--

[MarkH]

---

 

[Jeremy 12D]

Thanks for the warning, even though it's way above my skill level now I think I'll order one and put it aside for when I get a few builds behind me. I like the maple leaf on the fin design alot.

 

[AKPilot]

Originally posted by funnyjeremy
Thanks for the warning, even though it's way above my skill level now

Don't underestimate yourself . . . you'll be able to do it.

 

[BARX2]

Stock up for when you want to build a V-2.

 

[TeenRocketNerd]

can our very own Roguepink confirm this?

that's gonna suck if it's true, that was one of the better x-series rockets, IMO

 

[Donaldsrockets]

It also says the same about the Eagle.

Great looking rocket but flies like crap, or least mine did. Both times it did a cruise missile profile right off the rod.

It'll be too bad if the Canadian Arrow gets axed though.

I'd say if any of the X-prize kits gets canned, it should be the Cosmos Mariner IMO.

 

[Bohica]

I bought A Canadian Arrow at Hobby Lobby for $10.99 yesterday. They have at least 5 in stock.

 

[propbeany]

I just restocked on rocs this week (Quest clearance at HoLo gets a Harpoon for $7). Looks like I'm not done yet...

 

[astrowolf67]

Originally posted by Bohica
I bought A Canadian Arrow at Hobby Lobby for $10.99 yesterday. They have at least 5 in stock.

Are they marked on clearance? I may have to run by tonight and pick up another one. Build one stock, and the other slightly modified

 

[Bohica]

Nope...not on clearance. I was nosing through a box of Estes rockets waiting to be put on the shelf and found Guardians, Big Daddy's, Canadian Arrows and several others. I asked a lady in there if it was possible to buy one or two. She priced them for me and away I went. I got the CA for $10.99 and the 2 Big Daddy's for $18.99 each. They also had Executioners, Double D's, and Eliminators in the box. She started putting them on the shelf as I was leaving.

 

[astrowolf67]

We just got home from town, and stopped by HL while there. The rocket section has moved yet again, and, they had restocked. Big D's, 36DD, and others as you said. Also, on an end cap facing the back of the store, Quest is now on clearance, along with some of Estes X Prize kits, and a couple of Outlanders. I picked up 4 of the Quest kits, and there's plenty more. But, I didn't see any of the Canadian Arrows, there was a peg in the isle tagged for them, but it was empty. It appears someone beat me to them.

I did talk to a couple of the cashiers, about hanging a small poster to advertise the BluesRocks club, and trying to find other flyers in our end of the state. Earlier in the week, I talked to the Paducah Board of Education about TARC (I was there delivering at the time), and they requested that I bring some more information by for them. I guess I've got some running to do Monday after work!

 

[Bohica]

Originally posted by astrowolf67
We just got home from town, and stopped by HL while there. The rocket section has moved yet again, and, they had restocked. Big D's, 36DD, and others as you said. Also, on an end cap facing the back of the store, Quest is now on clearance, along with some of Estes X Prize kits, and a couple of Outlanders. I picked up 4 of the Quest kits, and there's plenty more. But, I didn't see any of the Canadian Arrows, there was a peg in the isle tagged for them, but it was empty. It appears someone beat me to them.

I did talk to a couple of the cashiers, about hanging a small poster to advertise the BluesRocks club, and trying to find other flyers in our end of the state. Earlier in the week, I talked to the Paducah Board of Education about TARC (I was there delivering at the time), and they requested that I bring some more information by for them. I guess I've got some running to do Monday after work!

Excellant! Too bad you missed on the CA...Their were at least 2 more in the box but at $10.99 I'm not surprised they were gone. I either missed the Quest stuff on clearance or they put it out before I left...dang it!

 

[Ltvscout]

Originally posted by MarkH
I don't think I've seen this mentioned.

