The Return of SEMROC
 

This will be an unofficial poll of sorts, as to what people may be looking for as SEMROC prepares to ramp up. I'm not saying operations will start today, tomorrow, or next week, but Randy did ask if I was seeing any trends in the forums. I kinda looked around and not being very good at this, decided I would just pose the question. Keeping in mind he would probably start with some of the simpler kits to get a feel for how this works, what kits are you looking for in the near and intermediate future from SEMROC? List as many as you want, just looking for a couple of trends to kick things off.

Thanks

Mike

The kits that aren't easily cloned. I can scratchbuild about 98% of the kits ever released from most of the manufactureres. It's the ones with special parts that are troublesome.

Kits with embossed wraps like the Saturn 1B and Mars Lander would be at the top of my list. After that, kits with lots of little intricate parts like the USS America and SST Shuttle. I already have these kits, but I do not have replacements. I am very reluctant to launch any of them knowing a flight failure would mean a very labor intensive repair or scratch built replacement. I know this type of rocket is at the opposite end of the spectrum from what SEMROC plans to release first, but I can clone a 3FN or 4FN rocket, including turning the nose cone and making decals, in my sleep.

For me the big deal is not kits but parts. I went on several binges buying kits when Sheryl announced she and Bruce were going to shut down and have more than I'll be able to build in my lifetime. I did miss a couple that I wanted to get (mainly from the SLS line) but otherwise I'm not really looking for more kits any time soon.

But that doesn't stop me from scratch building my own designs for both sport and competition and Semroc has been my dream parts supplier over the past five plus years. They have been my go-to place for tubes of both Estes and Centuri sizes (and including clear tubing for payload sections in more-than-4-inch lengths), stage couplers, ply disks to fit them so they can be made into payload bulkheads, engine hooks, and more. Some of that stuff is available from other suppliers but what Semroc carried all in one place was unmatched. I would love to be able to rely in that resource again.

I don't have the space or tools to make my own as tbzep does.

I agree with him on which kits would be priority, though - the ones that are hard to clone on one's own.

I wholeheartedly second what tbzep just said.
Saturn 1B, Mars Lander, Orion (not Baby), SST Shuttle, and Astron Shrike.
I would also throw in the following kits: SLS Hustler, SLS Lil Hustler, SLS Aero Dart, and the Orbital Transport.

I bought a V-2 (K-22 clone) kit back in 2013, but never completed building it because I was frankly doing a crap job of it. I've considered trying again with an ASP V-2 kit but if the Semroc kit came back I'd likely buy that.

And I'd probably buy a Saturn 1B if I could.

The Enerjet kits come to mind, as does the Centuri ESS Raven, but it's the parts that have made up the bulk of my orders. I just throw the kits in because I can. I'm only now starting to get to some of the stuff I ordered back in the beginning.

I agree with what has been said above. Semroc IMHO brought three things to the table:

A broad product line, including, and most importantly, PARTS.

Very fair pricing. Carl and company were never in it to make a boatload of money overnight.

Unbeatable and personalized service.

If the new owners follows in their footsteps, they can't go wrong.


Joe

I am going to be radical and agree with GH, and add the Athena. Even if you have to raise parts prices 10-15% to offset the obvious groove Carl was in, that would still be quite fair.

I would suggest a barbell approach. Focus on parts and the larger more complicated kits (Saturn 1B), and as you go along populate the simple kits. That's what I do and it works. I have been making kits about as long as Semroc, hiatus subtracted.

Make clear on the website what is in stock and what is not. Have a link for reservations. Solved.

Business Mangler Jerry

I agree. For me Semroc was all about the parts. I also binge bought parts that I could only get from Semroc when they were closing. When I heard Randy bought it, I was hoping that Carl's 1/10th scale line might expand. He had a number of 1/10th scale parts listed and I got as many of those as were left. He had parts for the WAC Corporal and ALL of the Nike- sounding rockets as well as Aerobee and Astrobee in 1/10 scale.

Bottom line: reconstitute the parts and tube inventory. All the little three- and four fins and a nose cone could probably wait.


P.S. look at the kits Carl was working on, like the Saturn V or the V-2 as a tribute.

:D I disagree, everyone should buy the awesome USR V-2 2.25". :D From Apogee.