Build old OOP kits?

Hey all,

I came across two older Estes kits at the local hobby shop where I get a lot of my rocketry stuff. Both are Estes #2085 Jayhawk and #2019 Titan.

I feel I paid a fair price for these and now start wondering if these are better left alone or go ahead and build them.

They are sealed in the box in the plastic wrap. The hobby shop actually has a finished Jayhawk on display and I always admire it when I visit the store. Such a neat looking rocket.

I have a Madcow Jayhawk so I could live with not actually building the Estes one. But these both look to be such neat kits.

So tempting to build them. Even if to just build them and display, not fly.

The store had a couple other OOP Estes kits and if they are still there I might just get one of those too.

Don't actually have them in my hands just yet. But do have them set aside with a payment to save them until next weekend. So sorry no pics.

So build 'em or keep 'em?


Rod

I never understood buying rocket kits with the intention of never building them. I also don't understand paying 100s of dollars for an Estes kit that originally cost $10 either.

I say build and fly. I am sure that you'll get lots of other opinions.

Build em but make sure and take scans of the decal and fin sheets, measurements of the fin pieces and everything so it can be shared later, OOP kits are a treasure, but they were meant to be flown.

When I get time to, if I decide to go ahead, I will do build threads. Too many rockets to build before these.

Found on a thread here that the #2085 Jayhawk was produced between '93-'96 and the #2019 Titan '89'-'93. The other rocket kit I will look at, if it is still there, was the Saturn 1b.

Later,
Rod

Rod - Great find ! Sounds like you found an old school hobby shop. Must not be a lot of rocketeers around there for these kits to have sat so long. Do what makes you happy but maybe take a run through ebay to see if they have any comparables.

rharshberger - Will this do ? https://www.oldrocketplans.com/estes/est2085/est2085.htm

https://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/est2019.htm

This is a Titan review I found. Didn't have one on the Jayhawk or S1b

https://www.rocketreviews.com/estes-titan-iiie-tim-doll.html

I build old kits, but I really take my time and only fly them when conditions are right. I've got a couple now that took some time to chase down (Optima/Shadow). Built a Pheonix I found. I enjoy building them slowly, reading the directions and reliving the days when I did it as a kid. Looking for a few others like the blackhawk, strike fighter etc. When I find them, I'll build and fly those too. An OOP is like a good old wine.... best enjoyed by drinking.

DizWolf said:

I build old kits, but I really take my time and only fly them when conditions are right. I've got a couple now that took some time to chase down (Optima/Shadow). Built a Pheonix I found. I enjoy building them slowly, reading the directions and reliving the days when I did it as a kid. Looking for a few others like the blackhawk, strike fighter etc. When I find them, I'll build and fly those too. An OOP is like a good old wine.... best enjoyed by drinking.

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But not flying while drinking....

I've just thought about this same thing just last week. Though the kits are not that old, just from 2013 Christmas sale Estes had. I forgot what it was, they had two options of, so many kits for so much money. I bought both options, some 30 or 40 kits for under $150
what ever it was, I have a lot of kits sitting around, gave some away to kids here and there at launches.
I went looking for something to build and said why not look through those, well I found that some of the balsa started to bow and thought I might as well build them.
If they aren't going to last in a rubber maid tub in the garage. what am I saving them for, just to go to waste?
BUILD THEM they need to fly!
just scan everything so if you have to repair something you can. or if someone needs info you'll have it to share

Get that SIB asap... Before it's gone.

I wish I could find an old hobby shop like that around me!

What little info I have found searching online is these were/are definitely 'builders' kits. Ones where you better not care how long it takes as long as you take the time.

Especially the S1b. And yes I will take another look at it first thing next week and get it set aside with the others. I always kick myself when I pass up things like this. I may not really need them, but there may not be another chance to find kits like these.

Thanks all for the chat.

See ya,
Rod

I love the old kits. I'm not one to keep a kit sealed. I buy to fly. I also work my scanner to death. Every rocket gets it's instructions, fins, decals and anything else scanned. The tubes get measured and recored. All other pieces get compared and cataloged. My scans have a parts break down. I archive them in several places. And every so often, a backup CD get's burned. If you ever get one of my scans off a site, you can certainly build the rocket with it.

That being said, I am not a stickler for buying the kits that are OOP unles they have parts you cannot get outside the kit. I am desperately looking for an Estes Stealth because the body and nose cone are unique. Soon I am hoping to be able to cast the parts of rockets like these so that I can remake any parts that are damaged. But they will fly either way. Enjoy what you paid for. If you prefer to look at the sealed package on a shelf, by all means do it. But rockets were meant to be flown.

OOP's are a gold mine. Put em away for 10 years. Sell em on Ebay. You'll profit a bunch from it.
And get that new HPR you've been dreaming about.
I collect OOP rockets for several reasons. The one's I could never afford as a kid. Investment for my son's when I'm gone.
I don't collect anything else. So along with building and flying rockets, I collect them.
Not everyone is the same, and I'm probably the odball here.

