Kit desires

[phaar]

I was just wondering...What does everyone want the most in a kit? Looks, altitude, power? I am trying to design something new and I was just wondering what everyone wants. Most likely all three but what if you HAD to choose one? Anything else?

 

[illini]

I want something unique. I want it to do more than woosh-pop. Cluster, staged, big, small, glider, helicopter, lots of smoke and noise. Make it more than a 3/4FNC woosh-popper and I'll take a look. Otherwise, fuhgeddaboutit.

 

[shockwaveriderz]

I'm with illini here......who says a HD model or a BG model has to be only for competition? I like models that DO SOMETHING other than whoosh-pop..... for example at a recent Bluesrocks launch, Bobby our resident 16 yr old, had a 2-3X upscale of the Apogee Texas Twister.....Several beautiful rotation filled flights........

anybody seen that J570 powered helicopter model video? awesome.....

 

[slim_t]

Same here.
More power and more altitude is relatively easy to get.
Uniqueness is what gets my attention.
Just look at what the Deuce's Wild has done for Fliskits and rocketry all together.
And Thrustlines designs are really creative also.
That's what you gotta have, creativity.

Tim

 

[phaar]

Creativity is hard to come by for me.

 

[phaar]

Originally posted by illini868891
I want something unique. I want it to do more than woosh-pop. Cluster, staged, big, small, glider, helicopter, lots of smoke and noise.


What do you think of airstarts? I was think of maybe a cluster of three 24 mm?? It will be pretty small for more power.

 

[illini]

Originally posted by phaar
What do you think of airstarts? I was think of maybe a cluster of three 24 mm?? It will be pretty small for more power.

I think that's in the ballpark. Something unique and challenging - i.e., something I haven't done a million times before - will always get my attention.

 

[dr wogz]

Uniqueness..
A neat desing, an eye catcher.. something slightly different than the standard tube, poiinty nose and 3 or 4 fins..

Something 'retro' and / or futuristic

More 'scale' missles, and in LPR and MPR sizes.

long shock cords!!

cooling mesh instead of using wadding

That holographic mylar stuff, for the body tube!!

 

[slim_t]

Originally posted by phaar
Creativity is hard to come by for me.

Lol, me too. That's why I mostly build kits from those that are more creative. I like scratch building also, but usually my scratch builds are just clones or scales of existing stuff.
But I do have a few of my own designs.

Originally posted by phaar
What do you think of airstarts? I was think of maybe a cluster of three 24 mm?? It will be pretty small for more power.

Now there's an idea. I don't know of anyone that offers more complicated things like that in a kit. You might be onto something.
More people might get into that if the electronics and instructions were all offered with a kit.

Tim

 

[phaar]

Originally posted by Dr Wogz
Uniqueness..

long shock cords!!

cooling mesh instead of using wadding

That holographic mylar stuff, for the body tube!!

So what you are saying is not only creativity but a lot of QUALITY?

 

[astronboy]

Decals!!

They are a must. Seriously, what would the Red Max be without decals? Simply a 3fnc!

A simple decal can add great deal to a rocket, and provide it an identity all of its own.

Fred

 

[flying_silverad]

That's probably a question that every designer has asked since Goddard hit is first button.

Gee, I guess I would have to say a rocket who's form and function are at the highest level they can be. I think a great example of this would be Shrox's latest SHX-15B, Jim Flis's Tres...and my...well, I'm not quite there yet. But you get the idea. It's just not any one thing, it's the entire kit when it comes together and your looking at it during the coutdown right to the time you retrieve it.

You know the feeling I'm talking about...when you're walking back to the launch area and the hair starts to stand up on the back of your neck.

 

[lalligood]

Originally posted by astronboy
Decals!!

They are a must. Seriously, what would the Red Max be without decals? Simply a 3fnc!

A simple decal can add great deal to a rocket, and provide it an identity all of its own.

Fred

And you must have the right kind of decals for the rocket depending on its size...

LPRs & small MPRs need waterslide decals.

Big MPRs & HPRs need vinyl.

Peel 'n' stick decals are rarely cool...

