ESTES Outlander available

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Ok...what's going on here?! Is there a model rocketry BOOM or something? New kits are coming out of the woodworks at an amazing speed! Jeez! I can't possibly afford to keep up. Between all of the local TRF vendors and now Estes jumping back into the game, I might as well pick up a second job!

For $13.99, that's a pretty sweet deal. The *only* problem I see there is that the tendency is to buy either multiples or add other rockets to the virtual shopping cart. :rolleyes: <sigh>
 
This is a cool looking kit! I only hope that in my lifetime we see a re-release of the original Mars Lander kit.
 
Personally I'm saving up for the Tango Papa 1.6x Mars Lander. It's big & draggy enough to launch from a small field on a G motor.
But it would be great to see the orginal Estes kit out there again. Hopefully the reissued Saturn V, Merc Redstone, Orbital Transport, etc., are selling enough to get their attention.

Wonder if a write-in campaign would work?

P.S. I almost forgot what I wanted to say about the Outlander! It looks like it'd be a lot of fun to kit-bash a little bit - add some minor detail here & there and do a semi-realistic finish job. I'm thinking white & silver paint and gold mylar wraps (like the LEM), and some Apollo-style thruster quads, USA decals, etc.
May have to go pick up one of these after all!!!
 
I do not think the reissued Saturn Vs sold very well. I keep seeing them on E-Bay for $40. Estes sells them for $70.

now if I could get a box of 6 for $100 - fat city, man!!

the Orbital Transports seem to have been snatched up right away, though.
 
The Outlander is pretty cool looking. Has any one actually seen one? Is it a quality kit, or does it have a lot of plastic in it?

Nevermind, I just found the thread with the pics. Looks nice!!
 
Originally posted by cls
I do not think the reissued Saturn Vs sold very well. I keep seeing them on E-Bay for $40. Estes sells them for $70.

now if I could get a box of 6 for $100 - fat city, man!!

the Orbital Transports seem to have been snatched up right away, though.
Click to expand...

I did my part with the Saturn V. I bought one of the first reissues back in 1991, and bought two of the most recent Centuri/Estes kitbashed reissues.

Same goes for the Orbital Transport and the Maxi V-2 reissues. I have three of each.
 
got my Outlander from Tower Hobbies yesterday.
I think the quality of this kit is very good. Nice heavy plastic parts, not the thin stuff you usually get. Good hard balsa for the legs.
Overall I am very happy with it.

I guess I should not be surprised that the legs are basically the exact same thing as the original Estes Mars Lander. The main difference is that instead of using rubber bands up inside the body for the leg 'shock absorbers' this kit uses an elastic cord that fastens on the bottom of the rocket.

The kit claims the weight of the rocket is 4.2oz. I weighed everything in the kit and it comes out at about 4.5oz and that's with no finish on it. I decided right away to modify the Outlander to use 24mm engines. This not only involves changing out the 5" 13mmm motor mount tube but you also have to grind out the plastic nozzle so that the 24mm tube will lside through it. Luckily there is just enough thickness to the plastic nozzle that this can be done.

Good job Estes!
 
my Outlander is on the way from Tower Hobbies. yeah!! thanks TRF & Astronboy for posting that it was available!

this morning I finished gluing the Renegade. sounds like the Outlander is just as good a kit. I hope this is the start of a run of new, interesting, high quality Estes kits.


we have built 1 Estes Saturn V. I am seriously considering doing another one. But first comes the Apogee one my wife bought me for xmas. we also have an Ertl plastic model Saturn V (1/200), Neubauer A10-powered Saturn V (1/400?) and a micromaxx one which is about half the size of the Neubauer, so let's call that 1/800. maybe I should post a picture of the 1/100 1/200 1/400 1/800 Saturns lined up. and one of those Skunkworks 1/37 10" monsters!!
 
we have built 1 Estes Saturn V. I am seriously considering doing another one. But first comes the Apogee one my wife bought me for xmas. we also have an Ertl plastic model Saturn V (1/200), Neubauer A10-powered Saturn V (1/400?) and a micromaxx one which is about half the size of the Neubauer, so let's call that 1/800. maybe I should post a picture of the 1/100 1/200 1/400 1/800 Saturns lined up.
Click to expand...

Just wait!

Balsa Machining Services and Peter alway are coming out with a 1/197th scale (I think that's the scale) Saturn V based on a BT-60 body tube.

This is all laser cut parts tube and everything. I saw him assemble a model WITHOUT GLUE! the fit was that good!

sandman
 
I like the idea of the BMS/Alway one. sounds better than trying to PMC the Ertl one.

(gotta love the topic drift around here! Can someone please post pix of their Outlander?!???)
 
