"We Be Toys"

[Johnnie]

Better known as Toys R US...

Are they out of the rocket business? I just went buy there today, in search for some Quest motors, and they had maybe (3) Estes kits, and 4 or 5 packs of Estes motors, and that was it!! If I remember correctly, this store use to devote 1/2 a store isle to educational rocketry products including MicroMax, and now they have squat.

I live in "The Rocket City" (Huntsville, AL) and it seems that all the Model Rocket goodies are running low...good thing they opened a Hobbytown USA...but they seem to be awfull pricey.

Even Hobby Lobby here in Huntsville cut their full isle in half, after dropping the Aerotech line...

 

[Steward]

Same here in Birmingham...totally shocked me...

 

[cls]

same here in Sunnyvale, CA. a couple kits, a couple 3x motor packs. I got the last 2 Estes motors bulk packs. although, they have a half dozen AstroCams if anyone wants one!


sadly the Fry's Electronics here seems to have unstocked the rockets. there was one lonely Quest Tracer, a couple micromaxx, and some wadding on the shelf. the shelf tags were still there so can't tell for sure if they cleared it out forever or not.

 

[powderburner]

A couple months ago, when TRU first put the MMX sets on clearance for $5, I talked to a store manager (AFTER I had stocked up) about why were they selling stuff so cheap?
He said that TRU is getting out of the model-type stuff, including model rockets. He said they have not been selling well enough (I presumed he was referring to a 'national' sales level) and they had other inventory they wanted to make room for.
He also said that if the stuff did not sell quickly enough, they would mark it down further. But it IS going away at TRU.

 

[eugenefl]

It certainly churns my stomach to hear this news. I certainly hope the talk and possible pursuit of a trip to the moon stirs up the rocketry world. I remember the days of shopping TRU (1992) and seeing a near full aisle of Estes kits. What I don't understand is what was so different with rocketry back then than now. Have computers and electronic games really turned kids into drones? How sad.

 

[jflis]

Originally posted by eugenefl
Have computers and electronic games really turned kids into drones? How sad.

in a most *mechanical* voice...

By - Your - Command

LOL

 

[Chilly]

We finished our Christmas shopping but I picked up a $5 MMax starter set last week. Plan on giving it to our oldest on his birthday in a few months, and will throw in a few extra Micro-size rockets with it.

 

[Neil]

Me? Drone? Nooooo.... I prefer "rocket mass-production robot" thank you very much! Yes, too many kids have become computer slaves. we have a handfull of kids at our school of 500 who are not madly obsessed with computer games. I am friends with most of them. Pretty sad. I have Flightsim 98, Civilization 3, and the entire Myst series. Myst, Myst masterpiece edition (came free with some other purchase), Riven and Exile. Exile ROCKS. What fun. I hear they are coming out with Mysts 4 and 5!!!!! I like the trollys in Riven. All the little subtle features... I also like the sunners (those BIIIIG fat things that sun themselves on the rock on one of the islands.). The little whark-gallow thing that teaches you the Duni alphabet is rather disturbing..... click click click CHOMP. I just buy all my stuff over the internet.

 

[rbeckey]

TRU had a 20% coupon in the last ad. I used it on a Blast Off Pack that was marked at $27.99, and got the cheapest motors I've had in many years.