If you’ve been around rocketry as long as I have (33 years now) you’ve seen a lot of very cool, classic model rocket designs from the likes of Estes, Centuri, FSI, and many others come and go. Heck, a good number of the "Classics" had already come and gone by the time I got started in 1975. If you or your children are relative newcomers to the hobby (obsession??) you’ve missed what many people refer to as “The Golden Age” of rocketry. True, there are some stylish contemporary products offered by the big name companies, and increasingly, the smaller, Internet based companies. And to the delight of rocketeers everywhere, Estes itself has recently (and in the recent past) brought back some sought after kits like the Orbital Transport, Scissor Wing Transport, Der Red Max and the Interceptor. But let’s face it: for the most part, they just don’t make ‘em like they used to.
Do not fret. Whatever your age or rocketry experience level, you can easily recreate just about any model rocket design from the past. Thanks to the blood, sweat, and tears of numerous dedicated individuals and cottage industries scattered around the country, cloning a classic is relatively simple. With a small investment of time on the Internet, you can easily download and print any (or all) of hundreds of classic model rocket plans. A few more mouse clicks and you’ll likely be able to locate and purchase just about any components not readily available in your local hobby shop. In fact, rare body tubes like the Estes BT-51, BT-52, BT-70, BT-100, and BT-101 can be bought through one or more sources. Want to clone an Estes Spaceman, Mars Lander, or Andromeda? High quality balsa reproductions of these obscure nose cone shapes are also readily available via the Internet. In fact, you should be able to find nearly everything you need to clone or closely reproduce a specific rocket via one or more Internet sources...you just need to start searching. With this article, I hope to make your task a little easier if you've never gone down this road before.
Getting started
A great place to get ideas for a cloning project is the Ninfinger website. Here you’ll find many of the old Centuri and Estes rocket catalogs dating from the early 1960s scanned and ready for you to peruse at your leisure. Additionally, catalogs from numerous other companies, long gone from this world, can be found here as well. There is no shortage of ideas available from just this one website…and it’s just one of many that have been “launched” to preserve the legacy of model rocketry.
Like myself, the website of JimZ is possibly the first website many rocketeers stumbled upon while browsing the blossoming Internet. I discovered it back in the late 1990s and it’s still going strong. Jim has many plans available for Estes, Centuri, MPC, and others. He also has a comprehensive library of Estes “Design of the Month” plans as well as many technical publications and other useful reading material. The site is well organized and easy to navigate and you’re likely to find some real gems in there.
Another great source for plans is Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe. They have many plans that aren’t available elsewhere. They even have a comprehensive list of Estes and Centuri kits (by kit number) with embedded links directing you to other websites where scans of the plans are located. You’ll also find scans of decals, building and cloning tips, and a lot of information most useful to the model rocketeer.
The components
Once you’ve selected a rocket to clone you need to get the parts. You may already have some or all of the components on hand. If not, in some cases you need only go as far as your local hobby shop to purchase a model rocket you can "cannibalize" the parts from. While usually not cheaper than buying parts via the Internet, this option often provides you with some leftover items you can add to your parts box for future projects or repairs. Besides, it returns some of your hard earned money to the local economy.
My first example uses an existing kit to clone either an existing rocket or one that is out of production.
I know the Estes Alpha is a current offering but that's ok. To begin, visit JimZ’s Rocket Plans website and download the plans for the Alpha. By examining the parts list you’ll be able to determine what parts you’ll need to scrounge up in case you’re missing any. In case any rocket plan you have doesn’t specify body tube lengths (just how long is that BT-50H?) Ninfinger has graciously provided a list cross-referencing just about all of the Estes, Centuri, and Quest body tube sizes by part number. Another indespensible resource is the Estes Body Tube List by John Brohm I found somewhere on the 'Net. This lists Estes kits by kit number and includes their body tubes and lengths. The included discussion of the inconsistencies found within the Estes numbering system makes for some interesting reading. This version is dated December 2005. Finally, at Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe, you’ll find a list of Estes nose cones and what kits used them, past and present. If you have any trouble identifying an Estes part from the past, you might check out the Estes 1974 Custom Parts Catalog. Not only is it chock full of drawings and information, it's a great trip down memory lane.
If you don't have any of the Alpha parts on hand, you might be able to purchase a 3-stage Estes Comanche 3 locally for most of the required components. Overkill you say? Possibly. But by purchasing the Comanche 3, you’ll have the necessary nose cone, BT-50 body tube (plus some leftover), several duplicate engine mount components minus the engine hook, and an alternate recovery system (streamer versus 12” parachute.) Of course, you’ll have to provide some suitable balsa for the Alpha fins and cut them out yourself, but this is something us “cloners” are quite used to. You could even use the Comanche 3 as a starting point to clone an Estes Drifter or Estes Farside 3-stager...the possibilities are seemingly endless.
