Estes or Apogee first time rocket

For a first time rocket which one would be better? This will be for my 9y/o son.

The Apogee seems to promote a much sturdier launch setup which I find appealing and there's talk of an LED instead of a bulb on the ingnitor/controller. Estes are more commonly available in my area though.

input or feedback is appreciated,

Thanks

Quest. LED electronic controller with superior battery power (either 9V alkaline internal or an external battery with an External Battery Connector - EBC). Safe with all igniters, yet dumps lots of current to fire all igniters.

Estes pad is somewhat stronger and accommodates larger 3/16" diameter rod.

i suggest buying an Estes set on deep discount sale for the pad alone and buying a Quest set for the controller. The Quest pad is also very good for 1/8" diameter rods.

would agree with shreadvector about the estes set up, i ditched the controller years ago, but the pad is still going strong and gets an outing when i need to launch just a few model rockets, and the two rod holes for the larger rod 3/16th (D power) will come in useful.
you can usually pick up an Estes starter set very cheaply.

Apogee is more of a builder's rocket. That's what I prefer.

As Fred indicated, you can sometimes find Estes starter sets at deep discounts at toy store chains. (Walmart, Toys-R-Us, Michael's Arts & Crafts). I once got a launch pad, controller, 6 engines, and an R2D2 robot suitable for sitting on a shelf for $5 on closeout. The engines alone were worth twice that.

Caution : The Estes controller (yes, one of those I got with the R2D2s) will fire a Quest igniter when the safety key is inserted. I don't know if the newer ones do it too, but the old ones just have too much current in the continuity test for a Q2G2.

hardinlw said:

Apogee is more of a builder's rocket. That's what I prefer.

As Fred indicated, you can sometimes find Estes starter sets at deep discounts at toy store chains. (Walmart, Toys-R-Us, Michael's Arts & Crafts). I once got a launch pad, controller, 6 engines, and an R2D2 robot suitable for sitting on a shelf for $5 on closeout. The engines alone were worth twice that.

Caution : The Estes controller (yes, one of those I got with the R2D2s) will fire a Quest igniter when the safety key is inserted. I don't know if the newer ones do it too, but the old ones just have too much current in the continuity test for a Q2G2.

Click to expand...

New Estes controllers (yellow with clear incandescent bulb cover glued in place) have the same current flow through the continuity light bulb/lamp as the previous versions and will indeed fire a Quest Q2G2 igniter.

I would go with the Estes Alpha III starter set. The Porta Pad II launch pad is much sturdier and more stable compared to the Quest pad (well, it is!) and as Gillard mentioned, you can use 3/16" rods with it. The Estes Electron Beam launch controller is very well-made, and the 4 AA batteries that it uses will fire a very large number of rockets before they weaken. (I used mine heavily during the first 3 years after becoming a BAR, and I never had to replace the batteries.) The Estes controller passes enough current on the continuity check to fire a Quest Q2G2 igniter, but unless your son is using Quest engines, it is unlikely that he will come across this igniter. The Alpha III is an excellent E2X model (easy to build with no painting required), possibly the best rocket of that type that Estes has ever made. (I have built some 200 or so rockets since 2004, but I still miss my Alpha III from my starter set; I lost it when I unwisely launched it on a C6-7 from a small field on a breezy day. You live and learn...)

I have a much more elaborate (and heavier) launch set-up now to use when I want to fly my bigger stuff, but I also have days when I want to keep it real simple and just launch some rockets at the local school field. I still highly value my Estes set-up for that. I can just throw my Electron Beam controller and my PP II launch pad into a knapsack along with some engines, igniters and wadding, and toss a few rockets into a box. Then with the knapsack on my back, the box of rockets under one arm and the launch rod in my other hand, I stroll down to the field and spend the afternoon without a care in the world, launching rockets and having a ball. Just like I did when I was a kid.

MK

For my son (9) and I, we went with the Solar Scout set at Wally-world. Motors were fairly cheap there also. My son is a little impatient with glue, sanding, and painting, however these kits are built with plastic fins. I have since moved into the Balsa type kits since that is what I enjoy doing. My son likes the plastic fin stuff since they go together quick. The Solar Scout set came with 2 rockets, one 13 mm rocket and then an 18mm rocket.

I must say with the exception of the shock cords these 2 rockets are nearly indestructible. They both have plastic fins and plastic nose cone which means easy field repairs. Found that out when my son stepped on the fins. Whipped out the super glue and wipe the tears away, stick another motor in and off it goes. After 6 months and who knows how many blast-off packs they are still kicking.

follr

My vote goes for the $25 Alpha III starter set as well.

