Great inputs! Here is the current "unofficial tally" Top 20 after trying to organize the content on each post. I believe everyone agrees with the Top 8 picks up through the SS Cassiopeia. Afterwards, a bit more murky.....

Andromeda 10
Mars Lander 9
Interceptor 8
Mars Snooper I +II 8
Orbital Transport 8
Trident 7
Alien Explorer 6
SS Cassiopeia 5
Strike Fighter 4
Manta Bomber 4
Solar Sailer 4
Starship Vega 4
Starship Nova 4
Star Speeder 4
USS Atlantis 4
Scorpius 3
Scissor Wing 3
Explorer Aquarius 3
Deep Space Transport 3
Patrol Cuiser Excaliber 3

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Estes kit pricing history and individual kit descriptions at www.seateddimevarieties.com/BAR/home.htm At least a work in progress....

For me number 1 is the Mars Lander! I guess that should come as no surprise.

Then the Starship Vega

Mars Snooper

Argosy

Orbital Transport

Deep Space Transport

Spaceman

Wolverine

Spaceman? Interesting choice! Someone who respects the old school.

MarkII

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SAM # 0011

Real old school!

Still one of my favorites.

Right on, brother.

MarkII

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SAM # 0011

I've added a Top 20 table to the eBay kit collecting homepage that features the informal results of discussions contained within this thread. This was not my original intention but now that the opinions were tabulated, I though to at least post the information on the website for others to consider.

Where there were multiple kit options, I chose the more "common" kit to acquire and list in the Top 20 table.

Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated.......

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Estes kit pricing history and individual kit descriptions at www.seateddimevarieties.com/BAR/home.htm At least a work in progress....

Great job Gerry, keep up the good work.

I'm wondering how many kits Estes or Centuri(and others) may have advertised but never made or made in very limited quantities like the Cygnus Probe or that space shuttle thing on the back of a catalogue. I would think there would have to be at least one prototype made,now these would be truly "exotic"! Rarity would be one criteria for collecting I would think,not to get off-topic but low production numbers just make them that much cooler! I'd rank the Black Hole Space Probe #1.

See this thread on the subject: http://forums.rocketshoppe.com/showthread.php?t=5113

Bob

I was really dissapointed to find that a lot of old Estes products mysteriously disappeared or were cancelled,it reminds me of how our government scrapped the Avro Arrow and destroyed much of the information,although one complete aircraft was supposedly spirited away. Speaking of exotic,I met a man who had a factory model of the Flying Saucer project they were working on for the U.S. Military in his office,he said he had two of them in fact,and some drawings. I'm thinking I should have pressed him to part with one...