And just think, after all this you’ll have some leftover parts and pre-cut fins for the spare parts box just in case you ever want to clone the Comanche 3
. Again, I use the Alpha / Comanche 3 here only as an example.My next examples involve cloning out-of-production rockets from scratch.
The Estes Andromeda hasn’t been available for some time, but it’s not too difficult to clone. A visit to JimZ’s Rocket Plans website will net you a scan of the original Estes plans. Collect the necessary parts and start building. What’s that…you don’t have any of the required components? Hit the Internet again and pay a visit to either Semroc Astronautics, Balsa Machining Service (BMS) or Totally Tubular to start off. You’ll be able to get the stubby Andromeda nose cone from Semroc or BMS and the required BT-20 and BT-50 tubes from any of these companies. You can also order the specific tube couplers, centering rings, engine hooks, and the recovery gear from any of them as well. For the balsa for the fins, visit your local hobby shop or if an online source has what you need, pick it up. The small detail parts of the Andromeda (paper dots and rectangles) can be made from cardstock or Evergreen sheet styrene (.030, .040 or whatever you prefer) using a hole punch and modeling tools. The paper reducer (shroud) is easily fabricated using the online Delorie Body Tube Transition calculator/printing program and then printed on suitable cardstock, usually in the 90 to 110lb range. And for those three "cooling rings" around the Reactor Body Tube at the back end - use the thin paper CR5055 centering rings - they're just about the right size.
Once you have all your components, just follow the construction instructions and in “no time” you’ll have yourself a clone of the Estes Andromeda all ready for painting and decals.
Here's another cloning example. Back in 1999 I attempted to build a close approximation of the Estes Mars Lander - by then a kit long gone from the store shelves. I had the instructions from JimZ but nowhere could I locate a BT-100 for the main body (and I didn't want to custom make one.) I did have a "spare" Estes Saturn V kit so I decided to use the BT-101 as my starting point. Using the Saturn V centering rings as a guide, I created rings to center the BT-20 engine tube. I bought the nose cone from BMS and scratch built the landing legs using balsa, dowels, cardstock, and sheet styrene. Since the geometry of the biggest shroud was different due to the BT-101, I used a CAD program to design and print it. The other shrouds were taken directly from the JimZ plans. I didn't put any of the embossed details on my rocket the Mars Lander is known and loved for but in the end I finished up with a passable re-creation of the Mars Lander. My only other dilemma at the time was the decals, so I ended up just painting it black with orange legs and a red nose. I flew it at least once in 1999 and it's still a part of my fleet. In 2006 I brought it out of retirement and flew it again. In 2008 I asked Tango Papa Decals if they'd make me a custom set of "reverse" decals for my so-called "Dark Lander." For a reasonable fee, Tom Prestia happily obliged and now I have a pretty sharp Lander that looks something like a negative of the original...and it still flies great in 2008.
As I've illustrated above, during a cloning project you might have to improvise and custom make some parts for a particular build. In my Mars Lander example, it wasn't too difficult and I learned some things during the process.
The decals
Getting the decals to complete your clone is often just a mouse click away as well. Many of the online plans contain a scan of the kit decals and some are probably fairly easy to print on special decal paper using your inkjet or laser printer. If you’re capable of doing it and have the right equipment, more power to ya. However, for many, printing useable decals can seem fairly daunting and truthfully it is beyond the scope of this article. Like the sources for parts to build your rocket, there are a number of companies that offer decals at reasonable prices. Tango Papa Decals, Excelsior Rocketry, Semroc and others are all willing to sell you classic reproductions of unsurpassed quality. Some companies may even offer services to create custom decals for you to your specifications.
Buying a clone in kit form
A few cottage industries have already done much of the work for us. Some very cool classic rockets are available as recently-released kits and are likely worth every penny you’ll spend. One could argue if you've got upgraded laser-cut components then you're not really building a true "clone" if the original required you to cut out patterns, trace onto balsa, then cut the parts from the balsa. So in one sense, you're building a "near clone" or "reproduction" of a classic kit with much of the flavor of the original build still intact. The point is one can now build a classic "Centuri The Point", "Estes Mars Lander", "Estes 1/70 Saturn IB" (and numerous others) without having to worry about winning an eBay auction and selling the car to purchase a rare original.
Semroc Astronautics offers a fine selection of kits in their "Retro/Repro" line. They also offer laser-cut fin sets, decal sheets, and centering ring sets for several classic kits. Other sources selling clones or reproductions in kit form include PD Rocketry, Excelsior Rocketry, Tango Papa Decals, and Apogee Components, just to name a few.
In closing, reproducing a blast(off) from the past has probably never been easier and I hope this article has inspired you to give cloning a try. Pick a rocket, get the parts, and build it. And who knows, at your next launch maybe someone else will show up with the same clone and you can drag race 'em...now wouldn't that be something?