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  #1  
Old 05-25-2021, 01:38 PM
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Earl Earl is offline
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Default MMI Advertising Flyer

Attached below is a two-page Model Missiles, Inc. advertising flyer featuring the newly release Arcon set and the already released Aerobee-Hi. The seller dated this flyer as 1960, but I have no way to verify that date. On the top of the second page is a reference to a 'as seen on' NBC World Congress of Flight TV show in April, 1959, so the flyer obviously was issued after the spring of 1959. But whether it is from 1960, I don't not know.

As can be seen, it has been punched for 'comb binding' at some point in the past. It was probably taken from an old hobby shop binder of dealer literature would be my guess.

If anyone knows the issue date for the Arcon kit, that may help better date this flyer. Also, for the Aerobee, the flyer notes that kits 001A and 001C have been discontinued. I recall from discussions here that the Aerobee outfit/kit was offered in several different configurations in the first year or two it was out.

It is also interesting to note at the very bottom of the first page, the price of the MMI metal launching tower they once offered was $7.95. I do not think I have ever seen a cost for that tower listed anywhere else. Seems like a steal by today's prices, but that would have been a decent cost for a kid in the latter 1950s.

If anyone can shed any light on the probably date of this flyer, please chime in.

Earl
Attached Files
File Type: pdf MMI Advertising Flyer.pdf (1.88 MB, 141 views)
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  #2  
Old 05-25-2021, 08:32 PM
shockwaveriderz shockwaveriderz is offline
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Earl, I'm pretty sure I have most of that info. It's getting late here and I'm winding down, but I'll post what I have tomorrow for you. Great find by the way!.

I'll have additional info tomorrow but here's what I found in a quick search:


4/15/58 First MMI "Aerobee-Hi" Model Rocket Kit 001-A, rolls off the assembly line at Model Missiles , Inc 1159 California St, Denver CO and becomes available to the public. This kit contained the Aerobee-Hi model rocket, a 36" 1/8" diameter launch rod, a blast deflector and 6 Type A Rock-A-Chute model rocket motors.

5/58 Ist MMI Ad (Denver 4,Colorado) in American Modeler magazine; features Aerobee-Hi 001-A for $7.95; 6 pak of motors $2.50

6/58 MMI Ad(Denver 4,Colorado) in American Modeler magazine; Features Aerobee-Hi $7.95; 6 pak motors $2.50 (same Ad as May 1958)

6/58 MMI releases Aerobee-Hi Kit 001-C, Economy Kit which contains a 2-piece 36" launch rod with no motors.

7/58 MMI Ad in American Modeler magazine Kit 001-C featured 6 Rock-A-Chutes for $2.95; 3 for $1.50; 1st ad to say Safety Certfied by NAR

9/58 MMI Ad in American Modeler magazine; NOW....Safe,exciting model rocketry with ROCK-A-CHUTE flying models! New soft vinyl nose cone; offically classified as ICC Toy Propellant Devices; OO1-C $3.98; 6 pak $2.95; 3 for $1.50 NEW Launch Tower $9.95

10/58 1st MMI Ad with American Modeler magazine located at 1159 California St Denver CO

11/58 MMI Ad 1159 California St Denver 4, Colorado; Deluxe 001-A $7.95; 001-C Economy $3.98; 3 pak $1.50; 6 pak $2.95; Kit T1 Tower Launcher $9.95

1/59 MMI Ad Mentions the following: Deluxe Kit 001-A $7.95; Economy Kit 001-C $3.98 (No motor or Launch Pad); 3 pack motors for $1.50; 6 pack motors $2.95; Launch Tower Kit t1 $9.95
1/59 MMI Ad in American Modeler magazine . So between 11/58 and 1/1959 MMI moves from 1159 California St to 1165 South Cherokee St Denver CO.

2/59 MMI Ad Mentions the following: Deluxe Kit 001-A $7.95; Economy Kit 001-C $3.98 (No motor or Launch Pad); 3 pack motors for $1.50; 6 pack motors $2.95; Launch Tower Kit t1 $9.95

3/59 MMI Ad in American Modeler mentions the following: Deluxe Kit 001-A $7.95; Economy Kit 001-C $3.98 (No motor or Launch Pad); 3 pack motors for $1.50; 6 pack motors $2.95; Launch Tower Kit t1 $9.95

4/59 MMI ad mentions the following: Deluxe Kit 001-A $7.95; Economy Kit 001-C $3.98 (No motor or Launch Pad); 3 pack motors for $1.50; 6 pack motors $2.95; Launch Tower Kit t1 $9.95

4/59 Arcon Kit announced in Elyria, Ohio Chronicle Telegram Newspaper

4/59 (April 12-18, 1959 ) NAR is invited to Las Vegas, NV for Nationwide TV demonstration of Model Rocketry. While at this demonstration G. Harry Stine and John Roe give the US NAA & FAI President Jacquline Cochran(the first female president of the Fédération Aéronatique Nationale (FAI, the official keeper of aviation records)),a full briefing on Model Rocketry. This laid the groundwork for model rocketry to become a FAI sport.

