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  #41  
Old 04-14-2009, 09:12 PM
MDorffler MDorffler is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by InFlight
Mike,

Thanks for joining the forum and sharing your life with us!

That was a great story about Wayne Kellner. Monty Python was/is still fun to watch.


1. How did you and Wayne come up with the Goonybirds?

2. What inspired you to design the Blue Bird Zero?

PS: the BBZ is one of my favorites!

.


1. That'a MAD magazine again. We were eating lunch one day when Wayne pointed to one the vehicles in 'Spy Vs Spy' and grinned. We grabbed a couple pieces of paper, some colored pencils, and the Gonny Birds were born. I think many of you know by now that what we created was nothing like they ended up. We did fat flying German fighters and Buzz Bombs and other cool characterzations. The damon suits turned them into bunny rabbits.

2. I did the Blue Bird Zero over one weekend. Marketing on Friday wanted a new starter outfit rocket by Monday morning, so that's what I did - fully painted and decored. There's lots of Red Max in the design in case you hadn't seen it.

I like it too. I have the BBZ packaging artwork framed and hanging in my home office.
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  #42  
Old 04-14-2009, 09:27 PM
MDorffler MDorffler is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocket Doctor
Can you list all of the kits that you have designed and that were made into kits?

What was your favorite one and what was your least favorite one.?
?
What about the Classic Series and the WM Sustainables?

Will motors, especially boosters be availabe at WM for the above mentioned kits?


Doc - gotta pull out all my catalogs to make that list - and trying to remeber all the disigns I did that were never accepted as kits is truly an impossible task. From the early 70's to the mid 90's I usually submitted about 12-15 new designs each yearly marketing meeting that weren't accpeted. I have wished many times I had at least kept a photo of each.

As I had posted earlier, I truly don't have a favorite. The Swat is the one I would like to forget.

With most of the HR-4040 issues taken care of, we are now back on track to produce the Classics. While I did all the mechanical work to get them physically ready, Mike Fritz has tackeled re-writing all the instructions and following up on the paperwork. They're in the pipe, Ken - just a little while longer....

I did the original Sustainable series of 20 models in 6 days. Once marketing decided which models they wanted, it took another 30 or so days to do all the specifications, laser cut patterns, decors, etc. Again, Mike Fritz handled the paperwork and instructions.

We began shipping the first 3 last week. We will ship the remainer in 2 more lots of 4 later in the year. That's the plan anyway. Hopefully there isn't an HR-4041 brewing.

Yes, there will be more motors - paperwork is in process now.
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  #43  
Old 04-14-2009, 09:32 PM
MDorffler MDorffler is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rokitflite
Hi Mike,

Thanks a lot for your tremendous contributions to this hobby. I have to say that it is your fault and your fault alone (bashing you not Estes) that I am as deeply involed in this hobby as I have become. I was mildly interested in the hobby in the late 70s and early 80s... Then I attended one of the Pearl River model rocket seminars in NY. That is where I met Herb Desind and saw his Cineroc films for the first time. I began hunting for a Cineroc like crazy and actually ended up getting one from Oakie Six out of your returns department while I was on a tour of Estes. That got me looking at the older designs and as a result the large collection and interest I have in the hobby today.

No questions, just a big "THANK YOU"!

-Scott Branche


Scott - Oakie Six is one of the finest people I have ever known or worked with. You had a rare treat when you met here.
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  #44  
Old 04-14-2009, 09:52 PM
MDorffler MDorffler is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scigs30
Will Estes ever go back to the Red and white Alpha III?


If I had my way we would do just that. We shall see.
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  #45  
Old 04-14-2009, 09:52 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MDorffler
The kit I have always wished I hadn't done was the Swat. I thought that a camo scheme on a large Satellite Interceptor would be super cool. It wasn't.


Nothing personal, but I agree completely. Then again, I thought the Spacemaster was cool in black and white, but less so in the color catalog.
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Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper
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  #46  
Old 04-14-2009, 09:54 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry Irvine
I reiterate each of my questions as if stated for the first time ever. Reply to each paragraph in a separate message.

Jerry

I have more.



Yes your worship.
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Bill Eichelberger
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http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper
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  #47  
Old 04-14-2009, 10:03 PM
MDorffler MDorffler is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tbzep
What was the competition with Centuri like for you guys doing all the designing? Were there many designs (not just rockets) that were meant to directly compete with a specific product they produced, or vice versa? I know the products eventually intermingled, so I'm referring to the days before that happened. Mr. Estes said he always had a friendly respect and competition with Mr. Piester as a company, but I never saw anything specific printed about it.


Ya know, we never thought much about what Centuri was doing as far as designs go. We of course paid attention, but I think it was closer to they were a 'Chevy' and we were a 'Plymouth' sort of competition. I don't ever remember we felt as though they produced a new kit design that needed to be answered. When we first saw their Saturns though, it did wake us up. I personally always felt they ate out lunch on the V. Damon was driving our bus right then and we had very little money to spend for kit tooling. Lee hadn't yet sold to Damon so his use of money for tooling was much differnt than ours. And by the way, it was Keith Niskern who was responsible for their V and IB. Great guy, and I miss him.
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  #48  
Old 04-14-2009, 10:11 PM
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tbzep tbzep is offline
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Thanks for coming here and letting us pick your brain!

Since you mentioned you are nearing retirement, do you think you will still fool around with rocketry as a hobby, or are you burned out after almost 40 years and think you will walk away from it completely?
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  #49  
Old 04-14-2009, 10:21 PM
MDorffler MDorffler is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rstaff3
I too will thank you up-front for taking away from your valuable fishing time here!

I'm also interested in motors, mostly the ones we can't buy (at least currently ) at our friendly neighborhood hobby store.

Oh, I'm also curious whether you will fly any rockets after you retire? I.e. is rocketry both a hobby and work or has the latter beat the prior out of you?


I normally try not to think rockets from Friday evening to Monday morning. I have shift my attention to my family and other interests for awhile. Rockets are cool, but I have to catch a break here and there.

Will I fly rockets when I retire? Don't know for certain, but am thinking about trying to give you guys a serious run in scale at NARAM. Never had the time to do that before.
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  #50  
Old 04-14-2009, 10:22 PM
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dwmzmm dwmzmm is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MDorffler
I normally try not to think rockets from Friday evening to Monday morning. I have shift my attention to my family and other interests for awhile. Rockets are cool, but I have to catch a break here and there.

Will I fly rockets when I retire? Don't know for certain, but am thinking about trying to give you guys a serious run in scale at NARAM. Never had the time to do that before.


Are you a member of the NAR?
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