SR-71 "never to be made again by Estes"

[Shreadvector]

http://www.estesrockets.com/store/sr-71-blackbirdtm.html

Lockheed licensing issues?

(I'll let you folks phone them and ask. I'll just wait for the Micheal's clearance sale...:p )

[tbzep]

Lockheed licensing issues?

They started selling them in 1982 (Centuri) and 1985 (Estes). That's almost 30 years. Seems like there wouldn't be any issues unless Estes/Centuri signed a 30 year license agreement that is about to expire. Maybe the Chinese govt. confiscated the parts molds. :eek: :p

[ghrocketman]

The Centuri Kit (MagnumB-D powered) is much larger than the Estes one, yet has far less detail.
The Centuri Kit had a BT-60 Central fuselage that was not the correct scale profile like the Estes kit.
It could BARELY even be considered "semi-scale" !

[tbzep]

The Centuri Kit (MagnumB-D powered) is much larger than the Estes one, yet has far less detail.
The Centuri Kit had a BT-60 Central fuselage that was not the correct scale profile like the Estes kit.
It could BARELY even be considered "semi-scale" !

It used the name, therefore it had to be licensed by them. We know the history of Centuri/Estes merging. That's why I mentioned it.

[ghrocketman]

Oh okay, tbzep.
Just wanted to make sure that it was known they were two separate kits.
I actually have been trying to obtain the Centuri version for years to no avail.
One sold a couple of years ago on ebay for an IGNORANT amount of money.
Think it was over $200 which was about 3 times what I was willing to pay.

[falingtrea]

http://www.estesrockets.com/store/sr-71-blackbirdtm.html

Lockheed licensing issues?

(I'll let you folks phone them and ask. I'll just wait for the Micheal's clearance sale...:p )

Heheh, the Micheal's I checked earlier this week had it on clearance already. :) Screaming Eagle too!

[InFlight]

I'm thinking the market is saturated with these kits anyway. :p

.

[tbzep]

Think it was over $200 which was about 3 times what I was willing to pay.
OUCH! :eek:


.

[ghrocketman]

Yeah ouch to $200+ !
I bid up to $70 and my have went to what I thought was an outrageous $100 for the kit but no more.
When I went back to check on my bid, it was over $130 with almost two days to go on the auction. I thought that was an absurd amount to pay.
Somebody just must have HAD to get that kit to complete their collection or something.
I think it went for just shy of $210.00.
That's about in the ballpark of what I will pay for a Centuri 1/45 scale Little Joe II or Estes K-29 Saturn 1B, not some stand-WAY-off scale SR-71 kit.

[rokitflite]

They started selling them in 1982 (Centuri) and 1985 (Estes). That's almost 30 years. Seems like there wouldn't be any issues unless Estes/Centuri signed a 30 year license agreement that is about to expire. Maybe the Chinese govt. confiscated the parts molds. :eek: :p


Sigh... I won't buy another one darn it!!! I have 2 of the Centuri ones and 4 of the Estes ones in kit form. Everytime I heard a rumor that the Estes ones were being discontinued I bought a couple. Then they brought em back again! I even have two of the Nightwing (?) things that used the SR-71 nose cone when I heard THEY were being discontinued. I built 1 in the past 20+ years. That gives me an 80 year supply.

Still sorry to see it go though... It DOES look cool :(

[jamjammer53150]

I have 2 of hem , the boxed one and the clear plasic one. However ever since my disaster of the quest X-15 , I cant build anything black with wings

[JRThro]

Sigh... I won't buy another one darn it!!! I have 2 of the Centuri ones and 4 of the Estes ones in kit form. Everytime I heard a rumor that the Estes ones were being discontinued I bought a couple.
Scott, can you really ever have too many kits?

[tbzep]

I have 2 of hem , the boxed one and the clear plasic one. However ever since my disaster of the quest X-15 , I cant build anything black with wings

Paint it white and call it the Whitebird. ;)

[Shreadvector]

Paint it white and call it the Whitebird. ;)

Here's an earworm for you old hippies:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cin0QzuEss

[tbzep]

Here's an earworm for you old hippies:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cin0QzuEss

Another one hit wonder. I haven't heard that one since I was a kid in the mid 70's, most likely picked up from 500 miles away on WLS (AM station) when they were music radio.

The only other "rock" stations I could pick up were FM. One was an AOR station that was guitar rock oriented, and the other was Rick Dees' (Disco Duck) home station in Memphis. I know it wouldn't have been played there.

[Shreadvector]

Another one hit wonder. I haven't heard that one since I was a kid in the mid 70's, most likely picked up from 500 miles away on WLS (AM station) when they were music radio.

The only other "rock" stations I could pick up were FM. One was an AOR station that was guitar rock oriented, and the other was Rick Dees' (Disco Duck) home station in Memphis. I know it wouldn't have been played there.

The main dude who plays the violin has appeared as the annoying violin guy at dinner tables on 3 different major sitcoms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_LaFlamme

[rokitflite]

Scott, can you really ever have too many kits?

YES!!! :mad:

[JRThro]

YES!!! :mad:
In that case, I know where you can ship some of them to reduce your inventory.
:p

[jetlag]

I would have sworn the female voice was that of the illustrious Grace Slick. But I don't think it is.
Allen

[Shreadvector]

I would have sworn the female voice was that of the illustrious Grace Slick. But I don't think it is.
Allen

Pattie Santos

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_a_Beautiful_Day

[sam_midkiff]

Another one hit wonder. I haven't heard that one since I was a kid in the mid 70's, most likely picked up from 500 miles away on WLS (AM station) when they were music radio.

