Every February brings the anticipation of finding that small package in the mailbox from the "Model Rocket Capitol of the World", the annual hard copy catalog.
As always, the first thing I usually do is take a quick scan of the entire offering to see what's new.
The 2024 offering doesn't disappoint.
Among the highlights are:
A new Pro Series rail launcher. This one looks like it would adequately fill the bill for those heavier, higher powered models.
How about that new high power model parts assortment?
I see some BT-70 body tubes in there, which immediately brought back visions of some of those vintage Estes kits that used them.
Estes' theme this year concerns attracting new younger rocketeers to the hobby, thus the advent of several new starter sets containing 13mm motor-powered rockets, including BT-20 sized versions of the Alpha and Bertha. Both of these models are offered as stand-alone kits.
One minor disappointment in the catalog was the lack of a new model in the "Signature" series. I hope we will see another new addition next year.
It was interesting to note that the models comprising the 'Destination: Mars' and 'Cadet Corps.' lines were scattered about the catalog rather than having their own stand-alone pages.
It was good seeing the two scale Saturn versions side by side.
Of particular interest to me was the new Mini-ARCAS kit. Since I am embarking on a quest to build a number of BT-20 scale sounding rockets over the next few years, this one fits the bill nicely. The kit description say 'scale-like', so there must be deviations from true scale. Nevertheless, the kit may be a good starting point for building a more accurate version.
Another concern I have with this year's catalog is the omission of any product pricing. This is sort of a detriment to those of us who like to closely plan our hobby budget. Lack of published pricing makes it a bit more difficult to do that unless we go to the website.
Speaking of budget, the yearly hard-copy Estes catalog is really no longer 'free'. Unlike past years, I had to shell out $3.94 for taxes and shipping.
Sign of the times, I suppose..
Cheers!