Will Hobby Lobby discontinue Rockets?

[cwbullet]

FWIW, both the HobbyTown USA shops I visit with any sort of frequency have pretty extensive rocketry sections, albeit with most everything at MSRP. The nearest one does sell bulk boxes of motors for less to support school groups, which I appreciate.

I visited two yesterday. Previously, they had no kits or motors. Today, they had a few motors and kits. All Estes and no Aerotech. I stand corrected.

 

[Rob Campbell]

I visited two yesterday. Previously, they had no kits or motors. Today, they had a few motors and kits. All Estes and no Aerotech. I stand corrected.

I was in Richmond, Virginia over the Holidays and the Richmond HobbyTown USA carries both Estes and Aerotech kits and motors. The Hobbytown USA in Mobile, Alabama is Estes only. Apparently, selection varies from store to store.

 

[Scott_650]

I was in Richmond, Virginia over the Holidays and the Richmond HobbyTown USA carries both Estes and Aerotech kits and motors. The Hobbytown USA in Mobile, Alabama is Estes only. Apparently, selection varies from store to store.

And, supposedly, Hobbytown will order items for you - I tried that once at our local HT and got the “you have to talk to So-and-So, they’re the only one who does that and they’re not in today” routine - turned to mail order and only used HT when they had Estes motors on sale.

Hobby Lobby does included shipping on $50 and up orders over select weekends, it’s a great way to stock up on common 13/18/24mm Estes motors.

 

[Banzai88]

I was in Richmond, Virginia over the Holidays and the Richmond HobbyTown USA carries both Estes and Aerotech kits and motors. The Hobbytown USA in Mobile, Alabama is Estes only. Apparently, selection varies from store to store.

The manager of our local Virginia Beach HT is a friend of mine. He tells me that the individual managers/owners/franchisee has some latitude to tailor their local inventory and selection.

That being said, my local HT has a smattering of Quest and Estes motors and kits, but certainly about half of what they carried just a few years ago despite our local club being very active.

 

[AeroTech]

Have you considered reintroducing them at HL?

We’ve tried many times. Unfortunately HL believes they only need to carry one brand of hobby rocket products.

 

[dwinings]

There are not many of them that carry rockets.

The three closest to me all do.

 

[cwbullet]

The three closest to me all do.

You missed a post further down.

 

[pdooley]

Will Hobby Lobby discontinue rockets? I don't know, but i stopped by the store today in Lutz, FL.
No Goblins or Citation Patriot, no Green Eggs, and no F motors.
But they did have B4's, D12's and E12's. plenty of baby berthas and 2 Olympus(now 1)
they had other rocs like ESAM and Hi Flyer, and the big Hi Flyer, swift, etc.

 

[SolarYellow]

I really wish they would stock the long-delay motors other than B and C: A8-5, D12-7, E12-8. Add A3-6T, while they're at it. They are my most-used motors, but I can only find them online or (some) with really thick dust on them at the LHS. I don't trust old stock around here with the humidity.

It may be because of Estes' totally bogus description that the longest delays are only for sustainers on multi-stage rockets. LOTS of their stock rockets, when built according to the instructions, want the longest delays to eject without threatening to tear the threads out of their parachutes.

 

[pdooley]

was traveling in ATL, got to check out HL in Dunwoody. usual small selection on rockets, did see 1 Cherokee E, not a fan though.
also saw the ESAM, and noticed 3 different price tags on the 5 kits. naturally had to buy the "bargain" kit priced lowest, at $11.99.

 

[John Kemker]

was traveling in ATL, got to check out HL in Dunwoody. usual small selection on rockets, did see 1 Cherokee E, not a fan though.
also saw the ESAM, and noticed 3 different price tags on the 5 kits. naturally had to buy the "bargain" kit priced lowest, at $11.99.

The HL in Conyers has a decent selection, also.

 

[BigMacDaddy]

I am waiting for someone to say there are HL sales on the discontinued Estes models...

 

[Pappy]

We’ve tried many times. Unfortunately HL believes they only need to carry one brand of hobby rocket products.

create a roc called 'the rapture.' problem solved.

 

[Spitfire222]

I was in Richmond, Virginia over the Holidays and the Richmond HobbyTown USA carries both Estes and Aerotech kits and motors. The Hobbytown USA in Mobile, Alabama is Estes only. Apparently, selection varies from store to store.

Wait, really? I used to live in Richmond, and I've been to that Hobbytown (granted, not too many times after they consolidated the two stores into one, larger store). I don't recall there being Aerotech products there! That's great to hear though.

