Estes Range Box
 

I picked up an Estes Range Box this past July at a local flea market. I couldn't look at it until today.

For the grand total of $5.00 I got;

1. The Range Box
2. Two launch controlers(blue)
3. Launch rod(aluminum)
4. Launch pad(red legs)
5. Blast deflector(steel sleeve)
6. Assorted rocketry manuals
7. One A8-3 rocket motor
8. # 11 Xacto knife and blades with a wood carving handle and blade
9. One Estes Gemeni DC rocket kit, opened but complete
10. Big Bertha instructions and decal
11. Six Solar ignighters

From what I can determine, it dates back to the early to mid 80's.
You had to assemble the launch controlers according to the instructions.
Anyone know what rocket came with the Range Box or what other stuff came with it?

Based upon the items in the photo and in your excellent description (Big Bertha instructions, order form, educational materials/technical reports...) I would bet that this was a teacher's starter set which included the Big Bertha rocket. There may have been more than one set and you have just the leftover items. Teachers usually bought one or more of these and then either bulk packs of kits for the students or a bunch of individual kits for the students. Sometimes, if money is tight, they have the students build fewer models as "teams".

Usually old range boxes like this will have items like a couple of half-melted parachutes, used engines, dried up bottles of glue/paint, an old moldy half-eaten sandwich, a smashed Blatz beer can, and a handful of rocks for good measure.

The decal alone is worth what you paid for the whole schmear.

Nice score!

Heck, a smashed Blatz can is worth darned near what he paid.
Lil' disappointed there was not anything totally useless and unrelated to rocketry in the box.
Usually in one of these old "range box deals", there will be something that is impossible to figure out any sort of rocketry use for. Like some old beat-up fishing bobbers, an empty baked-beans can, a half-chewed rawhide pet toy, or a chunk from a busticated bowling bawl.
I know I ALWAYS include something like that in one of my "range box deals". The last one had a few ounces of BIRD SEED (for plantin' to grow new rockets, ya know) in an old baby food jar.

Oops...I forgot...
 

Oops...I forgot, it had some cooking spice in a plastic sandwich bag.
I couldn't tell what it was so I smoked instead! :eek: :p
It smelled awful! :(

Now really...
Is there anything in there of any value?

Some sort of green leafy "WILD" parsley huh ?

Not really anything of special value but you got a great deal for 5 buxx ! :D
The stuff must be worth at least $40-50

Looking it over...
 

Looking it over again I determined it is from 1988 by some of the litature in the box.
I just didn't know they put a Big Bertha in the Range Box. I thought it was always just an Alpha only?

Looking at it again, I found an order form dated 2-1-89. You should see the prices!

so the Ranage Box is from 1989!

They shipped lots of stuff in the range boxes, including the starter sets. I don't recall any Big Bertha Starter Sets, but there have been many starter sets over the years that had rockets other than the Alpha.

That said, because my first rockets came in an Alpha starter set (circa 1969), like you, my paradigm has always been that Alpha and starter set go together :)

Doug

.

You can sometimes tell by the legs on the launcher. If they are the futuristic saw tooth legs, then they are certainly more recent than 1988. Straight red legs remind me of the Alpha starter set. Are there "hazard stripe" stickers on the legs? Isn't there a reference list somewhere on the site with all the starter sets?