What Is Your Favorite Estes Model And Favorite Centuri Model?

[Steven]

On the Estes side for me might be the K-36 Saturn V and on the Centuri side it would be a toss up between the Saturn V, Saturn 1b and the 1/45th scale Little Joe II.

 

[K'Tesh]

Estes Cineroc/Omega Combo
Centuri Saturn V (1/100 Scale)

 

[Incongruent]

Estes Cineroc/Omega Combo

Interesting. I was wondering about what yours would be. (Not. )

Probably the Mercury Redstone right now (saying "I like this kit, this is my favorite kit" should incentive me to work on it.

 

[PhlAsh]

That's easy...

 

[rharshberger]

Estes Aries SST and Centuri Laser-X.

 

[SCIGS30]

Estes Der Red Max, no real favorites from Centuri.

 

[GlenP]

Estes Vampire/Jinx a mini RTF all plastic model great small field flier, you just can't lose it.

Centuri Thunder ROC, was as tall as me when I built it back in ~1980

Dr. Zooch Space Shuttle

 

[MALBAR 70]

That's a tough question to answer, both companies put out such great kits .
My favorite Estes kit would have to be the Andromeda , but the Blue Bird Zero and Mars Lander are a close second.
For Centuri, I'd have to say the Laser X, but again the Thunder Roc and Quasar hold a place in my heart.

 

[Micromeister]

Wow thats a hard one to nail down to just one from each.

I guess
1st: Estes K-42 Orbital Transport & Centuri SST Shuttle

2nd: Estes Mars Snooper & Centuri Laser-X

3rd: Estes K-41 Mercury Redstone & Centuri 1/100th Saturn V

4th: Estes 1/70th Saturn-1B & Centuri 1/70th Little Joe II

I could go on LOL!

 

[Todderbert]

My favorite Estes kit is by far the "Big Daddy" love that rocket. I owned the pre-"E" engine class and now the current one. Sure there's nostalgia for a Nova Payloader, or the Hercules. Never owned a Centuri kit so can't comment on those.

 

[o1d_dude]

I liked the Broadsword.

 

[Trident]

Me too, except I did this one as a Super Big Bertha. I might still have the decal it came with if your interested.

 

[burkefj]

No question the Estes interceptor, for centuri its a tossup between the x24, mach 10 and alcm

 

[Cl(VII)]

Estes Trident hands down, not even kinda close.

Centuri Scorpion (though I have never seen one in the wild, and they are too spendy in captivity).

 

[Scott_650]

Estes Mega Mosquito and the Centuri X-24 Bug!

 

[MikeL]

Estes - Nike-X (Scaled it up to 5.5" w/75mm)
Centuri - No favorite

 

[Kruegon]

This one is very hard. I've never owned a Centuri kit, so no favorite there.

The Estes kit I most want is the Nike Ajax. However, I've never built one so not sure. Of what I have built, the Mean Machine has been my favorite. I'm about to built a special one for Southern Thunder. It's Estes tubing, but will fly on 29mm HPR motors. The hope is it will survive an I200 flight.

 

[Spacepirate R]

My favorite Estes model is the Big Bertha. I love it's form and flight characteristics. My other favorites are the Goblin and Der Red Max.

The only Centuri models come by way of Semroc. I really like the Excalibur and the Centurion.

 

[Lowpuller]

Estes Fat Boy. Never built a century kit


Incongruent I just finished my Mercury Redstone that large decal is a bear.

I wish somebody would post a video on placing a large waterslide decal.


CI

I forgot about the Trident, that's a good one too

 

[MaxQ]

Of those I built back in the day:

Estes - have to be the Orbital Transport and Little Joe II
Centuri - (only owned two/LHS didn't carry Centuri) - Evel Knievel Skycycle and SST Shuttle

I lusted after the Estes Saturn 1B and Centuri Little Joe II ............

So I guess I'm compensating for that now - except a little larger.

 

[Spanky]

Estes: A tie between #1921 Mercury Redstone (80's issue) as a kid and Ram Jet as a BAR. Finally got one today!

Centuri: I didn't into rockets until the mid-to-late 80's so I don't know alot about the originals. I do have the Semroc Space Shuttle repro so I'll say that one.

 

[dpower]

Estes - Cherokee-D, my first D powered rocket, and my first lost rocket. I've since built 5 more, including 2 different upscales, of which I've lost all but the 2x HPR upscale. I'll build a Semroc Retro-Repro soon!

Centuri - The Laser-X! I especially like the Semroc SLS (built 2, lost 1).

 

[georgegassaway]

Non-glider: Estes Interceptor.

Glider: Estes Skydart

Centuri: My first serious Centuri model was the 1/100 Little Joe-II in 1970 (First balsa-finned model I built, previous 4 were MPC kits with plastic fins).

But yeah, the 1/45 kit topped it, THAT's my favorite. I did not get a 1/45 kit until 1975, when the local hobby shop owner offered an opened kit to me for $5 (cost around $13 to $15 at the time). I flew it a lot. Never mind the wrinkles in the body wrap or lost little pieices here and there. Photo below was in 1989 (yeah, that heavy guy is me on the left, Wayne Hendricks at right). I had modified it for clustered engines, 24mm center and up to six 18mm outer. That particular flight, I had modified the base of the BPC ("capsule") for staging, an A3-4t engine firing to push the BPC/LES off and deploy a chute by rear ejection (used a mercury switch to fire the flashbulb ignitor). Worked nicely.

Of course, my favorite kit now is the "Esturi" 1/45 Little Joe-II kit.....

 

[TangoJuliet]

I got into rocketry the first time around '79/80 when I was a pre-teen. All I knew was Estes. My first being the Alpha III, and I suppose that would have been my favorite. I didn't build a lot of Estes kits that I recall, having gotten a "Designers Special" box of pieces/parts for Christmas one year. There were plenty of Estes kits in the 80's that I wanted but never got - $$ was tight in our family.

Now that I'm a BAR, my current favorite is probably my Mega Der Red Max, but that's MPR. I like my Big Bertha a lot though. I've been steadily building for about the last 8 months and I'm getting a pretty good sized LPR fleet of the Estes kits I wanted back in the day... With many more to go!

 

[Mugs914]

I guess it depends on how you want to describe "favorite". And how old you are!

In one sense, my favorite Estes kit was probably the WAC Corporal. I must have built ten of 'em. It was a great performer, looked cool, was reliable and cheap (important when you are a kid). It was also a (semi) scale model, which I liked.

My favorite Estes model to fly was the Scissor Wing Transport. I got one for Christmas when it first came out. Absolutely spectacular to fly. My family still remembers watching it circle down to a smooth landing on the "lakebed" (local school playground was all dirt, Kinda looked like Edwards if you squinted a bit and used your imagination...).

Of course we all fantasized about the Interceptor. I didn't even see one in person, built or kit, until about 1980.

We didn't really get much in the way of Century stuff in my neck of the woods, though the occasional catalog would find it's way into our grubby little mits. There was a sense of "forbidden fruit" about everything in there!

Good memories!

 

[Forever_Metal]

Estes Interceptor, Estes ASM, Estes Alpha with an honorable mention to the Estes Beta

fm

 

[dr wogz]

Estes BBZ. Had to 'mail order' it, was one of my first ever catalog purchases with a money order and everything! very early 80's..

Century Hornet. loved that pointy nosecone. And from the card, it just looked 'fast'! And that was the first rocket I ever papers the fins. I hated the way the balsa looked, so I thought that adding paper would make them smoother & sleeker. I had no idea others did this..