Thread: Instructions
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  #29  
Old 03-16-2018, 02:22 PM
Blastfromthepast Blastfromthepast is offline
'nother Old Fart BAR....
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Castle Rock, Colorado
Posts: 381
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The lack of concise, detailed instructions is more of an issue for newbie model rocketeers who have little or no previous experience building a model rocket, than it is for seasoned rocketeers. The old instructions from Estes and Centuri were tops for well-written instructions. Some of the best old instructions were from MPC, many of which were written by G. Harry Stine himself. These not only walked a rocketeer clearly through the build process, but also explained why it was done that way, as well as presenting consequences for not following a step correctly.
For us seasoned modelers who have built many rockets from sources lacking build instructions like published magazine plans, diagrams, or scale drawings, there has no longer been much of a need for detailed step-by-step direction. Most model rockets use the same basic, well-known construction techniques. The focus of kit instruction use then shifts to being more of a reference for parts placement, dimensions, and paint/marking schemes.
Like a couple of posters ahead of me, I can foresee some model rocket manufactures gravitating toward LEGO / IKEA picture-only instructions.
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