New Estes skill levels?

LOL, I hardly consider myself as an "Elite"!
There are many E2X I like. Those tend to get cloned using the original building techniques.
If not up scaled, up graded to a bigger Engine Mount.
But they don't require skills, per say, in rocketry to build.

Buckeye said:

Hehe. That's the attitude of the "Modeling Elite."

ARF and E2X do require some assembly and rocket common sense. A newbie can easily screw up the measurements, centering rings, or fins. Estes instruction sheets are sometimes wrong or incomplete.

I like ARF and E2X for my local park flying. I am likely to lose them in the trees or break them on concrete landings. If so, I am not out a lot of money (AC Supply) or effort.

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OK, now I know there are exceptions, but I really can't understand why any company would allow incomplete or downright WRONG instructions to be sent out with their product.
(I confess, I bought one Estes kit and figured out that their second stage assembly instructions must be wrong...and I did it the right way instead... but why they didn't recall or produce an insert or an external sticker on the packaging, "Warning: Step #14 should say "Insert before gluing". Check www.estestrockets.com/HyperBat/fix for additional details" ...or SOMETHING along those lines. )


... I don't know.

They were very nice on the phone when I called them and pointed this out, and said it would be fixed in the next round of international printings of their instructions.

Kirk G said:

... I don't know.

They were very nice on the phone when I called them and pointed this out, and said it would be fixed in the next round of international printings of their instructions.

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No free rocket for helping them out? You should have at least got a free Wizard

First problem can be summed up in one word, "Overseas".
Can imagine yourself trying convert instruction from English to Chinese?
There is bound to be mistakes.
Frankly, I'm surprised that the number is so low in mistakes.

Make up a few thousand kits. Ship them out. Find out your French translator got it wrong. Sigh and warn customer service. Find a new French translator to contract with. Write up a summary of everything the last contractor worked on. Have the new guy go over the old guy's list as soon as possible.

Making & selling global in several languages is certainly a challenge.

I was building an older Beta Series kit and loved the instructions. They even provided a printed ruler in the pages.

shreadvector said:

More importantly - does this meant that Estes Model rockets are being carried by Michael's again? They had dropped them nationwide for a quite a time period and I was hoping they would return soon that they would continue to carry them for a long time.

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My local Michael's had rockets and rocket motors this past summer, but dropped them sometime this fall. I wish they would bring them back, and when I asked the staff said they wanted them back, too. Unfortunate, because my wife and daughter like to go to Michael's, relatives give us giftcards, it's much closer than my LHS, and they have coupons all the time. It was easy to drop in and get a pack of C6-5s for a launch.

The new Space Twister has the new packaging with a Level 3. The Protostar and Nike-X have the older levels and packaging. The date code on the Twister is 10/24/16, Protostar 10/21/16, and the Nike-X 9/30/16.

Woody's Workshop said:

To me, RTF, ARF & E2X kits are not even a skill level.
It's not until you start gluing fins on that really starts in building skills.
Correct angle, fillets, etc.
But that's just me.

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I tend to agree...but I also remember entering into this hobby less than 3 years ago and having no idea where to start.
So I got a "Freedom 3" from the only local hobby shop I could find and believe it was a Skill Level 2 rocket. I read each step SO carefully, dry fitting, and cautiously gluing things on.
As it was, I used only existing spray paints in my garage to finish the rocket...and learned why we don't use robin egg blue along the way... also discovered that all white glues are not the same.
So, it WAS a learning experience for me, but I would never consider such a simplistic rocket again, having learned the terminology and some basic techniques, including feathering the leading edge of the fins, along the way...

New packaging is filtering into my local hobby lobby.

I like how the yankee and Crossfire have jumped two skill levels. If I didn't know anything about rockets, I'd be majorly confused now.


Also, C6-3s are going up 20cents.

I can see now why they are not producing a 2017 catalog. What a mess that would be until they get all their new packaging out.

samb said:

I like the slogan: FUN. FOR. REAL.

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From side of the Athena box:
"Building a rocket is cool. Then it's launch day. And all eyes are on the sky. See your rocket climb."
"IT'S TIME TO LET YOUR IMAGINATION SOAR..."

From the back of the Athena box:
"THE SKY IS VAST. IT'S ALL YOURS."
"While others are playing video games, you're building and launching a real adventure that's never the same twice."