Scott,

The problem, as I understand it, is that since Euclid sold a number of the key employees who were there have retired. Apparently the secret sauce to making those exceptionally high quality glassine covered tubes is no longer there.

Another friend tried years ago to have someone with the same machines make similar tubes and was told they had no idea how it was done. It's amazing that these tubes which we all take for granted are actually so exceptional.

Of note, there are no similar tubes commonly available in Europe or China. The U.S. team routinely uses Estes-style tubes as disposable piston tubes. The Europeans have nothing similar available so their pistons are all made of fiberglass. If any of you have built any of the Das Model German kits you have seen how bad tubes can be. You would think the Chinese can copy anything but apparently not. Estes has the tubes made here and shipped to China for assembly into kits.

Hopefully, a tube solution will come before long.