Estes' quality control???

Rex R said:

the 'Retro-Repro' Goblin is not an exact copy of the original. there are some differences in the decal artwork and it uses a single long launch lug(the original, and the new release use a pair of short lugs). I suspect that those changes were part of the agreement between semroc and Estes. I recall reading that the retro/repro line was intended to capture the 'feel' of the originals w/o being exact copies.
Rex
edit
I will note that my new goblin came with 2 sets of instructions...this is intended as one set is in English/French/Spanish and the second set is in German and two other languages that I don't recognize .

Click to expand...

Rex,
I think you are right. I believe this the case with the Semroc Midget. The original, which I launched with my uncle in 1971 (and at age 8 I was hooked!) used the "short" engines produced then. The Semroc version uses mini engines, mainly because the shorts aren't made any longer.

I know one other language on the second set is Italian....

Mike

My decals were wrong on the MR I got this week at HL. A simple email to Estes and Mike in Customer service is replacing them. Top notch service as usual!

Mike (no relation) 😀

It definitely seems like the quality of the plastic nose cones has gone downhill. Two examples I've come across recently are the Maxi Alpha 3 and the Mini Fat Boy.

I decided I wanted to rebuild my MA3 as well as build an Optima clone so I picked up a new MA3 kit with the intention of using my old nose cone for the Alpha and the new one for the Optima.

I'm refinishing the paint so I happen to be working the two side-by-side. The way the two halves are lined up on the old one and the new one are night and day.

The old one has a small gap where the two halves come together - maybe a hairs width or two and not all the way down - but nothing a couple coats of primer couldn't handle.

The new one, has a major gap down both sides. This is beyond primer - it's Bondo Spot Putty level. I'm on my third pass with it. Also towards the tip it seemed to be out of round. Like how AT's nose cones tend to be. Now obviously it is not so bad that I can't use the NC but it is definitely a drop in QC as this thread is about. The gaps are present on the shoulder which increases the likelihood of problems and is an area you don't want to screw up trying to fill and sand.

I just bought the new Mini Fat Boy and actually put the kit back on the shelf for a moment after seeing the nosecone. Those of you familiar with the original version probably recognized the NC as coming from the Super Big Bertha/Broadsword. So naturally the downscale uses the NC from the regular Big Bertha. When I saw the one in the Mini FB I was shocked. Talk about thin! It's translucent! More so than Quest's.

At the end of the day I justified buying the kit because I probably have one or two of the old nose cones lying around and can use that.

None of these are huge problems but I worry that they are a sign of a downward spiral of Estes kits. I'm glad I have a Semroc Goblin. It makes me less likely to buy an Estes kit that I kinda like versus a Semroc or other kit or just cloning something no longer made.

catman001 said:

While I have not had missing parts, crushed and out of round body tubes happens way more than it should. I think they try to fit too much stuff in too small of a bag. I understand trying to keep the package as small as possible to save on costs and shipping, but I sometimes think they push the limit. They are however very good about replacing damaged parts, but it is a pain to have to wait for replacements.

Mike

Click to expand...

Years ago the kits shipped from Colorado...now-a-days they have to come all the way from China. No wonder parts are damaged!
I really wanted a Mercury Redstone, but will wait a bit until all the kinks are worked out....pink decals, bent tubes, wrong parts, ect.
even the quality of the balsa has gone way down over the years.

I am pretty much DONE with Estes. There are so many really cool kits out there which are made in the USA. I would much rather support the small guys.
I really like a kit which challenges me, most of Estes stuff these days doesn't.

Danomite45 said:

I am pretty much DONE with Estes. There are so many really cool kits out there which are made in the USA. I would much rather support the small guys.
I really like a kit which challenges me, most of Estes stuff these days doesn't.

Click to expand...

Agreed. Lots of cool stuff.... but when you ship jobs off to china, you pay for it in quality, and customers. It's ok. They don't care about us.... Just bulk sales and volume. It makes sense, and I don't blame them for making money.

But to hell with anyone who sends work off to china. You're whats wrong with this country.

That does seem to be the case. I built the V2 a few months ago and the tube had issues, instructions had a horrible reading area I couldn't see even with a magnifying glass, and the balsa was full of splits. Not the same quality I had growing up

DizWolf said:

Agreed. Lots of cool stuff.... but when you ship jobs off to china, you pay for it in quality, and customers. It's ok. They don't care about us.... Just bulk sales and volume. It makes sense, and I don't blame them for making money.

But to hell with anyone who sends work off to china. You're whats wrong with this country.

Click to expand...

Amen! Bring jobs back to the US where they belong.

I just wanted to thank Donaldsrockets and Oberon for being class acts in their posts. I was so happy to see that another discussion did not spiral down into nasty comments and an ugly argument over disagreements/opposing opinions. Thank you again!

Stan said:

I just wanted to thank Donaldsrockets and Oberon for being class acts in their posts. I was so happy to see that another discussion did not spiral down into nasty comments and an ugly argument over disagreements/opposing opinions. Thank you again!

Click to expand...

You're welcome.

Yeah, I guess I was a bit steamed back then. Now that I got the rocket finished, I'm satisfied. Now all I have to do is to fly it whenever that might be.

This kit will definitely present some challenges like beveling the fins and masking for the roll pattern at the bottom.:wink:

I uttered more than one curse word while working on my Redstone, but now that it's complete and flying, damn it looks good haha!

Flyfalcons said:

I uttered more than one curse word while working on my Redstone, but now that it's complete and flying, damn it looks good haha!

Click to expand...

You and me both!