Another crossed off the list!
I've been wanting to build the Orbital Transport for a few years.
If an O.T. is at a club launch, I always watch the flight.
A classic kit, well designed. The only negative thing is too many fins to cut out and fill! The clean decal treatment really makes the model.
Oh, my. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yicbvWwQ_MA
ReplyDeleteHi Unknown,
DeleteGeorge Takei always cracks me up.
Very nicely done Chris.
ReplyDeleteThanks Leo!
DeleteVery, very nice! Easily one of your better results - clean, smooth and pretty close to museum display quality.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks Chris for not “watermarking” your pictures! I know having unscrupulous jerks copying them for their own use is a problem but for those of us who watch your builds for insight and inspiration it’s much less distracting without the watermarks.
Hi Openroad,
DeleteYou shouldn't have reminded me! I might have to put my name across the finished build.
I figured this one is OOP, but recently found out Semroc has a kit.
It drives me crazy if someone uses blog build pictures to sell their kits. It happens more often than you might think!
Beautiful build, Chris. One of my favorite Orbital Transport flights was a couple years ago at the CRASH site in Denver. The club often has Cub Scouts or other youth groups at launches. MY OT drew a lot of curiosity from adults as well as kids as I walked up to the line and waited to load it on a pad. After a nice boost on a B6, my glider started circling the field, and did a low flyby about 20 feet off the ground right over the pads, over all the spectators, past the parking area, and landed in soft grass. Lots of cheering. I think I could only duplicate that again with a radio-controlled glider. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Lee,
DeleteThere are a few rockets I make a point of watching go up. The Estes Orbital Transport, Air Show, D engine Saturn V and The Dude!
The O.T. never disappoints. I can see why it was a big hit with the Scouts.
Great build, Chris!!!!!
DeleteChris, once again great build. Back in 1980 I bought my first Orbital Tx, got it home and was not happy when I found out I had to cut out all the parts. Then again Estes released the new kit and still had to cut out all the parts. I recently built the Semroc Orbital Tx with laser cut parts, much nicer. I built the rocket in one rainy day, not bad. I still think Estes should once again release this kit, this time with laser cut parts.
ReplyDeleteI had been scratching my head for a while on why the nose of the booster looked "off" on your build (in particular how the cockpit decal sat on the nose). It then dawned on me that it's because the nosecone is different. The plastic nosecone of the reissue looks "pointier" than the balsa one of the original issue -- likely to the curvature of the taper being slightly "flatter" on the plastic one than on the balsa one.
ReplyDeleteHi Naoto,
DeleteYou have a sharp eye! This was a spare parts build. I used heavy walled BT-50 tubing. The best nose cone I had to fit the thicker wall tube was a Starlight plastic nose cone. It's only 3/16" shorter than the BNC-50Y, close enough for me!
To better illustrate what I mean about the shape of the BNC-50Y nosecone:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.shapeways.com/product/B796X2CJG/classic-estes-style-nose-cone-bnc-50y-replacement
I'm know of the Shapeways website and offerings. I just can't justify paying the high price for a plastic nose cone that I would still have to smooth out and fill all the ridges! 3D printing is exciting but has a long way to go before I'd think about investing in a printer.
DeleteThe only reason why I put a link to the Shapeways offering was to illustrate the shape of the original BT-50Y part. As for myself -- I'm too much of a cheapskate and would end up carving a block of balsawood.
DeleteIt's beautiful, Chris.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tim!
Delete