The new Estes Astrocam

 It's been a while since Estes sold a rocket camera - their last efforts, the Oracle and the Astrovision, did not exactly get rave reviews, as the camera tech was fairly dated at the time of their releases. The new Astrocam, released in Target stores about a month ago, follows in this trend with now years old 808 camera technology. However, unlike its predecessors, it is getting very good reviews, because Estes finally came up with a camera that is robustly packaged and very easy to use. The biggest downside is that you can only purchase the Astrocam as part of a starter set, which ups the price considerably - we will have to wait a bit before it is marketed as a standalone. There is a nice surprise though;  the set includes a coupon for a free pack of Estes B6-4 motors, which takes a little bit of the wallet sting away.

The Estes Astrocam starter set (Click to enlarge).

I wasted no time grabbing an Astrocam starter set when they hit the Target shelves (after a bit of searching). It took about 20 minutes to build the rocket, which is a standard Estes ARTF with a plastic fin unit, pre-painted parts, and peel n' cuss stickers. The body tube - the same pearl white one used in the Alpha VI rocket - is a bit on the flimsy side and can be easily damaged. This rocket will do for the first couple of flights, but I am already designing a BT-50 model that will be much more robust.

The camera (Click to enlarge).

The camera is a small black unit that connects to a USB port for charging and downloading the videos - it shows up as an external disk on my computer, so you simply drag and drop the videos onto your hard drive.  It takes a couple of hours to charge the camera, which is supposed to go for 40 minutes per charge. There is a 16 GB micro USB card included, which Estes claims will hold 90 minutes worth of HD 1920x1080 resolution videos, and the time is set by pushing an updated "time.txt" file to the unit, just like in some 808 keychain cameras. The camera features only a single button - pressing and holding it for 2 seconds turns the unit on and off (a blue LED indicates the camera is on), and a simple press starts the video going (the blue LED starts blinking). Pretty simple, and simple is good at the launch pad.

The Astrocam nose cone and the slot for the camera
(Click to enlarge).

The camera mounted in the nose
(Click to enlarge).

Estes engineered a special BT-50 based nose cone to hold the camera. As you can see from the images, the camera fits in a slot in the nose, pointed down towards the rocket's tail. The fit is good and snug, but Estes also added rubber band attachment points to ensure the camera stays in place. No masking tape with this one! There is a hole at the top of the cone, to which one ties a string that in turn ties to the parachute; this keeps the camera pointed down at the ground during descent. I like this design very much, even if the white string is a bit unsightly.

I haven't been able to fly my Astrocam as of yet, but there are videos cropping up all over YouTube. The quality is good, and my only complaint is that the rocket body tube takes up some real estate at the side of the frames. The pearl white can also cause glare in the bright sunlight, which doubles my resolve to build a new carrier rocket. Altimeter measurements made by some of the guys on the rocket forums put the peak altitudes around 300 feet on a B6-4 and just over 600 feet on a C6-5. You can also use Q-Jet motors as well - the stock rocket will break 900 feet on a C12-6.

The Astrocam - a great way to easily experience video from rockets. Available for $60 in your local Target store (not available through the Target website) or $80 directly from Estes.

Keepin' busy...

So Pegasus field is still not mowed... Weeds up to your waist make it kind of hard to fly rockets, so it looks like that will have to wait until the first HARA launch of the 2020-2021 flying season. But October 10 is still a ways off and I'm eager to burn some motors. Hopefully the city will mow Pegasus sometime in September!

I have taken some time this month to update the inventory of my rocket parts, in particular my plastic nose cones and decals. It's amazing what you find when you actually make a count - I found that I had a ton of Alpha nose cones and some golden oldies, like a couple of detailed plastic cones belonging to the old Centuri Nike Smoke. The number was also a bit surprising - 293, not counting those in Estes Designer's Specials and various other parts assortments. I'm also pretty good decal wise, with a lot of classic decals made by Excelsior/Sandman decals when they were in business, and some originals from Estes and Centuri. I really don't have an excuse for not producing more clones, as I have beaucoup de parts.

