Great catch! The Star Trek rocket was shown in two decor schemes--the yellow & red of yours, and an earlier purple with yellow (yellow plastic parts, that is) decor scheme. The slightly different fin planform and airfoil shape of that fin unit always appealed to me. Also, I'd love to--in my natural form--live in your yard; that tree-sheltered glade would be a cozy little paddock...

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Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR

Had to go look for it. I never knew there was a purple version. http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/no...a/76est004.html
Kinda cool. I like the simpler graphics.
As for the yard, it's not so great up close. All hill, but we make the best of it.

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Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Mini Dactyl Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

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

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Groonie Der V 1/2

I always HATED those battery-based launch-pads from both Estes and Centuri.
Seemed VERY cheap/cruddy/basic to me.
The Estes one did not even have a tilt provision.
SCRAP-HEAP it !

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When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, TURMOIL, FIASCOS, and HAVOC !

Dude, your string is hangin'.

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Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Mini Dactyl Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

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

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Groonie Der V 1/2

I've got a starter set like Bill's, and have known about the purple decal wrap in the catalogs, but I've never seen a purple version "in the wild".

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I love sanding.

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SAM #0031

Thank you for posting that. Like tbzep, I never saw that decor scheme in an actual Star Trek Starter Set--I've always wondered if they never released it, but instead changed it to the yellow & red one before starting production.Besides its aesthetic appeal (at least the portion visible in your "from the porch railing view" photographs of various rockets), it provides shade and has lush grass, my top criteria for a "preferred paddock."

__________________
Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR

Your comment here has confirmed that I *should* suggest to Bill Stine an idea that occurred to me earlier today. I was thinking about Bill's Star Trek "lantern battery launch pad" when an image of a MicroMaxx version came into my mind; it could be built like this:

A tiny plastic "lantern battery contact holder" (equipped with 9 volt battery 'snap-contacts' instead--it would resemble the "Pak-Lite" 9 volt battery flashlights [see: http://www.9voltlight.com/ ]) would be snapped onto the top of a 9 volt battery, which would--like the lantern battery--lie on its side to form the launcher's base. The tiny MicroMaxx launch rod (complete with a 1" - 1.5" diameter, slip-on jet deflector plate) would be slipped into molded-in mounting lugs on the plastic 9 volt battery contact holder. Also:

The launch controller could be hard-wired to the 9 volt battery contact holder, or it could be connected to the battery contact holder by means of banana plugs & jacks (or other plugs and jacks). If this tiny "battery launch pad" required legs to steady it (at least for supporting larger MicroMaxx rockets), a slip-on "cross-leg assembly" (similar in appearance to Estes' old "Bigfoot Launch Pad") could hold the 9 volt battery and would steady the whole assembly.

__________________
Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR

The Centuri Powr Pad is one of my favorite launchers. The way that everything collapses/winds up so you can just grab the handle and go is a great idea. While not perfect for a day of flying, it's hard to find a pad that is more convenient for a quick park launch. I would imagine that the Estes version has similar qualities.

I like your idea for a MMX pad. I really liked their old "silo" pad (the ignitors, not so much). Just being able to throw a pack of motors and a few rockets in the folding panels and walk to the park without preparing for a big launch is a huge plus. The new MMX pad is nice too but not quite as portable. If you can get your idea made, I'm in for buying a few.

As a side note, I have drawn the Challenger-1 and Proton Torpedo for MMX cardstock rockets and launch them frequently. I wish I could find a scan of the Star Trek version so I could add it to the fleet.

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Where's the Kaboom?

Leo hosts a scan by Scigs30.
http://www.leo.nutz.de/images/forum..._trek_decal.pdf

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I love sanding.