Estes new Saturn V
 

Aldo Spadoni posted this on the ‎National Association of Rocketry facebook page.

I’m very excited and proud to announce that Estes Industries has licensed my artwork to illustrate and promote their upcoming Apollo 11 50th anniversary Saturn V model rocket kit! Building and flying Estes rockets was a big part of my own childhood, and it certainly nurtured my lifelong commitment to the world of Aerospace. I believe this kit will be 1/200 scale. Thanks to my good pal Rick Sternbach for connecting me with Estes general manager Bill Stine (the son of legendary rocket man G. Harry Stine) to make this happen.

Well now we will have the opportunity to see just how the grandmaster of rocket companies does a modern c powered Saturn V. It will be nice to compare it to the other available kits such as the Dr. Zooch, the BMS Alway , Boyce Aerospace, and my own 3D printed scratch hybrid. There is obviously a market for this particular size and style of bird.

The Estes 1/200 scale Saturn V will be an all-plastic, pre-assemble & painted/decaled model.

Flies on C6-3 motors.

Read more about it in the Nov/Dec 2018 issue of Sport Rocketry magazine under the NARAM-60 Manufacturers' Forum article. ;)

Bob, please say you are joking. :eek:

Disappointed in 1/200. Was hoping for something a bit more imposing from Estes for such a big occasion. I'll get this but may have to lash out on the Apogee Sat V.

The 1/100 Saturn V is in the Estes 2018 catalog - release date TBA. Same kit number, 2157, as the last release a couple years ago. Considering who’s running Estes now I think we can all plan on seeing a release of the 1/100 scale kit for the upcoming Apollo anniversary :)

Right. It’s on page 87. Does anyone have any idea what the bonus is going to be? A poster? A sticker? A moon rock?

It was posted on YORF a while back that the 2157 will be back with some minor changes. Some suspected the changes would be to make it a more accurate scale model with changes to ullage motors, etc.

As everyone is beginning to realize, Estes is planning to release two Saturn V rockets to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 next year. One of them is the rerelease of the 1/100 kit as shown in the catalog. The other should be the new ARF/RTF 1/200 smaller version as stated by Initiator001. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a version of the 1/200 that comes with launch equipment, to sell at Target, Hobby Lobby, etc. As for the surprise in the 1/100 kit, it is a supposed to be a surprise (except some people already know what the surprise is).

I am hoping the 1:100 is going to be 29mm BP motor powered.


I can live with removable clear plastic fins as long as I get the long burn F15-4 motor thrill.


And lets use 1/4" launch lugs.

+1 to making the 1/100 Saturn V 29mm powered.
I consider 29mm MINIMUM for any 4" diameter rocket regardless of the overall mass.

If truly RTF plastic like the Cox JUNK in the past, the upcoming 1/200 model is a major disappointment.

Not so much if it's got a lot of scale detail. It will give you an excuse to burn some Quest C12's and D16's.

I actually like the removable clear plastic fins that Centuri used. If you mounted them all the same way, it gave a slow "roll program". Even with the clear slip-ons, the permanent fins were a bit oversized, but not compared to the last balsa finned Estes version. They look like Dumbo ears. If I hadn't lost one of my clear Centuri fins after retiring my Centuri model, I would have made the Estes fins to scale.

As to 29mm mount, it's an easy modification during building. That shouldn't be an excuse for you and GH not to have an F15 flight with 30+ years of building experience! :cool:

I modified my Centuri Saturn V during construction with a removable motor mount after looking at the Centuri Power System Outfit in the catalog. I wanted to be able to fly clusters and single D12's. I was about 12 years old at the time. With all those centering rings the Centuri kit had, I bet it would have handled a 29mm F15 without much fuss.

I'm at the "G------ wraps keep pulling off" stage of my 1999 vintage Saturn V. I'm going to try cleaning the 77 adhesive from the ends and tack them down with CA.

Since the 1/100 built-it kit is returning, I'm OK with a RTF Saturn; it would make a nice gift item, and if it ends up in Target and such, it might bring new kids to the hobby.

