It's two stage time!

So, I've been thinking about what to build next and all roads lead to me building a two stage rocket.  I haven't built one since I lost my Custom Rockets Sam-X in 2000.  I've got four or five projects planned which would lead to a two stage rocket:

  1. I've got a replacement Sam-X kit I've never built
  2. I've been looking at old plans from 1968 for the Little Beth X-2
  3. I recently purchased an Estes Boosted Bertha to go with my Big Bertha (3 engine cluster), Super Big Bertha and recently purchased Baby Bertha.
  4. I recently purchased an Estes Red Nova, which K'Tesh on the Rocketry Forum pointed out is an excellent candidate for conversion to two stages.  It's got two sets of fins and a natural gap between them that would work great for a second stage.  The stock Red Nova is projected to fly 800 feet on a D12-7.  K'Tesh generated an OpenRocket simulation file that predicts it would fly over 2200 feet on an E12-0 and E12-6 (or 1500 feet on a D12-0/D12-7 combination).
  5. K'Tesh also posted OpenRocket simulations for an out of production two stage Estes rocket, the Loadstar II, that I think looks really cool with the recommended colors and reminds me a lot of something I built in the 1960s.  The Loadstar II was sold from ~1994 through 2020, but I found one at my local hobby shop (Tom Thumb in Skokie, IL) this past weekend and decided to buy it rather than trying to kit bash it from scratch and deal with recreating the decals.
I think I'll start with something like the Boosted Bertha or Loadstar II to remind myself how the stages separate (friction fit tube adapters) before tackling hacks without clear instructions (like modifying the Red Nova or the Little Beth X-2, with hard to read plans).
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Here's my current build pile (in no particular order; all Estes unless otherwise listed):
  1. Great Goblin
  2. Boosted Bertha
  3. Der Big Red Max
  4. Baby Bertha
  5. Red Nova
  6. NCR/Estes Big Brute (sold by Estes from 1996-1999; a 4" diameter, 33" tall rocket that needs an F62 or G70 engine to go 1000 feet high)
  7. Parts for Little Beth X-2
  8. Mean Machine (tubes slightly crushed so may need to salvage for parts)
  9. 4” V-2 (est 1952, ~2001) 
  10. SR-71
  11. Mercury Atlas (EXPERT/MASTER)
  12. Condor
  13. Tomcat (Expert rocket/glider)
  14. Solar Sailer II
  15. Alpha
  16. Yankee
  17. Monarch
  18. Estes Loadstar II (Tom Thumb 11/11/23)
  19. Custom Rockets Sam-X 2 stage
  20. Custom Rockets Aztec 2 stage
  21. Parts for scratch built Loadstar II 2 stage BT-60/BT-50 (https://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/est3227.htm)
  22. Parts for scratch built Silver Comet BT-80 w/ 2 nose cones OR Phoenix & something else
  23. Sputnik
  24. RocketVision MachBuster (This kit, purchased from the now defunct RocketVision company, will fly 4000 feet high on an F72 engine. It will also break the sound barrier and lift off at Mach 1.1! I'll try to catch it on videotape, because I'm sure we won't see this puppy again!)
  25. Quest Flat Cat (a boost glider)

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