I contacted NBC 10-12 years ago to try and find out if this video still existed and got nowhere. I do have a photograph of the event though which I'll post tomorrow.
https://www.airforcemag.com/article/0588edit/
https://books.google.com/books?id=X...epage&q&f=false

just found the video if I want to pay for it.
https://www.atvaudio.com/ata_search...+A T+LAS+VEGAS

I sent an inquiry in to discern the price. It might be worth it. Might get to see some model rocket action from April 1959....that's historical.


I have the exact dates for this. Will provide tomorrow.


5/59 MMI Ad introduces "Sam the Spaceman" and ARCON model rocket Kit # 002; AHC Ad Shows MMI Arcon for 1st time. AHC is the American Hobby Center out of NY I believe.

If you take into consideration that it takes 1-2 months before a submission is published, then the Arcon dates to March-April 1959 approximately. I'll try to double-check this tomorrow better.


6/59 MMI Ad introduces "Sam the Spaceman" and ARCON model rocket Kit # 002

7/59 same ad as 5/59 and 6/59

7/59 MMI Ad introduces "Sam the Spaceman" and ARCON model rocket Kit # 002; AHC Ad Shows MMI Arcon for 1st time

7/59 7/30/59 G.Harry Stine loses control of MMI at a board meeting to Richard D. Keller. G. Harry soon there after goes to work for Denver based Stanley Aviation working on the design of the B-58 clamshell ejection pod. Over the summer MMI was moved to Richard Keller's Dad's basement at 4629 E. Cedar Avenue Denver, Co

8/59 MMI Ad featuring Sam the Spaceman "Take me to Your Hobby Dealer!"; features Arcon model rocket

1/60 MMI Ad Get Started in Model Rocketry
True Scale Arcon $4.98
True Scale Aerobee $4.98
Lower Stage Boost Kit for both $1.98

2/60 MMI Ad Get Started in Model Rocketry
True Scale Arcon $4.98
True Scale Aerobee $4.98
Lower Stage Boost Kit for both $1.98

After the 2/60 issue of AM there are NO more MMI Ads.

I found some other time points for the info you supplied.

The 001 and 001-A(one and the same) kits were the Original long MMI kits that had the 1 piece launch rod in it.

SO many were bend during transportation by the USPS, that it caused a rift between college buddies GHS and Richard Keller.

001C Contained only an Aerobee-Hi kit, launcher and 2 piece launch rod. No Motors.

Take a look at that Arcon photo: it shows the some of the same info on it as your top flyer.
With all the above I would date the store banner as sometime after the late Summer of 1959 or the Fall of 1959. Especially after 7/30/59...... So August/September 1959 at the earliest
Attached Thumbnails
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Name:  1959 World Congress of Flight Las Vegas NV.jpg
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Size:  37.8 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  6708_1_b.jpg
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Name:  b8bd_1_b.jpg
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Size:  25.0 KB  Click image for larger version

Name:  Arcon01sm.jpg
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Size:  88.2 KB  
Attached Files
File Type: tif 658_2.tif (311.5 KB, 37 views)
File Type: tif 758_1.tif (1.92 MB, 29 views)
File Type: pdf May 1958 MMI Ad.pdf (81.9 KB, 37 views)
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Last edited by shockwaveriderz : 05-26-2021 at 10:12 AM.
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  #3  
Old 05-26-2021, 04:54 PM
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Thanks for all the dates and background! Some of it I knew from Stine’s NARroots articles in the NAR Model Rocketeer magazine issues back in the latter 70s. I remember chuckling over his discussion about those original looong Aerobee kit boxes getting bent in half by the post office! He said it looked like the postal folks had used them as crowbars!

Stine did not really head up MMI all that long it seems. I remember reading that he lost control of the business but did not realize it was quite as early as mid-1959. The flyer I posted sports the Keller address, so as you commented, that flyer had to be issued sometime after July, 1959 at the very earliest.

Does anyone know the details about WHY Stine lost control of MMI? Was it simply a dilution of his capital/stock holdings in the company, or did Keller and others want Stine out for some other reason?

