What kits should Estes Re-Release?

[Ozymandias]

What kits do you think Estes should bring back? Personally, I'd love to see the Jayhawk come back. Maybe we can compile this and send them an email.

 

[Donaldsrockets]

I'd like to see all the Pro Series kits come back especially the Maxi Force 3X 24mm cluster.

I'd also like to see a few others come back, they are as follows:

Little Joe II
Optima / Shadow
Space Shuttle (full stack, not the dumb foam one)

I'd also love to see a lot of the designs from the 80's and early 90's come back.

 

[Bowhunter]

Dark star motors and the North coast line I still have an Eliminator in my living room

 

[flying_silverad]

Jayhawk
Sat 1B
Mars Lander
Mars Snooper
Interceptor
Avenger
Cherokee D
Nighthawk
Scrambler

....the list is too long and it's too late

 

[DynaSoar]

Originally posted by Ozymandias
What kits do you think Estes should bring back? Personally, I'd love to see the Jayhawk come back. Maybe we can compile this and send them an email.

None. Let them make their money on the throw-away market. There's plenty of suppliers out there with enough parts, and enough of the old plans available, that old kits can be reproduced while supporting the more serious rocketry vendors. Let Estes sell those skeleton things. I'll buy Semroc repros or BMS nose cones and tubes.

 

[BlueNinja]

Any of the NCR line. I've seen the InterceptorG fly on a G64, wowie that's an AWESOME model.

 

[Rocketmaniac]

another vote for any NCR models. I've seen several pictures but never seen the actual rockets....... Come one cloners........

 

[vjp]

This topic seems to come up every three or four months.

Don't know if it will do any good, but here are my votes:

(1) Orbital Transport (another re-release please!)
(2) Mars Lander, but this time with a 24mm MMT.
(3) Interceptor
(4) Sandhawk
(5) Gyroc

 

[rstaff3]

NCR models AND Darkstar motors!

 

[GlennW]

Pro Series- Patriot, Terrier/Sandhawk, and Jayhawk
Gemini Titan (the original one, with the 2 cluster motor)
Pershing 1A
Little Joe II
Saturn 1B
Space shuttle full stack (but with a D engine mount)
Titan IIIE
Maxi Honest John
E powered V2
Echostar

That would be enough to keep me busy for a long time!

Glenn

 

[Hospital_Rocket]

Originally posted by DynaSoar
None. Let them make their money on the throw-away market. There's plenty of suppliers out there with enough parts, and enough of the old plans available, that old kits can be reproduced while supporting the more serious rocketry vendors. Let Estes sell those skeleton things. I'll buy Semroc repros or BMS nose cones and tubes.

...what he said.

I would much prefer to see growth in the small supplier market with clones or near-clones.

OTOH, a return of the Darkstar motors would be nice.

 

[loopy]

All the pro series rockets
Ramjet

 

[Micromeister]

Let Estes stay with the Model rocket market:

Mini Bomarc
Gliding Bomarc
NightHawk glider
Mars lander
1/70th Saturn IB
Interceptor
Aerobee-300
Gemini-Titan clustered

 

[scottrc]

I would like to get another Space Shuttle. the wooden wing one that would to great horizontal flights at head level . I bid a on few on ebay but dont feel it right to take a second mortgage out to pay for one.

Scott

 

[Fore Check]

If nothing else, I'd like to see a release of kits using the same nose cone as the Alien Invader, USS Hyperion, F61 Starfighter, Torrelian Invader, etc.

Or just a re-release of that cone.

 

[Frank Claunch]

I agree with DynaSoar.

 

[Mini 14]

Hmmmmmm.........

I'd like to see:
1) Der Red Max, because it looks cool and I don't know as I could clone it
2) America, because of it's simplicity. The colorful markings were nice, as was the shiny gold nose cone. An easy clone, but still not quite the same.
3) Cajun, although I haven't flone the original or my clone. Just looks nice. The original was easier to build then the clone if you must have a reason.
4) Optima. A factory kit will be easier then cloning it.

 

[astronboy]

My Vote:

1/100 scale Sat 1b. This sucker goes for a wad of dough on ebay, despite being a relatively recent offering. PLUS: the wraps were used on the Centuri Orion.

Fred

 

[Elapid]

from the beginning...

 

[rabidsheeep]

python
python
python
python
python!

 

[sandman]

I'd like to see them re-release most of the early "K" series kits.

Granted Estes does not like other people to make clones so...either release those designs for the limited run clone makers or do it themselves.

There is a market...not big...but a market just the same.

How about a licencing agreement with someone like Fliskits or SEMROC.