 

[SolarYellow]

HT USA's pricing seems to be basically MSRP. Not at all like HL where you buy stuff you don't really need just because it's so cheap.

 

[samb]

@pdooley Nice. HL's aversion to modern automated inventory systems has worked in your favor.

 

[dpower]

The ony time I go to HL is for their closeouts - got a heck of a deal on Patriots & Goblins a couple years back, and when they were blowing out F15 motors a few years ago!

I'd much rather patronize real hobby shops, I'm fortunate to have a HobbyTown and a privately owned LHS within a 45 minute drive. Both carry Estes and Aerotech, to different degrees. The HobbyTown carries a limited amount of LOC stuff.

 

[samb]

15th Street, Plano Texas

 

[bad_idea]

15th Street, Plano Texas


View attachment 562055

Two of those Olympuses on the rack at that store were my recent returns. I bought them both at the old price, so maybe they still have that old price on them.

Edit to add: with both of us in the neighborhood, no wonder they carry so much rocket stuff. I probably buy 50+ packs of motors a year there. (Well, maybe a slight exaggeration given how much I buy from AC Supply too.)

 

[arconhi]

I've noticed HL has discontinued 5 rockets this past year (Vapor, Mean Machine, Tazz, Leaper, Luna Bug) and added nothing new. The Buyer for HL has some very poor choices IMO (the Vapor was a steal at $14.99 IMO) and they don't seem to sell very much. I've spent over $900 this year (engines, wadding, some rockets) and it doesn't seem like too many others buy the stuff. Has anyone else noticed the same? I love HL as they have Balsa, Basswood, streamer materials, and other supplies but I feel like they are moving away from Rocketry.

Not a big selection of rockets , supplies or motors near me in Virginia Beach Va. It does seem to have dwindled. The motor prices are very good.

 

[arconhi]

I thought with the yellow price stickers, they were going to stop carrying rockets. I bought quiet a bit from them. First thing i grabed was a Cherokee D an all the E12-4 and 6 engines they had for $17.99 The next week the guy was restocking the stuff i just bought ! As long as they keep hanging those engines on the wall at that price i"ll keep buying them.

Engine prices there are very cheap. I stock up too on them.

 

[pdooley]

15th Street, Plano Texas


View attachment 562055

looks very similar to the inventory in FL and GA. I thought of taking a picture after I left the store

 

[4regt4]

So, where are their customers launching this stuff? Especially those E motors. It seems there are a lot of rocket people who are not here on this forum, nor participating at local events. Lone eagle types, but they need some decent land.

Hans.

 

[bad_idea]

The photo @samb posted above was taken in a store that's two miles from a public park that allows launches up to D impulse. No Es though.

 

[Banzai88]

Wait, really? I used to live in Richmond, and I've been to that Hobbytown (granted, not too many times after they consolidated the two stores into one, larger store). I don't recall there being Aerotech products there! That's great to hear though.

The HT in VA Beach also carries Estes, Aerotech, and Quest.

 

[pdooley]

Huh.. I don't think anyone in charge of parks knows about motor impulse in FL. i couldn't imagine them getting that technical. they would either ban or allow

The photo @samb posted above was taken in a store that's two miles from a public park that allows launches up to D impulse. No Es though.

I'm not sure the authorities around here would know enough to ban a specific impulse motor or what that even meant.

 

[samb]

@pdooley The parks and rec folks were savvy enough to know that bigger motors generally mean bigger models, higher altitude, larger safe recovery area. The field where we have permission to fly is rather small and the impulse limit is a convenient way to signal "LPR only folks, and if you push it and the neighbors complain you wont like the outcome." It's worked out very well for almost 15 years.

 

[BornAgainRocketeer#37]

15th Street, Plano Texas


View attachment 562055

Looks identical to our New Bern, NC Hobby Lobby!

 

[Charles Botkin]

When your out in the more western part of Texas you just launch in your own back yard or at a friends place..
The small ranches out there are measured in hundreds of acres and the medium ones are measured in miles.

 

[BEC]

15th Street, Plano Texas


View attachment 562055

That's what a fully stocked rocket section looks like around here. The Tacoma store I was in this afternoon had no "3 Bandits" kits or any Estes Altimeters (empty hooks), but otherwise looked like that.

Nothing on sale except for a Rocket Science motor pack (last 18mm hook on the lower right) that was missing the A8-3.

The biggest "what were they thinking??" for the current arrangement is only having C6-0s. The Epic II, which is the only two-stager they currently carry, even C6-0 to A8-5, is 1000 feet or so. (The model is identical to the Sterling Silver save for the livery. All the parts except the decals are the same.)