Cheap Estes PS II AP motors at Hobby Lobby

[Donaldsrockets]

Just a friendly heads up

I just grabbed a G80-7T in the clearance section at my local HL for only $9.79 and they also had an F50-6T available for the same price so I would imagine all HL stores are reducing the prices on these motors to get rid of them.

IMO, 10 bucks for a G80 is a steal.

 

[Cl(VII)]

I bought 5 F and G motor for 10.19 a piece this week. My Hobby Lobby is cleaned out now.

 

[samb]

I bought 5 F and G motor for 10.19 a piece this week. My Hobby Lobby is cleaned out now.

Dang it. I stopped by the one about a mile from my house and there wasn't one rocketry related item on the clearance rack. I've got 3 others that are fairly close I can check.

And no E16 or F15 -0's either.

 

[cerving]

Ours has been out for almost two months. I grabbed the last G40 & G80 they had, the F's hung around for about two more days. Wish I had picked them up too, they would be great in the Ascender.

 

[Donaldsrockets]

Ours has been out for almost two months. I grabbed the last G40 & G80 they had, the F's hung around for about two more days. Wish I had picked them up too, they would be great in the Ascender.

I wish the one here had a G40. All they had was an F26 which I grabbed awhile back, the F50 that is still there and the G80 that I grabbed yesterday.

 

[Cl(VII)]

Dang it. I stopped by the one about a mile from my house and there wasn't one rocketry related item on the clearance rack. I've got 3 others that are fairly close I can check.

And no E16 or F15 -0's either.

Good luck. The one in Garland near Firewheel had all the big bp motors on the pegs yesterday, but the low price AP is cleaned out.

 

[Winston]

I just grabbed a G80-7T in the clearance section at my local HL for only $9.79 and they also had an F50-6T available for the same price so I would imagine all HL stores are reducing the prices on these motors to get rid of them.

They were all gone here a long time ago even with our multiple HL stores, probably because it's a relatively large city which would logically have a larger number of rocketeers.

 

[JPVegh]

The store in Corpus Christi didn't have any composite motors at all as of a few days ago and the only PSII rockets they had were the ex2 type. I walked in with a pocket full of cash and walked out empty handed, oh well.

 

[chrisudy]

I visited 2 stores on Friday - ended up with 3 bulk packs of Wizards for $21.59, 1 bulk pack of Up Aerospace E2X for 17.59, and 2 Ventris kits for 21.59 each... No PSII motors on clearance there. I now have enough kits to do a couple more Cub Scout build sessions... :cool2:

 

[ColumbiaNX01]

Why do you suppose Hobby Lobby is trying to get rid of all the Estes AP F and G motors? I always thought since hobby lobby sells estes rockets and estes makes F and G AP motors they would carry them from now on?

 

[cerving]

They're probably getting a lot better margin on the Estes BP motors than they did with the AP motors, especially since they know that a lot of them are being purchased at 40% off. They want stuff on the shelves that moves, so the PS2 E2X kits and BP motors makes more sense than the higher dollar kits and the AP motors.

 

[samb]

Why do you suppose Hobby Lobby is trying to get rid of all the Estes AP F and G motors? I always thought since hobby lobby sells estes rockets and estes makes F and G AP motors they would carry them from now on?

Hobby Lobby re-racks their shelves every year during late August/September. They once carried some Quest and Aerotech kits. I've certainly come to depend on them for the Estes BP motors that they do carry. You may have noticed that the amount of shelf space they devote to our particular interest group is quite small compared to the other "hobby" items that they sell. I couldn't say about their margins but I agree that they want stuff that moves.

 

[Initiator001]

Why do you suppose Hobby Lobby is trying to get rid of all the Estes AP F and G motors? I always thought since hobby lobby sells estes rockets and estes makes F and G AP motors they would carry them from now on?

These are last year's products.

No new kits were released this year that used the composite F & G motors.

Out with the old, in with the new.

 

[Initiator001]

They're probably getting a lot better margin on the Estes BP motors than they did with the AP motors, especially since they know that a lot of them are being purchased at 40% off.

As the former marketing/sales/customer service manager for AeroTech/Enertek I can tell you that the margins are the same on Aerotech and Estes products including re-labeled AeroTech motors sold under the PS II product line by Estes.

Decades ago, the hobby distributors told the hobby rocket companies what margin was required in order for the distributors to carry rocketry products.
If anything the rocket companies have had to cut their costs in order to make sure they can still make some sort of profit selling to distributors.

Hobby Lobby usually buys rocket products in one BIG purchase at the beginning of their buying cycle. As such, they get the maximum discount which is usually 54-57% off Suggested Retail Pricing (SRP).
HL still makes a few dollars even when someone buys rocket items at 40% off.

Again, Hobby Lobby still makes the same percentage on sales of hobby rocketry items regardless of company.

 

[DeeRoc29]

IMO, 10 bucks for a G80 is a steal.

It is a good price. Ironically, there was a time when $9.99 was the normal price...about 20 years ago

Inflation sucks.

 

[Gary Byrum]

When they first started reducing prices I snatched up a G 40 an 80 and a F 26. Today I went to a different HL to find 2 G-40's left for 8.99 a piece...woo hoo!!

 

[bill_s]

These are last year's products.

