2015 Estes Catalog

[turbofireball]

Looks like the 2015 catalog is available to buy from Estes....and.....the downloadable version is available too!!!
http://www.estesrockets.com/media//catalogs/Estes_2015_Catalog.pdf
Last page is very interesting.....return of the Blurzz

[jeffyjeep]

Thanks for posting that link. It appears that the Mega Mosquito is gone.

That skill level 5 Odyssey looks like fun!

[ghrocketman]

The Mega Mosquito is almost always on clearance. Not surprising it got discontinued.
Not sure who the company was, but there was a 6" diameter 54mm J-powered upscale Mosquito kit called the Skeeter. It was 6" diameter and about 4' tall including the length of the swept fins that extend WAY below the base of the body tube.
That thing was neat.
The 'mega' Estes one with thin wall LPR tubing and 24mm power, not so much.

[Jerry Irvine]

Interesting factoid here:

[ghrocketman]

What factoid would that be, Jerry ?

[jeffyjeep]

Interesting factoid here:
Except for the atrocious grammar I don't see the anomally either. :confused:

[5x7]

Mixed Motors and Engines. Aerotech makes motors.

Discuss...........

[Rich Holmes]

I know this will come as a shock, but the Big Bertha is still in the catalog.

Rockets in last year's catalog not in this year's catalog seem to be:

Shuttle Xpress Launch Set E2X
Puma RTF
Summit RTF
LoadStar RTF
Scrappy RTF
Slinger RTF
Blue Ninja E2X
Eliminator E2X
Gold Strike E2X
Silver Streak E2X
Quark 1
Reflector 1
Payloader II 1
Ricochet 1
Space Eagle 1
Vector Force 1
Plasma Probe 1
Super Alpha 1
CC Express 2
Mega Mosquito 2
D-Region Tomahawk 2
Screaming Eagle 2
Solar Flare 2
Long Tom 2
Photon Disruptor 2
Dark Energy 2

Also, the Gnome is now only in bulk packs.


New rockets to the catalog are:

Nova ARF
Rookie ARF
Mammoth pro E2X
Mix-n-Match-50 E2X
Mix-n-Match-55 E2X
Mix-n-Match-60 E2X
Flip Flyer E2X
Show Stopper E2X
Sky Cruiser E2X
Crossbow SST 2
Mercury Redstone 3
Scorpion 3
Lynx 3
Odyssey 5

and the Generic E2X is now sold individually.

[jeffyjeep]

The Screamin Eagle is gone?!

That's disappointing.

[BEC]

I know this will come as a shock, but the Big Bertha is still in the catalog.


Increasing its lead as the longest-in-continuous production model rocket kit.


I'm kind of surprised that the PSII composite motors are still in the catalog.

[Jerry Irvine]

Mixed Motors and Engines. Aerotech makes motors.
Discuss...........Correct. They call the APCP stuff motors and the BP stuff engines. IIRC the casing of Estes A-E motors have both words on the labels now.

The use of the word engine while not technically correct is valid simply because they have been calling them that for several decade and changing the term completely would possibly be confusing to low information users.

The fact they adopted the term motor at all over the past several years is a step forward to rhetorical accuracy.

The morph of the product line to increasingly duplicative designs differentiated only by colors, is an interesting inventory control development. The "fantasy" rockets on the cover are a wink to the "good old days" whether or not they actually sell. The thing I take away from this catalog is just how indestructible certain rockets are. Alpha, Alpha III, Maxi-Alpha, Big Bertha, Wizard, Viking, Yankee, etc. Some rockets simply have a steady following over the course of decades!

The A10-PT is the rocket car motor I presume. That back cover has the distinct flavor of future vaporware..

Jerry

[eljefe]

The Screamin Eagle is gone?!

That's disappointing.

That kit disappeared off the Estes site in July. You can still find it at several other web sellers though.

[Rich Holmes]

Increasing its lead as the longest-in-continuous production model rocket kit.
In fact, isn't 2015 the 50th anniversary of the K-23 Big Bertha kit?

[Bill]

I know this will come as a shock, but the Big Bertha is still in the catalog.

Rockets in last year's catalog not in this year's catalog seem to be:

Super Alpha 1




I am still surprised the Super Alpha did not sell better. BT-60 is the most practical size for this design. Maybe it is the "wrong" nose cone after Estes went back to plastic. Maybe it should have had a 24mm motor mount instead of 18mm.


Bill

[Jerry Irvine]

I am still surprised the Super Alpha did not sell better. BT-60 is the most practical size for this design. Maybe it is the "wrong" nose cone after Estes went back to plastic. Maybe it should have had a 24mm motor mount instead of 18mm.
BillAgreed 24mm would have been great. Maybe it's time for a 29mm Bertha with slide ring parachute to assure safe deployment with the heavy casing.