The only other "rock" stations I could pick up were FM. One was an AOR station that was guitar rock oriented, and the other was Rick Dees' (Disco Duck) home station in Memphis. I know it wouldn't have been played there.

I remember the entire album as being great, and at one point it was very hard to get, and expensive, because it was out of print and no CD had been released. Kind of a cult classic. I haven't listened to it lately, so I'm not sure how I would like it now.

Sam

[Royatl]

Another one hit wonder. I haven't heard that one since I was a kid in the mid 70's, most likely picked up from 500 miles away on WLS (AM station) when they were music radio.

The only other "rock" stations I could pick up were FM. One was an AOR station that was guitar rock oriented, and the other was Rick Dees' (Disco Duck) home station in Memphis. I know it wouldn't have been played there.

'Hot Summer Day' was pretty popular as well around here. Definitely a FM "progressive" favorite.

In the mid-70's, copies of the album were fairly valuable as they had contractual problems with the label and didn't make any subsequent pressing. We had to lock up our copy at the radio station and DJ's had to request it ahead of time (or the ones on during office hours could get a manager to get it for them). When we finally got a stereo cart [1] machine, we put 'White Bird' on a cart so that it would be available.





Radio trivia, if you want to read it:

[1] Radio Cartridges were like 8-Track tapes, endless loop tapes in cartridges. Except they were heavy duty and short (10, 15, 30, 60 seconds, 2-5-10 minutes). Perfect for commercials, short announcements, news stories. Since those were the main uses, they were mono until the mid-70's.

Then someone figured out they could automate entire radio stations by making them stereo, put them in a big changer, push a button and forget. Since most stations' playlists were thirty to sixty songs: you'd have one changer for music, another changer for commercials and DJ tracks, and a controller to run it all.

Some stations were run like that during certain dayparts well into this century. Now, of course, you can program entire stations with much larger playlists on one PC. A DJ sitting here in Atlanta can be your local DJ anywhere in the country, and tell you about your local weather and traffic.
I know one of these 'voice tracking' announcers. Gave her her first job in the biz 31 years ago.

[tbzep]

Radio trivia, if you want to read it:

[1] Radio Cartridges were like 8-Track tapes, endless loop tapes in cartridges. Except they were heavy duty and short (10, 15, 30, 60 seconds, 2-5-10 minutes). Perfect for commercials, short announcements, news stories. Since those were the main uses, they were mono until the mid-70's.

Then someone figured out they could automate entire radio stations by making them stereo, put them in a big changer, push a button and forget. Since most stations' playlists were thirty to sixty songs: you'd have one changer for music, another changer for commercials and DJ tracks, and a controller to run it all.

Some stations were run like that during certain dayparts well into this century. Now, of course, you can program entire stations with much larger playlists on one PC. A DJ sitting here in Atlanta can be your local DJ anywhere in the country, and tell you about your local weather and traffic.
I know one of these 'voice tracking' announcers. Gave her her first job in the biz 31 years ago.

All you have to do is watch WKRP in Cincinnati reruns to see the old carts. :cool:

Here are a couple of examples. There were others, I've seen some with dimensions similar to Betamax tape, but clear plastic like these two.
http://www.8trackheaven.com/broadcast.html

[Royatl]

All you have to do is watch WKRP in Cincinnati reruns to see the old carts. :cool:

Here are a couple of examples. There were others, I've seen some with dimensions similar to Betamax tape, but clear plastic like these two.
http://www.8trackheaven.com/broadcast.html

WKRP was a really well written show. Not that far from reality (I've met ALL those stereotypes, even in my brief foray into the business), and the radio studio set appears to be properly equipped (for that era).

Though we were much closer to our console than Johnny and Venus, and around that time (1980) a lot of people started to stand, rather than sit, while the mic was open. Part of that was that before, we "slip-cued" records. The turntable was covered in felt; we held the record by the edge while the turntable was turning, with the needle positioned right at the start of the track; then as soon as we let go, the track was playing. That's because, if we threw a switch to start it, the motor would take a second to come to speed, you'd hear the gearing in the turntable, and the sudden start might make the needle skip. Turntables started to become available by then that came up to speed immediately with direct-drive motors. Ah, progress.



Yes, of course I know it's off-topic!

[JRThro]

Some stations were run like that during certain dayparts well into this century.
"dayparts"?

Is that some kind of neologism?
:D

[gpoehlein]

Gee - memories!

I was a volunteer announcer at our local Public Radio station for several years - At that time, CDs were still getting going so we had a pretty good library of vinyl, and we had a couple of cart machines in the studio as well. It was really interesting - I loved running the board. Now, of course, it is all automated so you really don't need anyone there for the most part (except for public radio where you still actually announce the pieces of music). I'm sorry, but putting all the music on digital drives may be efficient and cost effective, but it ain't near as much fun as doing it the old way! :p

Greg

[tbzep]

I'm sorry, but putting all the music on digital drives may be efficient and cost effective, but it ain't near as much fun as doing it the old way! :p
Greg

Don't forget syndicated stuff, usually morning commute time and prime time hours. :rolleyes:

Bob and Tom, Johnboy and Billy, Alice Cooper, Greg Khin, and the list goes on and on. At least there is some music on the prime time slots. Nothing but gimmick junk in the morning syndicated slots.

[Shreadvector]

Terrestrial radio is now a wasteland:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=sal%20and%20richard%20tradeo&btnG=Google+Search