Hi all from Deepsky HQ!
We are T minus ten days from the Post Office's last mailing day before Christmas... but our courier, TNT, will continue to accept shipments right up until the 23rd for shipments with motors or customers with a last minute rocket gift to buy. Be sure to read to the end for our Christmas contest!
If you don't know what to get, Deepsky Gift Certificates come in just the right size for your budget and the recipient can always get exactly what they want in the web shop!
The Deepsky Team decamped to Boston last week on an emergency shopping trip so that Santa would have plenty of new and interesting things for British rocket lovers... and we came back with a hoard.
We now have in stock three of the Estes X-Prize models: Lucky Seven, Gauchito and Rubicon. The first two are small but perfectly formed and the latter is BIG. The rest of the X-Prize fleet will be along shortly but the one that everyone wants, Space Ship One, won't be around until after the first of the year. Supplies are limited.
The reissue of the ScissorWing boost glider is also in stock in limited quantities. It looks lovely and, an Estes first, it features laser cut balsa. The Eagle boost glider and the Oracle video rocket are not going to be around this month, sadly.
The Deepsky Stovi is waiting for some clear skies to make its maiden voyage on 6xE and 1xD motors. HPR with black powder! We have several other projects on the go but mostly for the past three weeks, we have been running ragged making sure that there are Estes starter kits under a large number of British Christmas trees.
We have Estes Code Red, NSA Starship, Tidal Wave, Patriot and Ionizer Starter Kits in stock but we're a bit worried that we could run out before long. If you have a starter set on your list, better order soon!
Two new and different Estes Starter kits (for the UK market) came home with us from the US: Recon (that launches a satellite) and Freefall (that carries an action man skydiver). Both are suitable for the kids ;-) We also have the Estes Alpha III starter set back in stock for those that want a starter set that takes a bit of building (but not too much).
For big kids, we have Qmodeling's excellent Vega, Snooper, WAC and Nike X. There aren't any better kits made, full stop. If you are looking for a top line prezzie... these are the ones to go for. Put one of these big rockets together with one of the new Estes E portapads and a Go Box flight controller and you have a Big Boys Starter Kit par excellence. I'll have a special combo deal up on the site soon.
Sunward has given us free D upgrade kits for all their rocket fighters with truly exciting flight profiles. Now the Phoenix, Liberator, Ice Storm, Desert Fox and Maverick can fly on B, C or D motors. The upgrade cannot be retro fitted, sadly. (Think about it: 24mm into 18mm don't go!). We have good stocks of all the Sunward rocket fighters. Why mess around with an Estes Blackbird, go for a Sunward rocket fighter.
Semroc's newest Lil Ivan and Astro Jr are in the shop along with their large scale D/E powered models that can get a half mile high! Lil Ivan's are like a baby Fat Boy (which we also have in stock again).
We also brought back a few new Quest rockets but their new X-15 sport scale one isn't out yet... the Payloader One looks to be a great first kit and useful for school and club workshops. Two old Quest favourites, the Harpoon and Navaho, are both back in stock.
If you have ever wanted the Estes camera rocket but didn't want another launch pad or controller, we now have the Astrocam 110 that is the rocket alone. The pack includes a roll of film. B6-4, C6-5 and C6-7 will give a variety of aerial shots.
Our stock of the small but high quality Squirrel Works rockets is good. Great quality and nice prices. Rockets don't have to be made in China! The new Fliskits Triskelion is pretty cool, too!
High Power Kits
There's not much new on the high power kit front owing to the chronic motor malaise.
LOC/Precision has a few new models including the Canadian Arrow X-Prize rocket in four and 5.5 inch sizes. It's a fine looking rocket with a graceful boattail. We still have a BIG HyperLOC 1600 on special.
We have a stock of Pratt Hobbies great Go Boxes for lighting clusters of black powder motors or high power AP motors with a 12v battery.
New, too, for high powered rockets is the Defy Gravity Tether that converts almost any single deployment rocket into a dual deployment one. It's a lovely bit of kit!
Motors... aarrrgggghhhhh
B6-0s are no more. The UK was briefly out of A8-3s but they are back again, we think. C6-0s are nowhere to be found which is a real shame because the Afterburner18 is now in production. We have some "on the water" with an arrival in January. I guess we had better hurry up with the Afterburner24 that uses the D12-0!
B6-2s are out of stock but other Estes black powder motors are available. We remember all too well the D drought in the first six months of last year. We are working hard to make sure that we have what YOU need to launch.
On the AP motor front, Cesaroni's application for CE marking is in the doldrums. But the good news from Aerotech is that they are getting their act together so that their high power products can be sold in Europe. 2004 has been a year of frustrated hope for Congreve - let's hope their CE marking approval comes in 2005.
With thin availability of solid motors for high power, we are looking forward to flying Hypertek, RATT and West Coast Hybrids next year - all of which we have in stock. Deepsky's hybrid GSE trailer will be making its first forays next year, too. Bring your rocket and motor, we will sort the N20, GOX, the controller and the pad. for a small service charge.
