NARCON 2022 Manufacturers Presentation Highlights

Here I'm listing some of the new products from the manufacturers. I finally got to listen to the presentation Sunday afternoon.

This blog is LPR based so most of my comments from the Manufacturers Forum will reflect that.

Click on the NAMES to go to their websites.

IMPLS (IMPULSE) LAUNCH SYSTEMS

Central Storage - Everything needed stores in PVC tube built into launcher. Field tough controllers and launchers for LPR, Sport, MPR, HPR, TARC and STEM Education.

12 volt LiPo Battery

New PA-Zazz Public Address System. 8 ft. tall Horn Speaker stands. 150w RMS, 2 Channels

LOC/PUBLIC MISSILES

Working to combine both LOC and PML into a single website.

Integrating both LOC and PML parts and systems.

NORTH COAST ROCKETRY

Now available:

Scorch - Vinyl décor

Corporal

Coming soon:

Artemis SLS - quite a lot of 3D printed parts, 29mm

Star Launch - Shrox design, 3 gliders on the low end.

USMX 2100 - 2.6" tube, sport flyer

Bring backs - First two of six NCR models before next December

4" diameter Phantom

4" diameter A14 Archer XL

GALACTIC MANUFACTURING

Scale upgrade kit for Estes Doorknob

Durable 1/100 scale Apollo escape tower lattice

3D printed, tougher resin print

1/70 Apollo tower in the works

Upscale parts to convert a Big Red Max to a Citation Patriot

(Wraps from Sticker Shock)

First kit to be released this year:

FAI Tube Competition Kit (Parachute, Streamer & Helicopter Duration competitions)

FAI Fin Jig

     

ESTES

Fun to see a few of my builds. That's my Super Mars Snooper and Vesta Intruder.

Super Orbital Transport - upscale of the classic kit.

Coming:

B.O.S.S. Bill Simon Designer’s Series kit

Blue Origin Builder’s Kit, 18mm engine

Blue Origin New Glenn, for 2023

Space x 1/100 Falcon 9, clear plastic fin unit, display nozzles

Only available from the Estes and Space X websites

A3-2t and A3-6t engines, shipping in May

24mm “long” engine, “Somewhere between an E57 and an E65 A deep-core burning, black powder engine.” USPS shippable.

* Estes gets it’s balsa from Malaysia.

* Estes owns the MicroMaxx engine making machines, purchased from Quest. Possible MMX products in the future.

* Estes did purchase Goex Black Powder 

FLISKITS

60 kits are back in production

24mm Tres upscale

Gigabucks (Buckshot upscale) 24mm, different decors available

Coming:

Upscale Deuces Wild 3" diameter, two 29mm engines

Radial Velocity, 29mm, ring fin model with many strakes.

Smaller tri-motor version possible

Upscale Mudwasp, 24mm

Two possible models inspired by the Thunderbirds

EROCKETS/SEMROC

New Scissor Wing Transport - Clone kit of the classic Estes kit.

40% off Excel Knives, blades and accessories for one month.

Upscale Super Blue Bird Zero in development. 

Even larger Mars Snooper and Orbital Transport in development.

* Some balsa shortages. More 3D parts to be developed.

* Heavier walled Centuri style tubing used in larger kits.

ASP Aerospace Specialty Products

New 13mm Astrobee D kit, BT-5 based, wire antennas $12.95 introductory price

A few large Wac Corporal 2.6" diameter kits are available

AEROTECH / QUEST

Again, this blog deals with LPR,

New 24mm x 95mm Q-Jets. White Lighting propellant E35 and F41 motors with 5, 8 or 11 second delays. Can ship using USPS with no hazmat fee. Available Spring 2022.

* A new 15,000 sq. ft. production facility

* New website combining Aerotech and Quest to be unveiled soon.

Rocketship Games Alice's Star Rocket #R6, Part 3, Balsa & Tube Seam Filling

The instructions are very will drawn.

Here you can see how the fins fit thru-the-wall and into the slots printed into the 3D engine mount.

The BT-5 tube had the seams filled with CWF.

On the left the tube top is squared up on a block with 320 grit sandpaper.

The inside ends of the tube were masked off to keep the filler/primer coat out.

The fins were separated from the balsa sheet.

On the right side - 

The six fins were taped down for a good shot of filler primer. 

Notice the root edges are butted against each other  to keep off the primer for stronger gluing.

I tested the fit of a MicroMaxx motor.

The engine mount needed a very slight adjustment for a better friction fit of the engine.

Senchuree or Centouree?

Here's a Facebook post answering the question: "how do you pronounce Estes?

Enlarge to read the copy - 

I added a link to my blog post about how to pronounce Centuri, another name many don't pronounce correctly.

Here's the link explaining how I knew: CLICK HERE 

Notice the "Thumbs Up" I got after my response.

I got an approval from Rick Piester, son of Lee Piester, the founder of Centuri Engineering. 

That customer approval from the 1972 catalog was a little bias - one way to get your kid in print!

Rocketship Games Alice's Star Rocket #R6, Part 2, Parts Prep

I normally separate the fins and apply CWF with a brush, but these fins are thin.