You find an Estes Optima Omega (K-52, K-52P), or a Cineroc, please let me know.

Scan, Measure, Build, Fly.

In 1987 Estes came out with the Mini Mars Lander. I was clueless about this at the time. In 2012, LW gave me this kit as part of my Christmas that year, and I opted to build it. It's a cute lil bugger too! I flew it in the following Spring. Kinda like having a sidekick for your regular kit version. Here it is next to it's big brother.

rharshberger said:

Build em but make sure and take scans of the decal and fin sheets, measurements of the fin pieces and everything so it can be shared later, OOP kits are a treasure, but they were meant to be flown.

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++1

If you build them, I'd take measurements of the parts and make scans of the parts and patterns so that the data is saved for the community. That data may already be out there; I haven't checked. Older scale kits tend to sell for a good price. A Titan sold for $109.99 on Ebay recently. A Jayhawk sold for $150 on Ebay a couple years ago. You could flip them, and use the profit to fund your hobby.

But neither of these are super-easy to clone, especially the Titan. Sell them, and you may never have such cool models to build and fly.

I myself like the oop kits. I have a pile. Not much in Estes though. I want to build and fly them all. I will never get to them all. Right now I have 4 Missileworks kits ready to paint and fly. There are 2 Lance, one 38 the other 29. One Tomahawk, 24mm and a Brant in 29mm. I will fly them alot this year. They mix well with all the other rockets I will fly. So. I say build them! Fly them. Enjoy them. With all the new 24mm CTI loads and new Aero and CTI 29mm, these older rockets get a new life. Build that Titan and fly it! This spring the oop project is a Vaughn Bros. Javalin. A 4" 54mm in a big sealed box. Still has the price (129.00) on it. I gave the kit to James Russell sort of as a thank you for being my L3 tap. I am going to clone it and give it back to him. I will build it as close to stock as I can. You don't see these much anymore. So have fun with those old kits.... I do. Tim Thomas L3

Buying OOP kits to build OR to collect are both great options.

Different kinds of fun.

Some of my OOP kits I like to keep, some I trade or sell, some I like to build.

K'Tesh said:

You find an Estes Optima (K-52, K-52P), or a Cineroc, please let me know.

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Optima's are rare, luckily easy to clone. Better off with new vinyl anyways, I'm not sure I trust the metal flake in the kit I have...though it's a smaller deeper flake than anything I've been able to find.

tab28682 said:

Buying OOP kits to build OR to collect are both great options.

Click to expand...

I support people holding on to kits for decades so I can pick them up later in the yard sale

I say build them. Put every once of skill into them and then decide to fly or display.

Ok, been a couple busy days at work. But I did make it by the hobby shop friday to pick up not one, not two, but four classic kits. And if another is still there in two weeks I plan to get it also.

The kits I picked up were,

Saturn 1b #2048, this kit is in the photo box not the pastel colored box I have seen online, but it's the same kit and still sealed. Don't know if I will build, but it will stay sealed until I do decide what to do with it. It has already beed documented on another site so no need to open. I will hold onto this one for now.

Pro Series Jayhawk #2085, What a neat rocket. And will make an impressive display piece. Much too nice to fly, little details lots of decals, and I do have the Madcow version for a flier so, this one will get built as a display.

The Titan III E #2019, This one is also going to be built. I did find that two tubes were missing, but I had some extra and already made replacements. Already trimmed the plastic parts as they were molded together in the classic Estes end to end way. Also a neat kit and will be impressive once completed. This one will fly.

Also had the 30" Semi Scale Phoenix #1380. This is a BT-80 based kit and will also be built to fly. Once again a neat kit but my only dislike is the way Estes seems to want to cut a body tube short only to make it fit in smaller packaging. This kit will have the main body tubes, one 14-1/4 inches and the other 7-5/8 and very short 1 inch coupler replaced with a single length of BT-80. This was the least expensive of the group and will get upgrades to build a great flier.

Will do slow build threads on each kit. Have way too many builds going on now and really need more supplies to start on these anyway. These deserve proper paint and finishing so I will use Model Master line. Always have great results and they have the proper colors.

And the hobby shop has three of the kits built on display, the Saturn, the Phoenix and the Jayhawk.

A great find on some classic kits. So guess I will be busy with yet more builds. These were kits that I felt I didn't want to miss out on. Yea they cost me, but not nearly what I have seen them go for online.

See ya,
Rod

DizWolf said:

Optima's are rare, luckily easy to clone. Better off with new vinyl anyways, I'm not sure I trust the metal flake in the kit I have...though it's a smaller deeper flake than anything I've been able to find.

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Ya know... I should never type while I'm exhausted... The K-52 is the Omega, not the Optima.

G'night!
Jim

My brother built and flew the Titan iiie and Jayhawk. Awesome kits and fliers. I want to get both some day. He flew the jayhawk into a baseball light pole. Opps. Repaired but not flown since. Hit the same pole with his R2D2.

I've built several phoenixs. I love that kit. Great great flier. Can never get enough of that one.