bigone5500
Well-Known Member
Thought about building this little rocket and putting it in the air. It's been many years since I launched one.
It Ain't Rc But It Sure Is Fun.
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bigone5500
Well-Known Member
If the area is large enough you can launch the small models in light wind ~5mph. You have to angle the launch pad to accommodate.
RandyDSok
Well-Known Member
Low wind days around here are rare to say the least. Still I do remember having a lot of fun with rockets back in the day. My favorite one was about 6' tall with a real simple design but I only flew it a few times before I had a launch pad failure that ended up letting it take off at about at 45° into a small grove of trees. The size made it easy to see all the way up to apogee and back. During takeoff, it'd start relatively slow which increased it's launch realism.
bigone5500
Well-Known Member
Do you mean, The Mean Machine?
Tony
Staff member
How did we go from talking about rockets to football?...
bigone5500
Well-Known Member
@Tony you lost me at football. LOL! I have no idea what that means.
I have uploaded a few videos to my channel on youtube if anyone is interested in watching some rocketry videos.
Jared's channel 'o fun!
I have uploaded a few videos to my channel on youtube if anyone is interested in watching some rocketry videos.
Jared's channel 'o fun!
RandyDSok
Well-Known Member
No... the one I had wasn't 80" tall ( per their website ) although the design is similar. I'd already looked through their website to see if they still carried it but it was unlikely since it'd have been back in the mid to late '70's when I had mine.
bigone5500
Well-Known Member
Was it an Estes model or another company?
bigone5500
Well-Known Member
The Mean Machine is 79" tall... I can't dins another close to that. I will do some research. It has me wondering what it could have been.
RandyDSok
Well-Known Member
Yeah, it's an ongoing issue... LMAO
79" ... 80" ... I round when it doesn't matter. When I mentioned the size of mine, it was an approx size since it wasn't taller than I was ( or much if any ) and I was about 5' 10" back then ( I've gotten a little shorter since I got old
) so if you are going to look, look in the 5' to 6' range
bigone5500
Well-Known Member
You say it was around '75 so I'll look about 2 years before and after.
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RandyDSok
Well-Known Member
I'd suggest '76 and later but not much later than '80 or so, I already had a car but I can't recall if it was my Chevelle ( my first car ) or my Cutlass Supreme ( my 2nd ). Of course it really doesn't matter much at this point either since it isn't still available. It wasn't an unusual one other than the height of it perhaps and it certainly wasn't a fancy design, just a single stage tube rocket.
bigone5500
Well-Known Member
I am thinking you had the cobra 1500.
RandyDSok
Well-Known Member
Interesting listed specs between the MM and the Cobra 1500...
The MM lists just a D sized engine here ( the current one lists D and E sizes but is also listed as heavier then the older version shown above ), the Cobra lists A, B and C sizes. The MM is almost twice the weight despite it being only just over a 1 longer ( and a bit wider ).
The old MM is stated to go almost 800' ... the new version is stated to go @ 700' which is what the above older Cobra is listed as being able to reach also ( given the right engine of course ).
Since it was somewhere close to 40 years ago, I still don't recall the name of the model I had, it could well have been the Cobra 1500 since it'd be close in size to what I recall.
The MM lists just a D sized engine here ( the current one lists D and E sizes but is also listed as heavier then the older version shown above ), the Cobra lists A, B and C sizes. The MM is almost twice the weight despite it being only just over a 1 longer ( and a bit wider ).
The old MM is stated to go almost 800' ... the new version is stated to go @ 700' which is what the above older Cobra is listed as being able to reach also ( given the right engine of course ).
Since it was somewhere close to 40 years ago, I still don't recall the name of the model I had, it could well have been the Cobra 1500 since it'd be close in size to what I recall.
bigone5500
Well-Known Member
If you want to scratch build another for old time sake, you can download the plans for free. You will have to obtain the required materials such as nose cone, body tube, couplers, fin stock (balsa or basswood sheet), and recovery components (parachute, shock cord). Most items can be obtained from a craft store and the tubing can be found on many web sites. I like Uncle Mike's Rocket Shack personally. If you do decide to do this, I suggest getting some Titebond II which is very strong and sets up quickly. Basswood is my favorite fin material as it's very strong and needs little prep for painting. I also use mat board for centering rings. It is very strong and cuts easily. An easy alternative is to purchase a motor mount kit. It will come with everything you need such as motor tube, engine block, motor retainer (possibly), and centering rings. You have to specify what body tube it will go in so you get the right one. The 1500 looks like a great kit and I may just end up building one from scratch. The fact that it will launch on 18mm motors is very nice. You can get a low and slow flight or if you really get into it, you can purchase an 18mm reloadable motor and go even higher. Aerotech makes some really good hardware in that category.
Estes Cobra-1500 #1294
Estes Cobra-1500 #1294
bigone5500
Well-Known Member
The new mean machine uses a plastic coupler in the center of the rocket for easy disassembly, transport, and storage. The new one lists the E motor as I don't think they had an E back then. The E motors are pretty expensive also due to hazmat fees and all. The 1500 will launch on motors ranging from A8-3 to C6-5.
I forgot to say also that you will need launch equipment and launch lugs for the rocket. Red coffee stirrers are great for that. To launch it you can simply use a length of 18ga wire and a 9v battery. I'd do it about 15 to 20' from the pad. Parachutes also can be easily made from space blankets and shroud lines can be made from upholstery thread.
I forgot to say also that you will need launch equipment and launch lugs for the rocket. Red coffee stirrers are great for that. To launch it you can simply use a length of 18ga wire and a 9v battery. I'd do it about 15 to 20' from the pad. Parachutes also can be easily made from space blankets and shroud lines can be made from upholstery thread.