Recently, I was lucky enough to pick
one up on Ebay, already built for $50!! Sure, it's risky to buy pre-built
models, but I lucked out -- this one was well worth it and in great shape,
all things considered.
From the look of it, this model was built
at least 20 years ago. It has this funky antique look to the paint
and slight yellowing to the decals.
It needed some minor repairs to make it
flight worthy, but that was quickly dispatched. It didn't look like
it had ever been flown, and still had the original rubber shock cord.
(yes, I replaced that with a new one)
Naturally, I wanted to fly this little gem
with a camera and the DMC fit it... well, nicely. (yes, it does look
odd)
I picked up a RocSim of the Mars Lander,
added the weight and shape for the camera and found it would fly on an
Aerotech 18mm D13-4 (alt. est. 380')
Wanting to make this more interesting, I
did the first 2 flights without the DMC camera. I used the the
recommended C6-3 motor and video taped the flights from a couple of
different angles.
The first flight went flawlessly and landed
upright, but on the second I didn't wrap the chute in the shrouds. I
was hoping it would open sooner, but this seemed to cause the parachute to
snag the legs and it came down sideways. (I caught it)
On the third flight with the camera and the
D13, I packed the chute like I did for the first flight and it worked
perfectly. BUT it looked like it was going to land on the concrete, so
Peter caught it. (whew)
So, uh...we had to stage the movie's
landing sequence. (Shades of Capricorn One). Sorry, but that part
where the Lander is nicely framed on the ground was done for your
entertainment benefit.
For you who don't recognize the music, it's
the theme from Lost in Space, the last couple of seasons.
Hope you enjoy it still. ;)
The Crash (flight 5)
For some reason (defective C6-3?) the rocket became
unstable just moments after launch. Needless to say it was disappointing
but fortunately the damage wasn't severe. One leg broke free but it was easily
fixed. The nose was crumpled a little but that too was easily fixed. It
will fly again, but maybe never again on a C6-3, I'm looking at 18mm reloads and
Apogee 18mm Ds (once they're back in production)
Estes Outlander (Mars
Lander Redux)
On the left is the "CSM
Lander"
modification, on the right is the "stock" Outlander.
