I agree with Chan. He summed it up very well. My two cents on top of that...


I've purchased a good deal of kits over the last two years, mostly off of eBay, and some of those have been put away as collectibles, others I have built.

When dealing with collectible kits I've got a couple of rules that I follow.

1. I will only buy if the kit can be had for below the going rate. For example if I can grab an Estes Sat V for well below the going rate I will do it. I've only been able to do that one time, and I have been looking for two years now. The kit is a 2001 Estes Sat V that was open and started before I purchased it. I got if for just over 60 and I just finished building it.

2. If I do manage to purchase a classic kit for a good price I won't build it unless I can get a second or unless it has already been opened and started. For example I was able to purchase the old Estes Mercury Redstone a year ago for 50 on eBay. It is unopened and mint in the bag. That kit is in the collectible cabinet. Now just recently I was able to purchase another one on eBay for 45 however the kit is open so I will build it.

3. If I am collecting an older kit it is for one of two reasons only. The first being that I want to build the kit at some future point with my son when he is ready to tackle a classic build. The second being that I expect to give that kit to my son so that he can either build it himself or with his son or daughter someday. I don't collect kits to try and sell them at some future time for a profit.

I applaud all of the true collectors out there because without them I would not have the ability to buy/build any of the classic kits that can still be had today. When I was a kid in the 60's-70's I built anything I could get my hands on so if everyone were like me there would be no old classics available at all.

In the end though (in my humble opinion) rockets are meant to be build and flown. That's why they come with engine mounts. When they should be built and flown, that's a whole different question.