Estes Pro Series II at Hobby Lobby

mcderek said:

The Kennewick WA HL had them, so don't be surprised if the Seattle stores end up with them I assume they would have the same delivery chain. At least one can hope!

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Hobby Lobby in Everett has them. I checked the other day.

Really? Good.....I'll have to remember that the next time I have to go to Everett for a meeting. Thanks.

I may check out Kennewick on the way over to Dayton for Spring Fling next Thursday.

Evo666 said:

Hobby Lobby in Everett has them. I checked the other day.

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Not anymore! I cleaned them out.
Stopped by everyday this week on the way home to get my daily 40% off item. I've picked up both kits and three packs of motors.

When I left today there was one pack of F series engines left on the shelf and some wadding

Lynnwood still has one of each kit on the rack though.

I agree!

cjp said:

I had a look at the New Estes Pro Series,I'm not that impressed with the quality for the price.After building Madcow and LOC rockets in that price range you really see the difference in the quality.I'm not trying to start anything and not putting down Estes but the parts supplied and the high price don't compare to the 2 companys I've bought rockets from.Just my lame opinion.That being said,with the 40% coupon offered from Hobby Lobby the price isn't that bad.Again I'm not trying to start a war of words,everyone has their favorite venders and those are 2 of mine.Sorry to anyone I have offended.cjp.

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I agree!

cjp said:

I had a look at the New Estes Pro Series,I'm not that impressed with the quality for the price.After building Madcow and LOC rockets in that price range you really see the difference in the quality.I'm not trying to start anything and not putting down Estes but the parts supplied and the high price don't compare to the 2 companys I've bought rockets from.Just my lame opinion.That being said,with the 40% coupon offered from Hobby Lobby the price isn't that bad.Again I'm not trying to start a war of words,everyone has their favorite venders and those are 2 of mine.Sorry to anyone I have offended.cjp.

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No offence taken. My theory is that Hobby Lobby coupons are the main influence behind the MSRP. Nobody in their right mind is going to pay the MSRP on these kits (I'd hope), or any of the offerings from Estes, and you'll notice that the actual retail price on these items from a source such as hobbylinc.com are pretty much the same as Hobby Lobby + 40% off coupon. $79.99 MSRP on that new launch pad? Come on now...

BEC said:

Really? Good.....I'll have to remember that the next time I have to go to Everett for a meeting. Thanks.

I may check out Kennewick on the way over to Dayton for Spring Fling next Thursday.

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I did pick up a Ventris in Kennewick a couple of weekends ago....it's under construction now and I hope to have ready for flying at Missile Mayhem in Dayton the weekend after next. Nice to know that the north end Hobby Lobby stores are carrying this stuff after all.

The HL in Kennewick just had empty hooks where the motors should be.....

chadrog said:

No offence taken. My theory is that Hobby Lobby coupons are the main influence behind the MSRP. Nobody in their right mind is going to pay the MSRP on these kits (I'd hope), or any of the offerings from Estes, and you'll notice that the actual retail price on these items from a source such as hobbylinc.com are pretty much the same as Hobby Lobby + 40% off coupon. $79.99 MSRP on that new launch pad? Come on now...

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The Hobby Lobby 40% coupons have no influence on Estes MSRP.

Where Hobby Lobby (and Great Planes, Cal Hobbies, Steven's International, etc.) does have indirect influence is on distributor pricing.

Approved distributors receive between 50%-56% discount off of SRP.

Example: Model Rocket Company X designs a new kit. It has a part cost of $5.00 (Including instructions, packaging, etc.).

"X" must pay for the parts plus make enough money to pay part of the company bills, employee salaries, insurance, R & D, advertising, new product components, shipping, etc.

Now the new kit has a 'cost' of $12.00.

The final SRP would be around $24.99 as the hobby distributors need to get their 10-15% over cost and the hobby shop/retailer gets their 40-46% mark-up.

That's the way it works when a company works through the hobby distributor system.

Yeah, Scottsdale store packed too.

Now if we could agree on a place to have club meetings...:eyeroll:

You and Sharon going to RV this weekend?

Wayco said:

Went to HL yesterday and the shelves were PACKED! When the Pro Series II stuff first came out, they were only stocking 1 Leviathan and 1 Ventris, now there were 2 Leviathans and 3 Ventris kits stocked, along with full pegs for all the motors, including the 29mm composites. Lots of regular kits too. We were talking to the guy that stocks that area and he said the Pro Series stuff is selling great, and it's affected the sale of BP motors and smaller kits. Maybe because we have had great weather for flying lately, but it seems like rocketry here is on the upswing. :smile:

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I predict there will be a plethora of Leviathans and Ventris rockets at upcoming launches as these seem to be the two kits most Hobby Lobby stores have chosen to stock.

That being said, I also have one of each and both came from HL and the coupon.

Zonie said:

Yeah, Scottsdale store packed too.

Now if we could agree on a place to have club meetings...:eyeroll:

You and Sharon going to RV this weekend?

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We're doing the short version this Saturday, one truck and a tent. Lot's of rockets! Sharon hasn't started her Leviathan yet, but she picked up a "High flier XL" which I need to get painted tomorrow if it is gonna fly at this launch. Hope we can get an early start, it's probably gonna get hot early, unless we get a break.