I got to touch it, feel it, try the parts...it looked fine to me...Peter wasn't satisfied!

I see him at club meetings...he's in our club...but nothing is firm on the release date yet.

No fake plastic fins, scale fins, flies with the escape tower, yea I'm excited!

Oh yea...he says UNDER $30!!!

sandman
 
SWEEEEEET!!!!

Jason

Thanks to Eugene for the use of attached smiley...
 
Originally posted by sandman
Oh yea...he says UNDER $30!!!
Click to expand...
:cool: COOL! :cool:

That meens I can import one, and NOT get fleeced for VAT & Import Duties.

I'm interested - just as I am interested in the Outlander. Gonna get one after the next pay cheque. If the quality is anything as good as the recent Renagade (now drying, awaiting decals), its gonna be a corker! :D
 
Picked up an Outlander today at a local store I had a gift certificate from. As an aside, the owner told me that he gets his stuff through a vendor called "Great Plains" (I believe that is what he said) and that vendor is no longer carrying Aerotech products. He is searching for a vendor right now, but is not hopeful. :(
 
Yes, a shop in my area told me today that Great Planes was no longer carrying Aerotech as well. He did have anothre distributor however, who simply listed AT stuff as 'out of stock'.
 
LOL! I hope you TRFers are reading this thread and avoiding <a href="https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3170481273&category=2567">THIS eBay SCAM!</a> Sheesh...desperation I tell ya.
 
I just ordered one - I just couldn't wait any longer! now I can add it to my "to do" list! :D

As for the person at ebay: phppppppt!
 
cussler08:
As for the person at ebay: phppppppt!
Click to expand...

that goes double for me. E-Bay - America's garage sale, at above retail prices!! E-Bay is probably OK for finding something obscure but it's miserable for getting any kind of deal on otherwise available items. I think there is a reason we don't haggle over the price of a loaf of bread any more.



cydermaster: I agree, Renegade is a great kit. the only thing I think they should have improved on it is the photo on the card. I really couldn't understand it until I built it. how did you paint yours? wanna post some pix?
 
I was wondering about the finishing steps, also. Having never opened the packge, I am not sure what the directions suggest, but I had considered that it might be best to paint all the cannisters seperately, paint the BT and landing gear more or less like a convetional four fin bird and paint the NC seperately.
 
Originally posted by cls
cydermaster: I agree, Renegade is a great kit. the only thing I think they should have improved on it is the photo on the card. I really couldn't understand it until I built it. how did you paint yours? wanna post some pix?
Click to expand...
With you on the publicity/cover photos being a bit useless. They really don't do it any justice at all. I've painted mine gloss black, like the cover-art. Not sure wether I'm going to 'silver' the fin pods with paint (loadsamasking), use a silver paint pen (will it work?), or just leave them black. Photos: I'll (try to) post some tomorrow, in another thread.
 
Originally posted by sandman
I got to touch it, feel it, try the parts...it looked fine to me...Peter wasn't satisfied!

I see him at club meetings...he's in our club...but nothing is firm on the release date yet.

No fake plastic fins, scale fins, flies with the escape tower, yea I'm excited!

Oh yea...he says UNDER $30!!!

sandman
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by sandman
I got to touch it, feel it, try the parts...it looked fine to me...Peter wasn't satisfied!

I see him at club meetings...he's in our club...but nothing is firm on the release date yet.

No fake plastic fins, scale fins, flies with the escape tower, yea I'm excited!

Oh yea...he says UNDER $30!!!

sandman
Click to expand...

WOW ... that's sounds like one I'd love to build too !
 
I thought I'd post a couple pics of the Outlander build so far.
I'm really proud of myself for remembering to take pictures this time.

The first pic is the leg assembly, dry fitted to the motor mount tube. You can see the 13mm motor mount tube that came in the kit laying next to the assembly. I modified the nozzle and the centering rings to accept the 24mm motor tube. I used a Dremel sanding drum to carefully grind plastic out of the inside of the nozzle until the 24mm tube just fit. Thankfully this plastic is about 1/8" thick!
 
picture of modified nozzle dry fitted onto 24mm motor tube
 
Thanks Fred - just to let you know I haven't forgotten about the Coyote stuff - hopefully I'll have it posted yet today.
 
rbecky- the Outlander instructions do suggest that the taks/cannisters, legs, etc all be painted before assembly if you are going with the original paint scheme.
I think I'll go with the suggested paint on this one and then get another so I can do one in all white to match the original Mars Lander paint scheme. I think it would look cool all white with similar decals to the Mars Lander.
 
Stevem,

What are the hinges/pivots on the legs? they look like
little silver balls in the pictures that you posted. How strong do they look?

Goose
 

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