Big Daddy discontinued?

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I think they refer to the tube as bt-30,300,or mabey 3000 it comes from a specific ncr kit that I can't put my finger on, annother tidbit, mabey because it's a "hybrid", you will notice the big daddy fin tabs don't match the slot length quite right .

I know the cone is from the NCR patriot and Lance beta, NC-30pt
the estes number is, pnc-3000a according to the reference on ye olde rocket shoppe.

I'm guessing the largest cone from estes would be the Maxi Pershing followed by the honest john and Maxi v2,theres others like the large R2D2 and the mars lander. the Outlander is also over 4 inches dia.

I can't think of any other estes kits using the pnc-3000a cone
 
rbeckey,

Totally Tubular has them in 34" lengths (I just bought 3 of them for another project :D ).

The 3" tube is not listed on the TT website, but TT has them, as well as the BT-100s Sandman mentioned.

As far as I know, Estes never gave that body tube a BT-xxx designation, and never used it in anything else.

Besides the Big Daddy cone, I think the biggest currently made are the 2.6" cones (Executioner, Fat Boy, etc.).
 
Well per Sandman's suggestion, I sent Estes a formal request asking them to continue selling the Big Daddy kit. I also suggested they develop a larger kit using those same parts.

Hope it helps! I figured it couldn't hurt! :)
 
Originally posted by rkt2k1
Well per Sandman's suggestion
Click to expand...

I too, sent Estes an email asking them not to stop production of the Big Daddy..... I mean, I don't even have one yet and need to quickly get one before the supply dries up.........
 
Just sent my request to have them continue the Big Daddy into the future. C'mon Big Daddy fans, send your letter!
 
I just sent them an e-mail....

Luckily I bought one just a couple of weeks ago, so I have a new one still in the bag. My first Big Daddy was effectively destroyed by a CATO...the nose cone is still OK. Now that Totally Tubular has the right size body tube maybe the CATO'd Big Daddy will live again.

This is (was) a great rocket for the AT RMS 24/40.
 
What? They're getting rid of the big daddy?
Thank god I just bought another one on sale at Michaels.
This really isn't a great move by estes. I'm going to do my part and send them an email as well.
 
I just sent my email. Woo Hoo! We'll be up to 10 people in no time! That should have 'em sweating!:rolleyes: Oh well, I guess every little bit helps.
 
I snarfed up a couple from Tower, and there are still a couple on the shelves at some of the shops around here ... but I have to save some $$$ for these X-Prize kits... :rolleyes:
 
I sent a reasoning e-mail to them.

Chalk up 11 or 12 now...

Jason
 
Ok, I just submitted my well-worded, courteous, and concerned Email. I also made a note in there that a suitable compromise would be to reutilize the Big Daddy kit components in a larger design. Can you imagine a 3/4 engine D/E modroc like the old Colossus but in 3" dia! :eek:
 
I am just curious, do we all really think that this is going to make a difference? Estes (even more so than ever) is into making money. If they have choosen to discontinue a kit it is because it is not making money for them. As I have said before we here on the forum represent a fraction of a percent of the people who buy rockets. If it is such a great kit and the sales are just slacking off then maybe they have a new, similar design coming out that will replace it. Originally I heard that the kit was produced to use up some of the North Coast parts inventory. Perhaps the inventory is low enough that they are stopping the production of the kit? I am just playing devil's advocate here, but I am suggesting that we may want to buy a few and stockpile them. For a company that is now into the mass market thing and looking for sales in the thousands a couple of dozen people who already own the kit and MAY buy what, 1 or 2 more, may not bring a kit back that is slated to be discontinued.
 
Originally posted by rokitflite
For a company that is now into the mass market thing and looking for sales in the thousands a couple of dozen people who already own the kit and MAY buy what, 1 or 2 more, may not bring a kit back that is slated to be discontinued.
Click to expand...

Well, maybe it will. You never know. They brought Original Coke back, remember?

I'm not holding my breath either way - it's not like I'm gonna go into a deep depression if they don't bring it back. If they do, they do, if they don't, they don't, and if you really want a Big Daddy, it shouldn't be too hard to clone one.
 
As I have said before we here on the forum represent a fraction of a percent of the people who buy rockets.
Click to expand...

Well one thing you have to realize is that while a small fraction of rocket owners may care about kits like this, it is that small fraction that also helps expand the hobby. Hobbyists are responsible for a lot of show demos and even classroom teachings that help bring new people into the hobby. Not to mention that people that come to the field just from driving by. Also, the hobbyist are the people that will buy 30 or 40 rockets over a few years, compared to kids who pick up two rockets, fly them, and lose interest when the rocket gets stuck in a tree. While flying my rockets early this summer, I got at least two people interested in the hobby with a Quest Superbird and an Estes Bertha. Both are larger bodied rockets that fly slower and give people a lot too see. The Big Daddy was the same way, just on D engine power. While the hobbyist group is a small portion of total sales for Estes, it is an important segment for them to cater to.
 