Carl, Jim...I'm not volunteering you for this! Licence them with a company LIKE Fliskits or SEMROC

 

[wickball]

Mars Lander, Please!!!

 

[jflis]

Yep, i am sure there *is* a market for them. But, as you comment Sandman, a company *like* FlisKits, but not us We're happy producing *new* designs that capture the imagination just like those 60's kits did, but without the "clone" part

If I had *my* druthers, I'd like to see:

Farside and Farside X
Gyroc
Omega
Saturn 1B 1:70 scale
Cluster Gemini
Scout

all done *original*, not "new-age"
jim

 

[dtomko]

Personally, I never thought I would see the Scissor-Wing Transport rereleased, and I'm glad anytime Estes digs into their past. Of course, they rereleased the Scissor-Wing, Mercury Redstone, and Orbital Transport after I had started cloning them! If my streak holds, they must be ready to rerelease the Interceptor!
I love the really old stuff, but a) they're easy to clone, and b) Semroc has a number of oldies in beautiful kits. With FlisKits, Semroc, and others available, we can get our fix of balsa cone and fin models. The Mars Lander is much easier to clone with the Outlander available, same for the Red Max with the Sceamin' Mimi.
So, I'd like to see the unique ones that had plastic parts: The Mercury Atlas, Space Shuttle stack, 1/100 Saturn 1B and Centuri Orion. I wonder if Estes still has the molds for the wraps for the last two.
Drew Tomko

 

[gothique_97]

Nike Apache [with a 24mm motor mount]
Der Red Max or Hobgoblin
Der V-3
Cobra 1500

 

[Fore Check]

Originally posted by gothique_97
Nike Apache [with a 24mm motor mount]
Der Red Max or Hobgoblin
Der V-3
Cobra 1500

"Hobgoblin"? Do you mean "Goblin"?

All of those are pretty simple clone projects, and the plans are all available between YORS and JimZ's.

Well, the Nike Apache's transition is a unique part. Sandman could surely turn the basic shape, but the 3 indentations would have to be cut in by hand.

This observation brings me around to where I was going in my original post in this thread. I agree with the folks who point out that most of the stuff is available to clone most of the "classics." And, quite frankly, I get more enjoyment from cloning and such than I do just working from a bagged kit.

What I'd like to see Estes re-release are the *parts* to do these cloning projects. The Alien Invader cone for one. Also, the Starship/Scout Ship Nova cone and the Manta Bomber/Attack Craft Orion cone come to mind. There are others.

 

[gothique_97]

Originally posted by Fore Check
"Hobgoblin"? Do you mean "Goblin"?

D'OH! (deduct 5 points from March's score for confusing the Estes kit with the NCR upscale kit)

Actually, maybe I did mean the upscale kit...

I agree with the folks who point out that most of the stuff is available to clone most of the "classics." And, quite frankly, I get more enjoyment from cloning and such than I do just working from a bagged kit.

Sure, more of a pay-off for a completed project.

I listed stuff from a point of view of nostalgia for building the kits, not just for the kits themselves. And, well, there's also a factor of how to build build them better [which comes out of hindsight, of course]. OTOH, building the designs better lends itself very nicely to cloning.

 

[sandman]

Sandman could surely turn the basic shape,

I sure could!

I have those Estes parts and I have duplicated them for my own use...someday!

I also have the plastic transition from the Pro Series Terrier/Sandhawk as well as all the Sandhawk parts.

I bought some poorly "built" and painted models off of Ebay just for the parts.

 

[gpoehlein]

I have but one word to say here:

Skydart!

I've wanted one of those since I picked up my 1972 Estes catalog at my local hobby shop (yes, in 1972). Never got one. Yes, I could (and will) clone it, but...

In a related note, anyone think of how dumb said "E" company can be at times? Consider: They tooled up for a set of injection molds to reproduce the BNC-20B in plastic. They used it in exactly one kit - the limited edition (one year only) Orbital Transport. They've never used it again in any other kit. Now, I don't own a rocketry company and I don't play anyone who does on TV, but if I did, and I paid for a set of molds for a new nose cone (I KNOW they ain't cheap!), I think I'd use them in a few other kits just to get my money's worth out of them! If they put that sucker on a small (Wizard or Viking) type rocket, they'd sell a blue million of that kit to people like me who would love to have more of them to kitbash into other rockets!

Greg

 

[sandman]

They tooled up for a set of injection molds to reproduce the BNC-20B in plastic.

Greg,

I wondered about that myself!

If is was just a limited run...well..

I wondered why didn't they just get them in balsa from BMS.

Bill at BMS must have at least 200 of those made or could do that many in a hurry.