Oh, the AVI Astroport Encyclog 78 was published and distributed eventually, I think sometime around the summer of 1978. Just not sure how many of them have survived to today.

Otis on this forum had one once upon a time, https://forums.rocketshoppe.com/sho...hlight=Encyclog , but he sold it and doesn't have it anymore. I can't quite make out the postmark date in Otis's photo.

It appears that based on the discussion in this thread https://www.oldrocketforum.com/show...21&page=3&pp=10 on YORF back in 2017 that Astronwolf on this forum still had his copy safely stored and could locate it. Part of the problem is that the AVI Astroport Encyclog 78 was on newsprint, so it does not preserve well. Also, the publication was so large that it is difficult to copy or even photograph so many pages.

Kind regards,
Jeff Jenkins
aka: Faithwalker
NAR #468769 SR

Attached Thumbnails

 

I got the Encyclog catalog too, must have been sometime in '78. It came in just a big, flat, padded, paper mailer 'pouch'. I must have seen an ad for it in the NAR magazine Model Rocketeer at the time, as I had joined in June of '78.

I remember being somewhat confused by ALL the stuff that was in the multiple sections of the catalog. I did not know anything about AVI at the time and thought the entire thing was going to be rockets and it wasn't.

I have not come back across my copy in many years, so I do not know if I still have it.

Earl

__________________
Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

I'm pretty sure Wolf Kiparski has a copy. He said he was going to scan it a few years back, but that was the last I heard.

__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Bulldog AGM-83A Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane

In paint: Estes Air Commander, F-22 Air Superiority Fighter. Long Tom, Solar Flare Semroc Cyber III, Excalibur, Firefly

Ready to fly: Estes Warp II

If it's a daunting task, maybe he could take it to Staples. We could all chip in a few bucks to preserve this stuff. I know I would.

I think we were talking about him taking cell phone pics of it.

__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Bulldog AGM-83A Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane

In paint: Estes Air Commander, F-22 Air Superiority Fighter. Long Tom, Solar Flare Semroc Cyber III, Excalibur, Firefly

Ready to fly: Estes Warp II

In 1973, AVI - Genesis Corp. started a club called the Galactic Fraternity and began printing (in addition to their other large print catalogs/encyclogs) a large format newsletter called the Galactic Chronicle in September 1973, for those who subscribed. The Galactic Chronicle was on large sheets of yellow paper instead of newsprint.

Attached here is the September 1973 premier issue of the Galactic Chronicle, vol. 1, no. 1, for your examination. I've used my cell phone to grab pics of it as an experiment to see how well it will do. There is actually one of these up for sale on eBay right now: https://www.ebay.com/itm/2742112012...353.m2763.l2649
It is not my listing, but I have purchased from this seller before, several times in the past. He has always been reliable.

AVI seemed to have several ambitious projects they were attempting. AVI had various publications, a new premier AVI Model Rocketry Catalog, various design and workmanship contests, model rocket motor production, marketing of AVI, MPC, MRI, as well as other companies' model rockets. It seems they were attempting much more than they could handle and it eventually caused their demise.

On page 4 of the Sept. 1973 Galactic Chronicle, AVI claimed to be working on a highly detailed 1/200 scale plastic Space Shuttle model with tower. They even had plans to do 1/200 scale models of the Saturn V and Saturn 1b. It doesn't appear that any of these models from AVI came to fruition.

Kind regards,
Jeff Jenkins
aka: Faithwalker
NAR #46879 SR

Attached Thumbnails

       

Yeah, those Scale AVI proposals turned into Pure Vaporware.

__________________
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.

I remember getting at least one of those "galactic chronicles."

Another piece of AVI vaporware: Kits based on designs for alien space ships. They had write-ups for the alien species.

__________________
NAR #27085 - Oregon Rocketry - SAM

Hi Stefanj,

You're right! I found the Extraterrestrial alien descriptions in the Jan. 1974 issue of the AVI Galactic Chronicle vol. 2, no. 1, page 1. The AVI UFO model rocket proposals were found in the AVI Astroport 1975 newsprint Aerospace Products for Research, Education, Recreation edition. Both are shown below.

In addition, I found some of the AVI and Galactic Fraternity Design Contests articles like what you won back in the day. Do you recall which of the Design Contests you won and how much was the prize?

edit: Sorry, the order of the attachments appear differently from the order I designated and I'm not sure how to rearrange them. The photo that appears first at the far left is the continuation of the adjacent photo for the AVI Galactic Fraternity (GF) Contest.

Kind regards,
Jeff Jenkins
aka: Faithwalker
NAR #46879 SR

Attached Thumbnails

         

I don't recall the contest name, but I won $50 for a design called the "Congreve."

I bought a ****-ton of stuff with that credit! MPC, MRI kits, a Pilgrim Observer, motors.

I made the mistake of ordering some "vaporware," and had $15 left over. The last order I made never materialized.

I was really busy in high school by then and just gave up.

__________________
NAR #27085 - Oregon Rocketry - SAM