Estes Pro Series II "Bring Back: Special Edition"

[DeltaVee]

I just read through the instructions. LOTS of fin sanding, everything is balsa. I think I'll pass.....

Hans. (who hates sanding)

If you switch out the balsa for basswood it's easier to get the proper shape since the basswood is harder.

 

[4regt4]

If you switch out the balsa for basswood it's easier to get the proper shape since the basswood is harder.

Now we've added fin cutting to sanding. No thanks.

Hans.

 

[DeltaVee]

Now we've added fin cutting to sanding. No thanks.

Hans.

C'mon.... What could be more fun than risking an arterial bleed?

 

[bad_idea]

If the balsa fin material is soft, one could use basswood.

Or just fiberglass the finished fins.

 

[techrat]

I'm building a Quest "Big Dog" right now, and I can't believe the fins are balsa on a 29mm powered rocket kit. So I am papering them, not with printer paper but with cardstock. The paper pieces also have "tabs" where they will mount to the body, as the kit is not TTW. So I'm beefing it up considerably. Should be very robust once I am finished. Initial flight might be an E20, but I see no reason I can't stuff an F27 or better into this and get away with it. A "G" will make it disappear unless I add considerable nose weight, but I'm not doing that for a kit that's at best a "park flyer"....

 

[DocSeuss]

I just read through the instructions. LOTS of fin sanding, everything is balsa. I think I'll pass.....

Hans. (who hates sanding)

I wonder if Boyce could 3d print some fins.

 

[4regt4]

I wonder if Boyce could 3d print some fins.

Any idea how the weight of 3d printed would compare to balsa? The balsa fins are a bit heavier than normal, as they are laminated in 3 layers. The glue has to add some to the mass. So maybe 3d would be somewhat close. Apparently the kit might be borderline stable, as it requires nose weight, and they warn that the Cg must be less than "38.69 inches". I find that level of precision a bit humorous, as my tape measure is not calibrated in 1/100".

Hans.

 

[CrownUK]

I’m from the UK so getting your hands on the re run pro series 2 is pretty impossible, Estes does not ship to the UK even though I have had shipped from public missiles , Loc and Mad cow .
I’m in Florida for 14 days and have managed to get a leviathan, Ventris and Partizon shipped to my hotel .
I’m so hoping the momentum will keep going and the classic pro series will be next .
I’d buy 2 patriot kits straight off !
Then the jayhawk , honest John etc will be on my list . It’s a no brainier for Estes , as clearly a demand for the pro series = sales !
And make them all available in larger numbers so no selling out .
I’d need another flight to Florida or a big fed x parcel to the UK !!

 

[DeltaVee]

I’m from the UK so getting your hands on the re run pro series 2 is pretty impossible, Estes does not ship to the UK even though I have had shipped from public missiles , Loc and Mad cow .
I’m in Florida for 14 days and have managed to get a leviathan, Ventris and Partizon shipped to my hotel .
I’m so hoping the momentum will keep going and the classic pro series will be next .
I’d buy 2 patriot kits straight off !
Then the jayhawk , honest John etc will be on my list . It’s a no brainier for Estes , as clearly a demand for the pro series = sales !
And make them all available in larger numbers so no selling out .
I’d need another flight to Florida or a big fed x parcel to the UK !!

Awesome initiative!

 

[SolarYellow]

It’s a no brainier for Estes , as clearly a demand for the pro series = sales !
And make them all available in larger numbers so no selling out .

The funny thing about this is, if we thought they'd be available indefinitely and filter out through distribution, we'd wait until they were at ACSupply for 30-off. When they were slow sellers and got discontinued, we'd Hoover them all up at 50-60% off and think they were awesome value, and wait for them to be produced again so we could ignore them. Just like the first time.

I think Estes knows what it's doing.

 

[rharshberger]

I

The funny thing about this is, if we thought they'd be available indefinitely and filter out through distribution, we'd wait until they were at ACSupply for 30-off. When they were slow sellers and got discontinued, we'd Hoover them all up at 50-60% off and think they were awesome value, and wait for them to be produced again so we could ignore them. Just like the first time.

I think Estes knows what it's doing.

Its a replay of the Disney's Vault videos, a perioduc release of popular items to get get a binge buy, they can make a limited run and sell them out rather than make a full run and have them sit on shelves and be sold off eventually at a loss or maybe break even.

