR.

And check out the Vendors forum here. Jerry Irvine posted a while back that he'd give a discount on the Banshee for all TRF members...

HTH,

 

[Johnnie]

My intro was an Aerotech Aerreaux (pronounced "Aero") Long bodytube, 29mm mount, very stable design 3FNC, and it has that unique Aerotech constuction. Basically, the Aerreaux is a elongated 3-finned version of the mustang. But when you fly the Aerreaux on a G64, you can still see it in the sky...

also LOC Precision has some very cool designs for entry level MPR. The Graduator comes to mind.

 

[Thrasher]

Estes makes bigger rockets than the Mustang. There is nothing wrong with the mustang, I have one, but it's not big. If I'm looking at my first mid-power kit, I would want something I could see. The Initiator is an excellant choice. You can put an F or G in it and still see it fly. Aero Tech is expensive.

My first Mid-power was the Yank Black Brant X (2.5" version). It is only $50 and is 56" long. Too heavy for E's, but flys great on F & G motors. I've got 16 launches on it and it is still flying.

 

[loopy]

AT Initiator.

 

[r1dermon]

i bought a LOC precision Aura for my first true mpr bird. 8oz, its advertised to hit 4500ft on a G35. thats why i bought it, im an altitude addict. apogee makes an aspire, which will probably be my next mpr rocket. weighs less than 2oz with a 29mm mount. hits a mile on an F10(but who has one of those?!?) and breaks mach on a G80.

 

[rabidsheeep]

do you have a rather large field that you yourself can launch at? i didn't start with an initiator because i didn't need the pad or the launch controller because theres no fields really big enough, so my first was a mustang...

 

[r1dermon]

i believe the initiator is now sold in kit form for around 60 bucks...no pad or controller...

 

[gerbs4me]

The Tiny Pterpdactyl is one great flyer, the AT kits prices seem high to me

 

[Hospital_Rocket]

Consider the LOC Viper III.

You will learn about MPR assembly techniques, can still fly it on BP, will also teach you about clustering, and It's a workhorse.

A

 

[lipp]

the rocket i've got in mind would be fat, average length, D, E,F motors, and launchable off a ESTES E launch pad.. Am I being to piky?????

 

[Hospital_Rocket]

Loc Onyx....

 

[r1dermon]

do you want 29mm or 24mm? estes D's E's and some F's like the F21 are all 24mm, but if you want to get some junk in the trunk, ie G power, once you've gotten bored with the D's E's and F's. then 29mm would give you a huge variety. not only that, but a lot of really kick butt motors are 29mm, while there are SOME sweet 24mm motors, its a lot better to start with a 29mm mount and throw an adapter in to run it on. just something to think about.
for under 40 bucks, the onyx is a really nice kit, but if you want something a little more sleek looking, i'd go with the loc forte.

 

[BlueNinja]

Hm, the estes pad looks kinda weak. If you're gonna get into MPR, I would recommend another pad. I say the Mustang is a nice rocket for MPR intro.

 

[shinbone]

I'm a big fan of the LOC Graduator. As its name implies, it's a great way to graduate from low- to mid-power. It's basically just a large modroc, and besides assembling with epoxy, you'll find very little difference building it from a low-power kit.
I first flew mine on F motors with great results, and have recently "kicked it up a notch" by flying Gs with spectacular results.
I have a feeling it's tough enough for an H, though you're likely to lose sight of it.
Highly recommended.

 

[johnp]

Buy a kit? Scratch built is an easy way to go. been flying rockets for over 10 years and haven't bought one kit yet. Maybe I will one day.

 

[KarlD]

Originally posted by lipp
the rocket i've got in mind would be fat, average length, D, E,F motors, and launchable off a ESTES E launch pad.. Am I being to piky?????

No you are not.

The USR Banhsee would fit your bill perfectly. TTW construction, Great quality parts, and Jerry offers 15% off his web site amount for TRF people. Old-school build, which means if you are comfortable with estes, you will have no problems.

Just my 2c's worth.

 

[rabidsheeep]

also, with aerotech the great thing is that there sturdy beyond all reason

i put mine together with just elmers super glue and it held up to a G64 reload... you proabaly could put them togehter dry without glue and they would fly

 

[Donaldsrockets]

Aerotech G-Force. That was my first MPR kit, flies great on G64-4W reloads.

I wouls also reccommend the PML Explorer, flies great on a G64-7W reload and tears a hole in the sky with an H128.

 

[wickball]

Another vote for the Initiator, with the launch eqpt. Worked out as a great introduction for me.

wick

 

[lipp]

Originally posted by Blue_Ninja_150
Hm, the estes pad looks kinda weak. If you're gonna get into MPR, I would recommend another pad. I say the Mustang is a nice rocket for MPR intro.

I was wandering what pad you would recomend??????

 

[BlueNinja]

I'd probably make something out of PVC. however, if you can get a holverson Slider pads they are advertised to work pretty well.

 

[Johnnie]

I was wandering what pad you would recomend??????

and blue_ninja_150 said...

I'd probably make something out of PVC

agreed, you can scratch build a Mid-power pad out of PVC for around the $20 <---> $30 range. Use this Forums search engine and search out scratch built pads, or PVC pads, and you will find a lot of good threads on the subject.

 

[Zippy]

PML AMRAAM2, very sturdy, nearly bullet proof. Will fly well on F40 to any H or 29mm I. All the components are very high quallity and it should be less than $50 at most retailers. Replacement parts are available directly from PML although they charge a premium for kits bought at their own web site.

 

[lalligood]

Originally posted by Zippy
Replacement parts are available directly from PML although they charge a premium for kits bought at their own web site.

PML just charges you full retail price for their kits. For the few extra bucks compared to buying it from a vendor, I have personally preferred to purchase PML kits/parts directly from them (I place my orders over the phone too) because they are *extremely good* about shipping their orders quickly & have excellent customer service! (But there's nothing wrong with using a vendor that you've dealt with before either...)

Just my $0.02...