I have a jpg file somewhere that I came across online about 10 years ago that was of a letter between the maker of the steel tower parts (machine shop of some kind) and his lawer about trying to get more money out of MMI because MMI had ordered some number of thousands of the towers, but only wound up accepting delivery of less than half of them. Apparently, MMI was not going to pay the machine shop for the rest of them, even though the machine shop had already bought and cut all the raw materials, made jigs, etc. for the full amount of the order.

So it would seem that along the way maybe sales were just not going gangbusters across the board and MMI was not doing too very well financially.

Earl
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Old 05-26-2021, 06:30 PM
Ltvscout Ltvscout is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Earl
Stine did not really head up MMI all that long it seems. I remember reading that he lost control of the business but did not realize it was quite as early as mid-1959. The flyer I posted sports the Keller address, so as you commented, that flyer had to be issued sometime after July, 1959 at the very earliest.

The flyer dates to sometime after September 14th, 1959. That date is noted in the flyer concerning a postal letter stating the motors are safe to ship.
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Old 05-26-2021, 06:34 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ltvscout
The flyer dates to sometime after September 14th, 1959. That date is noted in the flyer concerning a postal letter stating the motors are safe to ship.


Well thanks for the extra set of eyes there Scott. MY eyes flew right past that date!

Earl
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Old 05-26-2021, 08:03 PM
shockwaveriderz shockwaveriderz is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Earl
Thanks for all the dates and background! Some of it I knew from Stine’s NARroots articles in the NAR Model Rocketeer magazine issues back in the latter 70s. I remember chuckling over his discussion about those original looong Aerobee kit boxes getting bent in half by the post office! He said it looked like the postal folks had used them as crowbars!

Stine did not really head up MMI all that long it seems. I remember reading that he lost control of the business but did not realize it was quite as early as mid-1959. The flyer I posted sports the Keller address, so as you commented, that flyer had to be issued sometime after July, 1959 at the very earliest.

Does anyone know the details about WHY Stine lost control of MMI? Was it simply a dilution of his capital/stock holdings in the company, or did Keller and others want Stine out for some other reason?

I have a jpg file somewhere that I came across online about 10 years ago that was of a letter between the maker of the steel tower parts (machine shop of some kind) and his lawer about trying to get more money out of MMI because MMI had ordered some number of thousands of the towers, but only wound up accepting delivery of less than half of them. Apparently, MMI was not going to pay the machine shop for the rest of them, even though the machine shop had already bought and cut all the raw materials, made jigs, etc. for the full amount of the order.

So it would seem that along the way maybe sales were just not going gangbusters across the board and MMI was not doing too very well financially.

Earl



you know Earl, some of what follows is reading between the lines, but here goes.

About 10-12 years ago I spoke with Richard Keller. At the time he was in his 70's but his mind was sharp as could be. He was in the process of finishing up building a recording studio in Branson, Mo.


Richard Keller had both a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and MBA in Business Administration. He was a proud veteran of the Korea War.

Richard Keller was a former roommate of GH Stine in College. I don't remember if it was the University of Colorado at Pueblo where GHS first started college or at Colorado College where he graduated from.

Richard Keller and his Dad bought out the shares of Willard Kauth, GH Stines father-in-law. By doing this, RK and his dad & Mom became the majority stockholders in MMI. And it also put 3 of 5 people on the Board Of directors with GH Stine and a Melvin O. Johnson as the other two.


Strike 1.

One area of disagreement between GHS and RK was the return of all the "long" boxes. The boxes were special orders, therefore increasing the price plus there were additional shipping charges because of its size. In addition, literally hundreds were damaged in shipping, then returned, then new ones shipped out again. This cost precious funds to be diverted. RK considered this a poor business decision. RK initially considered a telescoping type launch rod but eventually settled on a 2 piece rod. This became the basis of the 001-C kit, and solved the long box issue.

The 2nd area of friction between GHS and RK was the royalty agreement drawn up between GHS/MMI and Orville Carlise. GHS himself stated that this was the root cause of the demise of MMI.

And I'm pretty sure that was the reason GHS was ousted from MMI in 7/59. RK complained that MMI just could not continue to pay those royalty payments to OC if MMI was going to survive financially. RK wanted to re-negotiate the royalty agreement with OC. OC refused. GHS was a man of his word, and wanted to continue paying OC. But it just wasn't financially feasible for MMI to continue to pay OC his royalties.

This was strike 2.

Strike 3.

RK and GHS got into the 3rd and final disagreement about how MMI should sell its models. Either through the established model distributors (the RK position)or through mail order sales( GH Stine position). There was a vote by the MMI board of Directors and they sided with RK 4 to 1. GH Stine was out as President and RK replaced him.

