This is an original Vashon product. Well, I guess it could be called a rocket glider.
Hand launched and Freon propelled.
". . . jerk hose from engine. Throw plane hard and slightly upward."
Damon acquired both Centuri and Vashon about the same time.
Centuri continued to operate independently until the early 1980s.
Vashon was absorbed and sold by Estes.
On the right is the 1972 catalog page showing the Shrike and the XS-1. To see it, CLICK HERE
Both "planes" are pretty close in design, they might have been from the same mold but with different decor, I really don't know for sure.
The 1973 Estes catalog appears to have images that make it easier to compare the two gliders.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/catalogs/estes73/73est44.html
Judging by the images that appear here:
* The Shrike appears to be a mid-wing (wings attach to fuselage near midline), while the XS-1 is shoulder-wing (wings attach to fuselage at the top).
* The Shrike appears to have "intake" at the wing root, while the XS-1 doesn't seem to have them
* The basic wing planform appears to be quite similar (if not identical)
* The vertical fin shapes are different
Thanks Naoto,
DeleteLooking at the 1973 catalog I can see the differences!
I should have researched beyond the 1972 catalog.
The earliest edition of the Estes catalog that I had was the 1974 catalog, which didn't list the Shrike. This is the edition of the catalog that came with the Deluxe Starter Kit that picked up with a gift certificate at the local toy/hobby store I'd won in a contest. I was about to pick out a few "stick-and-tissue" model aeroplanes, when my dad spotted the rockets and he'd suggested I should try something new. When I noticed the prices and mentioned the certificate won't cover the price, my dad said "don't worry, I'll cover the difference".
ReplyDeleteOn yet another tangent relating to the Estes 1974 catalog -- Popular Science magazine, November 1972 issue
ReplyDeletehttps://books.google.com/books?id=psqW_3WpLaMC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
topic of "oblique wing aircraft" was revisted in the Oct 1978 issue of Popular Science
https://books.google.com/books?id=HgEAAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=popular+science+magazine+1978+oct&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiVgOKigJXNAhVDxWMKHctVC-YQ6AEIOzAE#v=onepage&q=wing&f=false