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  #1  
Old 10-17-2008, 05:00 PM
Rocket Doctor Rocket Doctor is offline
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Default Official Estes Hobby expo Press Release

I am waiting for an official press release from Estes to be posted here before the evening is out.

Check back and as soon as I get the information I will post it.
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Old 10-17-2008, 06:04 PM
Rocket Doctor Rocket Doctor is offline
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Announcing the Estes product line for 2009.
With BALSA nose cones, laser cut balsa fins, and water slide decals.
These components will be used on the "Classic Series" of kits as well as future Estes kits.

These kits are scheduled for release between Maarch and June 2009. The balance is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2009. I will be posting a seperate list of the summer kit releases.


The Estes Classic Series is a line of rocket products that were introduced to the modeling world during the 1970's and 1980's. This period is fondly remembered by many as the "Golden Age Of Model rocketry", when new exotic designs were appearing at an astonishing rate.

Estes has gone back to the archives, pulled up old drawings and spec sheets and brought these fantastic flying machines back for old and new rocketeers to enjoy. Each kit has been reproduced and updated while still retaining the classic lines of the original. In terms of the kit quality, not much has changed since they were first seen on the market over 20 and 30 years ago. They all have our high quality body tubes, balsa nose cones and laser cut balsa fins. While we cannot turn back the hands of time, we can once again enjoy many of these wonderful models and capture a little of our yourth in the process.

All Classic Rockets will feature high quality balsa nose cones and laser cut balsa fins. All decals will also be high quality waterslide decals with the exception of the 3024 Phoenix Bird, which will have self stick foil decals as was originally done in this kit.

Alien Invader
Skill Level 2
$19.99
Based on Estes 1281

3009 Chuter 2
Skill Level 1
$19.99
Based on Centuri KC-16

3012 Excalibur II
Skill Level 2
$22.99
Based on Centuri KF-5

3013 Flutter-By
Skill Level 1
$12.99
Based on Centuri KA-9

3016 Long Tom
Skill Level 2
$24.99
Based on Centuri KC-4 & 5064

3022 Payloader II
Skill Level 1
$19.99
Based on Centuri KC-20 & 5080

3024 Phoenix Bird
Skill Level 1
$21.99
Based on Centuri 5407

Photon Disruptor
Skill Level 2
$19.99
Based on Estes 1282

3026 Photon Probe
Skill Level 2
$19.99
Based on Estes 2043

3027 Satellite Interceptor
Skill Level 2
$23.99
Based on Estes 1296

3031 Star Trooper
Skill Level 1
$10.99
Based on ?Centuri KM-3

3033 Twister
Skill Level 1
$14.99
Based on Centuri KA-2 & 5002

3036 Marauder
Skill Level 2
$19.99
Based on Estes 1922

3037 Hornet
Skill Level 1
$17.99
Based on Centuri 5341

3039 Thunder Hawk
Skill level 1
$12.99
Based on Centuri 5338

3039 Thunder Bird
Skill Level 1
$17.99
Based on Centuri 5339

3040 Thunder Roc
Skill Level 3
29.99
Based on Centuri 5340



Check for official information often on the Estes web site www.estesrockets.com

More great kits coming from estes, and remember, it's balsa parts.

FYI The kits were designed by Mike Dorffler.

Mike Fritz, Marketing Manager was responsibel for the booth design and layout, brochures and other handouts and product support.

I will be posting the list of the Summer 2009 kits that will be coming out.

Last edited by Rocket Doctor : 10-18-2008 at 08:26 AM.
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  #3  
Old 10-17-2008, 06:10 PM
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Well....I hope they make it to the Hobby Lobby shelves so I can use a 40% Off coupon.....
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Old 10-17-2008, 11:05 PM
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Rocket Doctor,

Some observations and questions.

Estes has been very eratic of late. It's hard to figure out their retailing strategy.

Mass market (Walmart) lineup has been reduced to a few RTFs and a few motors so this new announcement doesn't seem to have much to do with them.

A whole bunch of great new hobby-line kits got announced, including Shrox kits, then none got produced.

Info from customer service new catalogs were just about here, then the catalog got axed. Did that have anything to do with this announcement or are the two unrelated?

Now this info that Estes will reproduce over 40 old kits within the next year, when the whole current product line is only 60 kits.

Does this mean much of the current product line is going away, or is this proposed in addition to the current lineup ostensibly targeting a different audience?

Who are the targeted retailers for these kits, mass market, chain hobby shops, independents, online retailers? I can see the iHobby Expo presentation of this lineup as a floater to see if there is enough interest to produce such a product line, but I'm having difficulty imagining who would retail them in addition to current stock.

Bring-backs are a good thing, but I'm having trouble seeing a market for 40 of them as quickly as is being suggested. Any inside scoop as to the marketing strategy at work here?
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Old 10-18-2008, 07:11 AM
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Is it just me, or is anyone else a bit sceptical about the 2009, upcoming, releases?

Seems like a great vision forward, however based on Estes' past, it may be all hype and no releases. Isn't this what they did with Shrox?
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Old 10-18-2008, 07:22 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gus
....

