The point being, the Estes forum was shut down over a year ago, many things have happened in the meantime. It's nice to know what fellow rocketeers are thinking about and what they want.

Instead of having a "debate" why not offer suggestions, hopefully, those at Estes will take an interest. I think that they should be given the opportunity to check out what we want from them and to see what direction it takes them.

Plastic nose cones are the best part of Estes kits, IMHO. Most other plasic parts are undesireable (after e2x rockets of course).

I'd love to see the mini booster engines again. B8s. Kevlar and elastic shock cords. C20?

I would be happy if they would re-release some useful SU engine choices such as:

1) Semi-port burners such as the C5-3 and 0 and B8-5,3,7,and 0

2) A decently high-thrust E engine of the overall size and total impulse of the E9...something like an E18 to E24 including a booster engine with some REAL lifting ability. The Estes quoted 14oz max liftoff weight of the current E9 is pure hogwash and EVERYBODY knows it.

3) PORT-burning B14's !!!!!! Their nonsense about it being too hazardous is baloney as the coring operation can be done in an AUTOMATED manner where humans have ZERO contact with the running process (I know they claim they will never do these again, but you asked)

4)Return of the 1/2A6-0, A8-0, B6-0, B8-0, and B14-0 booster engines.

5)Any 1/2A 13mm mini-booster

6)Modernization of shock cord attachment using the kevlar leader to elastic method and supplying the elastic in a length AT LEAST two times the overall rocket length; what they include now is PATHETIC ! Add fifty cents to the overall kit price to do it...any REAL rocket builder would appreciate this GREATLY.

7)Re-Release of many of the older "Sci-fi/Futuristic" designs such as the Manta Bomber, StarShip Nova, Star Speeder, Skytracer, BSG Viper, Scorpius, Attack Craft Orion, F-61 Starfighter, Astron Trident, Mars Snooper II (always liked that one better than the original), Rigel 3.

8) Removal of plastic from kits except where absolutely neccessary and return of "craftsman" like materials such as balsa wherever possible.

As there are tons of kit manufacturers now, and next to NO SU BP engine makers, I place a
MUCH greater priority on return of the useful "specialty" engines shown above over the kits.

__________________
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 !

DITTO!

B-14

also

Didn't Centuri make a large-ish Little Joe or Little Joe II? I would like to see more scale. Maybe the Mercury Atlas as well.

Stuart

These have been stated here by others, but:

1) Fin Guide (don't care at this point if it's metal or decently cast plastic)

2) Lower power boosters - 1/2A3-0T, A3-0T, A10-0T, A8-0, B6-0

3) Bring back the C11-0, 5 and 7 motors.

4) Interesting 13mm kits - just about everything now is either silly plastic RTFs or 3FN-common-as-dirt rockets. You CAN be creative with 13mm models.

5) BG and RG models. Wouldn't mind seeing a decent RCRG as well.

6) A decent parts assortment - I just picked up a "Designer's Special" and the parts mix sucked! This time, instead of 2 BT-5 tubes and 2 BT-20 tubes, there was one of each, and several short BT-5s and BT-20s (the 20s were white, like the tubes from the Hi-Flier, Viking, etc). Also, let's find something creative to do with all those PNC-55 Sidewinder nose cones besides filling the PNC-55 assortment and the Designer's Special with them. Or melt them down and use them for a different style cone. Either works for me!

Greg

Really great stuff, keep them coming.......

I'm perfectly okay with plastic nose cones. The only drawback I see is that creating molds for new ones are expensively prohibitive, especially for smaller companies.


However, I stand by my previous assertion that the "Thermonuclear" ejection charges have *got* to go! (Where's that "sobbing incoherently" icon?)

I recognize that Estes is the major manufacturer of black powder rocket motors. Maybe I could shrug off the occasional CATO when I was a kid. But as an adult, I'm *not* interested in having any of my rockets that I've spent hours building shredded by excessively powered ejection charges!

I've refused to engage in the "set the Wayback Machine to 1960-something" argument. (It's over. Move on.) But frankly, having my rockets blown to bits is the only complaint I have against 21st century Estes.


Here's hoping there's a "real" possibility of change, even if only in this one area alone.


Cheers, and good luck,

__________________
Jay Goemmer
"Centuri Guy"/"Tau Zero"
YORF Member 28
Semroc SAM #0029
NAR 86131


"I think about organizing things all the time. Never seems to happen. I find something that piques my interest and I'm off on a quest. Or a Centuri. "

--Bill Eichelberger, 02/22/2022


“Centuri fret buzz in an updated form.”
Bill “Wallyum” Eichelberger re: Estes Flutter-By
03 Sept 2014

My major wish is just to see Estes survive.

It worries me greatly to see the Estes presence in Walmart and other big box stores shrinking. In Walmart there are no longer any buildable kits, only RTFs, primarily starter sets, and an increasingly limited supply of motors.

As has been discussed on this forum, Walmart's knowledge and support of their rocketry customers doesn't exactly suggest the probability of future growth. If the presence continues to dwindle to the point where Walmart dumps Estes (as my other local big box store did), I think it's questionable whether the Estes rocketry line survives at all.

Without the Walmart business, Estes would have to depend on the hobbyist market, where the retail outlets are dwindling day by day. In my area hobby stores are down to 1/3 of what they were just 10 years ago. And if you can't sell your wares in the big box stores, and your small retailers are going out of business left and right, where do you sell your product? If nothing else, the model would have to be hugely different from what Estes does today, and I'm not sure the current company would have much interest in making the transition.

So what would I most like to see Estes do? I'd like to see them figure out a way to teach the Walmarts of the world how to grow their rocketry business.

Very well put, your insight in right on !!!