Estes Klingon Battle Cruiser

Although I am not one of those crazy and bizarre Trekkies who knows every episode and has a draw full of Spock ears from assorted Star Trek conventions, I did win this kit on EBay a couple of months ago and thought I might make a start on it today.

This is a level 4 skill kit and the instructions look interesting to say the least. It appears to be a very challenging build.

The packaging recommends up to a C6-5 but gives no indication of how high it will fly on this motor.

Nice find. I had the corresponding USS Enterprise - the engine went in right under the saucer, and you had to install a long boom to the front of it to make it fly. I don't remember ever launching it.

Good luck with the build!

I had the Klingon and still have the Enterprise; both fly very well
but I'd recommend the C6-3 to be on the safe side. If they were
still available, the C5-3's would be heck of a lot better.

In my future projects list is another Estes Enterprise & Klingon
kits "still in the bag."

I bought one on ebay also. Just haven't gotten around to building it yet. I was surprised when I opened the box to find that there really isn't much in there... It is a very nice looking rocket!

There is a review on the build for that rocket over on EMRR at https://www.rocketreviews.com/reviews/oop/est_star_trek_klingon.html


Good luck with the build and let us know how it's going.

Originally posted by Bones
Although I am not one of those crazy and bizarre Trekkies who knows every episode and has a draw full of Spock ears from assorted Star Trek conventions,

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But you did choose to borrow the Dr. McCoy's nickname.





































BTW, Nice rocket!

Originally posted by Bones
Although I am not one of those crazy and bizarre Trekkies who knows every episode and has a draw full of Spock ears from assorted Star Trek conventions, ...

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It's worse than that, he's dead Jim!

hi bones
yes i to have the Estes Enterprise & Klingon
kits "still in there boxs.

so if i sell them will i get big money for them ????

Originally posted by andrew scott
so if i sell them will i get big money for them ???? [/B]

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I only paid $9.99 for mine so I wouldn't start playing your bosses head like a bongo drum just yet.....

I paid 10 for mine plus 6 for shipping.

They're a better value if you keep them, build them and fly them.
I don't think they'll fetch that much more than their original price
if you put it on the market like e-bay and ROL. Maybe by the year 2200, it'll be worth a lot more (if we're still around!)...

There is a store near me that still has a ton of them on the shelves and by the amount of dust on the boxes you can tell they have probably been there for awile. I don't see them being valuable for a while.

https://www.nasarocketclub.com/gallery/Christmas-Party

First eight pics at the top. This event (NHRC's Christmas Party)
took place around mid December 2004 (launch at JSC). This was
my StarShip Enterprise's first launch in about 25 years (had to
take it out of storage and dust it off for this occasion!). Warren
Benson, then President of NHRC, did a masterful job getting those
pics of the Enterprise in flight.

While you're at it, check out the pics of my vintage Centuri 1/100
scale Saturn 1-B, which I also pulled out of storage and flew this day!

Hey Dave great pictures! Have you flown either the Enterprise or the Sat 1-B since?

Originally posted by cas2047
Hey Dave great pictures! Have you flown either the Enterprise or the Sat 1-B since?

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Yes, I flew it again on April 17, 2005. At that time, I was doing
a series of ignition tests for David Bachelder of QuickBurst, I had
tried using his Hot Shot igniters and he'd asked me to try out the
newer version that could be used on the 13 mm, 18 mm and 24
mm BP motors.

The pics of the Saturn 1-B's launch on 4/17/05 are at the link below (scroll down to near the bottom):

https://www.challenger498.org/gallery/album04?page=7

At this launch, I also tested the QuickBurst Hot Shots on my
vintage Centuri 1/45 Apollo Little Joe - II and scratch built
Saturn - IV/Astrocam (four engine cluster, staged) models. You
can scroll through the entire album to see the pics of these and
other great launches we had that day!

Excellent pictures Dave!

I am just finishing a Sat 1B from Semroc. It's a 4 engine cluster and I can't wait to fly it, or at least that's what I keep telling myself. I've never launched a cluster before and this one took a long time to build so I want to make sure everything goes well...

Thanks again for sharing the pics.

Originally posted by cas2047
Excellent pictures Dave!

I am just finishing a Sat 1B from Semroc. It's a 4 engine cluster and I can't wait to fly it, or at least that's what I keep telling myself. I've never launched a cluster before and this one took a long time to build so I want to make sure everything goes well...

Thanks again for sharing the pics.

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I still have the original Estes 1/70 Saturn 1-B "in-the-box" awaiting assembly. Will probably make it my project for the
Christmas Holidays in a couple of weeks (last year I built the
Centuri 1/100 Saturn - V). For the most part, my flying clusters
will have to be put on hold due to the ATF's visit to David
Bachelder's house several months ago (QuickBurst); they've
"ruled" that his igniters are explosives and that he doesn't have
some type of manufacturer's permit, so red tape has gotten in
the way here. Because of this, my being able to obtain the
Hot Shots in the future (should they be made available again)
is doubtful as, from what I've heard, those wishing to purchase
those type of igniters will need a LEUP, something I cannot afford
at the moment.