What's in the box: An Electron Beam ignition system valued at $30, the PortaPad II valued at $30, the Alpha III rocket valued at $15, and two motors valued at $3.50 or so.

When I say "valued" I mean the price you would have to pay if you purchased the items separately at the local hobby shop.

$25 sounds like a good deal to me.

I agree with O1d Dude. The Alpha III starter kit is a good deal (and a nice little rocket to boot).

If the Quest igniter issue crops up, there is (apparently) a simple solution HERE

Another option is to simply purchase the Quest 9v Launch Controller. ABout $16 plus shipping.

I have one with the external battery cord and love it.

See it H E R E.

If you go with the external battery cord, I'd recommend filing a small notch in the sliding battery compartment cover to save wear and tear on the external battery cord.

Thanks guys!

I ended up buying the Alpha III. I think it's all we'll need to get started. Very sturdy looking pad that's for sure. Now we're just waiting for the weather to clear up a lot.

Thanks again for all the great info! I'm sure I'll be back...

Good choice, but be careful... Not only was that our first model we bought, it is also the first model we lost. Sent it up three times on A8-3's and lost it on its 4th with a B6-2. It was great, while it lasted...:confused2: My 5yo and I searched for hours... At least we still have the pad and controller!

McKailas Dad said:

Good choice, but be careful... Not only was that our first model we bought, it is also the first model we lost. Sent it up three times on A8-3's and lost it on its 4th with a B6-2. It was great, while it lasted...:confused2: My 5yo and I searched for hours... At least we still have the pad and controller!

Click to expand...

Oh no! That's exactly what happened to ours today!
We launched it 3 times with B6-4's, next to this big grassy area by the lake. The wind was blowing off the lake just a bit, angled the launch rod slightly toward the lake, launched and it landed literally no less than 20' from the launch pad! Second time same thing, only the wind was picking up so the boys had to go run after it.
Third time, wind picking up launched it and I swear as soon as it started coasting the wind STOPPED and never came back. The rocket landed about 100' out in the lake.

I know the area is not ideal but we live near a lot of trees and there's no real open areas other than the dog park by the lake. Next time I'll drive into town and find somewhere a little more open. We were just real excited to launch.

I didn't realize how high those suckers go!

Fun while it lasted. I'll buy another one; I still have two engines to burn up.

211 said:

I didn't realize how high those suckers go!

Fun while it lasted. I'll buy another one; I still have two engines to burn up.

Click to expand...

Congratulations, you are officially now "one of us".

Man, I hope I didn't jinx you... To give you an idea, our second rocket was an Estes Sky Writer. Easy to build, great flyer! It's been launched about 60 times, and is about ready to retire.

That 19 days it spent in a tree (in December) didn't help its life expectancy.

It flies great on A's and B's, but definatly keep an eye on it if (and have a big field) you dare to use C motors. (Estes says 1100 ft :jaw

They all seem to like it here...https://www.rocketreviews.com/reviews/all/est_skywriter.shtml

"Fly the Field", (for any rocket) is about the best advice I can give you...

The Alpha III is such a good rocket that it's worth it to buy a replacement. There are other good models available, too. When he is ready, your son can move up to Skill Level 1 kits, where he will begin to learn actual model construction techniques. At that level, the kits will not be very complex, but they will be a nice step up from the simple glue-together E2X kits. The "build-it" class of kits (Skill Level 1 to 4 and beyond) are the real meat and potatoes of the hobby. It is where you will find a much wider range of interesting designs and where your son will have much more opportunity for creativity. It's where the hobby becomes especially interesting and fun. But building rockets from kits does require a bit of patience and the ability to follow written instructions, so younger builders might need a little bit of supervision and assistance from Dad at first.

Losing rockets is just part of the game. We do our best to avoid it but it happens to all of us. We have all learned to take lots of pictures of any rockets that we are especially proud of before we ever put them on the launch pad. Because, well, you never know...

MK

There are some tricks to flying in the wind AND getting the rocket back.

1) Cut a spill hole in the center of the parachute to make it come down faster. I found that the circle with the Estes logo in it is about the right size.

2) Fly smaller engines. To make this fun, set up a target and try to land close to it.

3) Build a relatively fat rocket so you get the thrill of one of the bigger engines but still don't go so high. Fat Boy was a good one. I don't know if that's still available. Big Bertha and Baby Bertha also fill the bill.

4) Start out with smaller engines and adjust the launch rod angle to get the rocket to land near the pad. Now, go up to the next larger engine and repeat. Using this method, I was flying on a C engine with the rocket going out over some trees and then drifting right back into the field, but that was with fairly steady winds. If the wind stops on you or suddenly picks up, all bets are off.