This fin stock is 1/16" thick. I decided to apply the CWF filler using a fingertip while the fins were still on the sheet.

The thinner coat should keep the chance of water warping low.

This picture shows the fins from an earlier MMX Hawkeye build, but the filler on this model was applied the same way.

Here's all six fins, still on the sheet drying underneath my kitchen cutting board.

The top of the board has a pebbled surface, the underside (setting on the balsa) is smooth.

This wet balsa will take a while to dry with the sheet of plastic sitting on top.

The nose cone finish is smoother than the engine mount. The engine mount has the more typical "ribbed" 3D surfaces.

After testing the fit in the BT-5 main tube, I did sand some of the roughness down. Don't sand too much - I still maintained a good slip fit in the body tube.

Estes Buys Goex - Black Powder Producer

Reported by Tigerhawk on YORF, September 2021:

The Hodgdon Company is closing the GOEX BP plant in Louisiana. 

Goex was the largest domestic producer of black powder. 

As reported yesterday by Scott on YORF - 

Estes has purchased Goex Industries.

Rocketship Games Alice's Star Rocket #R6, Part 1, Parts

Here's a fun Micro Max rocket design.

I have a feeling that this model was designed for the daughter of the Rocketship Games family. Her name must be Alice.

Note in the picture above, the sheet of pre-cut vinyl stars. There are a few extras.

The six fins are laser cut from 1/16" thick balsa.

Through the wall (TTW) fins on a 1/8 A, MMX rocket!

The red piece in the inset picture is the one piece 3D printed engine mount.

Notice the slots for holding the root edges of the fins.

Integrated into the engine mount is the launch lug and a small Kevlar tie loop.

The yellow square is a sticker for streamer attachment to the Kevlar shock cord.

The white nose cone is very smooth, 3D printed. On the base is a crossbar to tie on the Kevlar shock cord.

The streamer is cut from rip-stop nylon.

Two coloring pages and an additional sticker sheet is included.

This could be a perfect model for a young girl who likes Unicorns.

Ace Spray Paint Update

I've been getting great results with the Ace Hardware Premium Enamel spray paint.

I go through a lot of Gloss White paint. I did have one episode where the Gloss White shot out like a rough cottage cheese - but - 

It wasn't anywhere near as thick and rough as the Rustoleum Gloss White cottage cheese.

It was easily sanded smooth. 

The thicker Rusto pigment might be what causes the rough cottage cheese spray. 

The Ace Spray Paint is not as thick or opaque as the Rusto 2x. 

The Ace paint does require more spray passes to cover undercoat colors. 

   

If you come across a Ace nozzle that gets clogged up, you can switch out nozzles from another can by simply pulling off the white nozzle. Another nozzle is easily pressed in place.

The picture on the left shows the paint buildup on a Ace nozzle after quite a few spray passes.

You can easily knock off the dried paint with a fingernail and spray again.

Quest/Enerjet Quad Runner Build #Q5016, Part 9, Oh Boy - STICKERS! & Finished

Hold the stickers by a light and you can see the border edge cuts.

As mentioned before, 

I now peel off a sticker and douse it in a small dish of water.

Apply some water to the area on the rocket where the sticker will go.

Set down the sticker, check alignment without squeezing out the water under the sticker surface.

Burnish and remove excess water only after you are sure of the correct position.

Before setting down the long arc decals - 

Find the center point at the top of the arc. If the top of the arc half is not slightly overlapping the center line you might end up with a gap where the ends should overlap.

Take your time . . . 

The long vertical lines are two pieces on each side. 

Plan for a little overlap at the midpoint of the line.

I built three Quad Runners - two for flight (body tube seams not filled) and one for show (extra smooth and all seams filled)

I made a fin template cutout to guarantee equal positioning of the four Quest logo blocks. One logo goes on each right facing fin.

TIP: Notice the Scotch tape around the sides of the cutout. The cardstock template can get wet when checking the sticker position. The tape stops the excess water from soaking into the template.  

I didn't take any finished pictures of the Quad Runner.

These five models were already boxed up when I realized  I had forgot the pictures.

 

So - the best I can do is show all five builds, relaxing in my easy chair.

Quest/Enerjet Quad Runner Build #Q5016, Part 8, The Paper Mask

The instructions say to use a temporary spray adhesive to hold down the paper mask.

I used a glue stick. It actually worked well, almost too well!

I thought I would use something that could be cleaned up with with a damp paper towel.

The side edges of the paper mask were extended down the sides of the body all the way to the bottom edge of the tube.

The rest of the body was covered with a plastic bag mask. 

This red/white décor reminds me of the old Estes Arcas mask.

After spraying the red, the paper mask was peeled off. Some paper was left.

The right side picture shows the paper bits that were left along the mask edges.

These were removed with a damp paper towel, it did take some work!

Don't worry if your mask lines aren't perfect, the width of the sticker lines should cover it.

 

I was concerned the raised paint mask would show under the sticker border lines.

Some 400 grit sandpaper was wrapped around a Q-Tip to knock down some of the paint ridge.

Quest/Enerjet Quad Runner Build #Q5016, Part 7, White Paint & A Paper Mask

I couldn't use one of my smaller painting "wands" - This is a larger diameter model.

