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Old 01-24-2006, 05:11 PM
snaquin snaquin is offline
The_Ripper
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 1,941
Default Model Rocket Shop 2006 Newsletter (Long)

Paul at the Model Rocket Shop sent me this newsletter and it has some interesting information on Estes and other kits he handles and some links you guys might find helpful. I hope Estes doesn't can the Eliminator since it's the only production model rocket I know of that still uses that plastic fin can. I had to clip some of the text concerning the London launch info and admin details because the newsletter would be too large to fit here.

*****
Subject: New Year's Hangover

Hello again from the happy but slightly rumpled Model Rocket Shop team. This is our second (and slightly delayed) model rocketry newsletter, the first for 2006.

We had a stonking Christmas (thank you very much!) and even managed to take a few days off at New Year ... but we had a bit of a hang over. This wasn't the one-libation-too-many sort but an uncomfortable number of orders that could not be completely filled in time for Christmas.

The postal service from the US was diabolical - packages that should normally take a week to arrive took over a month. We have only just received some Dr Zooch Saturn V kits that were sent on the 5th of December. We lost a couple of parcels, too, somewhere over the Atlantic... and a few that went missing here.

December was the end of the line for our local engineering firm that made our MaxiRods and critical HELfire pad components. Their designated replacement has not been as prompt or as helpful as the old firm. Consequently rods that were needed well before Christmas turned up last week. We are still waiting for the stainless steel blast shields for our heavy duty HELfire launch pads.

With the exception of the HELfire pads, we have pretty much worked our way through our New Year's hangover of partially filled orders. It has been a real stretch with an important part of our team back at school. Thanks for your patience. We are applying duress to get the rest of the pad components in short order and will hopefully be able to get the pads out this week.

New New New

We have the new Estes Screaming Eagles in and they are great grist for the fans of rocket fighters. Sunward Aerospace had a lock on that sector until Estes came along with this one... but Sunward still have leadership with more than a half dozen models. A rocket fighter's exciting flight profile soars to apogee and then turns around and heads for the ground, popping a chute just in time to return softly. A Recovery Upgrade Kit is essential if you want to reliably repeat that trick many times!

Along with the Dr Zooch Saturn Vs, our first kits of The Stick and Thor/Discoverer arrived. The new listings are replete with lots of Dr Zooch wacky humour but the rockets are easier to build than earlier Dr Z triumphs of scale engineering... and fly HIGH.

In stock again (finally!) are the CFX Six Footers. Now that the Mean Machine has been retired by Estes, the CFX Six Footer rules the skies on D or E motors. Majestic is one word to describe their flights (phallic might be another!). The new big, beautiful Semroc Laser-X upscale is back, too.

Alloy retainers for D and E (24mm) Estes motors are one of our home-made products that are getting a warm reception both here and in the US. While they keep the motor from blowing out the back, they are really the consumate cosmetic touch for a hand-crafted flying model rocket. Some models with a projecting engine hook are a bit awkward to display standing upright. A polished alloy retainer doesn't have that issue.

There are a few new Estes kits in the pipeline for later this year but nothing to replace some of the soon-to-be-cancelled great rockets (see below). We have some new kit makers in the wings ready to take up the slack.

Old Old Old

Estes Eliminators (and Eliminator starter sets) are back again... but for how long, we don't know. Estes has ended production of a large number of kits, the Eliminator is rumoured to be included. One suspects that what some hobby marketing people use for product decisions would make good rose fertiliser. Along with some un-lovely examples of past corporate goofiness (Meteor Masher and Wacky Wiggler), and some horribly missed opportunities (the entire late late late X-Prize series) they are killing off some great kits undeservedly ;-(

According to sources, production has halted on Fat Boy, the Centurian glider, Mongoose, Chrome Domes, The Dude, Bull Pup, Eagle boost glider, the Oracle video camera rocket (that only just arrived!) as well as a few other popular favourites. We'll try to keep them in stock as long as possible but when they are gone, they are gone.

We have finished posting our vast collection of vintage Estes kits from the 1980s and 90s. The latest additions were classic Big Berthas, Sentinels, Skinny Minis, Army Hawks and Pathfinders. SkyWinder turbo-copters are back but supply is extremely limited. We are nearing sell-out on some of our vintage kits such as Optima and the Alan Shepard Mercury Redstone.

We added a category to help you find payloader "rockets-with-a-mission" without wading through the whole site. Payloaders are popular for a variety of reasons: from egg lofting for competitions to electronic altimeters to answer the eternal question: How high did it go? The new category is just part of our ongoing programme of usability refinements. More improvements are ahead.