Yes but they sold rockets that use composites last year and can still use them now.... that and the F15-4 they're not carrying either.

 

[shreadvector]

They are a giant craft store.

They sell many product lines.

They discontinue many product lines every year.

There are "refills" for those product lines and once they discontinue carrying that line, you have to go somewhere else to buy the "refills".

So, Model Rockets are treated no differently.

Yes but they sold rockets that use composites last year and can still use them now.... that and the F15-4 they're not carrying either.

 

[dpower]

There were a bunch at the local store here too, left them on the shelf. Too high a failure rate for me, even at those prices. Since I've been keeping track, 6 of 29 SU 29mm AT/Estes molded case AP motors I've used have failed. 3xF25, 2xG40, 1xG75. Interestingly, no Econojet failures, so I haven't given up on those...yet.

 

[TopRamen]

You guys are lucky. My State does'nt even have a Hobby Lobby.

 

[cerving]

If you're flying that many SU 29mm motors, you need to get a 29/40-120 RMS case and use reloads. They're MUCH cheaper, especially now that you can't the SU's at HL anymore. The cato rate is very low, too.

 

[bill_s]

^^-- Actually the 40% off HL motors were equal to the list price of a reload, with no case to buy. And the G80 is higher impulse than any 29/40-120 load except the G138T (cert. req'd, hazmat). I flew plenty of SU motors and my only problem I was sure it wasn't something I did was a motor with no Estes version (F30). But I only used 2 of the Lobby'd Estes.

I went for the RMS case when I realized most of the impulse-delay time combinations of SU were not good for my rockets, including all the Lobby motors, and the delay charges tended to be excessive as well. I was happy to find a justification other than the pay more now or pay more later reasoning.

 

[Bigmike2k3]

Last night I got 2 F and 2 G PSII motors for $10.07 each, a bulk pack of Wizards for $21.59, the Astron Elliptic II for $6, and a bulk pack of 1/2A3-4T for $17.59... I was hoping for a Ventris but no joy there. Well worth the trip!

 

[isobig]

Checked my local HL last week and they no longer had the Estes PSII composite F & G motors. Replaced with Estes black powder F motors (not sure if there was a G in BP).

 

[bobkrech]

The Estes F15 motor has 60 g of BP. The largest BP motor that would be unregulated by BATFE is an F with 62.5 g of BP. I doubt that Estes would make a regulated BP motor as the market would be restricted to those with Explosive Permits.

Bob

 

[lamart72]

I stopped by the Hobby Lobby in San Antonio on Bandera today and found two packs of F15-0 for 32.99, some E16-4 and -6 for 24.99 and some F16-6 and -8 for 27.99.
I was going to get one pack of the F16-6 and use my 40% coupon and decided to go and look thru the clearance section. I found 1-G80-7T, 3-G40-7W, 2-F50-6T and 2-F26-6FJ all marked for 8.99 and just thrown in with all the mess of other clearance stuff. So I left the F16 pack there and took the 8 clearance packs to the checkout. I took a chance and showed the young man the 40% coupon on my phone and he rang them all up with the discount! I got all 8 for less than $47. I had a good day!

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

I stopped by the Hobby Lobby in San Antonio on Bandera today and found two packs of F15-0 for 32.99, some E16-4 and -6 for 24.99 and some F16-6 and -8 for 27.99.
I was going to get one pack of the F16-6 and use my 40% coupon and decided to go and look thru the clearance section. I found 1-G80-7T, 3-G40-7W, 2-F50-6T and 2-F26-6FJ all marked for 8.99 and just thrown in with all the mess of other clearance stuff. So I left the F16 pack there and took the 8 clearance packs to the checkout. I took a chance and showed the young man the 40% coupon on my phone and he rang them all up with the discount! I got all 8 for less than $47. I had a good day!

Sweet!

 

[T-Rex]

My HoLo has 1 ea G80, G40, F26 & F50. All marked 10.99 ea. I am going to take the chance and leave them there for a couple more weeks. Firstly to put some $ in the rocket account, secondly to see if they will mark them down a little more.
They started with 2 of each, but I bought one round already. I scared myself after I bought them, because I was running out of rockets to simulate before I found one that they are useful in, 1.9" THOR downscale. Have a 54mm something in OR for daughter to build that can utilize them as well.

 

[chrisudy]

One of the 3 area Hobby Lobby's (WOW!!!) that I thought I had cleaned out of clearance stuff had a Leviathan for $21.59 and F26 for 8.99. They no longer have those - now in my stash. I'll have to try that location again...

Total HL clearance acquisitions:
3 bulk pack Wizards 21.59 each
1 bulk pack Up Aerospace E2X 17.59
2 Ventris 21.59 each
1 Leviathan 21.59
1 F26 8.99

 

[Donaldsrockets]

Total HL clearance acquisitions:
3 bulk pack Wizards 21.59 each
1 bulk pack Up Aerospace E2X 17.59
2 Ventris 21.59 each
1 Leviathan 21.59
1 F26 8.99

Very nice.

To date, mine were

1 Estes Astron Elliptic II - $5.99 - replaced the one I crashed awhile back.
1 Estes F26-6FJ - $9.79
1 Estes F50-6T - $9.79
1 Estes G80-7T - $9.79