The Phantom

 The Thrifty Rocketeer Blog continues...

It's been quite a while since I did a build thread.

So it's something I've been meaning to get back into.  And it has to be something unusual, or special that either others haven't done, or there's a twist to it.  And this one really matches that.

The Phantom is a very unique rocket kit from Estes that runs about $20.  Sometimes you can catch it on sale for a little less, but I think they hold to that price point pretty well, due to the nature of this beast.

Now, every rocket is marketed as "something special"... but this one really is.  It's clear.

Let me explain.

This IS a rocket kit that you can assemble, but you'll be using plastic cement on it, as the body, nosecone, fin can and motor mount are all clear Lucite plastic.  The intent is NOT that you will fly it, (although some have done that a time or two), but it is designed to be an in-class teaching aide that will demonstrate the parts of the rocket in a see-through manner so students can understand how it all fits together, and then "comes apart" during a successful launch.

Now, I know what you're thinking, "So what? This is an ALPHA that I've assembled dozens of times before. What's so big about it?"

There are one or two unusual bounces here, and before you rush off all cocky that you can put this together with your eyes closed.... wait.

The first, most obvious change is how the parachute is anchored to the nosecone. Remember, this is not blown plastic, but molded plastic, and so, there is a special side brace or strut inside the nosecone to one side, for the screw eye to thread into.  The screw eye is not large and can be easily lost out of the parts package (trust me, I know), but it's there. So the screw eye anchor is off to one side.

Second, the fins are completely assembled as a fin can. That is, except for the motor mount assembly, the fin can is complete....almost.

I was surprised to discover that the motor mount, while having a pre-slotted motor mount tube, is pretty much the same assembly as any other Estes low-power rocket, until it comes time for the second FORWARD centering ring.  This green ring does NOT slide onto the assembly until after the motor mount has been inserted into the fin can, and then, glued just over the protruding end .

To put this another way: assemble the spring clip, Mylar restraint ring and the slotted green rear centering ring as normal.  But then insert the assembly into the fin can and after positioning the rear tube flush with the end of the fin can, THEN place the green front centering ring over the front of the motor mount.

The entire fin can gets glued into the end of the clear body tube.

What you're left-over with is: the parachute, t-bag anchor and shock cord which are pretty much normal.  The only unusual aspect of these final steps is that you are using plastic model cement to fold and glue the T-bag anchor into the model.  (Normally, we'd be talking about wood glue here, but as the body tube is clear plastic, it's plastic cement throughout.)

Now, as in the past, I was going to attempt to snap some photos of  my assembly, and see how well it goes.  But this is such a simple and quick assembly, that I found myself rushing through it and without snapping as much as one process shot, I had finished it. So much for my build thread.

Again, though SOME people do attempt to launch this rocket, and succeed, the intent is for it to become a teaching tool.  And that's my intent as well.

You should also know that there is a preassemble cutaway demonstration model of an 18 mm motor, with the various layers and parts of the motor on display.  I'm not certain yet if this actually slides into the clear motor mount, but I suspect that it will, and as a result, the model is complete.

...Just not the model that you are thinking of when you say "Model Rocket"... but a model none the less.

This has been the Thrifty Rocketeer saying "Sow the seeds of the future of our hobby by teaching a new generation the joys of Rockets."