To see the Mars Snooper: CLICK HERE
A check on Ninfinger shows Estes came out with the Mars Snooper in 1966. Centuri introduced the Laser-X in 1969.
The Centuri Laser-X was a bit sleeker in some regards. The lower body was a larger diameter with a narrower BT-5 upper section. It didn't have the Mars Snooper "pods" on the outside of the three fins. The Laser-X had thin toothpick details. The upper fins were almost the same shape as on the Mars Snooper.
Both models were a little over 21" tall. The Mars Snooper had a balsa reducer, the Centuri kit a card stock shroud. The Estes kit included a 18" parachute, the Centuri kit had a 20" parachute. A 20" chute seems large to me, it might have been to protect the delicate toothpick details on the outside fin edges.
Here's my older build, the new build will replace it.
I could never figure why the Centuri Laser-X had 1/16" thick fins. I always felt they were weak.
1/16" balsa is fine for the upper small fins and engine mount vanes, but not for the larger, lower main fins.
On this previous build I left the fin edges square.
The Centuri catalog page shows the twelve (yep, twelve!) 1/16" thick vanes around the engine mount tube painted white with the outside edges black.
I liked the paint pattern shown on the Semroc face card. The motor mount tube is black, the vanes are white overall. I'll show how to do this in the build.
Apparently the Estes Mars Snooper was inspired by a spacecraft pictured in an corporate ad for American Bosch Arma
ReplyDeletehttps://www.plan59.com/av/av254.htm
BTW are you familiar with the Cosmostrator from the film "The FIrst Spaceship on Venus"?
https://www.scalemodelnews.com/2015/01/the-cosmostrator-first-spaceship-to.html
Hi Naoto,
DeleteI have seen that Bosch Arma ad before. Someone posted it on the forums maybe 10 years ago. It certainly was the inspiration for the Mars Snooper.
I have seen the Cosmostrator here and there. If I recall, someone tried a plastic model conversion but it wasn't stable.
Heck, that was a good mask on your 2008 build, or did you paint the fins red then glue on? Was this pre-FNF days? I only say that because of the spirals. I still think it is a great looking build.
ReplyDeleteHi Scigs,
DeleteIt was probably pre FNF, grain filled by what sanding sealer I could find then.
I ended up painting the newer build just like the older one. The larger lower fins were masked, the upper small fins painted red off the body then glued on with CA glue. Even in 2008 I knew it would be very hard to mask the small fins directly over that black shroud adapter.
I'll be comparing the two with pictures toward the end of the build.
For pre FNF she looks great, all your old builds look great. Of your the newer building style are catalog finish rockets. Any time you want to give away your old non catalog quality builds, I have an unbuilt Estes Mega Der Red Max with your name on it....:)
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