Estes Dummy Engine

I'd always seen these in the catalogs, but never in person. These pictures came off an Ebay listing HERE.

Here's a dummy engine from the Estes Astron PHANTOM model, the first clear bodied cutaway display rocket.
While the cutaway engine was listed for sale separately from the Phantom model, this one looks like it was installed in the model. On the exterior you can see some clear white glue still stuck to the surface.

I was surprised by this interior picture - it's rough!
The half started out as a whole casing and was loaded with a non-combustible filler of some kind.
You can clearly see the band saw marks from when the engine was cut in two. The entire paper cap, not a half piece, was glued on whole after the casing was cut in half.

From the Ninfinger website is the 1969 Estes catalog picture.
This BT-20 diameter version was listed from 1962 - 1971.
A larger, clear plastic version of the Estes Alpha replaced it under the Phantom name from 1971 - 1996.





Centuri had the Visible Astro for a short time.
It was sold for only one year in 1971.

Below that is a large Centuri Cut-a-way Engine Display.
This cutaway engine was 2 3/4" diameter x 10" tall.

FlisKits also makes a cutaway engine kit that is large enough to be seen from the far corner of a classroom.