We have just a handful of EMRR 2006 calendars left. They feature great rocket pix each month and also a coupon good for a free special recovery upgrade kit from us. If you do your sums, the calendar is almost free ;-)


For the Kids

We have organised an Educational Rocketry category for schools, scouts, and cadets. We sell discounted class packs of rocket kits by the dozen and always include extra igniters and free wadding with motor purchases. There is a wide variety to choose from - all ages and skill levels (as well as budgets) are catered for. We are working with a number of schools for Science Week activities and Activity Days in the summer... if you want some ideas or even a hand conducting educational rocketry workshops, drop us an email via the web site.


Tech Tips

Lots of kits have balsa fins. That's good and bad. While balsa is relatively light, cheap, easy to shape and bond it isn't very durable. Alternate materials are either heavy, expensive, difficult to obtain or hard to work with... or a combination of several negatives!

You can add a lot of strength (and not a lot of weight) to your balsa fins with a couple tricks. One is to make sure that the grain of the balsa is parallel to the leading edge or at least perpendicular to the rocket's airframe. You get maximum strength and bonding grip with the fins aligned that way. Most kit fins come this way... be particularly careful when you scratch build your own.

The other thing you can do to beef up your balsa is to laminate the fins. You can use tissue paper (NOT bog roll or Kleenex)from an art supply shop. You can use the wrapping from a posh shirt, or a crockery purchase. Use a thin layer of white glue, being careful to press out all bubbles under the tissue. Do both sides to avoid cupping or warping. If you need super strength (because of long dangly fins or hard landing areas) you can use diaphanous glass fibre veil and laminate with epoxy resin. The ultimate is to use vacuum bagging for absolute minimum weight and a perfect finish.

Adminstrative Details

We plan to have a few more web sites up in the next month to provide more information for beginners and better explanations of what you can do when you feel that you're ready for the challenges of High Power Rocketry.

This year we hope to provide even more friends and customers with the products they need, the info they need to safely use them and welcoming places to fly.

Thanks for a great year last year and hope to meet all our friends in 2006 on line AND at a launch event.

Paul, Catherine, Dan, Gaby, Genni, Knut

The Model Rocket Shop team

Links:

The Model Rocket Shop http://www.modelrockets.co.uk
Dr Zooch Saturn V http://www.modelrockets.co.uk/shop/...roducts_id=1524
Dr Zooch The Stick http://www.modelrockets.co.uk/shop/...roducts_id=1382
Dr Zooch Thor/Discoverer http://www.modelrockets.co.uk/shop/...roducts_id=1527
Centurian http://www.modelrockets.co.uk/shop/...roducts_id=1499
Fat Boy http://www.modelrockets.co.uk/shop/...roducts_id=1290
Screaming Eagle http://www.modelrockets.co.uk/shop/...roducts_id=1513
Art Applewhite saucers http://www.modelrockets.co.uk/shop/...php?cPath=74_90
24mm coned retainer http://www.modelrockets.co.uk/shop/...roducts_id=1394
24mm plain retainer http://www.modelrockets.co.uk/shop/...roducts_id=1355
EMRR calendar http://www.modelrockets.co.uk/shop/...roducts_id=1472
Out-of-Production and Vintage Estes kits http://www.modelrockets.co.uk/shop/...hp?cPath=74_116
Eliminator http://www.modelrockets.co.uk/shop/...roducts_id=1510
Mongoose http://www.modelrockets.co.uk/shop/...roducts_id=1517
Bull Pup 12D http://www.modelrockets.co.uk/shop/...roducts_id=1514
Educational Class Packs http://www.modelrockets.co.uk/shop/...php?cPath=74_88
Payloaders http://www.modelrockets.co.uk/shop/...hp?cPath=74_119
SkyWinder http://www.modelrockets.co.uk/shop/...roducts_id=1478
CFX Six Footer http://www.modelrockets.co.uk/shop/...roducts_id=1533
__________________
Steve Naquin
TRA# 677 L2
NAR# 85518 L2
SAM# 0052

🚀 In Construction: Der Blue Maxx/Minie-Magg 5.5” & Vander-Burn MDRM Clone w/Stickershock23 Custom Decals
🚀 In Paint & Detail: USR Banshee
🚀 In Build Queue: Estes Doorknob w/Vander-Burn Rocketry Upgrade Kit [Sport Decor], Semroc Centurion-F, Semroc Egg Crate
🚀 In Repair: SLS Lil’ Hustler, SLS Aero-Dart 1969 Trim
🚀 Stay Tuned For Fall 2021 Launch Dates
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