Bertha
Mini-Bertha
Ranger
50th Anniversary Bertha

Where's the 24mm and 29mm Berthas? :D

Tech Jerry

[Bill]

Agreed 24mm would have been great. Maybe it's time for a 29mm Bertha with slide ring parachute to assure safe deployment with the heavy casing.

Bertha
Mini-Bertha
Ranger
50th Anniversary Bertha

Where's the 24mm and 29mm Berthas? :D

Tech Jerry


Well, there was the Super Big Bertha and its brother, the Broadsword...


Bill

[jeffyjeep]

Agreed 24mm would have been great. Maybe it's time for a 29mm Bertha with slide ring parachute to assure safe deployment with the heavy casing.

Bertha
Mini-Bertha
Ranger
50th Anniversary Bertha

Where's the 24mm and 29mm Berthas? :D

Tech Jerry
Slide ring?

[ghrocketman]

ANYTHING BT-60 and above should have a 24mm mount standard.
Include an 18mm adapter.

[Jerry Irvine]

Slide ring?A slide ring is a key ring on a nylon chute or a multilayer paper ring on a poly chute slid all the way to the canopy, on the shrouds, on folding that when deployed prevents the parachute from "explosively deploying", and slides down on deployment to gently open the canopy and thus let it deploy over seconds rather than milliseconds.

You could also use a short piece of BT-5 or BT-20, say 1/4"+.

"Slide Ring" Tech Jerry

also cite:
https://www.google.com/search?q=slide+ring&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=com.floodgap:en-US:unofficial&client=firefox-a&channel=fflb#rls=com.floodgap:en-US:unofficial&channel=fflb&q=parachute+slide+ring

[jeffyjeep]

Ah so. It works like a shock absorber.

[Royatl]

What factoid would that be, Jerry ?

That the composite motors are MOTORS,

and the black powder motors are ENGINES.

[Rich Holmes]

That the composite motors are MOTORS,

and the black powder motors are ENGINES.
Ah, but what are the composite engines and the black powder engines?

[the mole]

Is the Estes Crossbow SST Rocket discontinued or not?
It's in the 2015 Catalog, but you can't find them in stock anywhere. :confused:

[turbofireball]

It's in the new section of the catalog, which means it is a re-release for 2015. Since first quarter 2015 releases have already been announced (see their website coming soon section), it will probably be a second quarter release, around June.

[ghrocketman]

Anyone know if the new Mercury Redstone is available yet ?

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

Anyone know if the new Mercury Redstone is available yet ?
It wasn't at Hobby Lobby last week. ;) If that happens I guarantee I'll buy several.

[johnnwwa]

I have over 65lbs of the Estes 2015 catalog, I'd estimate about 200 in two boxes.
So for awhile I have the largest collection of 2015 catalogs. :D

These will be given out at NARCON in about 3.5 weeks.

www.narconseattle2015.com

[turbofireball]

The Mercury Redstone is due in March, also the Odyssey is due in March. The Mix-n-Match sets are due in February, along with the Flip Flyer, 9 inch parachute, and the 24/29 motor mount. The release dates are not set in stone, so a month later could happen. The other unreleased items in the catalog would probably be second quarter, which means late May or June.

[BEC]

In fact, isn't 2015 the 50th anniversary of the K-23 Big Bertha kit?

Well.... there was no 1965 catalog. The 1964 does not include Big Bertha, but the 1966 one (the first one with the color cover) does.

Big Bertha first appeared as a plan in MRN V3N2 (April/May 1963)....so depending on whether one looks at the design itself or the kit we're either already past th 50th or coming up to it.

Hey JumpJet - any chance of a Gold 50th Anniversary Edition Big Bertha - even just a special decal set - perhaps in 2016?

[BEC]

I have over 65lbs of the Estes 2015 catalog, I'd estimate about 200 in two boxes.
So for awhile I have the largest collection of 2015 catalogs. :D

These will be given out at NARCON in about 3.5 weeks.

www.narconseattle2015.com

Well then I won't need to get over to HobbyTown in Tukwila to get one before then.....

[Shreadvector]

Hmmm. Hobby Town USA, had not thought of that. I am in Everett finishing up another 3 week business trip, so maybe I will pop in by the mall after I hit LA Fitness after another 10 to 12 hour work day.

Unless someone has a desk filled with extra copies in 40-88 or 40-87 ......

And I will drive to Renton next Thursday for a meeting most of the morning and mid-day, so I could stop somewhere in that area before I head back up the I405.

But Friday I head back to SeaTac before dawn to fly back home. Perhaps I will get sent back again in February just in time for NARCON?