Starship Excaliber (Estes DOM?)
Nike-Tomahawk
Maxi-Micron
ThunderStorm (have to complete the series)
Omega

In order:

Egg Crate
MMMMMMidget !!!!
Nike Tomahawk
Starlight
Nighthawk


I would actually skip the Omega over all those as that is one of the simplest kits to clone just by slapping a 'parts kit' together of a BNC60AH Nose cone, 3 sections of BT60, a couple stage couplers, a BT60 nose block, a couple BT50 to BT60 motor mounts, some fin stock and a recovery system.

Well, of course, that one always gets my vote :)

What I like about it is that it can be done several ways. The stock Mini Brute EST-0840 would use stock mini (T) motors. The earlier, stock K-40 would use T motors with 18mm adaptors (or can be built with 13mm motor tubes).

BT-55 and BT-60 upscales work great with stock 18 and 24mm motors, respectively. These require somewhat non-scale changes to the length of the booster sections (as I recall) but it's not not noticeable, the changes are quite minor.

That said, the corps of Midget enthusiasts is quite small, so I question whether there's enough market to justify any of these.

Doug

.

I am not going to say Starship Excalibur since I just finished one last week.

The laser cut fins were nice though.

USS America
AIM-54C Phoenix 1/10
Starship Correy
Midget

I would prefer the Midget be the original size. I wouldn't mind using adapters to make "mini motors" into "shorty motors" but that's probably just me.

USS America
Starship Excalibur
Starlight
Nike-Tomahawk 1/10
Starship Correy

Nike-Tomahawk 1/10
Starlight
Thunderstorm
Maxi Micron

Latest votes:

9 Omega
8 USS America
7 Starship Excalibur
7 Nike-Tomahawk 1/10
6 Egg Crate
6 AIM-54C Phoenix 1/10
7 Starlight
5 Starship Correy
3 Nighthawk
2 Midget
2 ThunderStorm
2 Maxi-Micron
0 Arcon 1/4

Notes:
Omega comes with balsa "Cineroc" payload section. We will probably offer the 60AH payload section as a "free kit" to SAM's that purchase the Omega. Another reason for the Omega is the new Estes E12 engines! It has slotted tubes for straight flights if a camera is installed.

We have kept pushing the USS America out because of the cost. Still not sure if it would sell at $45. There is a lot of stuff in it. AND it really needs more than a standard Estes C6-3 to fly it. It was originally designed around the Centuri C5 with 50% more initial thrust. That makes it a 24mm version for now using C11 and D12 (maybe E12!)

The Phoenix in 1/10 scale was fun to build. Combination of 3/16" balsa for root of long vanes and basswood for the vanes and fins makes it look scale. It will have 1/2 oz clay weight in nose. The slowdown for it is the special stencil font to match the original. I started editing a similar font, but there are many letters and numbers left to do.

The holdback on the Nike-Tomahawk is the built-up fins from basswood struts and card stock. The result looks good, but it makes it like the LJ II and S1B fins which some don't like.

The "cabin" and split tubes on the SS Excalibur have been a challenge to produce. I wanted all the slotting and cuts to be done by laser, but it looks like the builder still must split the BT-5 lengthwise.

The laser-cut cardstock at the base of the SS Correy may be challenging to some.

We will probably re-release the Nighthawk as an xKit. Scott has a better drawing now. We dropped it several years ago when Estes announced it as one of the Classic Series, but I was told they no longer had any plans for it.

Thanks for all the input. It really helps make some tough decisions.

Carl wrote:

What about using the laser to cut down the sides of the tubes like you do the fins in a sheet? Leave some connecting tabs for the builder to finish cutting. That would keep the tubes relatively round during shipping, and would make the edges about as straight as possible. One addition to the kit might be some "new moons" of 0.07" matteboard to act as internal bulkheads (to help the tubes hold their shape).

How big is the Maxi Micron? Just curious . .

I'm not going to vote, because I am SO. TOTALLY. OVERLOADED. with unbuilt kits that I can't in good faith throw off the stats on "what seems most cool" rather than what I'd buy.

(I am likely to buy a bunch of Semroc kits as give-aways . . . and it can't hurt to keep and build one Sprite, right? :) )

USS America
ThunderStorm
Starship Correy
Starlight
Arcon 1/4