My favorite Estes Catalog

This post is an idea that just popped into my head when I was pondering the eternal question "What the heck am I gonna blog about this week? It occurred to me that my old Estes catalogs are like old friends to me, taking me back to a simpler, more exciting time. Then I wondered if I were pushed to pick a favorite, which one would it be? The answer? 1973!

I have decided to take you through my favorite parts of the catalog and tell you what I think is so great about individual pages. I don't do all the pages, and I have skipped a few all-time classics, but these are my personal favorites. So there.

Let's start with the cover. The 1973 cover is resplendent in 1970's artwork, showing an Alpha III blasting toward the sky from a top perspective! You aren't just flying this bird, you're up there with it! Look at all of your friends looking up at you! Great times! Also, a great way to get the ol' imagination going! So let's delve into the guts of this thing...

On the inside cover is a picture of Estes as it was at the time, and a message from Vern Estes himself. I actually like this page not so much for the message (which is pretty much the same one that was in every catalog to that point) but for the picture. You see, when I was a kid my folks and I took a trip to Colorado which included a trip through Penrose. I woke up from my backseat nap just in time to see that building slide by the side of the car and into the distance. Although we didn't stop, it was a glorious experience for a rocket obsessed kid! That's where I had been ordering stuff from! It existed!

Now we have a special page because of what is featured at the bottom. No, not my thumb (which is in all the pictures), but the X-15. I still have mine (although it's in rough shape). This model is as heavy as a brick and flew on mini-engines. Not a great combination, but it looked so cool! Still a favorite!

Ah, the Gooneys. Not the movie, that would be released much later and have nothing to do with rockets, but the quirky little birds that people either love or hate. As a kid I had a Cloud Hopper (purchased at the Radio Shack in Terrell, Tx) and later I cloned a Zoom Broom, which I still have. The others are cool too. Just a fun page!

This page features several great models, but the one from my childhood that I love doesn't really stand out. You see, its the Little John, and its about as plain as you can get. I got it as a "bonus model" when Estes used to throw those in when you ordered enough junk, and I fell in love with it for reasons that I still can't quite understand. I loved it enough to clone it, and I still have the clone...

Not much to say about this one, other than that is the way the Alpha III is supposed to look. Period. Recently Chas Russell painted a Maxi-Alpha III in this scheme and it was beautiful. I hope to follow in his footsteps on that one...

Two of my favorites on one page! The A-20 Demon and the Goblin have always been spiritual brothers, and I have clones of both now. I've written about them in a previous post, but I still love them.

This page stands out because of the Aerobee 300. I had this as a kid and it builds up into a beautiful model, even though it looks kind of plain in the catalog. I plan on cloning this one some day... Also, I always liked the semi-scale Saturn V too...

What can you say about this page that hasn't been said before? I have built two Saturn V's and one Saturn IB. I must say I like the look of the IB best, but I think the V is the more fun build. I might need to build another one pretty soon...

The Citation Series was the gold standard, and the Interceptor was a thing of beauty. That combination makes this page a real winner!

I had an Orbital transport, and I loved it. I have a Semroc kit now that I was going to build, but now that's collectible in its own right. I keep going back and forth or building it or not. By the way, I never owned a Mars Lander, but I love it too.

This page has enough "cool factor" to send rocket geeks into fits. Although I never owned a Cineroc, I did own an original Camroc. I took exactly one picture with it (of DP&W's Flying Boxcar hobby shop) and I gave it to Woody, the owner. As an aside, I will say that I still love film, as opposed to digital.

This page has two great items. First, we have the "Mighty D." Am I the only person that thinks this motor bears a striking resemblance to a shotgun shell? What's not to love? We also have the Solar Launch Controller. I still have mine, and it my estimation Estes never made a prettier one.

I never joined the Estes Aerospace Club, but I love the artwork on this spread. It captures the time perfectly. Well done, Estes!

The back cover highlights the Patriot (no, not the cheater football team, but the actual cool rocket) in the fanciest starter set ever. Again, what's not to love?