I was looking to order a Canadian Arrow. Went to Hobbylinc and they mention very low supply, soon to be discontinued. 1st X prize kit to bite the dust I think. Oh well, time to stock up.

https://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/est/est2188.htm

I asked my industry insider about this and this is what he said, "The Xprize kits came out in 2004. I am sure some of the licensing is starting to expire by now. No reason to renew licensing except for the SpaceShipOne stuff, the rest are just not selling well anymore. The Thunderstar Eagle was always a poor seller, and Canadian Arrow can always come back as the V2."

I also got info and pics for two new upcoming Estes kits which you can view/read about here:

https://forums.rocketshoppe.com/showthread.php?t=1144

 

[propbeany]

goofy cra... er, stuff again. I'd rather see some 50's retro sci-fi and fantasy sci-fi kits than these toys. Even well thought out 3fnc and 4fnc with subtle details (not rock-it) would be more exciting.

 

[Ltvscout]

Originally posted by propbeany
goofy cra... er, stuff again. I'd rather see some 50's retro sci-fi and fantasy sci-fi kits than these toys. Even well thought out 3fnc and 4fnc with subtle details (not rock-it) would be more exciting.

I agree.

 

[sandman]

Estes, let the licence expire!

Just change the packaging, fins and decals (forget changing the nose cone) and bring back the Silver Comet.

Or the V-2.

I like the 2.6" size.

 

[Fred]

I have an arrow in the bag and one built, I love 'em I now have to buy another Cosmos mariner as well. No i dont have a fever or a white cane before anyone starts
Cheers
fred

 

[V'ger]

Originally posted by propbeany
goofy cra... er, stuff again. I'd rather see some 50's retro sci-fi and fantasy sci-fi kits than these toys. Even well thought out 3fnc and 4fnc with subtle details (not rock-it) would be more exciting.

Look, now you see WHY I don't buy anything from Estes. I just clone the rockets released by them from 1960 - the late 1970s. They are now a TOY rocket company. I am still LAUGHING over this 'Pop fly' piece of CRA*. My god, doesn't Roguepink and his crew even understand?

Lets see the next rocket from Estes will be the "Go Deep" rocket. It will feature a regulation football as a nose cone that you can launch from the 20 yard line to the opposite end zone!

Then they will release the 'Slam Dunk' a special indoor rocket that you can launch from the half court line into the hoop!

Then they will release the 'Hole in One' rocket that you can ...

What a JOKE this company has become over the years ... thank God almighty for the clone sites like Jimz and Rocketshoppe, thank God!

V'Ger

P.s. Sooner or later Estes will come out with the 'Deep Throat' rocket ... I will leave that up to the reader as to what it is used for ... Go Team Estes!

 

[Rocketeer]

Originally posted by sandman
Estes, let the licence expire!

Just change the packaging, fins and decals (forget changing the nose cone) and bring back the Silver Comet.

Or the V-2.

I like the 2.6" size.

I second that! I have a couple of CA's, and both will have the BT and fins trimmed down to V2 scale...

So drop the CA, but bring back the V2. There are numerous paint schemes and bashes you can make with it.

And V'Ger, thats a bit harsh... It was only a few years ago that Estes made the Mercury Atlas, Redstone and Saturn V - I bought all of them. They just need to realize there are a fair number of adults out there that build rockets too.

 

[Jeremy 12D]

I know what you are saying, and I personally do not like the Pop Fly deal either. That being said, please try to look at it from another angle. Estes introduced me to this hobby with a styrofoam RTF Starshipone, that was two weekends ago. Now I am ready to place an online order; two classics from them as well as one from Flisskits and one from Squirrel Works (Big Bertha, Big Daddy, Thingamajig, and the Tuber), and I'm going to my first Hobby Lobby tomorrow. They are bringing people into this hobby, and that is a great thing, it has to be right?!

I honestly understand your point of view and realize that they may be 'turning their back' on the serious rocketeers and coming up with weirder/unique kids stuff instead of new more serious rockets or re releasing some really cool rockets that are currently OOP, but another way of looking at it is that they are sacrificing a share of the market (serious builders) to bring in people (mostly kids) with unique and different rockets. Once some of these newbies catch the bug, they will (I am a prime example) evolve into more serious rocketeers and add to the market for some of the companies that put out more sophisticated kits.