Some scale entries in this year's virtual NARAM (Click to enlarge).

The virtual NARAM is about to end for this year. Lack of a flying field put the kibosh on my participation - the jungle at Pegasus spoiled my return to the contest rocketry universe. However, I did attend the virtual scale modeling session earlier this week, and it was quite fun to see the various models that were entered. Some folks went simple, building replicas of sounding rockets like the Arcas, whereas others created elaborate models featuring fall away boosters and 3D printed parts. The superb handiwork and attention to detail in some of the entrees made my semi-scale models look like kindergarten attempts. Rocketeers aren't kidding when they say scale is a craftsmanship event!

John Brohm has a cool office! (Click to enlarge).

I am also beginning to start a list of fall/winter projects. Even though I never stick to the list, I still feel obligated to compile one - makes me feel like I'm organized. Anyway, the first model on the list is a clone of the Estes Screaming Eagle (discussed in this previous post). Number two on the list is a special rocket that I have wanted to build for quite a while, and the recent inventory has revealed that I actually have the parts and wherewithal to do it. I'll be making a separate post on this rocket in the near future, so I won't reveal its name now.

Finally, I just wanted to repeat something you see on a lot of the vendor web sites. The good old post office is having problems, and mail can be significantly delayed. My personal experience is that anything going through Atlanta is going to reside there for a few days before being sent on, and items from the Pacific Northwest can take weeks to get to ye olde mail box. So if you order something and it is shipped via USPS, be patient. If you need something quickly, try to get the package delivered through UPS or FedEX - they do not appear to be affected by the massive 2020 chaos.

The route traversed by my FlightSketch Mini altimeter. Took a total of 9 days to get to me, 5 of which were spent going from Connecticut to Atlanta. Normally it takes 3 days (Click to enlarge).

New fleet additions and some organization...

I find myself getting less tolerant of clutter as I get older - less tolerant of a lot of things, actually. So I have designated 2020 as the year to get my life much more organized and reduce my footprint down to a reasonable size (i.e., toss out a bunch of junk that has accumulated over the decades). This has had the unfortunate consequence of placing my builds on hold, as I have little time to sand, seal, and paint. However, I do find small bits of downtime here and there, enough to assemble quick build kits. So here are my latest fleet additions, assemblies that are so fast and easy I hardly call them builds.

Estes Zombie (Click to enlarge).

Estes Wacky Wiggler (Click to enlarge).

The Estes Zombie and Wacky Wiggler are usually available only in starter sets, but eRockets has a limited number of them as single kits (much cheaper!). The Zombie is a 5 minute assembly, being nothing more than a 3 fin rocket with a preprinted zombie pattern on the body tube. Normally I wouldn't even think about getting it, but it adds to my Halloween collection, and you can never have too many Halloween-themed rockets. The Wacky Wiggler takes a bit longer to build, as it consists of short segments of body tube joined together by a long string. The segments separate at ejection and the whole thing just flutters down to earth. Unlike the Zombie, it has been around for a while, first making an appearance in the 2003 Estes catalog. I am looking forward to seeing it in flight.

Estes Alpha IV face card (Click to enlarge).

The last new fleet member is something I have been trying to acquire for quite a while - the Estes Alpha IV. Released in 1998 to mark the 40th anniversary of Estes Industries, it sports a metallic red body tube, black fins and nose cone, and gold 40th anniversary stickers. I have been looking for a reasonably priced model for many moons, and one finally popped up on eBay last week. I built it in about 30 minutes this afternoon, and it now joins the other Alphas on my shelves. 

My Alpha IV (Click to enlarge).

Speaking of shelves, I have put a lot of those together lately, for displaying my rockets. I am happy to state that most of them are now off the floor and proudly line a few of my walls. With the clutter reduced, entropy has been decreased somewhat, and I am much more content. It's kinda nice to be able to look around and see your models.