So no Estes catalog 2017

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I have collected all of Estes catalogs from 1966-2000. I do have the newer catalogs, but most of those are because they were free with my orders from Estes or I found them at the Hobby Store. I really don't care if Estes produces a paper catalog or not. Back in the day most of us lived off of hobby catalogs to see what was new and coming and also because that is how we ordered our kits and supplies. The computers and internet have changed everything, I sure do miss my Christmas Sears catalogs.
 
Slightly off topic...

Show if hands... How many Estes kits did you buy last year ? How many did you buy at MSRP ? (not on clearance at estesrockets.com, hobbylobby w/40% off, acsupply.com, ebay, etc.) For myself, 3 and 0.
 
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Last year? Me? You're kidding right? However, I'm fairly sure that I've got 2 on the way from my Mom's second gift box (It was in PDX when she was in AZ), I doubt she got any discounts.
 
Close to a dozen. Maybe half were purchased through Amazon.com, some directly through Estes; the rest were purchased from HL, not always with benefit of a coupon.
 
I often go to the historical online catalog page and look through random years.
Sometimes I spend hours looking for just that right rocket to clone.
Or maybe get idea's for a design of my own, or to up scale a kit.
That will be harder to do if there is nothing to look through.
Even if the instructions are posted on Estes site, they don't include the face card, so colors are a guess at best.

I'd like to refer this thread to my buddy at Estes, so lets try and keep on subject.
If you would like to discuss discount purchases or such, please start a new thread.
We know Estes listens to what we say, lets not put a negative purchasing spin on it here.
 
I called a contact in Estes, and the lack of a catalog (or .pdf file) was confirmed... They've downsized considerably, and don't have anyone to do it for them. :sad:
 
They sent 5 boxes of 50 (plus a partial) to the AMA EXPO West along with the Make & Take kits.

We handed the catalogs out with a few catalogs left over for our club launches.

I do not know if they are sending any to the AMA Expo East.

1 !!! :wink: I wonder how many boxes of 2016 catalogs they threw out last week ?

I have fond memories of the catalogs of my youth. But they are a click away. :)
 
OK, I just made a "catalog" mock up of the three newest rocket kits for 2017, using copy-paste techniques from the website and my pdf writer, which took all of about 10 minutes. It's not glossy pretty, and the rockets aren't flying together against some star-lit backdrop, but it does have the photos, specs, recommended engines, max altitude, and any other text used to describe the rocket. This took all of 10 minutes, and I really have next to zero skills in this area.

I called a contact in Estes, and the lack of a catalog (or .pdf file) was confirmed... They've downsized considerably, and don't have anyone to do it for them. :sad:

I hate to be the one to say it aloud, but if a company does not have the financial resources to pay someone to lay out a pdf to promote the 100 or so products it wants to sell to its customers this year, then it may be far more than the printed catalog that is at stake here. I have been involved with many organizations FAR FAR smaller than Estes-Cox Corp. and they have all been able to muster the resources to produce a pdf newsletter, product description, or other promotional materials. At the very least, this LOOKS bad.
 
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Just got a response back from Estes :

We will not have a 2017 Estes catalog in print or electronic version.

Regards,

Mike Fritz

Estes-Cox Corp.
 
It looks pretty bad to me (as a longtime veteran of startup and small companies). Hobbico is private and so it's hard to obtain authoritative information, but we can piece things together from public sources. Any "message to customers" has no obligation of truth -- unlike with public companies -- but we are now seeing reports of both an unexpected delay in ESOP payouts and indications of aggressive cost-cutting. These are indicators of serious financial distress. This local news video https://newschannel20.com/news/loca...make-payments-for-its-stock-ownership-program has a former employee confirming that they received a letter informing them that ESOP benefits had been deferred indefinitely and that financial results for 2016 had been poor. That is really kind of an emergency holding action as ESOP promises are enforceable and lawsuits are pretty much inevitable. Because of the almost certain consequences from the deferral, I'd rate the statement about poor 2016 results as likely to be true. Hang on to your hats, the catalog is a sideshow.
 
