CoolRockets
Well-Known Member
Right, everyone, I know I want other scale rockets but the us is starting to run low on what Estes has not made, so what do you think?
What do you mean by that?I think we consumers should decide what Estes makes with our wallets.
What do you mean by that?
I think we consumers should decide what Estes makes with our wallets.
Why would model rockets not be like model planes?? Manufactures have made Zeros, FW s, BF s, and so on.
The world is your oyster. Why wait for Estes? Why wait for anybody?
Scratch build it.
I guess the most obvious answer for me is accessibility. When you have very little time available to enjoy your hobby, or you want to get a kid started into scale, having a kit available at retail is a more realistic option than sorting out a scratch build... especially for something with a complex nosecone or other feature.
That's the key: narrow appeal. Estes deals in volume, and needs to offer kits that have wider appeal. I think you're more likely to get some of the less-known international models from other vendors (Rocketarium and ASP already make a few). Or, of course, scratchbuild... but I understand that that is not for everyone.Undoubtedly there are a lot of real (and not-real) rockets that have narrow appeal.
Right... Forgot about that one. I have an Estes Black Brant I call "Oh Canada" and I remember the Vostok in the old catalogs, but I never had one. If Estes offered that now, I'd buy it because I an now enamored by Russian space hardware because it's all 50-year old designs, and looks so vintage. Wouldn't mind an Energia model. I may scratch build one in the near future.Black Brants
What the V2 represents is an historic coming of age of liquid propulsion rockets. Sure, Robert Goddard developed the first liquid propulsion rockets, and even crude gyroscopic control but his efforts only led to some Bazooka and JATO developments. While Sperry did some fine work on guidance and control, the Germans made a quantum leap in guidance and control technology, not to mention supersonic wind tunnels... Yes, it is true that many for,ed laborers died producing the V2, but it also shortened the war by sucking up limited resources that could have been used on more efficient weaponry. While I could say much more about the V2, I agree, vote with your wallet.Exactly what I said.
Supply/demand. If they think a kit is going to sell and make a profit then that's the kit they should be making regardless of what the country of origin is.
On a related note...I am not going to buy a WW2 V2 simply because of what it represents. Would I care if Estes made a WW2 V2? At this point probably not - but if it did bother me then I wouldn't buy any of Estes kits. Called vote with your wallet.
Also Really Koo Stuff and Altaira sell versions of the N1.If you’re interested in building foreign rockets, check out Aggressor Aerospace kits. All of their kits are foreign semi scale rockets. China, India, Israel, Iran….
The kits are sold by Apogee and Boyce. I’ve never built any of them, so I can’t attest as to quality. I’ve just noticed them from time to time.
EDIT: Apogee sells the full kit. Boyce sells most of the parts, but you still need to buy the tubes, shock cord, chute, etc.
Fair enough.Also Really Koo Stuff and Altaira sell versions of the N1.
And David Koo has a Soyuz in the pipeline, and a Gird 87 prototype.
And of course Rocketarium and the defunct TLP have sold many foreign missile kits.
I have built two of the Agressor Aerospace kits, the Agni 1 and CZ1.
The conduits for the Agni 1 were too short, but Boyce sent replacements.
The CZ1/Long March 1 is a beauty.
Now back to the question of ESTES production of foreign missile kits.
Unless Estes transitions to 3D printed parts as well.For Estes to bring out a new scale kit (unless it uses stock parts only) would require tooling to make the plastic parts, which isn't cheap. And they need to sell large numbers of kits to make a profit. That's a positive aspect of 3D-printed builders' kits. You can charge more than Estes would because the narrow group of people who buy it will really want it. A vendor need only have a large-enough/fast enough 3D printer to supply the narrow demand, no $10k molds necessary.
For example, I could see a series of Ariane rockets from the same vendor. Some parts could be used for several models, though some models will require their own special parts.
Nonetheless it would likely be a labor of love. Which I think we could all appreciate.
I do wish they would sell more parts as standalone parts, but if they wouldn't make money doing that, then they shouldn't do it.
With all due respect.... what the V2 represents for a myriad of folks in the UK, and the WWII allies ... is a weapon that killed their family members / mates / friends.What the V2 represents is an historic coming of age of liquid propulsion rockets. Sure, Robert Goddard developed the first liquid propulsion rockets, and even crude gyroscopic control but his efforts only led to some Bazooka and JATO developments. While Sperry did some fine work on guidance and control, the Germans made a quantum leap in guidance and control technology, not to mention supersonic wind tunnels... Yes, it is true that many for,ed laborers died producing the V2, but it also shortened the war by sucking up limited resources that could have been used on more efficient weaponry. While I could say much more about the V2, I agree, vote with your wallet.