YES, Estes is up For Sale, it's no secret.....

So...what's the asking price?

Or should I just make an offer?

Wait...do they still have the old balsa nose cone machine...if that's gone the deals off!

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"I'm a sandman. I've never killed anyone. I terminate runners when their time is up." Logan from "Logan's Run"

http://sandmandecals.com/

It may not be a secret, but it's certainly not common knowledge. I didn't know it until I read your post just now.

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John Thro, NAR #84553 SR
I was too old when I started! Now I'll *never* become a BAR!

The asking price is being determined as we speak. No balsa machine.
And, I still haven't hit the lottery, I can only wish at this point..........

what does your gut tell you? is this good for the hobby? are we all going to be better off? if there are no buyers will estes rockets fold? all the kits that were to be released in 09 was not realistic. just had to know it was not going to happen. the reason for the "delay" is not important it is what it is. hype smoke and mirrors to get us all jazzed for all those great kits. well we will see when the kits hit the shelves "late summer" of what year? yeah we will get the goods just dont hold your breath.

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craftsman, builder of exotics

Call BR-549

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Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Mini Dactyl Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II, Xarconian Cruiser Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Groonie Der V 1/2

I don't have a crystal ball (although I *do* use what humans call shamanic practices to contact the horse ancestors on occasion), but I've been thinking about our hobby’s (and Estes') future in these recessionary economic times.

The 1930s were the years of the Great Depression, yet during those same years hobbies such as model aviation and radio building (the construction of crystal radio sets and even tube radio sets) thrived. Why? Because they were inexpensive and skill-building educational activities (which often involved parents) that kept children happy, occupied, and out of trouble.

More recently, I saw first-hand the economic resilience of hobby activities during a recession. From 1989 to 1993, I worked at the Miami Space Transit Planetarium. (My old boss, Jack F. Horkheimer, is the Executive Director of the planetarium, and you can see his "Star Gazer" five-minute astronomy TV program [formerly called "Star Hustler"] on your local PBS public television station.) During the economic recession of the early 1990s, the number of visitors who came and paid to see our planetarium shows hardly changed at all! Why? Because we provided inexpensive and educational entertainment for parents as well as their children.

Also, many adults brought their children to the planetarium because they had visited it when they were children, and they wanted to share the experience with their children. To serve this large part of our customer base, we often ran classic planetarium shows from the 1970s and 1980s that were updated ONLY with better special effects, much as Semroc has done with their improved-yet-still-the-same "RetroRepro" reproductions of classic model rocket kits.

Semroc is in the same position as the planetarium. Their reproductions of classic Centuri, Estes, and FSI kits (as well as their own kits from Semroc's early years) make a visceral connection with adult rocketeers who built them when they were children, and now they want to share that part of their childhood with their own children. It isn't only the experience of building & flying model rockets with their children, but building & flying THOSE model rockets with their children, that the adult rocketeers especially cherish. In this way, Semroc is creating and nurturing a multi-generational customer base just as the planetarium has.

Like Semroc, Estes could be a part of this dynamic and profit from it by bringing back selected classic Centuri and Estes kits and aggressively marketing them to adult model rocketeers. Also, I think that the possibility of re-introducing old popular motors (A3-2T, A3-6T, A8-0, A10-0T, B14-0, B14-5, B14-7, etc.) would be worth Estes' time to examine. In addition to being appealing to us old nags, some of them (such as the A8-0 and A10-0T) have potential as bulk-packaged motors (along with suitable upper stage motors) that school and scouting groups could use on relatively small flying fields.

In addition, Estes could gain even more appreciation, respect, and loyalty from their group customers (schools, scouting organizations, etc.) as well as from individual customers by providing them with information that would enable them to get spectacular flights on less expensive motors. Several of the classic Centuri and Estes kits are so aerodynamically “clean” that they turn in impressive flights on the cheaper "1/2A" and "A" motors, and even (with adapter mounts) on 13 mm mini motors. Estes could group these rocket kits together and sell them under a term such as "Econo-Flyers" or something similar.

I must admit, though, that I would have conflicted feelings if Estes actually did this. If they "came to their senses" it could hurt Semroc. Semroc is large enough to both supply our needs and to introduce new products in response to our inputs as customers, yet it is small enough to have personal and prompt customer service. (In my "model rocketry utopia," Estes would concentrate on making the motors we want [and private-label them for Semroc], while Semroc would supply the classic and new model rocket kits that keep our youthful sense of wonder ever fresh.)

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Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR

ROTFLMAO!

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Don
NAR 53455
"Carpe Diem"

This is my personal opinion.

Unless a hobby related company purchases Estes, I think there could be problems, as was the case with Damon. Damon was a medical equipment company, so, why did they want both Estes and Centuri, this topic has been discussed so many times, you can say it's history.

As far as the Classic Series goes, due to the CPSC HR4040 (lead law) much effort was placed on being in compliance.

The original release date for the first 17 kits was this month (March) lbut has been pushed off until July, they are coming. You have to take the circumstances into consideration. Any company that has a "plan" can get off track with circumstances beyond their control.

In this tough economic atmosphere, any company anywhere is experiencing their own "situations".

I would strongly suggest that you buy up as much Estes product as possible, you don't know what the future will hold with a new owner.

At the risk of appearing somewhat dense, I have to ask what that means. I Googled it and came up with a country band and gave up after a couple of bars of the song.

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Bill Spadafora
http://www.billsplumbing.com
billspad@comcast.net bill@billsplumbing.com