 

[AlexBruccoleri]

They sell all of the parts and have motors to fly them so I wouldn’t be surprised if we got the Impulse and Maxi Force as part of these rereleases.

They no longer make the rings or the fins. Technically they could bring back those old model but it would be a lot of work. I doubt it but I would not be surprised if they come out with something similar. Clusters are fun and we will see. The latest Black Brant looks beautiful but also a lot of work. Hand shaping balsa wood is going to be intense. It will be interesting to read reviews on how it goes.

 

[DeltaVee]

They no longer make the rings or the fins. Technically they could bring back those old model but it would be a lot of work. I doubt it but I would not be surprised if they come out with something similar. Clusters are fun and we will see. The latest Black Brant looks beautiful but also a lot of work. Hand shaping balsa wood is going to be intense. It will be interesting to read reviews on how it goes.

When it comes to shaping fins... my brother is just such a maniac... I had obtained a maxi brute honest John ages ago... I had built a lot of it, and have replaced the motor mount with an FSI 20 engine mount. but it was unpainted but needed rehabbing a bit after sitting for something like40 years... He tore off the vacuform fins and shaped new ones out of balsa. Of course replace the motor mount with a 29 mm. Hasn't been flown yet, but when he sets his mind to it he's a sanding fool.. really all it takes is a little patience

 

[AlexBruccoleri]

When it comes to shaping fins... my brother is just such a maniac... I had obtained a maxi brute honest John ages ago... I had built a lot of it, and have replaced the motor mount with an FSI 20 engine mount. but it was unpainted but needed rehabbing a bit after sitting for something like40 years... He tore off the vacuform fins and shaped new ones out of balsa. Of course replace the motor mount with a 29 mm. Hasn't been flown yet, but when he sets his mind to it he's a sanding fool.. really all it takes is a little patience

I have a lot of unfortunate, Balsa and other fin material sanding experience. It’s messy and requires lots of patience. I can build a lot of estes rockets in my apartment but shaping a balsa fin is not something I can pull off without causing a huge mess. I recently built an old
Pro series Patriot. The fins are a plywood core with poster board shells. It took awhile to assemble them, but they came out nicer than I thought. It’s a viable alternative to sanding or molded plastic for shaped fins.

 

[DeltaVee]

I have a lot of unfortunate Balsa and other fin material sanding experience. It’s messy and requires lots of patience. I can built a lot of estes rockets in my apartment but shaping a balsa fun is not something I can pull off without causing a huge mess. I recently built an old
Pro series Patriot. The fins are a plywood core with poster board shells. It took awhile to assemble them but they came out nicer than I thought. It’s a viable alternative to sanding or molded plastic for shaped fins.

I hear that... Many years ago, I shaped the fins for my original astron scrambler to have a fine air foil cross section, ... When my father saw the fine layer of balsa dust all over the dining room table he was less than happy!

If I had to do the level of sanding for the BB XII in an apartment, I'd keep a vacuum with upholstery attachments handy .

 

[Initiator001]

I'm building a Quest "Big Dog" right now, and I can't believe the fins are balsa on a 29mm powered rocket kit. So I am papering them, not with printer paper but with cardstock. The paper pieces also have "tabs" where they will mount to the body, as the kit is not TTW. So I'm beefing it up considerably. Should be very robust once I am finished. Initial flight might be an E20, but I see no reason I can't stuff an F27 or better into this and get away with it. A "G" will make it disappear unless I add considerable nose weight, but I'm not doing that for a kit that's at best a "park flyer"....

I bought/built a Quest Big Dog when the kit was first released and have flown it with up to F20W AeroTech motors.
Yes, the lack of TTW fins has always been an issue for me when I fly this rocket. On all but one flight since I built this rocket a fin always comes off on landing. I always get the parachute to fully deploy but a fin will break off regardless. As of now at some point every fin has at one time or another come off on landing. The type of adhesive I use or size of my fin filets makes no difference.

I have heard rumors that the kit may get TTW fins but when/if that will happen is anyone's guess.

 

[Art Upton]

I have the Archer and Lance Delta from North Coast. Big Big difference from an Estes kit. These are rockets can fly on G motors. You probably might even be able to fly on an H motor but that would have to be looked into on an H. Only thing you have to supply is your own parachute. I bought the 36 inch chute for the Archer from Matt at North Coast.

