*NEW* Falcon 9/Dragon kits!

[blackshire]

Hello All,

Having missed out on getting one of SpaceX's Falcon 9/Dragon scale model rocket kits that they sold through Amazon.com (see: www.amazon.com/SpaceX-Falcon-Dragon-Flying-Rocket/dp/B006GX14R8/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top ), today I called SpaceX (see: www.spacex.com ) to ask when the kits would be available again. The lady I spoke with told me that they have placed an order for another production run of the kits. Also:

She added that she couldn't give me an estimate of when the kits will be available, but she said that while SpaceX will sell this new run of kits through Amazon.com (having sold my book through Amazon.com, I understand why, as Amazon.com handles all of the ordering & shipping process), SpaceX will eventually sell the Falcon 9/Dragon kits directly. When I suggested to her that the Falcon Heavy would also make a good scale model rocket kit, she confirmed that they are also thinking along those lines. Needless to say, all of this news made my day! :-) In addition:

I e-mailed a link to Gus' "Model Rocket Self-Adhesive Body Wrap Application Tutorial" (see: http://forums.rocketshoppe.com/showthread.php?t=10456 ) to SpaceX. If they posted the link on their web site to help the builders of their kits, it would be great PR for SpaceX, Gus, model rocketry in general, *and* our humble little forum here...

[Gus]

I e-mailed a link to Gus' "Model Rocket Self-Adhesive Body Wrap Application Tutorial" (see: http://forums.rocketshoppe.com/showthread.php?t=10456 ) to SpaceX. If they posted the link on their web site to help the builders of their kits, it would be great PR for SpaceX, Gus, model rocketry in general, *and* our humble little forum here...


Thanks a bunch!

Steve

[blackshire]

Thanks a bunch!

SteveYou're most welcome! I will definitely make use of your body tube wrap application tutorial when I get one of SpaceX's new-production Falcon 9/Dragon model rocket kits.

[jetlag]

I have one I haven't built yet.
I have been wanting another, so thanks, Jason!

Also, Steve, your tutorial is outstanding! I, too, will make good use of it!

Allen

[blackshire]

I have one I haven't built yet.
I have been wanting another, so thanks, Jason!

Also, Steve, your tutorial is outstanding! I, too, will make good use of it!

AllenYou're welcome! I was just thinking that if we contacted SpaceX (see: www.spacex.com ) and e-mailed them (at: sales@spacex.com ) encouraging messages such as, "...looking forward to purchasing the Falcon 9/Dragon model when it's available again, and the Falcon Heavy would also make a great scale model rocket kit...," getting positive feedback (or "feedforward," in this case) from many model rocketeers would reassure SpaceX that the kits would generate a stable (if small) secondary stream of income for them, as well as being great promotional items for the company.

[Royatl]

You're welcome! I was just thinking that if we contacted SpaceX (see: www.spacex.com ) and e-mailed them (at: sales@spacex.com ) encouraging messages such as, "...looking forward to purchasing the Falcon 9/Dragon model when it's available again, and the Falcon Heavy would also make a great scale model rocket kit...," getting positive feedback (or "feedforward," in this case) from many model rocketeers would reassure SpaceX that the kits would generate a stable (if small) secondary stream of income for them, as well as being great promotional items for the company.


I sent an email to them after our launch last week where a club member mentioned not being able to get one as I was putting mine up on the pad. Haven't gotten an answer yet.

I recall maybe Initiator001 mentioning that some SpaceX employees were at a DART launch late last year testing out a Falcon 9 Heavy model. And I know Steve Jurvetson has a picture on flickr of such a beast -- three Falcon 9 kits put together with shorter outboards with big bertha noses, and lifted by a D motor --> Falcon9 Heavy Model (http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6648250799_3c95aa4219.jpg)

[blackshire]

I sent an email to them after our launch last week where a club member mentioned not being able to get one as I was putting mine up on the pad. Haven't gotten an answer yet.

I recall maybe Initiator001 mentioning that some SpaceX employees were at a DART launch late last year testing out a Falcon 9 Heavy model. And I know Steve Jurvetson has a picture on flickr of such a beast -- three Falcon 9 kits put together with shorter outboards with big bertha noses, and lifted by a D motor --> Falcon9 Heavy Model (http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6648250799_3c95aa4219.jpg)I've never gotten an e-mail response from SpaceX, either--their telephone number (which I called when I talked with the lady there this week) is 310-363-6000. Thank you for posting the link to the Falcon Heavy (SpaceX seems to have dropped the "9" out of its name, similar to how the LEM became the LM) model photograph! If SpaceX brings out a Falcon Heavy kit (and the lady I spoke with there said that they are looking into it), I hope they either make it a parallel-staged kit or design it so that it can readily be made a parallel-staged model by those who wish to do it.