So there you have it! I'm sure you have your own favorites that I skipped right over, but these are mine. So until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

DIY Starship Plans!

Ok, not exactly. But if push came to shove, these might help some advanced alien species replicate a Federation Starship. Obviously such information must be a closely guarded government secret, which makes it all the more unusual that I received these plans for Christmas when I was a kid.

The year was 1975 (I think) when my mom gave me these:

I have kept these blueprints safely tucked away in nondescript bookcases for years, so that hostile aliens (I'm lookin' at YOU, Klingon!) wouldn't think to look there. I guess now the cat's out of the bag, though. So, if I should suddenly go missing, you know what happened.

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

NASA in Plastic

I have gone on at some length about how the 1960's were a great time for space related products, and I have shared a few such items here. I think I will do it again! Today we have the AMT model kit, "Men in Space."

To be totally fair, this kit isn't really as much about "men" in space as it is about "red blooded American men" in space. You won't find any commies in this bunch! So, take that, Vostok!

This 1/200 scale kit is actually five kits that celebrate the U.S. manned space program of the 1960's. It features the Mercury Redstone, The Mercury Titan, The Gemini Atlas, The Saturn IB, and The Saturn V.

 The actual models are fairly small in 1/200 scale (which puts the Mercury Redstone standing at 4.75 inches and the Saturn V standing at 23 inches) but it is very interesting to see all five rockets in the correct scale relation to each other. I have used this kit to teach kids about the space program and they are always impressed as to how small our first manned rocket was and how tiny the Apollo capsule was.

Speaking of the Apollo capsule, it helps that all the rockets are actually stacks that come apart into individual stages. In addition, the Saturn IB and the Saturn V come with itty-bitty LEM's and the capsules open to show three teeny-tiny astronauts. The size of the men in relation to the rockets never fails to impress the kids.

Just as a side note, I want to point out that the plastic base didn't come with the kit. I also added 1/32" wire to the base that passes up through the models to keep everything from falling apart. 

The detail on the kits is pretty good for 1/200 scale. The paint schemes on my models are "non mission specific" so they really don't represent any particular mission. They can be painted however you like, of course.

This kit was out of production for a while (in fact, I had to get mine on eBay about 12 years ago) but it has been recently re-released by AMT/ Second Round as a "retro" kit. Its nice that you can walk in to Hobby Lobby and find it back on the shelf! 

So get to your local hobby shop and get yourself some plastic NASA history! 

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

The Quest For the Trek...

Well, happy 2015 everyone! I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Years!

Today, I am going to let you all in on a project I have had brewing in the dimmer recesses of my brain for quite some time. I don't normally let the cat out of the bag on ideas such as these, but telling about my Odyssey project actually made me get it done, so why not? Also, I have a request....but more on that later.

My current dream revolves around the Estes Star Trek Starter Set. As far as classic rockets go, this is not exactly one. All it really is is a plastic nose and fin can with a rather campy body tube decal containing Star Trek images. Still, it has a special place in my heart since I owned one as a kid. I can still remember launching it on a weekend in Caddo with my grandfather. Good times!

The set in the 1976 Estes catalog. Note the incorrect color.

A set on EBay. No, I didn't get it...

And now for my great idea... When I was first getting into the up-scale craze, I had the idea of doing thus rocket. This simple rocket in a large enough scale (say 4 inch diameter, for example) would really be impressive! The problem, however, is with the decals. It seems that since they contain licensed material, noone offers them. I did find a rather low-res scan a while back, but for an upscale, it simply wouldn't work. I even had what I thought was a generous bid on an unopened set being offered on EBay by James Gartrell's grandson, but I was literally outbid at the last second. Ugh!!!

So, this is my request....Can anyone out there point me to a high-res scan of the decals? If you can, I will give you full credit here! Just email me at stu29573@yahoo.com ! Please help, this project depends on you!

Ok, enough begging. Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!