I came across this plan on the Shasta Plan site and on a publication for sale on Ebay.
You can follow the Ebay auction of the 1960 Estes publication: "Model Rocketry" HERE
You can see the entire booklet on the Ninfinger site HERE
For some more background, read the third paragraph in this letter from Vernon Estes on the Ninfinger site HERE
Click on the Vern Estes letter to see the 1960 Estes catalog.
The eight page Model Rocketry Handbook with the Orange Bullet plan (the same one in the Ebay auction) is listed in that 1960 catalog for $.25
It was one of the earliest printed plans from Estes. You can see it's numbered as Plan No. 3! Click on the picture for an enlargement.
The reason I bring it up -
DBrent recently built a Centuri Lil' Hercules clone. He posted pictures of the build on TRFand YORF. He did a great job of insetting the unsightly washer weights into the fin stock.
Comparing the two, I was surprised how close these designs are.
Both rockets had weights on the fin tips. The line drawing at the left doesn't show the washer weights.
Notice on both models, how the the fins profile gets wider towards the outside edges. The Estes fins are square, the Centuri rounded.
The Estes Orange Bullet does have 1/16" thick "ribs" under the root edges of the fins extending over the bottom of the nose cone. The earliest Orange Bullet version had square exhaust ports beneath the nose cone to vent out the ejection charge pressure. These ribs were there to keep the nose cone in place.
Chris, did you ever build this model? Would love to see your rendition of it...
ReplyDeleteNo, I've never built the Orange Bullet. I doubt I'd build one, but you never know!
ReplyDeleteWas looking for. Lil' Hercules, and I found an Orange Bullet. Mostalgia and all. Please tell me what to do. That is to make a clone or just go with the orange bullet. If I do build a clone, should I put vents in? And best method for fins? I am much older now and my patience for imperfection....
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteI built a Centuri Lil' Hercules in the 1970s, no real blog information here. I remember the round metal washer weights (on the fin tips) were unsightly, not the smooth fins shown in the Centuri catalog.
On the current Estes Orange Bullet kit, the vents are simulated using black decals. I don't see a reason for the cut-out vents. The fin weights are cardstock. Here's my build on the Orange Bullet from finish to start: https://modelrocketbuilding.blogspot.com/search/label/E%20Orange%20Bullet