View Full Version : F.r.o.g.s. !!!!
Shreadvector
10-09-2007, 09:19 AM
Someone is auctiong a pile of them!
(Why are my cut and pasted links suddenly white on white, requireing me to change the font color?)
http://cgi.ebay.com/9-NINE-Estes-Model-Rocket-Kits-1980s-Alpha-in-Box_W0QQitemZ280161337792QQihZ018QQcategoryZ2567QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem (http://cgi.ebay.com/9-NINE-Estes-Model-Rocket-Kits-1980s-Alpha-in-Box_W0QQitemZ280161337792QQihZ018QQcategoryZ2567QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)
pantherjon
10-09-2007, 09:59 PM
Weird lemme see:
http://cgi.ebay.com/9-NINE-Estes-Model-Rocket-Kits-1980s-Alpha-in-Box_W0QQitemZ280161337792QQihZ018QQcategoryZ2567QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Seems to work for me..Forgive my ignorance but what does F.R.O.G.S stand for?
tfischer
10-10-2007, 12:03 AM
F.R.O.G.S. was a (lame) acronym used by Estes in the 80's, maybe 70's... Supposedly stood for "Fun Rocketry Or Great Science".
One of those things I had totally forgotten about until I saw the picture...
-Tim
Shreadvector
10-10-2007, 08:37 AM
Weird lemme see:
http://cgi.ebay.com/9-NINE-Estes-Model-Rocket-Kits-1980s-Alpha-in-Box_W0QQitemZ280161337792QQihZ018QQcategoryZ2567QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Seems to work for me..Forgive my ignorance but what does F.R.O.G.S stand for?
Boxes were sent to thousands of educators whose names and addresses were obtained from some source. They proclaimed on the ouside something like: "Open immeidately! Your F.R.O.G.S. are inside!". The intent was to make the teachers think that actual live frogs were inside and that would get them to open the box right away instead of throwing it out as junk mail. It had an Alpha or Alpha II kit (not III, II), catalog and educators deals.
And they go back to the early 70's. Mine is from 1972.
Shreadvector
10-10-2007, 09:43 AM
And they go back to the early 70's. Mine is from 1972.
Hmmm. I remember the late 1970's or early 1980's and a simple click on the eBay auction reveals the 1980 catalog in the photo.
Phred
10-10-2007, 10:16 AM
i remember filling out a form from estes back in 4th grade: (1975) It said something like "Get your teacher involved in model rocketry", and it was on the order form or catalog. I cannot remember which . ESTES sent her the FROGS set. She never told me about receiving it until the end of the year.... "Sorry we didn't have time for this." :(
Phred
Shreadvector
10-10-2007, 10:35 AM
i remember filling out a form from estes back in 4th grade: (1975) It said something like "Get your teacher involved in model rocketry", and it was on the order form or catalog. I cannot remember which . ESTES sent her the FROGS set. She never told me about receiving it until the end of the year.... "Sorry we didn't have time for this." :(
Phred
OK, that's good info. Looks like there was a version that was shipped upon request or recommendation earlier, but the massive mass mailing was 1980.
I do remember forms from estes to recommend a teacher. I don't think I ever filled one out...
Hmmm. I remember the late 1970's or early 1980's and a simple click on the eBay auction reveals the 1980 catalog in the photo.
No, I'm not lying.
Guess who dared and stole the pot for $85.69 :D
Please raise your hand :)
Phred
10-16-2007, 08:42 AM
Ribbit!! Not me... I dropped out after it went above $50.00
Ph
Ltvscout
10-16-2007, 08:45 AM
Joe,
How rude of you to steal those FROGS for only $86!!! :D ;)
scigs30
10-16-2007, 10:27 AM
Not me Leo, I did get the Mercury Redstone K41 at a good price. I was not even serious about bidding for it, but I won. I think it was around 60+ dollars with shipping and handling.
ghrocketman
10-16-2007, 10:49 AM
$60 for a K-41 Mercury Redstone is a good price.
Probably the most difficult build Estes ever offered as well.
I found this one to be much more involved than building any of the other Skill Level 5 kits they offered even including the S1B NCK-29 escape tower.
