I agree that it's over and time to move on but the proper name is the WABAC Machine...

Mario

I'd simply like them to listen and 'hear'.

I agree with the two line approach; one for the mass market and the other for hobbyists. Let's face it the hobbyist is their free marketing.

All your comments, suggestions and constructive criticism is a start. I hope that they are listening.....

Ditto on the mini, A8, B6, C5 and E booster engines. Maybe even a black powder F engine. I'd love to see a new B14, but it probably will never happen. Engine selection these days really sucks.

I would also like to see more of the manufacturing brought back into the US again. I get really tired of seeing "Made in China" on kits.

Joe W

By the way, I think Estes took a huge step forward by getting Shrox on board. Truly an amazing talent. And like Shrox, there are a number of other talented people currently producing rockets in limited distribution who Estes would be wise to partner with. Why not aquire market proven winners and put them into REALLY mass production?

Here's my short list:

Don Magness - how many Red Barons do you think Estes could sell? And Don's new Dogfight kit would also be huge. His signature line is similar to what I think Estes should do. How many of Doug Sam's Tubers do you think Estes could move? Truly great designs in really limited production. Don's stuff deserves a much wider audience.

Jim Flis - Deuces Wild, Tres, Acme Spitfire, Thing-a-ma-jig. The current Da Vinci of model rocketry. Put some real marketing muscle behind even one of those and both Estes and Jim could be on easy street. I don't know if Jim would have any interest but how Estes missed out on this guy reminds me of the ABC executive who passed on The Cosby Show. Is there anything about what Jim Flis is doing that doesn't scream "we HAVE to have that guy"?

Art Applewhite - Crank out a simple plastic frame for the Scimitar or Stealth and how many hundreds of thousands of these do you think you could sell at quintuple-cost? Same with the rest of Art's incredible designs. Amazing, exciting, really novel stuff. Producible at costs so low it would make even Chinese heads spin. And the no-prep-time aspect of these rockets means they can be flown repeatedly at an amazing rate, even in windy conditions. A Walmart natural. Burn those motors, baby!

Gordon Agnello - True craftsman scale kits at a level of detail beyond even the Estes kits of old. Really astounding stuff, incredibly detailed kits with dozens of handmade parts. Just imagine what could happen if Estes gave Sandman access to an injection molding machine. Raise the bar. Use Sandman and modern technology to make the statement that Estes is better than ever before. And nobody has a more encyclopedic knowledge of every piece of plastic and balsa Estes (and Centuri) ever produced. Why Gordy isn't an Estes designer/consultant is beyond me. Nasa uses him, so why doesn't Estes?

Scott Branche - I know Scott alread has an arrangement with "another company" but no list of great independent designers would be complete without him. The Odyssey and Fake Wulf are truly inspired, original, fantastic kits.

The rest of us - Why doesn't Estes sponsor design contests like in the old days? Do it online, offer a few Estes kits as prizes, and get folks using those Estes parts. Costs almost nothing and encourages the dreamer in all of us. Get Nick Esselman of EMRR to run it and it can't fail. Or at the very least, drop-ship Nick a few cases of kits to use as prizes in the contests he already runs. Estes products are noticeably absent from the prize lists of fun stuff devoted Estes customers routinely compete for on EMRR.

I know I've probably left some great folks off. No offense meant, this is just what immediately came to mind. But I think Estes would really benefit from acquiring proven winners and putting them into mass distribution. After all, it's a strategy that seems to have worked out well for Microsoft.

Rifle through this and this.
Doesn't need to be "these" kits, just kits like these, motors, supplies, etc.... I've mentioned it in other threads, these designs are timeless. Estes stopped pumping out great designs in the 80's.

__________________
Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati

As all others have said:
An actual presence or attempted placement at events.
More ‘international’ content
More ‘scale’ kits; missiles, space race, etc.. (The X-prize line was a great move! As well as a few of their missiles & bombs. But too short lived)
Water slide decals.
More contests & customer interaction / invitation to participate.
“Oddrocs” odd looking rockets; cones, ‘birdies’, etc..
Better equipped ‘designers box’
Fin Jig Or even a tool that fits into the motor mount that has a leg used to align the fin, (glue a tooth pick to a spent motor, and align the fin with the toothpick, to ensure the fin is perpendicular to the BT..)


I think there’s a common call for ‘futuristic kits that need to be built & crafted’, not just assembled. And real kits; something that requires a few tools, some effort, and a certain amount of skill. And the biggest, is to be visible to the rocketeering population: Us!! More participation and presence and commitment to the hobby

Mario,

Yeah, I should've remembered that, but apparently I have, "Insufficient memory at this time."


Wikipedia has an article for those who need the additional background on this pop culture reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine


Thanks for being my own personal Spelling Police.


Cheers,

__________________
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

You flatter me to blushing

I must say, the more I see of Don and his Squirrel Works operation, the more I come to respect his many talents. He has a keen eye for color and shape, and his wife Terri backs him up with similar talents. Talking to Don, you begin to understand his business savvy, too. He's quite good at running the numbers and making sure that he makes a nickel off his efforts while still cranking out very likable products. I give the man two thumbs up

And one of these days I'm gonna give him those Uber Tuber plans I promised him

Doug

.

These two are slam dunks in my book. Also...

Re-release the Andromeda