Estes Rocket Availability

[flying_silverad]

Where can I find Estes Rockets that are sometimes sold as starter sets without buying the whole starter set. I don't need 20 some odd porta pads floating on my lawn...just the rockets.

 

[sandman]

Good question.

Find a hobby shop in the yellow pages...they are getting harder to find. There you will find a wealth of new Estes kits as well as Quest, Custom and Aerotech and more.

Then go to:

https://www.provide.net/~jimz/jimz.htm

and click on the free rocket plans...try to control yourself after that! He also has decals available in the original 1:1 or he can up and downscale whatever you want.

Then go to:

www.rocketopia.com

and click on what you are looking for in tubes and nose cones and other 'stuff"

Then get back here and join in the "chat' and take pictures...lots and lots of pictures. Post them here so we can see them. That is manditory!

If you fail to post pictures we have the right to....well, ya don't wanna know what we'll do...so ya better post pictures.

Good luck,

sandman

P.S. Did I remind you to post pictures?

 

[flying_silverad]

What i mean is there are a lot of complete launch starter kits with nice rockets in them that you can only get if you buy the hole kit and kaboodle, and thats the only way the rocket comes. I'm talking about just getting the rocket or rockets without buy a controller or launch pad every time you want one of them.

 

[eugenefl]

Flying_Silverad,

From what I understand you want rockets like the Code Red, Ionizer, and Astrocam RTF without having to purchase to starter kit. To the best of my knowledge, Estes didn't release those rockets as independent kits. Most of the stuff you will find in a starter set is RTF (Ready To Fly) and in my opinion is not quite as enjoyable as kits like the Nova Payloader, original balsa finned Alpha, or Comanche 3 which require you build and paint them. To each his own. Some of the RTF stuff can be pretty cool too.

My best advice to you is to purchase the starter set, then sell any unwanted extra components on eBay. For an under $20 starter set, you will recover nearly 100% of what you spent by selling the launch pad and controller alone and end up with the rocket for free. Worst come last, if you got $10 for the launch pad and controller you'd end up with a rocket that cost you about $10. That doesn't sound all that bad if you ask me considering most entry level kits run in that price range.

Best of luck to you. Welcome aboard!

- Eugenefl

PS - Oh yeah, post pictures of whatever you end up buying.

 

[KermieD]

The Spitfire SSI is a great little rocket that comes with the Mega Maxx starter set, and I wish I could get a hold of another one as well. It's a great bird that requires a little bit of building skill (balsa fins that have 2 parts to be glued together before attachment to the body), and has one of those neat little canopy cones with the baby canards on it. It even comes with an extra cone!

 

[Mike]

In my local hobby shop I once saw an Ionizer on it's own. I think there had been a fault with the set so when it was returned to the shop they put all the parts seperate (I bought the launch pad.) What I'm saying is that if you're lucky you could come across one on it's own.

Good Luck

 

[Dean]

There are often very similar kits in the elsewhere in the Estes line. The Nemesis is similar to the Spitfire. The Astrosat, Banshee, Flash, Bandit, and Stingray are all very similar to Starter Set or RTF rockets (they seem to share a lot of components).

 

[flying_silverad]

One thing I'm pretty sure of. It seems that Estes produces kits that are not always in the catalog or maybe I'm seeing last years kits. I bought one in WalMart called...uh..it's in the basement,anyway, it measures altitude by way of a counter computer nose cone and it came as a starter kit. Now I like to build... even from scratch but on occasion if I see a specialtity nose like Camroc or something similar, thats when I want the rocket. I like the idea of selling off the pad and the controller on E-bay. Even if it's at loss like you said I'm still getting a decent rocket for around ten bucks. By the way, did I mention this forum is cool. The guys that must make it happen must be as well!

 

[eugenefl]

Check out the attached file. It is something I did with my Astrocam. Being that you are a BAR, you may not have heard of this before. (Of course, you older guys invented the rAstrocam!) I converted my Astrocam to look down and take a picture on the way up as opposed to the traditional method. I also added a 2nd stage for some fun.

 

[Stymye]

the one with the altitude counter is called the maxx traxx
I think its only availiable in a set...sorry I dont have a picture