Bring-backs are a good thing, but I'm having trouble seeing a market for 40 of them as quickly as is being suggested. Any inside scoop as to the marketing strategy at work here?


Gus, 40 classics will be no different than 40 new kits to someone shopping at Walmart that has never flown rockets. The merit of classic designs is that they are more unique than the RTF lines from the past few years.

I got the impression from my contact that Mike has been working on this for some time.
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Old 10-18-2008, 08:02 AM
Rocket Doctor Rocket Doctor is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gus
Rocket Doctor,

Some observations and questions.

Estes has been very eratic of late. It's hard to figure out their retailing strategy.

Mass market (Walmart) lineup has been reduced to a few RTFs and a few motors so this new announcement doesn't seem to have much to do with them.

A whole bunch of great new hobby-line kits got announced, including Shrox kits, then none got produced.

Info from customer service new catalogs were just about here, then the catalog got axed. Did that have anything to do with this announcement or are the two unrelated?

Now this info that Estes will reproduce over 40 old kits within the next year, when the whole current product line is only 60 kits.

Does this mean much of the current product line is going away, or is this proposed in addition to the current lineup ostensibly targeting a different audience?

Who are the targeted retailers for these kits, mass market, chain hobby shops, independents, online retailers? I can see the iHobby Expo presentation of this lineup as a floater to see if there is enough interest to produce such a product line, but I'm having difficulty imagining who would retail them in addition to current stock.

Bring-backs are a good thing, but I'm having trouble seeing a market for 40 of them as quickly as is being suggested. Any inside scoop as to the marketing strategy at work here?



From what i gather, Estes wants to move in a different direction. Having the designs sitting in their files does no good unless they are put to use.

I had heard that Estes wanted to release the Centuri based kits for along time.

I think the reason why the catalog didn't come out was the introduction of all of these kits.

Yes, Mike has been working on these for quite some time, and, he wouldn't be wasting his time if this wasn't for real.

I don't know what had transpired with the Shrox designs, I tired to get the low down to no avail.

The current kits will be still be around with some changes, BALSA parts.

There is other info that I am waiting on to be released here.

In my opinio0n, I think that the retailers wanted something different, so, their getting what they have asked for.

In order for Estes to continue to release "bring backs" and other new kits, they need the support from the hobbyists, who have wanted these kits, and, now finally are getting them.

All i can say, they are moving in the right direction, and, only time will tell how successfull it was/is.

I was surprised myself to see such an assortment of kits, I knew about the BALAS, but, certainly nothing so intense as this.

I guess the Inteerceptor and the Red Max was a guidline and they went over quite well, so, it's onto more classics.

We also have to remember, that Centuri became a part of Estes when Damon took it over and at one time, Estes produced both their own kits and Centuri as well. If you look at the address on some of the Centuri kits, it does state "Penrose". So, all of the designs, prints, decals and related information became a part of Estes.

Also the word "Astron" is still a big part of Estes as well.

I hope this has cleared up some of your questions.

Last edited by Rocket Doctor : 10-18-2008 at 08:17 AM.
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Old 10-18-2008, 08:10 AM
Ltvscout Ltvscout is offline
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I wouldn't call these bring backs if they're not essentially the same as the originals. I would call them what they're called in your list above, "based on." I was very disappointed to read in another thread that the Centuri models won't have Centuri-sized parts, unless that's just a typo which has happened before.

If that's the case I'll continue to have to wait for Semroc's Retro-Repro of my first rocket, the Payloader II. At least that will have original-sized parts.
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Old 10-18-2008, 08:22 AM
Rocket Doctor Rocket Doctor is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ltvscout
I wouldn't call these bring backs if they're not essentially the same as the originals. I would call them what they're called in your list above, "based on." I was very disappointed to read in another thread that the Centuri models won't have Centuri-sized parts, unless that's just a typo which has happened before.

If that's the case I'll continue to have to wait for Semroc's Retro-Repro of my first rocket, the Payloader II. At least that will have original-sized parts.


To achieve the exact dimensions as the original Centuri kits, that would mean an entire new inventory of parts with the slight differences in tolerances.

As we all know, the differences between Estes and Centuri parts were small, but, Centuri did it so that parts could not be interchanged.

The BT-56 was a Centuri body tube, whcih Estes used mainly on their RTF's and some others. In my opinion, the difference was just a pin in the butt.

Inorder to have "space" one needs to standardize their parts inventory, like I had mentioned above, it would be like creating a totally new company.

At least we are getting BALSA, laser cut BALSA fins and waterslide decals.

And, if you were to go back over the requests from the former Estes forum and from request here, this is what was requested.

The fact that you don't see RTF's and mostly plastic kits is a move in the right direction.
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Old 10-18-2008, 08:25 AM
Ltvscout Ltvscout is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocket Doctor
To achieve the exact dimensions as the original Centuri kits, that would mean an entire new inventory of parts with the slight differences in tolerances.

As we all know, the differences between Estes and Centuri parts were small, but, Centuri did it so that parts could not be interchanged.

I don't consider the differences small at all. Centuri tubes, besides being larger in diameter, were thicker which allowed the kits to be more durable in the long run.
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