Coming to Estes

There’s some interesting models on Estes’s “Coming Soon” page. Five new builder’s kits:

• 7236 Estes SLV: Scale-like “Satellite Launch Vehicle”. Five fins, five “strap on boosters” with faux nozzles, and a fatter payload section. Reports on YORF are that while Estes doesn’t endorse putting motors in the “strap on boosters” for a cluster bird, it can be done. Skill level 4.
• 7237 Goblin: The K-55/1255 Goblin (1972–82) evokes fond memories for a lot of BARs, and a lot of clones have been built. When Semroc restarted issuing kits this year, their version of the K-55 was the first. Now it’s about to come back (same size) at Estes. Skill level 2.
• 7238 Sequoia: 3FNC but with an interesting profile, 13 mm, skill level 1.
• 7239 Sky Warrior: Unusual looking rocket with, I guess, “landing legs” on the fins. 18 mm power, skill level 2.
• 7240 Honest John: “A highly sought after scale kit has returned to Estes!” makes it sound like this is a reissue, but I don’t think it is. There certainly have been Honest John kits in the past, but this seems to be a different scale from any of them:
  • K-27/1227 (1967–79) was 13.75″ long, 18 mm power
  • 1104 (1973) was 14.5″ long, coldpower
  • 1269 (1975–83; 1993) was 37″ long, 24 mm power
  • 1919 (1984–88) was 19.2″, 18 mm power
  • 2166 (2000) was “over 3 feet tall”, 24 mm power; looks like a 1269 reissue

  This new one is 1/14 scale, 22.9″ long, 24 mm power. The face card paint scheme is neither the white-with-black of the K27 nor the green of the 1269, but white and black with red on the nose and some of the fins. Though I bet a lot of them get painted in one of the classic schemes. Skill level 3.

And some air rocket stuff.