I rolled up some corrugated cardboard and friction fit the handle into the top end of the 2" diameter tube.

The body was painted an overall gloss white.

I've said before how I try to look ahead and hopefully avoid some problems later on.

I measured out the center line of the arc on the paper masking guide.

The masking guide was set on top of the sticker sheet over a bright light. It didn't look like the sticker ends were going to be long enough to meet (and slightly overlap) at the top of the arc.

Check out the fourth picture below -

I wasn't convinced that a sheet of paper would block red paint from bleeding through.

TIP: I shot the paper with a good coat of clear acrylic to seal the surface.

Here I've cut a the sheet down the center and overlapped the two pieces by about 3/32". The overlap was taped over.

Quest/Enerjet Quad Runner Build #Q5016, Part 6, Fin Spacing Guide & Fin Gluing

GOTHCHA: Well, the Fin Marking Guide cut from the instruction sheet didn't fit, the ends didn't match up.

I went to payloadbay.com. then tools to find the fin marking guide link.

I first typed in the diameter of 1.97" but it printed a bit small.

1.98" diameter was a better size.

The picture on the right shows the correct fit.

Two 3/16" diameter launch lugs are supplied.

One is glued even with the low end of the body tube.

The upper lug is glued 8" from the top of the lower lug.

 

My first glue line is evened out by making a "V" with my thumb and index finger. Draw the "V" down the glue line making a even bead. 

The fins and body tube were filled with CWF and sanded. Filler/Primer was sprayed and sanded.

I set a fin next to the root edge glue line and mark below the top tip of the leading edge.

The tube is scraped, down to the bare tube for a stronger glue joint. 

Scrape almost to the top of the root edge length.

After scraping off the filler/primer, re-draw the fin lines with pencil and a aluminum angle.

Quest/Enerjet Quad Runner Build #Q5016, Part 5, NC Lug & Fin Prep

Be sure to file away any rough plastic flash on the inside of the shock cord tie loop.

Edges like this can wear on the shock cord.

Here's how the lower fin and upper strake will glue together.

I'm building three models, two for flight and one for show.

With three different sets of fins, I mark the root edges from each set so the different balsa grain and densities remain constant.

After sanding off some of the burnt edges, you might end up with slight differences in length.

Line up the pieces, trim off to even up the tips.

The fin and strakes were glued together with the root edges against a straightedge.

Quest/Enerjet Quad Runner Build #Q5016, Part 4, 4 Motor Cluster Mount

Here's the parts for the central engine retention.

Bolt, washer, 2 star center pieces and a wing nut.

As in the other larger Quest kits - 

The Kevlar is doubled, the loose ends tied to the 1/4" wide elastic using an overhand knot. Simple and no slipping.

One of the star center pieces is screwed onto the bolt, almost to the end.

Another overhand knot is tied at the center of the Kevlar knot. The loop is slid under the head of the bolt.

The upper star piece is screwed up and against the Kevlar loop.

The second star piece is screwed onto the bolt. 

This assembly is glued inside and between the four cluster tubes. 

The washer is slid on and the wing nut screwed on the end of the bolt.

The washer holds all four motors in place - no tape or engine hooks needed.

Quest/Enerjet Quad Runner Build #Q5016, Part 3, 4 Motor Cluster Mount

The motor mount tubes are the same ones that come with the smaller  Quest kits.

There is a pre cut slit for an engine hook, but there are no metal hooks in this kit.

So . . . Place the side with the slit to the top. The engine block will strengthen that slit end of the tube.

I'm not a big fan of these thin, rough tubes. The lower (exposed) end got a wipe of CA glue and smooth sanding.

The tubes are marked with pencil for the centering ring positions.

I cleaned off the laser cut inside edges before gluing them in place. 

That black ash could get everywhere when sliding them over the yellow tubes.

The outside rings are slid in place.

I double checked the spacing of the rings before applying any glue.

Fillets are added afterwards. 

Notice I didn't continue the fillets inside the tight center, just the areas I could easily reach with a finger for smoothing.

The mount assembly was set on a flat surface to be sure all the engine tubes were in line.

The top was evened up using my sanding block. Don't sand the tubes, just press down on the flat block to get all the tubes even.

Quest/Enerjet Quad Runner Build #Q5016, Part 2, More Parts & 24mm Engine Mount

More parts:

Star Supports that center four 18mm motor tubes

Screw, washer and wing nut for engine retention

Kevlar line

The box says 18" nylon chute, but my kits had 16" chutes.

Mentioned earlier, 

The kit now includes a 24mm adapter. This mount fits the Quest 50mm tube.

Parts are standard.

On the 24mm mount:

I did punch some half circles for Kevlar and engine hook relief. This is the upper ring, the lower ring has one punch for just the engine hook.

The Kevlar line is doubled over at it's center and fed through the loop as shown.

The Kevlar looped line is pressed into the glue fillet.

This is the finished 24mm motor mount.

TIP: I always use electrical tape instead of masking tape for engine hook retention and better flex of the metal hook. Masking tape dries out and easily tears. Electrical tape can last for years.