Were the Estes Scion, Panavia, and Sahara rockets available for retail (or at all)?

[Tim51]

If you can believe Wikipedia, the first written reference to unobtainium was in a glossary article printed in the Journal of the USAF, Air University, in 1958. Which sounds about right - I recall reading it in science fiction stories from the 60s - usually used in a comic manner.

Frankly I laughed out loud when I read Cameron was using it for the “McGuffin” in Avatar - I thought it was a joke…

That timeline would seem probable - before I read your Wikipedia citation I was thinking the term must have originated in the 1940s / 50s as an 'in-joke' amongst scientists. Considering the surge in research in that period into the wilder reaches of the Periodic Table, fission/fusion and metals capable of withstanding supersonic stresses, it figures. If it was possible to make use of the term in a serious peer reviewed journal by 1958, my guess is it would probably have entered common parlance as a running gag in labs and drawing offices quite a while before then.

 

[CoolRockets]

I forgot about this conversation and the unobtanium part

 

[John Taylor]

FWIW...Cosmodrome has a really nice 1:6 Scale Nike Smoke and other nice kits.
View attachment 555812 View attachment 555813

A 1:6 Scale Nike Apache Kit also.

This is absolutely worth checking out!

 

[John Taylor]

This is absolutely worth checking out!

They are high quality. All balsa nose cones on the Nike Smoke and Black Briant at least. I have several of their models. Aircraft plywood fins and centering rings, they are loaded with great materials and the fit and finish is great. Cool selection of different models.