Tripoli UK, the alternative UK HPR club, is getting itself sorted out. Tripoli UK have leased 500 acres in the Midlands for the next ten years. Launching seven days a week is available for members. The site is good for K impulse motors at least. Joining details will be posted in the new Links section of the Deepsky community box.
Other Christmas Ideas
We have a good supply of the new, enlarged 7th editon of the rocketry bible: Harry Stein's Handbook of Model Rocketry. Just in is Terry McCreary's excellent compendium of composite motor forumlations and procedures. Even if you don't want to build your own motors, it is a great read for anyone interested in what goes on inside a composite solid motor. It comes with a CD full of utilities.
Also in time for Christmas is Giant Leap's rocket cam video collection. Now it is on a DVD and in PAL format and a spectacular view of how they fly em out in America's west.
Just in case this Christmas isn't the best time for launching rockets, it can still be a great rocket Christmas if you get a copy of SpaceCAD. You can design your own rockets and launch them (virtually) inside a PC. For young rocketeers, there is nothing better to teach the fundamentals and safe design!
If you are in a generous mood, there is almost enough time to order a Hesperis HPR pad before Christmas... one of our customer's said that it was the neatest bit of rocket kit he ever bought (and the man has some very nice rockets to launch off it!) They are made to order so it takes a while to get it assembled and shipped... don't wait!
Between Christmas and New Year we will be busy down in the web shop engine room rolling out some new features and FINALLY a credit card facility so that neither you nor our team has to contend with the horrible mess that Paypal has become.
If you want to bend your flexible friend before Christmas, call us on 01582 462720, fax us on 01582 462536 or drop us a letter with a signed order form.
Christmas Contest!
We forgot to put an Estes Electron Beam Controller in one of our shipments today. If the (un)lucky purchasor contacts us before Christmas, we will send the controller AND a free rocket. If anyone else can guess what kind of rocket was in the mispacked box, they'll get a free rocket, too. When we screw up, we try to make twice as many people happy as a result!
Send your guess (or complaints for missing bits) to [email protected]!
From the 23rd Deepsky will be running on a skeleton crew until after the New Year. If you have an urgent need we will see that you get attention but our service levels might slip a bit as a result of holiday disruptions. If you are running REALLY late on your holiday gift giving, we will be glad to confirm the order with your intended recipient by email and ship the rockets as soon as possible after the holiday weekend.
Have a good one. Drive (and fly) safely!
The Deepsky Team
We are T minus ten days from the Post Office's last mailing day before Christmas... but our courier, TNT, will continue to accept shipments right up until the 23rd for shipments with motors or customers with a last minute rocket gift to buy. Be sure to read to the end for our Christmas contest!
If you don't know what to get, Deepsky Gift Certificates come in just the right size for your budget and the recipient can always get exactly what they want in the web shop!
The Deepsky Team decamped to Boston last week on an emergency shopping trip so that Santa would have plenty of new and interesting things for British rocket lovers... and we came back with a hoard.
We now have in stock three of the Estes X-Prize models: Lucky Seven, Gauchito and Rubicon. The first two are small but perfectly formed and the latter is BIG. The rest of the X-Prize fleet will be along shortly but the one that everyone wants, Space Ship One, won't be around until after the first of the year. Supplies are limited.
The reissue of the ScissorWing boost glider is also in stock in limited quantities. It looks lovely and, an Estes first, it features laser cut balsa. The Eagle boost glider and the Oracle video rocket are not going to be around this month, sadly.
The Deepsky Stovi is waiting for some clear skies to make its maiden voyage on 6xE and 1xD motors. HPR with black powder! We have several other projects on the go but mostly for the past three weeks, we have been running ragged making sure that there are Estes starter kits under a large number of British Christmas trees.
We have Estes Code Red, NSA Starship, Tidal Wave, Patriot and Ionizer Starter Kits in stock but we're a bit worried that we could run out before long. If you have a starter set on your list, better order soon!
Two new and different Estes Starter kits (for the UK market) came home with us from the US: Recon (that launches a satellite) and Freefall (that carries an action man skydiver). Both are suitable for the kids ;-) We also have the Estes Alpha III starter set back in stock for those that want a starter set that takes a bit of building (but not too much).
For big kids, we have Qmodeling's excellent Vega, Snooper, WAC and Nike X. There aren't any better kits made, full stop. If you are looking for a top line prezzie... these are the ones to go for. Put one of these big rockets together with one of the new Estes E portapads and a Go Box flight controller and you have a Big Boys Starter Kit par excellence. I'll have a special combo deal up on the site soon.
Sunward has given us free D upgrade kits for all their rocket fighters with truly exciting flight profiles. Now the Phoenix, Liberator, Ice Storm, Desert Fox and Maverick can fly on B, C or D motors. The upgrade cannot be retro fitted, sadly. (Think about it: 24mm into 18mm don't go!). We have good stocks of all the Sunward rocket fighters. Why mess around with an Estes Blackbird, go for a Sunward rocket fighter.
