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-   -   Estes Designers - Their Kits & Works (http://www.oldrocketforum.com/showthread.php?t=1628)

shockwaveriderz 04-12-2007 01:23 PM

roy:

I don't know if Larry Renger was ever an actual employee at Estes or not. I think he may have been in the early 70's. I'll email him and ask him. As for later dates he probably worked as a designer/consultant. Larry worked his entire life as a model/toy designer. The last company he worked for before reatiring a year or two ago was with some Chinese toy company.

It my understanding that the Statoblaster appeared as a plan in one of the model airplane mags before Estes decided to kit it.

Larry also worked at COX for a time or two or three.

Hes a graduate of MIT class of 1963.

hth

terry dean
nar 16158

Gus 04-13-2007 01:11 AM

Tim Van Milligan, owner of Apogee, worked for Estes from 1991 to 1994.
According to his bio on the Apogee site:

" Designed several exciting rockets: CATO, Skywinder (Patent Number: 5,413,514), Omloid, Delta Clipper, and TurboCopter"

DaveR 04-18-2007 10:12 PM

Quote:
I've already asked a couple of YORF folks about this, but I would like to enlist any help that can be found and I assume their might be someone here who does't hang out at the Estes forum much or at all!

I'm trying to get up a list of ALL Estes designers and what they made in this thread. Any knowledge you have to offer would be awesome! And I'll keep an updated copy of the list going here too... I think it would be worthwhile to many interested people to have it in two of the most appropriate places it could be... there and here! So far:

Estes Designers - Their Kits & Works

Wayne Kellner:
- Mars Lander
- Red Max
- K-50 Interceptor


I was perusing an old Sport Rocketry Magazine (Feb '94) tonight and there is an article about the Estes A-20 DEMON (K-58, 1258). According to the article, the DEMON was designed by Wayne Kellner.

Initiator001 04-19-2007 12:40 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sadmug
I was perusing an old Sport Rocketry Magazine (Feb '94) tonight and there is an article about the Estes A-20 DEMON (K-58, 1258). According to the article, the DEMON was designed by Wayne Kellner.


I think I wrote that article. ;)

Bob

Beaker 04-19-2007 10:01 PM

Vern mentioned that his brother Earl developed the Transroc.

Mike Dorffler designed the Pegasus (he told me that back when we ran the plan in Sport Rocketry).

And, just to get obscure, Mary Roberts designed the Airwalker starter set.

Daniel Runyon 04-19-2007 10:13 PM

Much appreciated, all has been added to the list!

What all rockets did Vern himself design?

Beaker 04-20-2007 01:31 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by dwrunyon
What all rockets did Vern himself design?


The only ones that I know of that Vern designed are the Astron Scout and Big Bertha. He also made the Space Plane kit (it was based on John Schutz's first boost glider design, but Vern built a couple dozen variations of it in order to make a model that could be easily built as a kit; perhaps it gets dual credit).

G. Harry Stine designed the Astron Mark (says so right here in catalog #261).

DaveR 04-21-2007 12:12 AM

Quote:
I think I wrote that article.

Bob


:eek: I think you did. COOL! :cool:

Seems I'm about 13 years behind in my reading!

ManofSteele 05-09-2007 08:51 PM

Estes Kit Designers
 
Two of the more prolific designers were Ron McClaren and Dave Meyers.

I don't have a catalog handy, but Ron did as many designs as Dorrfler did at Estes. Just off the top of my head, he did the Moondog, all the Star Wars plastic kits, Sizzler, Long Shot, Mach 12, Python, Silver Comet, all the Mighty Mites, Outlander, SR-X, Intruder, Invader, Raider, and many more.

Dorrfler also did the AIM-9 Sidewinder, the F22, Asteroid Hunter, AstroCam, and many more.

Dave Meyers did a lot of the gliders, including the ARV Condor, Corkscrew, Transwing, the never-produced F117, Sweet V, and the launch pad for the Mighty Mite starter set.

I did the 2157 Saturn V, AstroSat, Banshee, Mk-109 Stingray, Quark, Gemini DC, Firebird, Nike Arrow, Sabre, X-ray, X-Flyers, Heatseeker, Flash, SM-3 Seahawk, Fireflash, Rattler -7, Big Dawg, AIM-120 AMRAAM, Big Daddy for Estes, plus probably some I forgot.

Chris Pearson did the original design for the NCR Phantom. Dan Kafun did the Big Brute and Interceptor G. I did the Eliminator, Lance Beta, Patriot, Archer, and Bomarc.
Matt

stefanj 05-09-2007 10:24 PM

Good information!

The Big Daddy is enough to get you into the hall of fame.

I bought a few "Big Dawgs." I built one and added a booster stage with a boat tail. I foolishly donated it to a club auction before my last move, and gave the unbuilt "Dawgs" to friends. Darn!


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