Centuri V-2
 

Does anyone know details about the Centuri V-2?

The reason I ask is that there is one for sale on ebay right now and it has a plastic nose cone. I have never seen a plastic cone like that from Centuri. Pretty old kit and all of their cones from those day were two pieces or one piece with no cap.

The kit is opened and I think it might be a replacement but it’s unfamiliar to me.
Thoughts?

Item link
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1555357600...ABk9SR6qWv5GAYg

Might be a PNC-165 (Quasar nose) with the cockpit detail turned away from the camera?

For a short while, the V2 kit did come with a plastic nose cone. I have seen photos of bagged kits with the plastic cone in it, sealed. I too am not sure exactly which cone it is, because Centuri never offered a 'plain' (no cockpit) #16 plastic nose cone like that separately or in any other kit.
Then, for some reason, the V2 was dropped after the '71 catalog.

I do not know exactly how long it was offered with the plastic cone, but for some amount of time, it was so.

Earl

Interesting. Maybe that nose cone became the one for the Quasar. They could have altered the mold.

Thanks Earl. I thought you might know.

Hi Romie,
I have one of the Centuri KS-19 V-2 kits with the plastic nose cone. The Centuri KS-19 V-2 plastic nose cone is definitely different from the Centuri PNC-165 Quasar style plastic nose cone. See attached comparison photo for reference. The Centuri PNC-165 Quasar style plastic cone is on the left and the Centuri KS-19 V-2 plastic cone is on the right. There is a molded canopy on the Centuri PNC-165 Quasar style plastic nose cone, but there is no molded canopy on the Centuri KS-19 V-2 plastic nose cone. The V-2 plastic cone appears to be approximately 5 5/8" long above the shoulder. The shoulder is different also, as seen in the photo. The eyelet has been filed off of the V-2 plastic cone and a shock cord/shroud line attachment hole has been drilled in the conical base of the shoulder.

Even though the plastic nose cone was not mentioned in the original instructions to the Centuri KS-19 V-2 kit, https://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/ks-19.htm, the plastic nose cone was intentionally added later to replace the balsa nose cone in the KS-19 V-2 kit by Centuri R&D to provide "more scale accuracy". There is an Addendum to the V-2 Instructions included regarding the plastic nose cone (image attached). Also, there is a Centuri Important Note Instruction Sheet Change IP-410, saying that the kit now comes with a plastic nose cone (image attached).

There is an additional piece of literature, R&D Form 5 survey card (IP-205), included in the KS-19 V-2 kit by Centuri R&D that dates the change from balsa to the plastic nose cone around Feb. '71 (image attached).

The description for the V-2 kit nose cone in the 1971 Centuri Catalog says, "Large precisely machined balsa nose cone...", http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/ca...d/71dcen28.html. The Centuri KS-19 V-2 kit did not appear in the 1972 Centuri Catalog, so the timeframe of the plastic nose cone in the Centuri KS-19 V-2 kit would be from approximately February 1971 until the end of the year or until supplies of the kit were sold out.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Jeff Jenkins
aka: Faithwalker
NAR #46879 SR

Okay, so maybe this is blasphemy or something, but... are we absolutely certain it's not an Estes part? It LOOKS very much like the nose cone from the US Army Patriot kit (and others, just the first to come to mind for me). The base is different, but that's a long time ago and things might have changed.

It was manufactured, evidently, with a loop for the shock cord which must have been inadequate as they removed it and drilled a hole instead. Makes me think it was used elsewhere.

And 1.595" ID is not much different than 1.600 ID.

... never mind. Estes didn't list plastic cones in that timeframe.

Hi Chris,
Just for comparison, here is a photo of my Estes kit #2056 Patriot Missile plastic nose cone #072306 side by side with the Centuri KS-19 V-2 plastic nose cone. Estes Patriot Missile plastic nose cone is on the left and the Centuri KS-19 V-2 plastic nose cone is on the right. They are definitely not the same. The earliest date for the Estes #072306 plastic nose cone is 1991, which is 20 years after the Centuri KS-19 V-2 plastic nose cone was issued in 1971.

Kind regards,
Jeff Jenkins
aka: Faithwalker
NAR #46879 SR

Jeff,

Thanks for posting all of that and the pics. Pretty well covers my query in great detail. The only mystery is why it disappeared, but that is likely due to poor (or simply not good enough) sales or some other business decision.

Romie