RK , once he became head of MMI, stopped paying the royalty payments to OC. OC never sued MMI as far as I am aware, but we'll get back to that later.

In the interim RK moved MMI into the basement of his father's house to lower expenses.
OC received some of the MMI physical stock (models,engines,etc) in lieu of owed royalty payments and started selling MMI models through Central Rocket Company owned by his old fireworks buddy, Richard Goldsmith who owned it. There are ads in AM that attest to this arrangement.

From mid 1959 to approx 1965-66 MMI limped along, not introducing any new models or motors, eventually selling its remaining inventory of BT-40 body tubes and red plastic parachutes (literally thousands) to an ascendant Estes Industries.

In 1966 Orv Carlise sued Vern Estes and Estes Industries in the federal district of Colorado for patent infringement. Not on the basis of his model rocket, or even the model rocket motor but based on the parachute protector that Richard Keller had designed for the MMI kits. This parachute protector only appeared on Estes Model Rocket motor sheets in the 1960-1966 time frame.

If you look at the OC patent and look at his parachute protector, and compare it to RK-designed parachute protector in the Arcon picture, you will see that they aren't even close in design. But it wasn't the design that OC was sueing over: it was the idea or concept of the parachute protector in his patent.

Both Vern Estes and Orv Carlisle were deposed, evidence was entered on both sides, and GH Stine was sitting in the wings to be the star witness for Estes Industries AGAINST OC, but was never deposed as the judge summarily ruled in Vern Estes and Estes Industries' favor. Vern Estes introduced evidence at the trial that model rockets with and without parachutes had been used in the 1935–1939 time frame by members of the ARS in their experiments. They even called them model rockets and there was actually a column about how to build them. I have the ARS articles if anybody would like to see them. I also used to have a complete copy of the federal case file from the case. Ed Brown of Estes Industries had gone in 50/50 with me to pay for it. I made a copy of the original and sent it to Ed. My copy resides in a landfill in Indiana.

This all comes full circle as GH Stine, while acknowledging that OC was the 1st modern-day model rocketeer, also stated that the patent that OC received for his Toy Rocket should never have been received in the 1st place, because it was a manifestation of classic fireworks technology. I actually research this assertion and GH Stine was correct. All the ingredients and components of the Rock-A-Chute motor was known for literally hundreds of years in the pyrotechnic field. Parachute rockets have been known and used for over 150 years. in the pyrotechnic field.

In fact if you read the Carlisle-Stine papers NOT ONCE does OC label his rockets as Model Rockets. The 1st utterance of the words in those papers of a Model Rocket was by GH Stine.

In fact I researched the history of the words Model Rocket or Rocket Model. I can trace it back to a 1931 Time magazine article.

So now you know the rest of the story.


References:

Model Rocketry 1970
The Formative Years of Model Rocketry: 1957-1962 A Personal Memoir
Model Rocketeer 1977 NARRoots series
American Spacemodeling 1993 Roots of Model Rocketry
Sport Rocketry 1998 Roots of Model Rocketry
The Last Interview Launch Magazine
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Last edited by shockwaveriderz : 12-02-2021 at 10:46 AM.
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Old 05-26-2021, 09:25 PM
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Well, that fills in a few holes in the story as I knew it...thanks for the details!

Now that you reference it, I do seem to recall Stine talking (probably in the NARroots article series) that an error was made in the royalty payment structure to Orville in that it was based (I think he said) on a ‘flat amount’ per motor or kit sold and not on a certain ‘percentage’.

And I recall hearing about a Carlisle/Estes lawsuit but not sure I ever knew the basis of the suit. It sort of sounds like Orville may have been grabbing at straws to some degree, possibly, maybe to obtain what he thought he might be ‘due’ as a result of his overall effort behind model rocketry, which, by the mid-60s was beginning to show some real business returns, at least for some of the bigger players like Estes and Centuri. But, I would not want to really conjecture more than that; Orville is gone and I would not want to ascribe things to him that may have no real basis.

But again, thanks for the plethora of background and details on these MMI history points. Interesting...very interesting.

And I won’t even ask how your copy of that case file wound up in an Indiana landfill....

Earl
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Old 05-26-2021, 10:55 PM
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Terry,

Thanks for the wonderful history.


Steve
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Old 05-27-2021, 01:13 PM
shockwaveriderz shockwaveriderz is offline
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Originally Posted by Gus
Terry,

Thanks for the wonderful history.


Steve

Thank You for thanking me .....
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Old 05-28-2021, 08:02 AM
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Terry, you really should sit down and put all your information into book form. You know so much model rocketry history. Join up with others, like Initiator, and collaborate. Man, I'd buy that book!
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