It didn't occur to me to look at the older Vashon catalogs at the Ninfinger website: CLICK HERE
This catalog looked to be from the early 1970s. The Vashon line was first sold through the Estes catalog in 1972.
The SHRIKE has a blunt nose and intakes at the front of the wings. The vertical stabs are a triangle shape.
On the right: The old catalog XS-1 Space Shuttle has a longer point nose and no intakes.
The wings look more swept and the vertical stabilizers are a trapezoidal shape. The front of the stabs don't extend beyond the leading edge of the wing.
On the left: Here's the Ebay XS-1 picture from the post a few days ago.
It has the same blunt nose of the Shrike, intakes and triangular stabilizers.
Estes may have ran out of the XS-1 bodies (they are very similar) and figured: "Who'd know the difference?"
Do different stickers really make a different model?
"Do different stickers really make a different model?"
ReplyDeleteCustom Rockets seems to think so (at least at first glance):
http://www.customrocketcompany.com/store/index.php?id_product=27&controller=product
http://www.customrocketcompany.com/store/index.php?id_product=28&controller=product
http://www.customrocketcompany.com/store/index.php?id_product=29&controller=product
I may be mistaken, but these don't look much different from the (now out-of-production) TriStar (aside from the different recovery method -- TriStar was parachute recovery, while the ones listed above use streamer).
https://www.rocketreviews.com/tristar---custom-rockets.html
And another mystery is (sorta) solved.
ReplyDelete