Estes #0651 - Der Red Max
(Contributed - by David O'Nan) 
Brief:
Old skill level 2 Estes kit that was introduced in 1971 as a Citation Series
kit and continued in production through 1986. Always wanted one back in my
first incarnation as a rocketeer, and decided to clone one when I came across
an old Mean Machine nose cone. Using that cone and my "bin-o-parts"
made cloning the kit a snap.
Construction:
Instructions (downloaded from JimZ) were typical Estes in quality but decidedly
more fun with the "fake German language" stuff -- check JimZ if you
don't know what I'm talking about. You may also want to check out the plans for
the Der Big Red Max, as they contain many of the dimensions for both kits. I
cut a piece of BT-60 to 9 1/8" per the plans, and cut the fins from
1/8" balsa. I debated for awhile whether to put in a 24mm motor mount, but
decided to keep it stock and use RMS if I wanted a D launch (more on that
later). Construction was typical 3FNC according to the instructions, using
carpenter's wood glue throughout. White glue was used for filleting.
Finishing:
I used Elmer's Fill'n'Finish for filling the seams and the balsa grain. After
sanding, I used a few coats of primer sanding between coats. Finish coat was
gloss red Wal-Mart brand on the bottom section, and gloss black Wal-Mart brand
for the nose cone. I had to do some sanding on the old nose cone to get a nice
smooth finish. I noticed some thin spots during this process but didn't think
anything about it at the time. The decals were ordered from JimZ and were
excellent (I also highly recommend Tom Prestia's decals). The finished product
looks great and never fails to generate a comment or two from BARs when I fly
it at the local GAMMA section launches.
Construction Rating:
5 out of 5
Flight:
Engine retention is typical Estes motor clip, although as is my practice I used
a dremel cut-off wheel to cut off the extra on the hook. I then mount the hook
with the cut part internal so the setup looks like the old Estes hooks.
Original Estes recommended motors (per 1984 catalog) are B4-2 (1st), B4-4,
B6-2, B6-4, B8-5, C6-5, and C6-7. My first flight was 20 Dec 98 at the GAMMA
monthly launch, on a C6-5. After prepping with cellulose wadding, it was ready
to go. Flight was really nice, although not as high as I had expected. And of
course it generated a lot of comments as these are not seen that often but
everyone pretty much knows them. The same day I launched it on a D13-7 reload,
and the flight was AWESOME!
However, the old nose cone just couldn't
handle the air pressure from the hotter motor and ended up cracking in several
places (see pictures). Messed up the finish some, but what the heck -- it was a
great flight. To date the rocket has flown 10 times, all on C6-3/5 engines
except the one reload flight. All flights have been excellent; generally very
straight and little if any weathercocking.
Recovery:
Shock cord is typical Estes paper mount, with a long piece of 3/8" sewing
elastic, attached to the nose cone with a snap swivel. An 18" parachute is
attached to the nose cone with another swivel. Piece of cake. Recovery has been
very good every time. Yet to sustain any damage (due to recovery anyway),
although the 18" chute is somewhat large and I've gotten a lot of drift on
windy days. A 12" chute would probably work well also.
Flight Rating:
5
out of 5
Summary:
This is a great rocket and a great conversation piece among all the BARs out
there who remember it as one of the all-time favorites from Estes. Even though
it's only a 3FNC rocket, it's dimensions and decor make it a great looking
rocket. PRO: looks, nostalgia, simple to build, flies nicely. CON: (reaching)
12" chute might be better, especially in wind; old nose cone can't handle
RMS flights.
Overall Rating:
5
out of 5
Flight Log
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