Different strokes for different folks, I ramble on to my fiance about the different types of rockets and the things that they do or can carry and she could honesty cares less. She sat next to me while I was online and went on and on about how they all look the same until we stumbled upon the Porta-Pot Shot to which she laughed hysterically and the Rock-It which she said is "Cute". Both of those have been mocked on this forum but those are probably the only two kits I could get for her and try to get her to build. Although Estes new stuff is different and somewhat elementary, they are reaching to a new and younger audience and drawing them in. I have noticed, even in this forum, most of the adult builders were once child builders.

Ultimately, Estes will follow two things: 1.) Suggestions and letters sent into them from serious builders who have supported them for years. 2.)The almighty dollar, it won't be long before they realize these novelty rockets will not sell nearly as much as their more classic designs and by not buying those types of kits you are speaking volumes. They will come around, have a little faith in them.

Jeremy

P.S. - I like the Porta-Pot Shot too, it is unique and original and I applaud the courage it took to put it out.

 

[Roguepink]

Wow, I'm glad the Pop Fly is finally out in the open. I enjoyed this one. It will be in hobby stores only. It's a novelty, a fun-toy design, and yet it illustrates a very interesting priciple of attached force. Thrust works against resistance to keep the ball mated to the body during launch and allows it to fall free when the inertia zeroes at apogee.

Back on topic...

The X-Prize liscense is not something we are too concerned about right now. It's topical, and has proven to be a media stunt that was mostly ignored by the media. While I applaud the goal of opening space travel to private industry, the world does not seem to be all that interested.

 

[AKPilot]

Hey Rogue, I've got to ask, how does the marketing survey come up with some of these?

I can see coming up with the X-Prize models, but not sure how the Porta-Potty or Pop-Fly came about.

 

[rokitflite]

Originally posted by V'ger

P.s. Sooner or later Estes will come out with the 'Deep Throat' rocket ... I will leave that up to the reader as to what it is used for ... Go Team Estes!

Ummm yeah... It will look like the Watergate hotel and the parachute will have a picture of Nixon on it. The payload will be a recording device so you can listen to the flight.

 

[propbeany]

Funnyjeremy -

I agree with everything you said, and though I personally think these kits are silly I also understand the market they play in as well. But what does Estes plan to do to keep them flying rockets? These kinds of toys are going to show up at HoLo and Wally Mart to draw in new flyers, but when they get bored and want to try something new? Just more toys at the store.

So I'm not standing up and screaming, "bring back fatboy & the classics" but there needs to be a better balance between novelty, beginner, and 'kits.' New and original kits like the 36DD (as ugly as it is) and the Screaming Eagle seem to be coming less often than the toys.

 

[Stymye]

There are still plenty of other estes rockets to build.
If I don't like a certain rocket I simply won't build(buy) it. If I want a rocket from days gone by, I'll build one or buy a clone kit. there are all types of rockets out there . you can have the old school sci fy balsa creations or you buy a porta-pot..there are alot of scale rockets availiable in so many different sizes. the fact is that there are some people who may be drawn to the pop-fly and may end up on this forum after a while.

If all estes released were Satun V's and orbital transports how many young people would be dissapointed just trying to build one let alone fly it?

I believe the object is to attract newcomers, if that requires a flying porta pot or a baseball rocket. thats fine with me.If they design a video game rocket or a gansta themed rocket so be it.

the fact is you can buy and or build any type of rocket you can imagine these days . Bashing Estes every time they release a rocket or throwing a fit is silly.

 

[sandman]

As far as classic designs go The V-2 is as classic as it gets if for nothing else but it's historical significance.

Estes should take the parts from the Canadian Arrow, shorten the tube, re-release it as the V-2 and make it a permanent part of there kit repitoire, along with the Alpha, and the Big Bertha.