I dont understand how the all-plastic capsule K36 Saturn V and Mars Lander were skill 5 when comparing them to the K-41 and K-29...those should have been skill 6 !
scigs30
10-16-2007, 12:39 PM
It sounds like a fun build. Has anyone cloned this kit? I am guessing the parts are hard to find. I like to build my vintage kits, and I will clone if I have to build it again for some unforeseen accident. So when I get my kits I try to replace all the parts and make my own decals by scanning the orig. and making them in Coreldraw. This way I am able to capture all the detail and get the colors right, then print the decal on my Alps printer.
Phred
10-16-2007, 01:45 PM
I have purchased two partially built K-41s over the years. Betwen the two, I can build one! I have never gotten around to if though...
Ph
mojo1986
10-16-2007, 06:51 PM
Hi Leo. Yep, that was me that got the FROGS. I've never owned one, so I'll keep an unopened one (or two) and give the Alphas in the other ones to kids in the neighborhood who show enough interest to follow me out to the launch site next spring. At that price I felt I couldn't go wrong.
Joe
Congrats Joe :) <- me smiling as I write this
mojo1986
10-30-2007, 09:33 AM
Hey, Leo..............I just went to your excellent web site to take a look at your Estes FROGS kit to see how it differed from the ones I recently bought, and guess what???...............no photo!! At least, I couldn't find one.............. :confused:
Joe
Hey, Leo..............I just went to your excellent web site to take a look at your Estes FROGS kit to see how it differed from the ones I recently bought, and guess what???...............no photo!! At least, I couldn't find one.............. :confused:
Joe
Looks like maybe you just missed it :) Look here ... (http://www.leo.nutz.de/Rockets.php?Rockets=Estes%20Industries#459)
mojo1986
10-30-2007, 12:41 PM
Thanks, Leo! Nice one!
Joe
lurker01
10-30-2007, 01:49 PM
Looks like maybe you just missed it :) Look here ... (http://www.leo.nutz.de/Rockets.php?Rockets=Estes%20Industries#459)
Leo,
Your F.R.O.G. is older than Mojo's Frogs!
Robert
mojo1986
10-30-2007, 02:35 PM
Yes, Leo, it is older. It might be an interesting little collecting niche.............to get one of these for each year they were produced. They can obviously be dated by their catalogs, but you would have to open them to do that. I wonder if there are any external identifying marks that would indicate the year of issue.
Joe
lurker01
10-30-2007, 03:17 PM
Yes, Leo, it is older. It might be an interesting little collecting niche.............to get one of these for each year they were produced. They can obviously be dated by their catalogs, but you would have to open them to do that. I wonder if there are any external identifying marks that would indicate the year of issue.
Joe
I have a couple that have the K kit version of the Alpha (Damon/yellow tag + !970 catalog) and one with the Red-Blue-Black hang tag + 1969 catalog. So they go back a little further than Leo's. Cost me a "C" note, but I don't mind. Heck there are people who literally burn away that much a week smoking.
Robert
Green Dragon
10-30-2007, 03:43 PM
Hi Leo. Yep, that was me that got the FROGS. I've never owned one, so I'll keep an unopened one (or two) and give the Alphas in the other ones to kids in the neighborhood who show enough interest to follow me out to the launch site next spring. At that price I felt I couldn't go wrong.
Joe
JOE,
what are you doing with the extra FROGS ?
I was another bidder on that lot, but only around 37.00 or so, since I'd forgotten the ending, lol :)
I'd be interested in one ( had a few back in the day, not sure what became of those, liekly opened em up, or sold with my collection, circa 1990.
What I REALLY want from that lot was one of the 1980 catalogs.
I got started in 1976 with a Mark 2 kit, lost on flight 3... then a year later ( aprox ) got a min Brute Star Dart ( old stock from a local shop and on close-out :) .
However, although I had a 78 catalog, and later got a 76 from a friend in high school - my 1980 was my " wish book " , still have my tattered and taped together original which I refer to often now I'm in my " BAR-phase " ( I'm one of the high power junkies who never left the sport, just have now come full circle :D
if you;d be willing to part with a FROGS kit , or just one of the catalogs, drop me a PM ? thanks.
~ AL
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