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  #1  
Old 10-31-2006, 01:35 PM
shockwaveriderz shockwaveriderz is offline
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Default Central Rocket Company info?

I know somebody out there has a circa 65 catalog from this company based in wisconsin? THey advertised in the old American Modeler magazine in the classified ads section dating back to 1958! Wasn't this company the forerunner of MRI- Model Rocket Industries, which became MPC then AVi? I beleive the guys name was Mike Bergenske ?

??

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  #2  
Old 10-31-2006, 03:34 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shockwaveriderz
I know somebody out there has a circa 65 catalog from this company based in wisconsin? THey advertised in the old American Modeler magazine in the classified ads section dating back to 1958! Wasn't this company the forerunner of MRI- Model Rocket Industries, which became MPC then AVi? I beleive the guys name was Mike Bergenske ?

??

terry dean
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The only surviving copy I have is 1962. They were Central Rocket Company P.O. Box 89 Waupaca Wisconsin. I gave a copy to Senator Mike Enzi last year. He and I both bought a lot of Zinc Dust from them in the early 60's! I also bought some of their Type CRX Rock-A-Chute engines, I think before I bought engines from Estes.
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Old 10-31-2006, 05:05 PM
Ltvscout Ltvscout is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shockwaveriderz
I know somebody out there has a circa 65 catalog from this company based in wisconsin? THey advertised in the old American Modeler magazine in the classified ads section dating back to 1958! Wasn't this company the forerunner of MRI- Model Rocket Industries, which became MPC then AVi? I beleive the guys name was Mike Bergenske ?

It's actually spelled, Myke. Yes, Myke had MRI, bought out MPC when they went out of the rocket biz, then started AVI that featured a lot of vaporware. They did have some nice motors though. Myke still lives up around Madison here in WI.
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  #4  
Old 11-07-2006, 11:32 AM
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Terry,
Thought I'd send along scans of a couple of things we have here regarding Central Rocket Company. One is a 1962 flyer for their StarHawk rocket, and another is a photo of a bag that was used by Vern and Gleda Estes to mail motors to Central Rocket before Estes moved from Denver to Penrose (You'll notice the Denver address on the tag). Vern confirmed that this is Gleda's handwriting on the bag.
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Old 11-08-2006, 12:47 PM
shockwaveriderz shockwaveriderz is offline
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carl/mark:

you learn something new over here everyday! For example, I didn't know that in 1962 Orv Carlisle was licensing his Rock-a-Chutes to be sold by Central Rocket. Were these Brown Manufacturing, MMI or Estes Rock-a-Chutes?

just checkin'


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Old 11-08-2006, 03:38 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shockwaveriderz
carl/mark:

you learn something new over here everyday! For example, I didn't know that in 1962 Orv Carlisle was licensing his Rock-a-Chutes to be sold by Central Rocket. Were these Brown Manufacturing, MMI or Estes Rock-a-Chutes?

just checkin'


terry dean
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Terry,

I actually have a couple of spent Central Rocket Company Rock-A-Chute motors. (I got them from Randy Liebermann, who did quite a bit of research on all of this several years ago.) Both of the motors I have were made by Brown for Central Rocket under an agreement between Orville and CRC. However, eventually Central Rocket, according to Randy, began making their own motors because it was too expensive to pay Carlisle a royalty per motor, per their existing agreement.

I'm not sure if Vern Estes ever made any Rock-A-Chutes for Central (I've never asked him that specifically , even though Vern and Gleda certainly mailed some motors in 1960 to Central Rocket in that bag that I mentioned in an earlier posting.) But Carl may know more about this.

Randy Liebermann believes that Central decided to make their own motors after ending the agreement with Carlisle/Brown. However, they did allude in correspondence to Orville that they could buy motors from Estes at a lower cost than what they were paying Carlisle in royalties alone.

But you should talk to Randy about this—although give him a few days because he's on deadline for me right now.

I'm attaching another scan from Central Rocket regarding the Rock-A-Chutes.

Best,
Mark
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  #7  
Old 05-03-2007, 04:37 PM
shockwaveriderz shockwaveriderz is offline
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I was doing some research today and I came upon a Classified Ad in the April 1960 issue of American Modeler where Central Rocket announces that Rock-A-Chute motors were available.


As far as price was concerned, my timeline shows that the Brown motors were shipped to MMI at $0.13 each while the Vern Estes motors were initially sold to MMI at $0.07 each.


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Old 05-03-2007, 08:26 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ltvscout
It's actually spelled, Myke. Yes, Myke had MRI, bought out MPC when they went out of the rocket biz, then started AVI that featured a lot of vaporware. They did have some nice motors though. Myke still lives up around Madison here in WI.


......Vaporware???
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Old 05-03-2007, 08:49 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sadmug
......Vaporware???

Items that appear in a catalog but was never made.
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  #10  
Old 05-03-2007, 09:13 PM
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Originally Posted by barone
Items that appear in a catalog but was never made.

Thanks for enlightning me Don. Learn something new everyday.

Seems that would detrimental to a company after a while.

How was the quality of the kits that AVI did produce?
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