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Old 07-26-2017, 12:36 PM
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pterodactyl pterodactyl is offline
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Join Date: May 2007
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Default MPC Secrets: The Titan III

Over forty years ago, in April 1977 the Alberta Association of Rocket Clubs held what was at the time the largest model rocketry convention ever hosted in Canada. The three day event was held at the Calgary Centennial Planetarium in Calgary, Alberta and the guest of honor was G. Harry Stine.
At the time the Alberta government was flush with cash from oil revenues and was distributing money to community groups and associations like the AARC. Under the leadership of Roger Lufkin, the owner and founder of Canaroc Industries, the association had formed and held at least 5 member clubs which likely totaled somewhere around 200-250 rocketeers. AARCON 77 was the first rocketry convention hosted by the group.
Trip Barber earlier mentioned experiencing some nerves the first time he met the model rocketry demi-god known as G. Harry Stine at MITCON in 1971. In similar fashion, as I waited for Stine to clear Canadian Customs at the Calgary airport, there were a few Flat Cats catching thermals in my stomach.
Finally he appeared well attired in a blazer and tie carrying a suitcase and a smaller well-travelled looking attaché case. I was to learn that the smaller case held what even then were considered extremely rare artifacts. They would go on to become the crown jewels of the National Model and Sport Rocketry Collection.

Stine at AARCON '77 in April, 1977.



We exchanged greetings and Harry commented on how the flight’s cabin altitude had enhanced the effects of alcohol during the first class service he had enjoyed on the Western Airlines flight from Phoenix. I have no idea what that first class airline ticket cost in pre-Deregulation dollars, but it’s a good indication how well financed the Alberta association was at that time.

Some of the rare rocketry goodies that Stine brought northward to Calgary, Canada.



Stine hooks up his FlatCat at the AARCON '77 launch at Calgary in April, 1977.



Those first class drinks might also have made for a more candid and revealing conversation from Stine than might otherwise been volunteered. We made our way to my father’s shiny new blue Plymouth Fury sedan for the ride to Stine’s five star lodging at the Calgary Inn (now the Westin) in downtown Calgary.
On the drive to the hotel the conversation would reveal another MPC secret.

The MPC Titan III kit (www.spaceistheplace.ca)




Perhaps somebody here knows why the Air Force Titan III was selected as a subject for MPC’s first American scale rocket kit. Maybe the movie Marooned had something to do with its suspenseful Titan III launch. Here’s a link to the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 send-up of Marooned (MST3K Marooned ). If you go to the scene at the 55:00 minute mark you’ll find a scene with a funny crack most of us can appreciate. The object of the comment is no other than G. Harry Stine’s friend Martin (Marty to Harry) Caidin who authored the sci-fi novel version of Marooned. He's the guy in glasses, with lambchop sideburns and the "interesting" hat.

In our drive to the hotel I mentioned to Stine that the MPC Titan kit was one of my favorites.
His response was “it turned out pretty well-except its wrong. The strap-on diameters are way off; they’re too small”.

The parts from the MPC Titan III (scalemodelnews.com)



Today over forty years later I checked his statement out with a ruler. With reference to Alway's Rockets of the World, measurement of the MPC reissue of the Titan III confirms it. The kit’s core stage is pretty close to 1/100 scale’s 1.2 inches at 1.125.
The strap-on boosters are way out of scale. The kit boosters are 1 inch in diameter versus the 122.3 advertised in Rockets of the World. In real measure on the kit that’s about 1/8 of an inch, on the real beast it would be a difference of 22.3 inches. Oops.

-Folks: I'm headed to NARAM. Updates should return in a week or 10 days. If you're at NARAM please say hello. I'll be the guy sweating in the sweaty MOF tee shirt.-
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National Collection Images: G. Harry Stine Collection/The Museum of Flight.
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