Pick up an Estes catalog from 20 years ago, 10 years ago and one from this year and see how much we are being catered to. I think it is becoming less and less. I don't doubt that we do alot for the hobby (I am on my way out to a science teacher's convention in Indiana next month to teach rocketry) I just don't think a couple of dozen people are going to do it on this one (if in fact it IS discontinued).
 
I just finished building one of these a couple of days ago. I will definately buy one or even two more whether or not they discontinue it. I'll just have to purchase them quicker now:)
As to whether an email campaign will make a difference, I don't know. I do know most companies take customer comments seriously. They spend a lot of money on opinion research and surveys and such. When they get unsolicited comments, they pay attention, especially a lot of comments, especially over time.
 
The way I see it, I'm just telling Estes what I would like to see do with the kit. If it gets them to rethink a decision, great! If not, that's fine too. I only want to tell them my concerns about the decision to discontinue the Big Daddy. I have personally gotten 10 other people hooked on that particular kit just by watching mine fly and they ask me questions about the kit when I'm preparing it for the trip home. Heck, it's a great kit! As far as whether or not I think my single e-mail could make a difference, I wouldn't have bothered if I felt the answer was no. There are others on board, and maybe, just maybe, they'll keep the kit in production. That being said, I'm not getting my hopes up, as Estes has discontined several great kits throughout the years. Mars Snooper, Solar Sailer and Der Red Max to name a few. It disappointing when they discontinue great kits, but if nothing else, maybe it'll plant a seed to have another production run somewhere down the line.
 
I sent Estes an email.

i still have one in the bag that i got from Michael's for $7. I have been planning on building it with a 29mm motor mount but maybe now i'll have to keep it sealed and build a clone with a 29mm MM. I love flying the one i've built with an E11-3J, just terrific flights!
 
Man, some of the replys I've read on this are just....i don't know.

Why are you so discouraged thinking that Estes doesn't care?

If they didn't care would they have re-released the Orbital Transport or the Swing Wing?

Gees...can we be a little more positive.

Estes is a big company granted. They didn't get that big by ignoring their customer base.

There may be other reasons, maybe the nose cone molds are worn out. This was why Estes discontinued the Astron Interceptor.

Estes has done right by us!

Droping one model isn't the end.

My view on the Big Daddy...maybe they shouldn't have been marketing them to places like Micheal's, wrong customer base.

Wait...no that was the right place to sell them...for us...wait 'til Micheal's gets so disgusted 'cause nobody buys them and put 'em on clearance for $7.00.

Yea!:D
 
it's a cool rocket but hard to justify spending $25 on. of course i'll buy a bunch at $7.:D
 
I just let them know I really like the big daddy.


now If it's a parts supply issue thats understandable

if it's a sales problem, I can see why , how often do you see a big daddy in say,,walmart...most kids that are shopping with the parents are going to most likely go to walmart to buy a starter set...or even first see a model rocket...

heres sort of an example,
during the last hobby lobby sale I was in walmart , I always cruise by the rockets to see if anything new has arrived :rolleyes:

two parents were there with there son and they were looking over a starter set. I asked if he was thinking about launching some rockets with his son. he said yes, but he never launched them before ,, than his wife blurted out that she didn't think it was a good idea for junior to play with something that "uses explosives"

I did my best to clear up the explosive issue, and bragged about the safety record of model rocketry,,and how fool proof the system is... I don't think she was listening... but thats annother issue

..I mentioned that the hobby lobby (4 blocks away) is having half off and they have a much better selection. and that they could get a great deal on a starter set and see what other types of rockets were available.

" thanks for the advice but no thanks, he likes this one since it's the biggest"....(?)

I left them with " well enjoy the rockets, they are really alot of fun"
I could hear the wife as I walked away " I don't know honey ,we don't need fireworks going off in the house" he replys.."yea your probably right" as he put the starter set back down.( I turned to glance and Dad looked far more dissapointed than the son)

so if sales is the issue than we will all be flying starter models, because most people have never seen a rocket outside of walmart. and are generally clueless about them. from what I've seen.
 
I got this email today.

From: MRoberts@xxxxxxxxxxxx

Subject: RE: Loss of the Big Daddy
Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 10:39:18 -0600


Gordon, thank you. I read the thread...sorry we have discontinued the product. That normally happens when sales fall off. We consider that to be a loss of interest in the product on the part of our consumers. The good thing to remember is that the discontinuation of a product usually means a new product will be introduced to take its place. Sometimes the new products are liked equally well or even better ; - ) Have a very nice day! Mary


Now really...3FNC...That's all it is!

Hey...new kits are coming
 
As I said before, one of the things they may do is release a similar kit. Maybe it will be a Big Daddy with different "attire" . Perhaps with more "radical" decals to catch the eye of the younger crowd. Maybe it will be the "Big Who's Your Daddy" or something.:D
 
How about a "Big Bad VooDoo Daddy"???
https://www.bbvd.com/
I expect shelf space to be used up by X-Prize models. Red Arrow at Michael's??

Originally posted by rokitflite
As I said before, one of the things they may do is release a similar kit. Maybe it will be a Big Daddy with different "attire" . Perhaps with more "radical" decals to catch the eye of the younger crowd. Maybe it will be the "Big Who's Your Daddy" or something.:D
Click to expand...
 

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