Let us know how the SEMROC Saturn 1-B comes out; I've been
following this subject thread in this and other forums recently with
a very keen interest...

I have to say - building the original Estes Sat 1-B has got to be one satisfying Christmas Holiday project!

I'm not all that up on the new ATF rules, but if it makes it harder for folks to enjoy the hobby, I'm not a fan of the new rules...

I will definitely check in after the SEMROC Sat 1-B is complete and has flown. My plan is to have someone take pictures and also video the launch so I'll post a link to whatever pics/video I get.

Thanks again!

Originally posted by cas2047
I have to say - building the original Estes Sat 1-B has got to be one satisfying Christmas Holiday project!

I will definitely check in after the SEMROC Sat 1-B is complete and has flown. My plan is to have someone take pictures and also video the launch so I'll post a link to whatever pics/video I get.

Thanks again!

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Forgot to mention in my previous post that I have one other
Holiday project along with the Estes Saturn 1-B; that will be the
PDRocketry's Gemini Titan - 3 kit. I have the kit now, but am
waiting for some more supplies from BMS & Tango Papa Decals
to arrive before I get started. A thread on the GT - 3 elsewhere
on this forum by Drew got me motivated to get the kit from
PDRocketry, although it'll be a long shot that I'll be able to match
Drew's exceptional building skills...

Now, all I'll need once I build the GT - 3 (as far as models of US
manned launch vehicles) is the Mercury/Atlas...

Unlike the USS ENTERPRISE, that had to be extensively modified for atmospheric flight, the Klingon ship LOOKS like a Klingon ship. Even the addition of two fins don't detract from the overall shape and appearance.

A hobby store near me had one kcking around for the longest time......wish I'd bought it!

I've had my eye on the PDRocketry's Gemini Titan also. I bought the PDRocketry USS Atlantis a few weeks ago and it came out great.

Again it's just the paint I am held up on. It's too cold here in MA to do any outside painting until spring. I may build a temporary paint room in the garage to do it, but I haven't decided yet if thats going to happen.

I may just be building rockets over the winter and doing a ton or painting in the spring.

How coincidental. I just bought the Enterprise at an antique store this weekend. I thought it might be worth more than the $12 I paid for it. I checked Ebay and that's all they're going for. Looks like I'll have to build it even though I'm not a Trekie.

Originally posted by Pat Butler
How coincidental. I just bought the Enterprise at an antique store this weekend. I thought it might be worth more than the $12 I paid for it. I checked Ebay and that's all they're going for. Looks like I'll have to build it even though I'm not a Trekie.

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I can't figure out how the Enterprise and Klingon Battle Cruiser kits go so cheap on Ebay when other kits from the same period go for much more. I guess maybe Estes just made a ton of them which makes them still fairly available...

Originally posted by dwmzmm
https://www.nasarocketclub.com/gallery/Christmas-Party

First eight pics at the top. This event (NHRC's Christmas Party)
took place around mid December 2004 (launch at JSC). This was
my StarShip Enterprise's first launch in about 25 years (had to
take it out of storage and dust it off for this occasion!). Warren
Benson, then President of NHRC, did a masterful job getting those
pics of the Enterprise in flight.

While you're at it, check out the pics of my vintage Centuri 1/100
scale Saturn 1-B, which I also pulled out of storage and flew this day!

Click to expand...

Great pictures of the Enterprise ! I'm starting to build mine this evening.

SS

Originally posted by cas2047
I can't figure out how the Enterprise and Klingon Battle Cruiser kits go so cheap on Ebay when other kits from the same period go for much more. I guess maybe Estes just made a ton of them which makes them still fairly available...

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I've bought two Estes Star Wars Death Stars and one 1977-vintage "Robot Hero" R2-D2 (kit #1301)on eBay, and none of them cost more than $20 or so including shipping. There must be a LOT of these and the Star Trek kits still floating around out there.

I agree. I think that a lot of Star Trek / Star Wars fans bought these rockets, who weren't rocketeers. I see in the descriptions on ebay that the sellers sometimes don't know about rocketry. I got my Enterprise off ebay in the plastis model section, and there wasn;t any mention about rocketry in the description, it just said it was a Star Trek model.

SS

I made the mistake of buying the Estes Star Wars Trade Federation Battleship on Ebay.

The transaction went well and I got it real cheap. I think 12 bucks with shipping. Only problem is the thing doesn't fly. It's so heavy that it can't get out of it's own way.

I won an enterprise and a klingon on ebay for 13 bucks. I was surprised. Mine are packed in bags though, not boxes as pictured earlier... Different edition?

Originally posted by Justin
I won an enterprise and a klingon on ebay for 13 bucks. I was surprised. Mine are packed in bags though, not boxes as pictured earlier... Different edition?

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The two still "in-the-bag" Star Trek kits I have are, well, still in
the bag. The two earlier ones I got back in the late 1970's were
also packaged in bags, so you're still cool!