Star Lift Mega Lander

Has anyone built Apogee's Start Lift Mega Lander? If so, how is it?

https://www.apogeerockets.com/Rocket_Kits/Skill_Level_5_Kits/Star_Lift_Mega_Lander

Looks interesting and those lander legs are huge!!!

But I do wonder about whether the legs should lock as they do or if they would have been better having some spring to help absorb some of the landing shock.

What do you all think? :confused2:

les said:

Has anyone built Apogee's Start Lift Mega Lander? If so, how is it?

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Other than TVM, I'm pretty confident in saying nobody has built it. He only released it this week.

What do you all think?

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I like Apogee, but I can't see myself buying this one.

Considering this was just released to the public yesterday, I am guessing that Tim VM is the only one that has built one of these. I did look at the specs. The $120 price tag seems very high for his BT80 tube and the cone that comes with this kit. I have used both in several kits from DynaStar and for scratch projects and these are not the foundations in my opinion of a 29mm mid power rocket, at least not one at this price point. This is not like LOC tube of the same diameter. This is like Estes thin wall. I know Tim is trying to keep the weight down, but for those of us who like to overbuild so we can stick the biggest 29mm motor in such a kit, I do not see this tubing holding up. I can only guess that the additional strength provided by the legs in their launch configuration would add to tube strength. I do appreciate the engineering that went into it, and can see the value in that respect. For a kit at $120 with thin wall BT80 and a cheap blow molded nose cone, I would think that at least the chutes would have been nylon. I will pass for now on buying one of these. I am however looking forward to seeing a full build and launch report outside of the Apogee ecosystem.

Yeah - I didn't realize when I first posted this kit just came out

While the BT80 tube and nose cone may not seem like much, the cost I think relates to all the laser cut pieces for the legs

No doubt the cost is in the the wood pieces. But keep in mind this is thin ply and Tim cuts his own wood now. I appreciate the cost in time and engineering this kit and I think that is really where the cost lies. I would be much happier if a $120 29mm kit had nylon chutes though. Plastic chutes in a $120 kit seems kind of cheap to me. I would like to see one of these before I buy one. I think it is a good looking kit and clearly the engineering is top notch. I have one of Apogee's recent helicopter kits with the new hub and it is seriously impressive. I know Tim puts alot of time and effort into his kits and that is what will keep me interested in this kit. I want to see and hold one before I drop $120 on it though. Maybe I will just save up my VIR points and get one for free.

It seems pretty awesome, although it does seem pretty expensive for the parts. Laser cutting can be very slow cutting hundreds of parts though, and BT-80 can probably handle a low thrust 3G H motor...

Hey Guys!

Tim has flown this rocket many times here in Pueblo, ive seen the very first flight and all the prototypes! The lander legs are awesome, everyone watches this rocket fly!

Does seem to be a little over priced, but it's very cool looking. It's something different, and should be a fun build.

In CA it would be HPR because of the weight... too bad.

The more and more I look at this kit the more and more curious I am about it. Though I still think the price is a bit high, however with that said, I got some gift certs for Apogee for Christmas and with the certificates, plus a birthday coupon this will end up costing me $16, so I think that is worth it.

RocketGeekInFL said:

The more and more I look at this kit the more and more curious I am about it. Though I still think the price is a bit high, however with that said, I got some gift certs for Apogee for Christmas and with the certificates, plus a birthday coupon this will end up costing me $16, so I think that is worth it.

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BUILD THREAD! please.

Cl(VII) said:

BUILD THREAD! please.

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Absolutely!!!

So I did order this and used my Christmas gift certificates to purchase. Got the kit in usual Apogee lightening fast manner. Can not say enough about how quick orders are filled by Apogee!! Here are some pics of the packaging and parts.



This kit has a lot of parts. The precision of the laser cutting is some of the best I have ever seen.

All the parts

The decals are top notch. And die cut to boot.

Detail of the laser cutting.

And finally the instructions.


There are 23 videos included on the DVD that make up the video instructions. Most of the videos are in the 3-5 minute range with a few in the 11-15 min range. All the videos are also available on YouTube.

I will have a build thread on this once I get started with the build in the next week or two. A quick glance at the instruction sheet reveals that this will need to be painted ahead of time and that the wood parts are done with wood stain. The value of this kit is very evident once you look at all the parts.

Here is a link to the build thread

The build thread is complete. I will have a flight report after next week.

Could not resist and ordered one. Had it shipped to my hotel room whilst on a business trip in the USA
Now looking at the content of the box. Mightily impressed indeed.

Expensive ? Yes it is. Worth it ? You betcha if you like a challenging build.
Only peeve I have, I have a laptop without DVD drive, and since I have evenings free would have loved to go through the manual.
Can't find the video's on youtube either. Pity . Will have to wait until I am home I guess...