Were you an Estes guy, or a Centuri guy?

[shockie]

Estes

 

[Art Upton]

My Dad bought my first Starter Kit was a COX Science Kit with a Nike Zeus plastic rocket in it. It was not the first rocket I flew,, that kit required expensive Photo Flash D batteries that Dad did not buy for me. It became a shelf kit as we tried but it did not work.

So again the blue tubes was the first flying rocket I had ...

 

[hartlch]

I was lucky to have both well stocked at Tiny Tim's Hobby Shop in Michigan back in the late 60s. I had my favorites from both of them, but I think Centuri had "edgier" designs from what I remember. Unfortunately I told my parents they could get rid of them when they moved from my childhood home.

 

[Fishhead]

I was lucky to have both well stocked at Tiny Tim's Hobby Shop in Michigan back in the late 60s. I had my favorites from both of them, but I think Centuri had "edgier" designs from what I remember. Unfortunately I told my parents they could get rid of them when they moved from my childhood home.

I gave everything to the younger brothers of one of my classmates during my sophomore year of college. 20 years later I asked if they remembered anything about flying them and they said "Huh?"

 

[lawn dart]

Started out (mid 70's) with Estes because that's what the local hobby shops stocked. Then one of the shops ramped up their rocket inventory and got Centuri. Eventually, they also picked up FSI. About the time the popularity of rockets was winding down in the neighborhood I found a mail-order source for MPC.

I liked them all. Each did somethings a bit better than the others and somethings less so. I won't say that one was "better" than the others. But I have to say that my overall favorite was Centuri.

To this day my favorite rocket is my Centuri IRIS. Simple, straightforward and a pleasure to build but somehow refined and elegant.

so I insisted my grandmother get me that for Christmas 1969. (I finally got up the nerve to build it in summer 1994).

Which reminds me, I should probably finish that FSI Black Brant I started in '76.

It was like Eastwood, it had no name, so I called it the Logix Explorer.

Maybe you should have called it "Blondie."

Is that an MPC ceramic blast deflector on the camera tripod? I had one, but I dropped it and it shattered.

Love using camera tripods as launchpads. Back when schools had metal shop I figured out how to make adapters. Still remember to use a #7 drill and a 1/4-20 tap.

Only drawback is that you need a dedicated tripod, unless you don't mind mixing photography with propellant residue.

 

[Pem Tech]

Centuri, because that was the starter set I received as a birthday gift when I was 11 years old. Screaming Eagle was the rocket. The launch pad sat on top of a "lantern battery" as the base.

Same story here. Received that starter set when I was 10 or 11 and was hooked. Still have parts of the carrying case and launchpad. Loved the "newspaper" style of the Centuri catalogs* and thought their kits were far more imaginative, outlandish and interesting then Estes. Still had one of those catalogs when I opened a hobby shop (Rockets and Stuff...) with my first wife in 1986. Was heartbroken when we found out Centuri was no more.
Always got special "feels" when looking at Centuri kits and still do.

*Edit: The newspaper catalog I remember was the Centuri Rocket Times.

 

[Sooner Boomer]

Both. Each had unique kits. For example, Centuri had the Nike Smoke. Estes had the Birdie.

 

[GlenP]

Is that an MPC ceramic blast deflector on the camera tripod? I had one, but I dropped it and it shattered.

I am not sure, that one is not mine. I suspect it might be one of these, if the originals were prone to breakage an original vintage might not have survived that long.

New Design Odd'l Rockets BLAST! Deflector

I finally received the first prototype of a new Odd'l Rockets BLAST! Deflector. On the left is the original smaller BLAST! Deflector. It ...

modelrocketbuilding.blogspot.com

"The new version is the same size as the original MPC ceramic deflector it is based on."

 

[John Kemker]

I mostly flew Estes, but LOVED me some Centuri kits, until they got bought and merged with Estes.

 

[burkefj]

Other than the Interceptor I was 99% Centuries, just cooler designs..

 

[mikeyd]

I was full Estes Fan, after I got into rockets with an MRI Wac Corporal, From a G.E.M store,and MPC MoonGo and Zenith 2 payloader, from a woolworths. In the late 60's
Our local hobby shop only caried Estes, and then we moved and I only knew about Estes mail order.
My early Estes rockets
Skyhook
Stinger
Midget
SkyDart
Astron Delta and Camroc
Trident
V2
Scrambler
Mini Saturn V
Saturn 1b 1/70
Saturn V
Mercury Redstone
Farside X
Falcon
Gyroc
Cobra
Birdie
Spaceman

I didn't get my First Centuri until I was away for training at my job in Chicago, in the mid 80's and was bored on a weekend so started visiting hobby shops, and found the Space 1999 starter set.

 

[ewomack]

The town I grew up in has become a larger city and the old downtown has started to rust out, unfortunately. But when I was growing up there, a single hardware store carried only Estes rockets. I don't remember ever seeing any Centuri kits anywhere. The next nearest place to buy rockets involved the parents driving 15 - 20 minutes to the nearest mall. That didn't happen too often.

I know I built a Mosquito and a Scout when I was a mere tyke. One larger one I built, I forgot to put wadding in before launch, so the parachute came out in small flames. That is still a fond family memory. I don't remember the kit, but it could have only been an Estes given what remained available in my area. The hardware store vanished years ago, breweries have begun to move in, and the town center has shifted towards the freeway where all of the big box stores now stand. I guess that's progress?

 

[jazzviper1]

Started with Estes, then found Centuri and preferred them, then discovered FSI. I now have kits from many manufacturers.