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  #11  
Old 03-15-2021, 04:10 PM
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erik442 erik442 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ghrocketman
I got my first new Estes catalog in the fall of 1977. It was the 1978 "Star Wars" cover Estes Catalog.

That was my first catalog as well. I remember taping coins to an index card to pay for it.
It took eight long weeks to arrive.
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  #12  
Old 03-15-2021, 04:30 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LeeR
I too have been wanting an LTV Scout for awhile. A friend recently decided to sell off some of his collection, and I was fortunate to get these 5 for a pretty good price. I already had a Strikefighter in my stash, so I decided this one will get built next after I finish up my current couple of builds.

I was excavating for elastic on Friday night and found the long lost missing parts for my Estes Menace, so yesterday it got promoted to the top of the build pile. I felt like I had to. It's only been sitting half finished on the piano for ten years or so.
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  #13  
Old 03-15-2021, 07:16 PM
tongo tongo is offline
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I received my first Estes starter set for Christmas of 1973 and it contained a 1973 catalog. I mailed away for a new catalog, probably in January, and received a 1974 catalog. I was on their mailing list for several years and received catalogs regularly, but I don't remember any of them arriving before the first of the year. Estes would fairly regularly send out advertisements with their periodic publications, and Christmas specials were included in those leading up to Christmas. I still have one or two of those advertising inserts.

My recollection from an article that I read maybe 10 years ago about the early days of Estes Industries was, due to very fast growth and the tendency to get behind when order volumes surged, that they timed the catalog mailings to prevent creating more problems for themselves.

They were very committed to get orders out in a timely manner and Christmas created the biggest challenge. The mailing of the new catalog also created a surge of orders. IIRC, they learned their lesson during one year in the mid '60s when they piled those two demand surges on top of one another in December and were working round the clock overtime to get orders out in time to be delivered before Christmas. I believe that for some number of years after that, they held off mailing the new year's catalog until things settled down after Christmas. An assumption on my part is that sometime by the 70's, the company had grown capacity and demand had begun to tail off, such that this was not a concern anymore. But, I don't recall ever getting a catalog before the first of the year in the 1970's. A new catalog was a big deal for this young rocketeer in the '70s.

It seems possible that Estes began offering the mini (T) engines and mini-brute kits sometime in 1971, perhaps through non-catalog advertisements. The 1972 catalog was the first to include the mini-brutes and mini engines, and also still included the short (S) engines.
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  #14  
Old 03-15-2021, 08:19 PM
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SEL SEL is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shockwaveriderz
The title says it all. I seem to remember the new years catalogs being released in the last 3 months on the previous year. Can anybody help jog my memory on this?

The reason I'm asking this has to do with the Astron BETA from 1970-71 K-45 versus the 72 Beta mini-brute, TK-45 aka 0845.

I have a distinct memory of launching the Astron Beta or the Mini-Brute Beta in 1970-71. And if this was true then I launched the "S" Shorty version which was the Astron Beta as the min-brute version didn't come out till 72. Now I know for a fact that I had shorty motors and also had mini-brutes in that time frame. But if the 72 catalog with the mini-brute version didn't come out till late 71 as I remember, then I had to have launched the shorty version.

What makes this flight so distinct in my memory is, that it was only the 2nd 2-stage rocket I had ever flown up to that point. I launched it in my backyard that backed up to a dairy cow farm. A few hundred feet away was this small pond that the cows would drink out of.....I remember the 2nd stage floating out over the pond and I thought, " OHH NO!! it's going to land in the pond!" but it landed on the very edge of a tree branch overlooking the pond.....maybe a foot above the water, just dangling a few inches above the water. I ran down, and waded into the water, and just as I pulled the branch in to retrieve my model, it fell into the water.....but it was only a foot away so I retrieved it no worse to wear except a little water damage.


If I remember correctly ( and take THAT with a shaker of salt ), the Astron Beta was first announced with an issue of MRN. I also remember flying it with the shorties.
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  #15  
Old 03-15-2021, 11:19 PM
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ghrocketman ghrocketman is offline
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Maybe the 1978 catalogue came out early due to Star Wars hype.
That catalog not only had Star Wars kits, it aldo had Battlestar Galactica snd Star Trek kits.

I have had Klingon Battle Cruiser and Starship Enterprise kits in my collection for over 25 years. Intended to build them, just never have.
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  #16  
Old 03-16-2021, 12:47 AM
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Royatl Royatl is offline
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In the late 60’s they came out April-ish or so. In 1971 there were two releases. One in early spring and the other in early fall that included the mini-brutes. One year it came out in May.
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  #17  
Old 03-16-2021, 06:41 AM
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GuyNoir GuyNoir is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LeeR
I too have been wanting an LTV Scout for awhile.


If you've got a 3D printer or access to one, you can make the plastic parts yourself and clone the kit.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:496576
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