Estes Luna Bug Hobby Lobby Exclusive
 

I got the HL exclusive kits, and had an hour so I thought I would build the Luna Bug. There is a nosecone, airframe and laser cut fiber fins and a launch lug. The fiber is thinner than what you would find on a Viking, which is a little surprising because these fins are pretty good size and each has a round foot. The fins are freed from the sheet and the feet glued on, then the fins and lugs are glued on the airframe. I used
The nosecone to keep the aft portion of the tube round while the fins went on. One fin root is has a step in height after the attachment nub and the root edge needs to be shaved or sanded flat. Then I glued the nosecone on with thick ca and filleted the fins. The fins took on slight warp while drying.

I haven’t painted it yet but did locate a pack of 1/4As in hopes of finding it. I also located a Micro to 13 adapter I have and might try that in the backyard.

I suspect nearly everyone has this little rocket! Mine is in my stash. I like that Estes is still making rocket in the "Mini-Brute" line!!

So you going to paint like the face card, or make your own scheme?

Does it recover by motor ejection and tumble?

I just picked up the ULTIMATE mini-brute on ebay. The 1972-73 TK-40 Midget for a whopping $39.
Gonna build it too.

Please post a pic, or it didn’t happen. The ultimate mb is the Beta, or the Screamer just because I didn’t know about the midget “back in the day”.

It’s a great question, I like it but green is scaring me. I’ll see what I have but probably a bright color.

Yup, we’ll see if it tumbles or spikes. Or like mosquitoes, maybe I won’t see!

We painted ours neon green, and frankly, in grass that is 8-10" tall, you can't see the rocket until you are right on top of it. I was thinking florescent orange, but my son is resisting that idea. We only used 1/2A engines, and that rocket was hard enough to see up there in the sky, let alone see where it fell to. NO WAY are we putting in an A10 engine in that thing. :mad:

The TK40 Midget is a 2-stage mini brute smaller than the Beta. It is a BT20/BT5 reduction of the Astron Midget that was BT50/BT20 based.
I can't copy the pics from ebay unfortunately.
Will take pics on 9/2 once home from Playa Mujeres.
I'm on vacation again.
Scored a 1973 skill-level last year Astron Cobra for only $100 too. That was a major bargain worth at least $250.

The the Luna Bug's "landing pads" they should create enough resistance that you may be able to recover it!