...or are recent catalogs almost too slick...too perfect?

I look at today's productions and see perfect lines, slick computer graphics, etc. It makes me think of a clean room (think NASA, not what your mother wanted).

I look at color catalogs from the 60's and 70's and see organic, living, breathing awesomeness.

I'm sure young people today would say that our beloved catalogs are archaic and basal (if they had those words in their vocabulary) and would think today's are much better. Sure, it takes technology of a computer to do them, but the talent and physical skills, time, and effort put into those old catalogs are things people today couldn't fathom.

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I love sanding.

I agree with you, tbzep.
The new catalogs are "too slick".
I prefer the old catalogs from about 1970-1988.
Much prefer the older kit offerings in those catalogs as well.

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When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, and HAVOC !

I like the classic kits as well. That's why the bulk of my builds have been scratch clones, Semroc repros, and a few vintage kits along the way. The graphics on them weren't "busy" or juvenile. The most "busy" classic kit I can think of is the Interceptor, but every decal looks like it needs to be there.

That's why I've loved Estes putting out the Saturn V, LJ1 and LJ2, Boosted Bertha, and Orange Bullet while bringing back classic kits (and graphics) of models like the Nike-X, Goblin, Red Max, etc. I hope they sell well so they will keep doing it. I appreciate them releasing a modernized Gyroc (Tazz) and some other re-imagined classic kits, but do not like the graphics at all. If I decide to buy and build one, it will have a very different finish. I do understand that they are targeting youth, so I don't mind much as long as they throw me a bone every now and then and I can still print my own decals.

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I love sanding.

No it's not just you...

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-Wolfram v. Kiparski
NAR 28643 - TRA 15520
MTMA Section #606 President

Just looked at 2020 and my main issue is the weird perspectives for some models, some are tipped toward the viewer so far I have no idea what they look like. However many pages are reminiscent of late 70s catalogs, but a bit busier.

I just love the Centuri face cards from the very late 60s and very early 70s, what is called the ‘roll pattern’ design. The overall layout is relatively straightforward by today’s standards, but each one is just beautiful to me.

And those model depictions sold a LOT of kits. They looked great! After all, how many built kits did you EVER see that looked as good as those? As a kid, kits were not cheap and I tried my best to make them come out looking as nice as nice as I could. But, it seemed that many would not take the time to have something that really looked nice, or came close to the quality depicted in the face cards.

Earl

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Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

Guilty as charged.

But I do better now...

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Up next:
Under construction:
Under repair:
In finishing: Centuri Sabre clone
In primer:
In paint:
Ready for decals:

Bill Cooke
NAR #31312
TRA #19705
SAM #0001
Huntsville, AL

My rocket blog
My rocket fleet

And I should add that not everybody really wanted to spend that much time building; they wanted to fly. And I get that certainly. After all, was flying not really the big draw of model rockets? Of course it was. But there were times that I wished *overall* that the quality of the builds would be better. Many years later, I recall reading old articles in the former Model Rocketry magazine that did lament the general lacking state of craftsmanship in model rocketry across the board, even at NARAMs.

Earl

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Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

Craftsmanship wasn't the issue for me. I could measure, cut, and glue just fine. I didn't have money. Sealer cost money. Primer cost money. Paint cost money. I didn't have the luxury to seal/fill, sand, seal/fill/sand, prime, sand, prime, sand (did I ever mention I love sanding? ), basecoat, final coat back then. I was lucky to just get a coat of paint on something. Looking back, the majority of my early models were white with a black or red nosecone. If there was another color, it was often brushed on with little Testors' paint bottles because it was so much cheaper than buying a can of Testors' spray paint. Nobody local had economical full size cans we enjoy today.

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I love sanding.

Oh, yeah, there was THAT issue.

Just to buy the kit was a real stretch. The first two kits I built I was lucky: the Sceaming Eagle and the (free) Two Bitz were precolored! No sanding, no painting! But, my next 3-4 rockets, a Payloader II, a Lil Herc and a couple own designs were ALL orange, because that was the only can of spray paint I could buy! But, because the kits took so much of my money, I wanted to do all I could do to make them look good and, hopefully, last. Didn’t always succeed.

I did find I could make my own (or cut my own) chute wadding, and I could make my own sanding sealer with talcum powder. So, my main funds went to buy kits and motors. But, that was about two or maybe three $10 orders a year for a couple of kits and motors to fly my then meager fleet. But it was all good because each of those orders was like Christmas just about it and one really appreciated what you had. It is nice as an adult to have been able to get the many kits missed back in those days, but like many things, those early days were the most magical. The newer acquisitions just heighten the magic of the younger years.

Earl

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Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970