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I got into model rocketry just as Estes stop selling the Cherokee D. I was born before we walked on the moon.
 
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That link was a dead end. They must have taken it down. Here's how far back I go. This was my first catalog.

View attachment 188186

I've seen that happen before,,
I don't understand that at all..
I just clicked the link and it worked fine..
Maybe Matt knows why that happens..

66 huh..
You've got me beat..
I wasn't flying rockets that young... lol

What year did Estes come out with the Alpha ???

That's the one rocket each and everyone I know had,,
put it up on A-8-3's many times,,,
then for high flights put it up on the occasional B-6-4...
Then put a C-6-5 in it and never saw it again... lol...

Teddy
 
<edit> a better link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-3-R...364672455?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item35de68bbc7

Well, unopened packages are pretty cool BUT...

I gotta take a small exception to the item title: Lot of 3 Rare Unopened 1968 Estes Deluxe Blast Deflectors

The implication I get from that title is that these were manufactured in 1968. Hmmm...

That's a Damon-era logo on the cardboard backing (Damon bought the company in the Fall of '69) and the Interceptor didn't appear until 1971.

The seller cites page 58 of the '68 catalog. Ok, why not go back to page 70 of the '66 catalog and call'em "TRIPLE RARE". Heck the deflectors themselves may have been manufactured in the 60's but the packaging is early '70's.


Not a real grievous offense IMO, just a little Ebay fast-talk. Hope the parties to the transaction are happy with the outcome.





I was born a month before Sputnik launched. :confused2:
 
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I've seen that happen before,,
I don't understand that at all..
I just clicked the link and it worked fine..
Maybe Matt knows why that happens..

66 huh..
You've got me beat..
I wasn't flying rockets that young... lol

What year did Estes come out with the Alpha ???

That's the one rocket each and everyone I know had,,
put it up on A-8-3's many times,,,
then for high flights put it up on the occasional B-6-4...
Then put a C-6-5 in it and never saw it again... lol...

Teddy

Alpha came out in 67. And yes,I HAD one too. I had a hard time putting the smaller motors in my rockets. Everything got a C6-5, and of course I lost a great many of them.

samb:
your link didn't work for me either. Both links looked like this;

This listing (**********) has been removed, or this item is not available.

Please check that you've entered the correct item number
Listings that have ended 90 or more days ago will not be available for viewing.
 
...
your link didn't work for me either. Both links looked like this;

This listing (**********) has been removed, or this item is not available.

Please check that you've entered the correct item number
Listings that have ended 90 or more days ago will not be available for viewing.

Your right. Very interesting. I checked it right after I posted. Well all I can say is CAVEAT EMPTOR !

I just went to the main ebay page and found it by putting the title in the Search box.
 
My older neighbor of about 7 years senior did a science project and he had a pad like this.
My first pad was one of the round plates that you hammered a roll pin into.

I've actually purchased from Rocket-Grandpa before.
Unfortunately, he is no longer with us.
His grandson is selling off his mass of rocket stuff to help his grandma stay afloat.
He is not really a rocket gurue, he basically uses what he finds on the internet for aid.
He's been selling stuff now for over 2 years.
I sure wish I could have seen his Grandfaters collection before he started selling.
He has sold some pretty nice old school rocket kits, all unopend and premium condition.
 
My older neighbor of about 7 years senior did a science project and he had a pad like this.
My first pad was one of the round plates that you hammered a roll pin into.

I've actually purchased from Rocket-Grandpa before.
Unfortunately, he is no longer with us.
His grandson is selling off his mass of rocket stuff to help his grandma stay afloat.
He is not really a rocket gurue, he basically uses what he finds on the internet for aid.
He's been selling stuff now for over 2 years.
I sure wish I could have seen his Grandfaters collection before he started selling.
He has sold some pretty nice old school rocket kits, all unopend and premium condition.



Thanks for that background Woody. Good to know. I'm definitely being a little nit-picky on that particular item.
 
