Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Bagged Sub-Assemblies

I learned a lot from building Semroc kits.
One thing I found were bagged sub assemblies. The engine mount and recovery system parts were in separate small bags.
The picture shows the engine mount bag from a typical Odd'l Rockets kit.
As a teen I remember tearing open an Estes or Centuri kit bag. Loose parts would fly! A launch lug or engine hook could roll under the table and be lost.

Why don't the big producers do this? It costs an extra three cents per kit for two extra ziplock bags.

Friday, January 16, 2015

New Upgraded Kits and Accessories

Semroc is sold! I hope the new owner can supply parts for vendors. 
Red River Rocketry has slowed it's production while new part sources can be found.
Fliskits had many custom nosecones made at Semroc. Carl never turned down a custom parts order.

The Odd'l Rockets problem? I use ST tubing (not BT tubing) in some of the kits. Sure you can get almost all sizes of the ST tubing from other vendors, but nobody can match the old Semroc vendor discount! If I were producing standard 3FNC models this wouldn't be a concern. There are just too many custom parts in Odd-Ball rockets.

Okay - rant over. Onto better products!

This next month (or two) I hope to have more BLAST! deflectors.
These will have a wider diameter base closer to the original MPC ceramic deflectors.
The bottom hole will be larger and easily fit over the Adeptor.

A large order of RAISE springs has come in. No real changes, the product is fine now.
I won't be making 3/16" rod Raise springs - Sorry!

The BREAK-AWAY rocket is being re-designed. Based on heavy walled BT-50 tubing, it allows longer couplers so the fit of the segments isn't as loose.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Whatever Happened To . . . The Wedgie?



I thought we really had a winner with this one.
It went through more flight testing than any other Odd'l design.

Roger Smith designed software to input your art or a NAR logo and section name. I drew up Centuri Point, Brick Wall and Christmas Tree body skins.

I had flown pyramids before but was never impressed with the low altitude a shorter four-sided model got.
The Wedgie was a more slender, three sided Tetrahedron. It flew very well with a C6-3.

But, it just didn't sell enough kits to keep it going!
The Wedgie parts box is now home for the Pigasus kit pieces.
As far as I can tell, there are no more Wedgie kits from my vendors.