Estes Saros / Nomad Upscale (BT-55) by Leo_N

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

I've always liked the Estes Saros rocket for it's sleek scale like appearance. The original kit was available from 1971 - 1978 and it is hard to come by these days.
The kit came with a plastic fin unit, plastic adapter/transition and a plastic nose cone.
You can download the Saros instructions here:
Saros: http://plans.rocketshoppe.com/estes/estK-54/estK-54.htm
You will need the following:
1 x BT-55 268mm (10.56") long
1 x BT-50 225mm (8.86") long
1 x BT-20 178mm (7.00") long
2 x Launch lugs 15.8mm (0.62") long
1 x Engine hook
1 x 381mm (15") Parachute
1 x Shock cord
and 1 Saros decal sheet which you will have to print out.
The scale of this version is factor 1.363 compared to the original size.
Assembly Notes:
I've added pictures to aid in construction.
Use the positioning tool for engine block placement and for engine hook slot position.
I don't really recommend gluing the nose cone and the adapter to the BT-20 body tube. This would make replacing any damaged parts easier. Friction fit is sufficient to hold everything in place.
The same goes for the fin unit to the BT-55 body tube.
It is also not necessary to glue the engine hook retainer in place. This way you can remove the engine hook for a nicer static display model. However it is possible the due to heat from the motor that the retainer will shrink making it hard to remove again.
Paint the body tubes in white. One fin is painted in black. The fin mounting plates are painted in silver.
I use 5 min Epoxy for the complete build.
This rocket flies great on B6-4 and C6-5 rocket engines.
I would love to see your results!
Please support my work by giving me a tip if you find my contribution useful.
Leo
Note:
These 3D printed parts can also be used to clone the Nomad kit:
http://plans.rocketshoppe.com/estes/est1344/est1344.htm