As long as any kid (or parent) has any knowledge of rocket history they will instantly know what a V-2 is at first glance.

It's not like Estes has to make any big investment in new dies or even have to dig very far into the archives.

Make the V-2!

 

[Roguepink]

The Canadian Arrow is a stretched version existing V2 parts.

There are several hobby-grade kits in the works, we're not just pushing fun-flyers.

I can't say with confidence whether the Arrow is still in production or not. Sorry.

 

[foose4string]

Originally posted by stymye
There are still plenty of other estes rockets to build.
If I don't like a certain rocket I simply won't build(buy) it. If I want a rocket from days gone by, I'll build one or buy a clone kit. there are all types of rockets out there . you can have the old school sci fy balsa creations or you buy a porta-pot..there are alot of scale rockets availiable in so many different sizes. the fact is that there are some people who may be drawn to the pop-fly and may end up on this forum after a while.

If all estes released were Satun V's and orbital transports how many young people would be dissapointed just trying to build one let alone fly it?

I believe the object is to attract newcomers, if that requires a flying porta pot or a baseball rocket. thats fine with me.If they design a video game rocket or a gansta themed rocket so be it.

the fact is you can buy and or build any type of rocket you can imagine these days . Bashing Estes every time they release a rocket or throwing a fit is silly.

If these novelty rockets are drawing people in, then that's great! BUT, what does Estes offer them to graduate to? They've all but elminated any skill 4 and 5 rockets. Estes still offers some nice kits and I will still continue to buy some of the more classic looking and classic building rockets. Bust most of what they offer does not take a huge amount of skill to build. Someone builds a couple skill 1's, maybe a staged rocket, or D/E powered, and where do you go after that? My best I guess is, production cost is a good bit higher on the more complex kits, and those buying them(like TRF'ers), are a small demographic compared to Estes overall sales.

I do like Estes approach at not letting things get stale and coming up with new ideas. It probably necessary in order for the company to prosper. But corporate influence(Walmart), is clearly influencing some of the new products and the direction in which Estes is heading. Re-releasing kits from time to time is a smart move if you ask me, I can't fault them for that. And, I'm sure they are well aware of people scratch building the classics. What's to motivate them to bring out the older kits when they know people can download the plans and build there own? Heck, there are companies outright "borrowing" the Estes designs and marketing them for profit. Take a step back and look at it from Estes perspective. I'm sure if Estes wanted to, they could flex some legal muscle and take care of it once and for all. Personally, I would hate to see it happen. So rather than complaining, maybe it's smarter to just keep things on the down low? *I dunno*

It's good to see people like Roguepink on the forum, who is hopefully taking some of the hardcore fanbase's ideas and putting them to good use. Time will tell, but he appears to interested. As long as Estes continues to build LPR rocket motors, then they will still have a place in rocketry. Kits come and go.

This reply may actually belong in another loooong thread. And now, back to the Canadian Arrow.

 

[Jeremy 12D]

Originally posted by foose4string
If these novelty rockets are drawing people in, then that's great! BUT, what does Estes offer them to graduate to? They've all but elminated any skill 4 and 5 rockets. Estes still offers some nice kits and I will still continue to buy some of the more classic looking and classic building rockets. Bust most of what they offer does not take a huge amount of skill to build. Someone builds a couple skill 1's, maybe a staged rocket, or D/E powered, and where do you go after that?

Online! Estes brought me into Rocketry (and this forum) but through the Internet I have discovered other companies such as Flisskits, Semroc, Aero, and Squirrel Works who avoid the novelty stuff and and making really interesting rockets.

Jeremy

 

[TheRadiator]

How many different incarnations has that tailcone been a part of? The Canadian Arrow has had a nice run. It'll be back as the V-2, or the Silver Comet, or for fun, release a Wasserfall kit.

Perhaps there ought to be a dedication website, something like w.ww.wheresmyEstesV2tailcone.org