At that price I was reluctant to pull the trigger, but knew the kit was listed as discontinued.
The asking price is just where the market is today. In rocketry I call it the 10X factor.
When I bought my first rocket kits in the early 1970s, prices were certainly lower. (Start using old man voice here . . .)
A Big Bertha was around $2.50, now it retails for $24.99 or ten times the price I remember. At 24" tall that's a dollar a foot!
In 1972, the new T engine Mosquito was $.50. Now the model retails for $6.99!, more than 10X and ridiculous for a model that stands less than 4" tall. My Mother once commented: "You spent 50 cents for that? I bet there is only a nickels worth of parts."
Don't get me started on engine pricing.
Rant over!
Not long ago experienced a "sticker shock" moment when I popped into a Rite Aid pharmacy and thought of getting a single-scoop cone of Thrifty ice cream (nearly $3 was a wee bit more than the memories of it being around a nickel).
ReplyDeleteAnd how 'bout that McDonald's commercial where a man orders a burger, fries and a coke, plops down a buck -- then as he was about to walk away with his order, the girl at the register says "Sir, you forgot your change"
Hi Naoto,
DeleteI remember that McDonald's commercial, small burger, drink and fries - lunch for under a dollar. I walk away from purchases quite often. I'll rarely eat at an airport - way overpriced!
Speaking of engines, did Tom T give you those two Flight Pak boxes (all A8s and B6s) that I gave to him at the last TTRA Launch? Consider those my official blog support!
ReplyDeleteAstronMike
Hi Mike!
ReplyDeleteYes he did, but didn't remember your name! I was waiting for someone to comment and let me know who to thank! So - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I will put them to good use at upcoming schoolyard launches.
Guess it is all relative. I tracked down the now discontinued Estes Saturn V reissue and the $80-ish I paid seems like a fair price compared to the $25 the Centuri original cost in mid 70s. Though I guess you could compare it to the Estes original at $17. Either way, regardless of what something costs now compared to what it cost then as long as you don’t feel ripped off the price is right ;-)
ReplyDeleteHi Openroad,
DeleteI just have trouble paying close to $100 for a kit! But, I didn't want to miss out on a classic discontinued model.
I probably go back a few more years than you do - When the Estes Saturn V first came out it was only $9.95! In 1970 I remember thinking: "How could Centuri charge $16.95 for a Saturn V when it is the same size as the Estes model?" The $6.95 price difference bought a few kits and engines then.
It certainly would! But I know how you feel about the money - the Sat V is the most expensive kit I’ve bought and as nifty as it is I’m not sure it’ll be 5 times more fun to launch than my Dr. Zooch Saturn! It’s absolutely going to be (at least) 5 times more “interesting” to build...
DeleteGiven all the talk about the Saturn-1b, I am now tempted to build a semi scale scratch rocket using Estes plans and the Dr. Zooch rocket I have for reference and rolling the 8 tubes from paper. All I know if I start this is that will likely be C11 powered due to drag.
ReplyDeleteI would rather have the $92 for motor purchasing.
Hi Manuel,
DeleteI'd also rather have the extra $92.00 for other things!
Oh, I will rant about motors. The A8 are so far out of spec that you might as well do MESS surveys on them with every flight due to the impure KNO3 they use in the black powder.
ReplyDeleteHi Manuel,
DeleteThey sure don't seem to have the "oomph" they once did! But I'll still use them in smaller rockets at the schoolyard (Thank You!)
40-percent off coupons look good.
ReplyDelete$2.50 to $14.48
January 1973 to November 2017
CPI Inflation Calculator
https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl
Hi Anonymous,
DeleteI've look at the inflation site before. At my age (and 48 years of rocketry) I still reflect back on what they once charged for kits.
Well my income has greatly increased since the 70's - from delivering papers. Overall at the Estes lower end of rocketry, I've found the hobby to be quite reasonable. Since I only build a few rockets a year and I have a closet full of them, I'll just be paying for glue, tape, filler, sandpaper, paint and engines for the foreseeable future. I'll probably build a rocket a month and spend more in gas getting to launch sites then on supplies.
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous,
DeleteI delivered papers! At the end of each month I usually sent an order off to Estes or Centuri. I remember thinking: "There's a two-stage rocket for $1.25? That was the Estes Midget price when it first came out.
I also have many kits - I have to stop myself sometimes from buying more. Those clearance sales are very tempting and reasonably priced.
And, I use the 40% off Hobby Lobby coupon all the time for engines!
Rant away, Chris. I definitely experienced sticker shock when I BAR'd a year and a half ago. Previous to that, the last Estes kit I bought in 1983 or so was probably 5 bucks at the most, and engines were around 2-3 dollars a 3-pack. Today, I thrive on Hobby Lobby's 40% coupons, except that they only offer a very minimal selection of Estes product.
ReplyDelete