Yeah, many folks remember them from back in the day. I didn’t have any back when I was a kid, but a friend of mine had several and they are some of my earlier memories of model rockets.

I have most all the line and have built several so far. But, I don’t need any more of them myself, but thought others might like a good deal on some of them. And all the shrink wrapped ones I have gotten have been factory-fresh when I have opened them to build them.

It’s hard to get a better deal on vintage kits, if that’s what you are in to. I can’t say ALL the MPC kit designs are to my personal liking, but a fair number of them are.

Earl

Thanks for the lead. I've been looking to get one of those launch controllers to add to my little GSE collection for some time.

Here's a deal on a 25-pack of Q-Jet C12-6s: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Quest-C12-...353.m2749.l2649

I have the Aquarius, Flare Patriot, Icarus C, Lambda Payloader, Microsonde 3 Payloader, Nike Patriot, Taurus-1, Tomahawk and Zenith 2 Payloader in some manner of flight trim or another. I have the ASP-1, Flat Cat and Lunar Patrol waiting to be started. Like you, some I like, some not so much. (Aquarius, ugh.) I've also got a fairish size collection of vintage parts that I plan to use to build a Pioneer 1, Starhawk and Super Star.

That Starhawk is a hard one to find. It and the Viper! I have the entire line x2, one for building, one for keeping. I finally got my first Viper 4-5 years ago after some searching, then finally got a second one, opened, but no instructions. Late last year I won an auction of various model rocket paper work, which included a copy of the Viper instructions. But the Starhawk ‘builder’ still evades me.

The one I want to build next is the Martian Patrol. It may be the most unique looking MPC kit; not exactly ‘pretty’ by any means, but different for sure. It is one that my friend had when we were like in third or fourth grade, and visions of the saucers ‘floating back to the ground’ intrigued me as a kid. I never saw his fly back in the day (he and his Dad flew rockets at a grandparent’s field out of state in North Carolina on visits there), but now, in my adult sensibilities, I realize they probably just flip and flop to the ground. Still, there is a tug there I guess for that one. Want to build a Flat Kat for sure too, and the three stage Microsonde.

Earl

Ooh, that is a good deal! I wish I had a decent sized field to fly those in. Currently, I’m stuck with a neighborhood park that is, at best, a “1/2A3-2 Field”. It’s a baseball diamond with about a 40 foot deep ‘outfield’. So, low power, medium sized rockets, low winds, and a prayer before each launch.

I’m a bit of a GSE nut myself and have a couple of those controllers and the pads. I have not tried to use one yet though. I’ve got most all the Centuri pads and controllers, but a couple of the veeeeery early ones elude me. I picked up a couple of the little, square LIA-50 Centuri pads this past winter and I want to use one of those for my more vintage kit launches, along with the LIA-77 wooden tripod pads.

But then again, my main pad and controller is my original Centuri Power-Pad that is just about 44 years old! Still works fine and am still using the original bulb in the controller. Blast deflector his somewhat heat warped though.

Earl

They also offer a really great price on the 25ct value pak of D16-4 motors for around $83.00 which should be great in the Mars Lander.
Going to place an order tomorrow for those.

D16-4s may well be good motors in a Mars Lander. C12-4s would be nearly as good. C12-4s are great for lots of almost-too-heavy-for-C6-3 models like the RTF 1/200 Saturn V and the just-released MAV. In both cases the extra thrust and 1 more N-s gets those models to twice the altitude. The D16s only go a little higher because most of the additional total impulse is countered in more drag from the higher speeds.

I occasionally launch my MPC Martian Patrol.
One saucer flips and slops back down, the other falls (floats) flat! There is a lead weight in the centers. Apparently, one is better balanced than the other.
It sometimes makes a very fast "fluttering" sound as the saucers wiggle and vibrate during boost.

Here's the video link - scroll all the way down to the bottom to see the video:
http://nefar.net/gallery/2016-05/index.html

In addition to the Mars Lander I'm going to try the D16-4 in my 1284 Space Shuttle.
In the past, the ideal motor for those was the old 13n-sec 18mm Cox D8-3 but those are impossible to find now. I think they were last produced in 1973.
I'm down to only 5 D8-3's and 3 D8-0s.
Really glad we are getting the C5-3 back.
In the Mars Lander, Space Shuttle, and 3x cluster in Saturn V those are outstanding compared to the C6-3.

Thanks for the link!

It’s interesting how two essentially identical saucers act differently during decent. Actually, the rolling one is about what I would expect. But that other one was pretty well rock steady as it ‘floated’ down. The boost was interesting too; I didn’t contemplate that it might roll during boost. BTW, did you attempt to paint your saucers? It’s been a while since I looked at the instructions, so I can’t recall if that is even recommended.

Was that a B class motor for that flight?

Earl