I'm new to this hobby and I'm wondering about good places to buy kits and supplies. I prefer to buy over the internet and i'd rather have good info than the lowest prices. I found what seems like a new site at www.heavenlyhobbies.com that seems excellent with some unusual items (and a very clean looking web design), and also www.discountrocketry.com which seems more cookie cutter but with lots of items. Can anyone recommend these sites as reliable or others? Thanks

To be honest I've never heard of the first one Heavenlyhobbies and I've never ordered from Discountrocketry but I have ordered directly from SEMROC

http://www.semroc.com

from Fliskits.

http://fliskits.com/

and from Apogee components.

http://www.apogeerockets.com/site_map.asp

with good results.

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"I'm a sandman. I've never killed anyone. I terminate runners when their time is up." Logan from "Logan's Run"

http://sandmandecals.com/

I can heartily endorse each of the vendors Sandman has mentioned.

As for Discount Rocketry, they proved to be the only source for the the 1/100th scale manned launch vehicles and helped me get one of each, despite the rarity of the 1/100 Mercury Atlas.

Another with both 'cloner' kits as well as some nice kits of his own is Thrustline Aerospace at www.thrustaero.com John has done some interesting model & mid-power rockets, and his Arapahoe E and Mars Probe are on my shopping list, but I still have not placed an order.

Always share your experiences as well. Others can benefit from learning of other vendors you have dealt with.

All the Best to You.

Glen A.

NAR 26298 L1

I have ordered tons of rocket items from Discount Rocketry and have never had any problems. Semroc is also great. A few more goo resources are:

Apogee Rocketry, Flis kits, Giant Leap Rocketry, E-hobbies, Whats-Up Hobbies just to name a few.

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The Rocketaholic

Don't forget Unkle Mikes!

http://www.unclemikesrocketshack.com/

BTW, if you need some custom nose cones or tail cones...just email me!

And if you want decals well then contact Excelcior.

http://www.excelsiorrocketry.com/

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"I'm a sandman. I've never killed anyone. I terminate runners when their time is up." Logan from "Logan's Run"

http://sandmandecals.com/

Discount Rocketry was excellent when Kevin Funk owned it. I haven't had any experience with the new ownership.

Semroc is as good as you can possibly get when it comes to quality and customer service. I've never ordered from Fliskits because I'm more into the classics that Semroc has, but after getting to know Jim on this forum, and knowing what he does for youth in rocketry, I wouldn't hesitate to send him a blank check and trust him to do what's right.

There's no mention as to where you're from, but here in Texas, I usually try to support our
area vendors first (Squirrel's Works, Art Applewhite's Rockets, Launch Pad 2000, Hawks
Hobby, QuickBurst, Red River Rocketry) and several out of state vendors (PDRocketry, SEMROC, BMS, to name a few off the top of my head). If there's a Hobby Lobby retailer (or Michael's) near you, you can check and see what they have (mostly Estes stuff). Even some Wal-Marts may have a good selection of kits (varies from store to store -- based on personal experience in my area).

BTW, welcome to model rocketry and this forum!!

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Dave, NAR # 21853 SR.

I usually buy my engines from hobbylinc.com. They have very reasonable prices. When I found that it was nearly impossible to find a 12 exposure roll of 110 cartridge film anymore, I ordered 6 or 7 packs of C6-7's from them ( for my AstroCam 110 ) and saved a bundle!

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John Lance Ladd
Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems
Grovers Mill, NJ
Established 1938
lladd.netau.net

I have had good service with Discount Rocketry even after Kevin Funk owned the company. The new ownership of Discount Rocketry has maintained the same great service.

I understand about supporting the local vendors. The ones you mentioned such as Art Applewhite is another unique vendor. There is a plethora of great rocket suppliers out there the ones mentioned here have done great.

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The Rocketaholic

Checked out the Heavenly Hobbies site--it is cool and they have a unique mix of rocket kits. The only problem is the shipping--$39.99 flat rate to Canada! I e-mailed about that and am awaiting a reply.