Semroc's newest Lil Ivan and Astro Jr are in the shop along with their large scale D/E powered models that can get a half mile high! Lil Ivan's are like a baby Fat Boy (which we also have in stock again).
We also brought back a few new Quest rockets but their new X-15 sport scale one isn't out yet... the Payloader One looks to be a great first kit and useful for school and club workshops. Two old Quest favourites, the Harpoon and Navaho, are both back in stock.
If you have ever wanted the Estes camera rocket but didn't want another launch pad or controller, we now have the Astrocam 110 that is the rocket alone. The pack includes a roll of film. B6-4, C6-5 and C6-7 will give a variety of aerial shots.
Our stock of the small but high quality Squirrel Works rockets is good. Great quality and nice prices. Rockets don't have to be made in China! The new Fliskits Triskelion is pretty cool, too!
High Power Kits
There's not much new on the high power kit front owing to the chronic motor malaise.
LOC/Precision has a few new models including the Canadian Arrow X-Prize rocket in four and 5.5 inch sizes. It's a fine looking rocket with a graceful boattail. We still have a BIG HyperLOC 1600 on special.
We have a stock of Pratt Hobbies great Go Boxes for lighting clusters of black powder motors or high power AP motors with a 12v battery.
New, too, for high powered rockets is the Defy Gravity Tether that converts almost any single deployment rocket into a dual deployment one. It's a lovely bit of kit!
Motors... aarrrgggghhhhh
B6-0s are no more. The UK was briefly out of A8-3s but they are back again, we think. C6-0s are nowhere to be found which is a real shame because the Afterburner18 is now in production. We have some "on the water" with an arrival in January. I guess we had better hurry up with the Afterburner24 that uses the D12-0!
B6-2s are out of stock but other Estes black powder motors are available. We remember all too well the D drought in the first six months of last year. We are working hard to make sure that we have what YOU need to launch.
On the AP motor front, Cesaroni's application for CE marking is in the doldrums. But the good news from Aerotech is that they are getting their act together so that their high power products can be sold in Europe. 2004 has been a year of frustrated hope for Congreve - let's hope their CE marking approval comes in 2005.
With thin availability of solid motors for high power, we are looking forward to flying Hypertek, RATT and West Coast Hybrids next year - all of which we have in stock. Deepsky's hybrid GSE trailer will be making its first forays next year, too. Bring your rocket and motor, we will sort the N20, GOX, the controller and the pad. for a small service charge.
Tripoli UK, the alternative UK HPR club, is getting itself sorted out. Tripoli UK have leased 500 acres in the Midlands for the next ten years. Launching seven days a week is available for members. The site is good for K impulse motors at least. Joining details will be posted in the new Links section of the Deepsky community box.
Other Christmas Ideas
We have a good supply of the new, enlarged 7th editon of the rocketry bible: Harry Stein's Handbook of Model Rocketry. Just in is Terry McCreary's excellent compendium of composite motor forumlations and procedures. Even if you don't want to build your own motors, it is a great read for anyone interested in what goes on inside a composite solid motor. It comes with a CD full of utilities.
Also in time for Christmas is Giant Leap's rocket cam video collection. Now it is on a DVD and in PAL format and a spectacular view of how they fly em out in America's west.
Just in case this Christmas isn't the best time for launching rockets, it can still be a great rocket Christmas if you get a copy of SpaceCAD. You can design your own rockets and launch them (virtually) inside a PC. For young rocketeers, there is nothing better to teach the fundamentals and safe design!
If you are in a generous mood, there is almost enough time to order a Hesperis HPR pad before Christmas... one of our customer's said that it was the neatest bit of rocket kit he ever bought (and the man has some very nice rockets to launch off it!) They are made to order so it takes a while to get it assembled and shipped... don't wait!
Between Christmas and New Year we will be busy down in the web shop engine room rolling out some new features and FINALLY a credit card facility so that neither you nor our team has to contend with the horrible mess that Paypal has become.
If you want to bend your flexible friend before Christmas, call us on 01582 462720, fax us on 01582 462536 or drop us a letter with a signed order form.
Christmas Contest!
We forgot to put an Estes Electron Beam Controller in one of our shipments today. If the (un)lucky purchasor contacts us before Christmas, we will send the controller AND a free rocket. If anyone else can guess what kind of rocket was in the mispacked box, they'll get a free rocket, too. When we screw up, we try to make twice as many people happy as a result!
Send your guess (or complaints for missing bits) to [email protected]!
From the 23rd Deepsky will be running on a skeleton crew until after the New Year. If you have an urgent need we will see that you get attention but our service levels might slip a bit as a result of holiday disruptions. If you are running REALLY late on your holiday gift giving, we will be glad to confirm the order with your intended recipient by email and ship the rockets as soon as possible after the holiday weekend.
Have a good one. Drive (and fly) safely!
The Deepsky Team