Bill Stine told me the 1/200th scale Saturn V should fly very nicely on the Quest Q-Jets. ;)

The 1/200th scale Estes Saturn V is designed for a different market than 'hobbyists' and will capitalize on the upcoming Apollo 11 anniversary.

I think it is a great idea/product. :)

As long as they don't follow Cox's lead and paint the roll pattern upside down, it could be a nice display model for the general nerd and a decent flight model with a Q-Jet for the rocketry nerd. ;)

I have 2 of the Commonwealth 29mm HPR upgrade kits for my next two Saturns.
Large HPR Chute, heavy plywood centering rings, heavy wall 29mm motor tube, Heavy duty SCALE resin fins.
No mamby pamby slip on clear fins either. You use a proper amount of genuine LEAD in the nose for stability.

The 2018 Estes catalog on page 87 shows the 1/100 Saturn V as taking the E12-4 or E30-4. I guess you expert rocketeers will need to modify it for a F motor. As for the 1/200 ARF/RTF, that is for beginners to experience flying a Saturn V during the 50th anniversary. Beginners are important to keep model rocketry going forward (and upward).

That's my good friend Aldo Spadino's artwork.

Your artwork and his has the same type of unique style.

Congrats Aldo on your artwork being selected, great work!

Also, great forward thinking and marketing ideas from Estes to have 2 scales to work with, especially on the 1/200 to interest beginners and catch their eye. Makes perfect business sense to me.

Randy
http://www.vernarockets.com
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HHJHOK6
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O14ET8K
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CX1UPCG
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C95BNQH

I predict the sales of the 1:200 scale RTF to be 100 times the sales of the 1:100 scale kit.

Can they do a run in chocolate for Easter?

Heck, I’ll probably get them for the grandkids, besides several for me. An RTF has huge potential once the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary buzz starts.

And if they do them in chocolate ... well, I hope it’s hollow. I always like the hollow bunnies at Easter. Tastes better, and less fattening :)

Thanks for the clarification of there being two models. In that case, I'm actually excited. Maybe the 1/200 will the surprise in the 1/100 box? :D

And in my surprise, I forgot to mention that the artwork is great!

I like chocolate rockets. They always give me a boost. :D

Plastic RTF's are great for Winter launches / muddy fields. I'll buy one (or two).

I hope so, but since Apollo 11 has nothing to do with a smart phone or a game controller, the anniversary will probably do little to nothing to stir emotions of anyone under 30, possibly even 40.

If you want to build one that size the Balsa Machining one by Peter Alway is darn close at 195th scale.

If you can find one.

I have a couple of them, but I don't have more than 10 of them like SOME guys do. :rolleyes:

Stockpiling 10+ of any discontinued kit is being a bona-fide HoardaQ !

Gee, I ONLY have 2...not for sale! ;)

Please don't think bad of me. Eh, go ahead. :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle:

It might be a sickness........but what a GLORIOUS sickness!

Y'all talk about hording like it's a bad thing.


Verna
http://www.vernarockets.com
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HHJHOK6
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O14ET8K
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CX1UPCG
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C95BNQH

You really need to build a few of the proposed Nova rockets to that scale. ;).

C'mon now...
Hoarding toenail clippings is great... especially when used as pranks to throw into salads, fireplaces, and ashtrays. Nuthin' quite like the aroma of a smouldering ignited toenail clipping.

Nuthin' quite like ordering a mountain-sized platter of nachos and finding a USED BAND-AID halfway thru eating said platter.
Yukkity yuk yuk !

OK, let's all shake our heads and get back on subject.

Good idea.

I predict that the surprise is something to commemorate the moon landing. The specialty marked (round gold circle sticker) 20th anniversary #2001 kit had a poster and a decal in the box. I think this will have something similar.

Heyyy noww...
I'm not the one that brought up toenail clippings and used Band-Aids....I just provided practical (joke) uses for them !!