For what it's worth, I think Estes could stand on it's own.
Hobbico is vested by a wide array of hobbies.
Where in s small division, like model rockets, it may show profit and even growth.
But when mixed in the pot of many more poor divisions, it ends up taking a beating.
 
[video=youtube;TYeVQzTVyLk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYeVQzTVyLk[/video]
 
Slightly off topic...

Show if hands... How many Estes kits did you buy last year ? How many did you buy at MSRP ? (not on clearance at estesrockets.com, hobbylobby w/40% off, acsupply.com, ebay, etc.) For myself, 3 and 0.

It really doesn't matter what you paid for them retail, Estes has still been paid by said retailer whatever they're asking for them wholesale. So if an outfit like AC supply chooses only to make 10-15% on a kit, that's their prerogative. Normal retail markup can be 30-40%, or more, depending on the item.

That said, I bought one at HL without the coupon, only because I used it for another one.
 
It really doesn't matter what you paid for them retail, Estes has still been paid by said retailer whatever they're asking for them wholesale. So if an outfit like AC supply chooses only to make 10-15% on a kit, that's their prerogative. Normal retail markup can be 30-40%, or more, depending on the item.

That said, I bought one at HL without the coupon, only because I used it for another one.

I keep finding myself using the coupons for more motors. Though I did buy an Ascender, Nike Smoke and a Star Orbiter at 40% off.
 
I find myself buying one item with the coupon, putting it in the car, and then buying the next item with the coupon and so on, and so on, and........
 
Bump on the catalogues, I'm willing to pay shipping if anyone has older duplicates they are willing to share.
 
It really doesn't matter what you paid for them retail, Estes has still been paid by said retailer whatever they're asking for them wholesale. So if an outfit like AC supply chooses only to make 10-15% on a kit, that's their prerogative. Normal retail markup can be 30-40%, or more, depending on the item.

That said, I bought one at HL without the coupon, only because I used it for another one.

Good point youngblood. Estes is a channel supplier as well as a retailer. I have no retail experience at all but does MSRP mean anything ? Do sales at some number less than MSRP mean anything ? IDK. Anyway the lack of an annual catalog in the 21st Century is a real big non-issue for me. They never have, and I guess never will, make one better than this:
69estf.jpg

As long as they keep the Chief Designer, Jumpjet, on the payroll I'm good with the future of Estes. :)
 
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MSRP is not the same as MAP.

Both Hobbico and Horizon Hobbies are not doing very well, financially.
 
More than the catalogs, I think I miss Estes producing kits for Star Wars and Star Trek............Since Revell is part of Hobbico and they produce Star Trek, Star Wars models maybe Estes can design some too..........
 
That seems particularly silly, even for eBay.

The 2016 hard copy catalog is still listed for sale and in stock on Estes' own site, for $2.99.

And since it is in stock, I strongly suspect that if you place a regular Estes order for a few kits on deep discount (as I did just a week or so ago) they will toss one in the box for free.

https://www.estesrockets.com/2016-catalog
 
That seems particularly silly, even for eBay.

The 2016 hard copy catalog is still listed for sale and in stock on Estes' own site, for $2.99.

And since it is in stock, I strongly suspect that if you place a regular Estes order for a few kits on deep discount (as I did just a week or so ago) they will toss one in the box for free.

https://www.estesrockets.com/2016-catalog

Just got an order in today - no catalog tossed in... My LHS had plenty, last time I was there.
 
My son asked me for the 2017 Estes catalog at bedtime tonight (since last weekend we finally finished our build pile from last year's catalog) so I went to Google looking for it and found this thread instead. He and his three sisters are going to be very disappointed at breakfast in the morning, as I am now. Computers are nice for some things, but nothing can replace thumbing through a catalog and dog-earring the pages with stuff you REALLY want to save for. Plus, my kids are too young to have unfettered internet access yet.
 
I work in the bicycle industry and catalogues are definitely going by the wayside. Just a handful of years ago (4-5) EVERY manufacturer of every kind sent us boxes of catalogues. Now? One copy for the whole shop from just a handful of brands. Interestingly enough, it was the larger, more financially stable brands that dropped their catalogues first.
 
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