Let's clear the air here...Curtis has a LONG history in the hobby. I bought one of the very first Competitor 4 kits off of eBay for $129 shipped back in 2004-2005, flew it at NERRF-1 in 2005. He started by dealing direct to customer, then transitioned to B2B. The "2B" portion has evolved over the years and includes dealings with Wildman (extensive), Mad Cow (extensive), Rocketry Warehouse (extensive), ProLine, Apogee, Performance Hobbies, Rockets Magazine, etc. Why? Because very few people out there have the means or the interest to be a hobby market vendor, much less a manufacturer. Resellers and kit makers lose interest and move on.
Curtis is best when he is making raw tubing and shipping it to someone else to cut and bag. Even then I hear he can be a challenge, often times nearly impossible to deal with. That said, every time you buy a 4" kit with FG tubing under $200 you have him to thank. Whether he made the tube or not, he broke the price barrier "back in the day." You're all VERY fortunate that Mad Cow is taking the reigns of the B2C side of the business, selling only what he has in stock, and turning the raw Curtis material into a kit on your door step in a nicely packed box at that affordable price. That all starts with low manufacturer pricing.
This is a VERY welcomed consolidation. Mike will likely take care of any outstanding orders outside of the arrangement he made with RW, meaning he's probably covering you out of his own pocket. Share your positive experiences because that's what an outstanding customer service pioneer does. I bet his parts fit, too.
, I'll add this - keep doing BF your way. Don't do the "sell stuff we don't have" thing. Your current method is absolutely perfect.
