Zonie
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2011
- Messages
- 585
- Reaction score
- 12
I just looked over the latest bulk packs, and it dawned on me, that it would be really great if we could get E9 and D12 Bulk Packs. Call 'em "Pro-Paks" or whatever. Put the new igniters in them, leave the wadding out. I'd fly more clusters if that were available which means I'd buy more motors, Estes would move more product. Then sell them at hobby lobby so I can get them for 40% off. 
B4 Bulk packs would be nice too, B4's have such a nice long burn, they are great in rockets like the Deuces Wild, Tres, Ranger, etc. For that matter, C5's would be nice to have come back to the sport.
While I'm on the subject of bulk packs, there seem to be a lot of kit types now. I recently did a Scout build with the Space loft and the wizards. The space loft is a plastic fin unit while the wizards are balsa fins. The space loft's actually were harder for the kids to build, they had issues mounting the shock cord, and they couldn't write their name on the black airframe. The wizards were pretty good since they only had a motor block and friction fit. They built quickly and flew ok. The kids all built different configs on the fins.
The best kit for group builds from Estes in my opinion is the generic E2X. The white tube makes it easy for them to decorate them with markers and stickers, so paint is not necessary. They are rugged enough that they only need a streamer, so that would lower the cost. If they were packed like designers specials, instead of kitting them individually, that would probably lower unit cost, and make it easy to meter out the parts to the kids as needed. I have them build as a group, doing each step together, and not having all the parts in a pile in front of them keeps them on task, and from losing them. It's amazing how parts end up in a black hole in only an hour at a single table.
One time, with Cub Scouts, I pre glued the launch lugs, shock cords, and pre assembled the motor tubes, so all they had to do is glue in the motor mount, fin can, tie the cord to the nose, and decorate. all Doable in a single 1 Hr session, perfect for a scout meeting.
For older kids, BMS has a good kit in the "School Rocket". The Semroc (Centuri) Stellar Spartan is another good design for beginners because the shoulder on the fin nearly ensures the fins will go on straight. The Estes Alpha fits here too, but is more expensive than the BMS.
B4 Bulk packs would be nice too, B4's have such a nice long burn, they are great in rockets like the Deuces Wild, Tres, Ranger, etc. For that matter, C5's would be nice to have come back to the sport.
While I'm on the subject of bulk packs, there seem to be a lot of kit types now. I recently did a Scout build with the Space loft and the wizards. The space loft is a plastic fin unit while the wizards are balsa fins. The space loft's actually were harder for the kids to build, they had issues mounting the shock cord, and they couldn't write their name on the black airframe. The wizards were pretty good since they only had a motor block and friction fit. They built quickly and flew ok. The kids all built different configs on the fins.
The best kit for group builds from Estes in my opinion is the generic E2X. The white tube makes it easy for them to decorate them with markers and stickers, so paint is not necessary. They are rugged enough that they only need a streamer, so that would lower the cost. If they were packed like designers specials, instead of kitting them individually, that would probably lower unit cost, and make it easy to meter out the parts to the kids as needed. I have them build as a group, doing each step together, and not having all the parts in a pile in front of them keeps them on task, and from losing them. It's amazing how parts end up in a black hole in only an hour at a single table.
One time, with Cub Scouts, I pre glued the launch lugs, shock cords, and pre assembled the motor tubes, so all they had to do is glue in the motor mount, fin can, tie the cord to the nose, and decorate. all Doable in a single 1 Hr session, perfect for a scout meeting.
For older kids, BMS has a good kit in the "School Rocket". The Semroc (Centuri) Stellar Spartan is another good design for beginners because the shoulder on the fin nearly ensures the fins will go on straight. The Estes Alpha fits here too, but is more expensive than the BMS.