 

[AlexM]

So would you guys be to pay an extra 50 or 60 bucks for a rocket if it came with decals and shockcord and mesh and electronics?

 

[illini]

Originally posted by Tarc3
So would you guys be to pay an extra 50 or 60 bucks for a rocket if it came with decals and shockcord and mesh and electronics?

For a rocket that complex, I think a la carte is a good idea. Offer to bundle those things in, but leave it so that someone who doesn't want or need the extra goodies doesn't have to pay for them. Take, for example, BMS options regarding Edmonds Arcie II.

 

[Stymye]

when decals get bigger, water slide is not a very good option
for example,Imagine doing the stormcaster with a waterslide!
with the right techniques peel and stick can work very well or vinyl
of course... so decals being waterslide is not the big factor for me
quality and a little challenge are far more important

 

[kenobi65]

Originally posted by Dr Wogz
Uniqueness..
A neat desing, an eye catcher.. something slightly different than the standard tube, poiinty nose and 3 or 4 fins..

Something 'retro' and / or futuristic

Definitely...that's what I miss most about the kits from my childhood (late 70s / early 80s) -- the cool designs.

Andromeda, Interceptor, Cassiopeia, Starlab, Starship Vega, Mars Lander, Solar Sailer, Scissor-Wing Transport, the SuperKits from Centuri...even if I knew I wasn't yet skilled enough to build those, they looked so dang cool that they inspired many dreams.

Fortunately, folks like Flis and Shrox, among others, are trying to keep the torch lit.

I know a lot of folks here love the military models, but those just never held much appeal to me.

These days, it feels like virtually everything Estes makes is a 3FNC or 4FNC...when they want to make it cooler, they either add a weird recovery system or make it eject something (bomblets, meteors, etc.)

 

[dr wogz]

Estes are comming up with some 'scale missles' but we need more!! and bigger!!

 

[AlexM]

What would you be willing to pay for a 3.9 inch Pheonix with everything included(baffle,chute,shockcord,vynl decals, etc)?

 

[lalligood]

Originally posted by Tarc3
What would you be willing to pay for a 3.9 inch Pheonix with everything included(baffle,chute,shockcord,vynl decals, etc)?

Be careful of what you'll ask for as someone's likely to chime in with answers you won't like to hear ("I'll take one if you're givin' it away" or "How's about 5 bucks?")

I think what needs to be realized here is a couple of things:
1) With *extremely* rare exception, you will never be able to come up with one rocket that will appeal to EVERYONE. All rocketeers do not have the same taste, so don't try to cater to all suggestions.

2) Come up with what you think would be a cool rocket at a fair price that you feel is worth your time & effort to design, kit, & sell (because you deserve to make some money for your work!) Test the waters then. If you get what you consider to be lots of interest & positive feedback, then you probably have a winner... If not, then back to the drawing board and try again.

HTH,

 

[flying_silverad]

One last thing...

Don't get so wrapped up in the whole eye candy thing that you loose site of the little things like...

Not sending a kit without the decals
Or bad packaging
Or incorrect instructions
Or different, incorrect pattern sheets

When paying 50 dollars for a kit, you should recieve it by way of priority mail, delivery confimation and insure it if possible. There are some instances where some mail issues can't be helped, but there is nothing more furstating than to pay 50 bucks for a kit that comes in the mail, crushed and incomplete. You can't get 5 pounds of stuff in a 2 pound box!

Gee...did that sound like I was venting....:kill:<<(recent purchase)

 

[phaar]

What is everyone's scale kit desires? What are your favorites? What are your hated?

 

[kelltym88]

My .02 cents. I've just spent close to $60 doing my first upscale kit ( it will be revealed when I finish it, so stay tuned), and it doesn't have some of the things mentioned. If I'm going to spend $50 for a kit, I would want it to look good, be durable, and fun to build. If it has those extras, then that's a plus. I'm working on my PML Matrix, which I only paid $60 for, and the construction is actually pretty simple. Everything is already pre-cut, top quality parts, etc. So for $50 I would be expecting alot.