My first rocket is described on page 161 of Bertand R. Brinley's _Rocket Manual For Amateurs_, available here:

https://cdn.preterhuman.net/texts/t...R. Brinley (Ballantine Books - 1960) 385s.pdf

My first model rocket was a Nova CRC 7 from the Central Rocket Company in Waupaca Wisconsin. It used Rock-A-Chute motors, and is described on page 9 of the 1962 catalog:

https://plans.rocketshoppe.com/pubs/CRC/CRC_62_Catalog.pdf

-Larry (Hope y'all can read the cuneiform) C.

Nice ! That's some serious model rocket cred, Larry.
 
Well go figure. Onebad's link is working for me now. Funny, I sorta remember those blast deflectors. My first launch pad is pictured below. We bought a Tilt-A-Pad and had the launch control system above.

Tilt a Pad.jpg
 
I do remember those curved deflectors. They seemed to have come and gone quickly. I wonder if they were for a specific pad they introduced in the 70's that didn't stay around. The flat deflectors definitely predated them, and still persist.

But around that same time I fell in love with the parabolic ceramic deflector put out by MPC. (and I still have one!)
 
I do remember those curved deflectors. They seemed to have come and gone quickly. I wonder if they were for a specific pad they introduced in the 70's that didn't stay around. The flat deflectors definitely predated them, and still persist.

But around that same time I fell in love with the parabolic ceramic deflector put out by MPC. (and I still have one!)

I didn't know the flat one predated the curved one...
I thought the curved one was first,,
and figured they changed it to flat as a manufacturing cost saving measure...

Teddy
 
Well go figure. Onebad's link is working for me now. Funny, I sorta remember those blast deflectors. My first launch pad is pictured below. We bought a Tilt-A-Pad and had the launch control system above.

View attachment 188191
I still have my Tilt-A-Pad and have used it within the last year to launch a few rockets with my nephew.

I also still have that launch controller although I can't remember the last time I used it.
 
That's pretty funny that the 2 of you
are aware that your born on and a day before John Glenn returned to the moon
AND that your born a day apart.................lol

Teddy
 
That's pretty funny that the 2 of you
are aware that your born on and a day before John Glenn returned to the moon
AND that your born a day apart.................lol

Teddy

Hahaha Ik hes got me my one day :facepalm:
 
I still have these launch controllers. Unfortunately I lost the key to the Solar launcher. The other one (in blue....mine's black) still works and those came out in 87.

DSCF2686.JPG Estes Launch Control 1986.jpg
 
I remember the one in the second pic....
Not too sure about the one in the first pic though.....

Teddy
 
My first launch pad was an Estes ElectroLaunch. It was a box about 6 inches square and you put 4 or 8 D cells in it for 6 or 12 volts. The controller was wired to it by about 10 feet of wire. Launched many rockets from it.
 
My first controller was the one in first pic.
Left the batteries in over the winter and the next spring, there was a mass of goo where the batteries went. OOPS

Someone offered to buy mine here on the forum. Since it doesn't have the key, it was a no go. I don't suppose you still have the key to yours by chance, eh?
 
Someone offered to buy mine here on the forum. Since it doesn't have the key, it was a no go. I don't suppose you still have the key to yours by chance, eh?

I might. I've half a dozed med size boxes to go through yet, and one big box that didn't make it from storage. (I've yet to find the Broadsward!!!)
 
I always thought that curved deflector was a Model Missiles item acquired by Estes when they bought up MM inventory.
 
I still remember one faithful afternoon back in 72' when my older brother was trying to launch his first rocket. He had tried several times in the past and never could get it to work. Shaking the Estes controller in frustration - failed again. He walked into the garage speaking choice words, came out on the tractor with some wire cutters. Cut the controller off, stripped the wires, and hit the tractor's battery. Whoosh! Wow!! We both yelled. And... I was hooked...

Wait... Was that a safety violation. Oh, well - he did it...
 
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