I managed to track down and talk to Mike Bergenske a couple of months ago. Mike was the original owner, founder of AVI Astroport and he informed me that the original planed run for the Star Warrior was 5,000 kits but that only a little over 1,500 kits were actually produced and shipped. We talked for over half an hour about the old days. Sorry to say that he informed me that all records for the company were lost over the years. If anyone should happen to have a catalog, or one of the original kits, please scan and upload it. Hope this sheds a little more light on a great rocket from the past.

I live in northern Illinois and AVI was in southern Wisconsin, not too far from my house. A friend of mine was a pilot, as was I, and he needed to make a trip to Mineral Point to pick up a friend of his and fly him to St. Louis. He needed me to share in the flying and I was excited to visit Mineral Point.

We only have about a hour layover while waiting for his friend to arrive at the small airport. I had plans to look up AVIs address in the phone book and try to make a visit. I never found a listing for them and later found out that they had just gone out business!

I remember their broadsheet catalogs that had dozens of special motors in them and I was extremely dissapointed to not be able to visit them. How often does someone get a chance to fly to Mineral Point :)

I went through the city's Chamber of Commerce in order to track down a number for the owner of the company and had a very nice conversation with him a few months ago. I never did see a catalog but wish I had as there is no dought that I would had ordered one or more of there kits. I keep hoping someone here might have one they can upload.

Star Warrior
 

Here's a pic of mine.

I have a copy of the AVI Astroport Encyclog. Been meaning to scan it and hand the scan over to the YORF archives, but that project is just another can that I keep kicking down the road. I'm surprised that no one else has done this. If there is enough interest here on YORF, my arm could be twisted into getting this done quickly.
-W

Most of their stuff was 'vaporware'.
I do still have a few unfired 18mm Long-length D engines from AVI.
Have a few of their 10.5mm engines too.

I'm twisting! SAY "UNCLE!!!"

Define "quickly".
Define "twist".
;)

Quest sells 15 mm body tubes. MPC's Miniroc kits (the Pipsqueak, Delta-Katt, Super Star, Astrobee D, ASP-1, and Taurus-1) all used these tubes; BT-5/ST-5 tubes make a perfect "sleeve-fit" inside the 15 mm tubing to serve as 13 mm mini motor mount tubes. Most of these MPC Miniroc kits, by the way, will, if all goes well, soon be back in (small-scale) production, although I'm not at liberty to say any more for now, except that I'm helping their future producer to--as a certain starship captain was wont to say--"Make it so."

There was some expression of interest... so there's the twist.

"Quickly" is relative. I believe I now know what box contains the Encyclog. Next step is to retrieve the box, but only after I finish cleaning out the garage to make room for the Honda that needs a new engine. After I pull the old engine, replace it, r&r various parts of the front suspension, and get that Civic back on the road, I'll climb that ladder and retrieve the box. May have to sort through some old kits and sell them off for all of this.

-W