I have flown an Estes Ascender with no mods other than Kevlar recovery harness on an H135, and the Partizone on an I 205 with only gorilla glue on the inside fin can and no outside fillets other then a very light swipe of yellow glue to seal the fin to body tube slot.

I had to fly the I205 on the Partizone twice, as I flew the first one at Jean dry lake on Friday and the Satereday crowd did not belive me. Balsa Bill handed me another I 205 and I launched it a second time.

Another thing about this rocket is is made from 3 tubes and couplers. As I had to ship it in a FedEx box to NV for pickup, I did not glue the tunes together , only Masking Tape friction fit. Then I dismantled it to ship back to my house USPS priority mail.

I have flown it multiple times later around here , but with field not that big on like G motors max with a Jolly Logic Chute Release. On Jean Dry lake it was Pop the Chute at the Top.

 

[Art Upton]

Indeed. I was one of those who got my Level 1 on a Leviathan that was almost stock. The main change was to make the upper six inches of the body a payload section with a coupler, a ply disk and a 1/4-20 eyebolt (and some washers/nuts). The eyebolt was, in hindsight, overkill. A stock Leviathan could be flown on a G80 (which was one of the Aerotech motors relabeled by Estes that they sold then) with no issues. A moderate H is no problem either.

Mine is marked 21.9 ounces, so that’s what it weighed when I finished it. That’s 4.4 ounces more than the weight quoted on the current Estes web page for it. But no way it’s going to 1000 feet on an F15, even at 17.5 ounces.

It could be flown on an I205 with only Gorilla glue almost stock just beef up a kevlar cord an join it to the elastic like you do on a quest kit.

 

[DeltaVee]

I have flown an Estes Ascender with no mods other than Kevlar recovery harness on an H135, and the Partizone on an I 205 with only gorilla glue on the inside fin can and no outside fillets other then a very light swipe of yellow glue to seal the fin to body tube slot.

I had to fly the I205 on the Partizone twice, as I flew the first one at Jean dry lake on Friday and the Satereday crowd did not belive me. Balsa Bill handed me another I 205 and I launched it a second time.

Another thing about this rocket is is made from 3 tubes and couplers. As I had to ship it in a FedEx box to NV for pickup, I did not glue the tunes together , only Masking Tape friction fit. Then I dismantled it to ship back to my house USPS priority mail.

I have flown it multiple times later around here , but with field not that big on like G motors max with a Jolly Logic Chute Release. On Jean Dry lake it was Pop the Chute at the Top.

An I205??? Yowza! That's awesome! Openrocket puts that up to nearly 4000 feet at 709 mph.

 

[Initiator001]

The four original PSII kits ( Leviathan, Ventris, Partizon & Argent) were packaged in China and had facecards. The direct sale/mail order only Scion, Sahara & Panavia were also packaged in China but did not have facecards.

When the Leviathan re-release kits get to me I will have to look at the instructions and see if these are just reprints of the 2011 instructions or new and where the kit is listed as having been produced.

Re-opening an old thread...

I opened one of the re-issued Leviathan kits and looked things over.

The header card is a leftover from the original production run as it states "...Copyright 2011 Estes-Cox Corp." The company is now called "Estes Industries, LLC".

The kit instructions were interesting as they stated "...Copyright 2023 Estes Industries, LLC...Made in Guangdong, China".

So, these re-issued Pro Series II kits WERE made in China.

My apologies to any and all who posted they believed these kits were made in China while I did not agree.

Hard to believe it still was cheaper to have these re-issued PSII kits made in China than here in the USA, especially for such small production runs.

 

[smstachwick]

Re-opening an old thread...

I opened one of the re-issued Leviathan kits and looked things over.

The header card is a leftover from the original production run as it states "...Copyright 2011 Estes-Cox Corp." The company is now called "Estes Industries, LLC".

The kit instructions were interesting as they stated "...Copyright 2023 Estes Industries, LLC...Made in Guangdong, China".

So, these re-issued Pro Series II kits WERE made in China.

My apologies to any and all who posted they believed these kits were made in China while I did not agree.

Hard to believe it still was cheaper to have these re-issued PSII kits made in China than here in the USA, especially for such small production runs.

Part of me wonders if they didn’t just have some parts on hand (card included), fabricate others in China, and do a minor instruction update.