Great deal on the kit! You gotta love those 40% coupons! I wish they offered those kits on their online stores.

Wayco said:

We're doing the short version this Saturday, one truck and a tent. Lot's of rockets! Sharon hasn't started her Leviathan yet, but she picked up a "High flier XL" which I need to get painted tomorrow if it is gonna fly at this launch. Hope we can get an early start, it's probably gonna get hot early, unless we get a break.

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Hope too see you out there wayne, make sure sharon get a build thread on her Leviathan. Im sure its gonna come out great as all of your rockets.

It doesn't look like I'll make this launch. Too many other things need to get done.

jus_rockets said:

Hope too see you out there wayne, make sure sharon get a build thread on her Leviathan. Im sure its gonna come out great as all of your rockets.

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Wayco said:

Dang Chris, sorry to hear this. Nobody does a windbreak like the Urban Assault Vehicle!
Hey Juan, I was following your thread on the SSS Yahoo groups, good to see everything is working out for you. If you need anything (like a 29/38mm adapter :grin you know I probably have it. See you at the launch tomorrow.

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Thanks wayne will see you tomorrow and will see if I get a chance to fly the fail magg. And if everything goes well with my level 1 the LEVIATHAN will fly on a H128W

Heading to Amarillo today. Hopefully the Hobby Lobby there will have a better selection than the one here in Clovis! Who knows I might even come home with another PSII...I'll have to hide it from the wife though :dark:

I shot a g80 in my extreme 38. The alt. Read 2,677. They have some power.

gpoehlein said:

Although I haven't got any of the Pro Series II kits yet, I have gotten some of the 29mm motor retainers - these are the same as are being used in the kits and they fit a standard 29mm motor tube. Plus, as was mentioned earlier, the new Pro Series II motors are simply relabeled Aerotech single use motors, and these can be used interchangeably with the 29mm RMS motors (at least diameter-wise). You'll probably want to run each rocket through Rocksim or Open Rocket to find out the optimal delays, and if you use an adapter, they should also fly well on 24mm reloads as well. The E9 motors may not be strong enough to lift it, but the new E12 motors that are coming might (I haven't looked at the thrust curves and don't know what the max lift weight will be for the E12, so I don't know for sure).

In short, yes, you will be able to use 29mm RMS motors in these kits.

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...OK...so I have had this NCR Big Brute in my office forever (I'm pretty sure it was a photo soample) and thought it might be neat to fly it...but the old NCR retainer I had (last one) was cracked, so I thought, what the heck, I'll just grind out the old motor tube and stuff a new one in it and put a new PSII 29mm lock ring set on it...easier said than done. I used a 7/8" deep well socket that I double sided some 80 grit sandpaper to and ran it through the old paper tube (and the plastic rings a little as well) on the end of a 1/2" x 10" extension and my drill driver and got the inside opened up to accept the new mount (actually, I was a slight bit oversize...but that worked out OK). I mixed up a good batch of 30 minute epoxy and chopped glass, layered a good coat on the tube and the inertior fins and rings, slid the MM in place and let it cure overnight. Next evening, I roughed up the inside of the 29mm ring and mixed another small batch of 30 minute and chopped glass and stuck it in place. I wiped the excess epoxy away and let it set overnight. Next morning I checked motor fit (PSII G80) and couldn't be happier. Unfortunately, flying it might have to wait until I get to NARAM 54 later this month up in Muskegon as there is a complete fire ban in Colorado due to the recent fire in Colorado Springs. By the way, if any of you are going to be at NARAM 54, stop by and introduce yourself and say hi....I'll try to have a bottle of water cooled for you.
Mike

This thread is making me wish the nearest Hobby Lobby wasn't over an hour away....

It's so nice to have a "marketing guy" who understands how to use tools, improvise a sander, mix up epoxy and glass, etc...

We love ya, Mike!

Sorry I Missed your post, and the launch. The GMC Motorhome only goes to overnight launches. I bring the Truck on one-day launches, but happy to be of service!

Wayco said:

Dang Chris, sorry to hear this. Nobody does a windbreak like the Urban Assault Vehicle!
Hey Juan, I was following your thread on the SSS Yahoo groups, good to see everything is working out for you. If you need anything (like a 29/38mm adapter :grin you know I probably have it. See you at the launch tomorrow.

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Marc_G said:

It's so nice to have a "marketing guy" who understands how to use tools, improvise a sander, mix up epoxy and glass, etc...

We love ya, Mike!

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...thanks Marc for the compliment...I've been building and flying model airplanes (rockets came late in life) since about 1960 and cannot think of a time when I wasn't building or flying something...and beleive it or not, it does help to have a hobby background as you work to make your company and its products better.
Mike

Polyalcoholic said:

$59.99 before 40% off coupon.

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So the rockets are $36 plus tax. That's a good price. I need to find a local Hobby Lobby in my area.

I would not buy the pro kits without the 40% discount. They are fairly expensive with out the coupon.

Hobby Lobby in Salina, Ks has the Pro Series motors and a few kits. I had a coupon and walked out with a Laviatan and with the savings picked up a EPM-010.

I plan to get the Mega Max from my local rocket shop in Wichita later this winter.

The Laviatan looks like a great kit. If you have wanted a Pro Series these should be easy builds if you have basic rocket uilding skills.

See ya,
Rod