Although I never owned the actual model rockets, my 16 year-old self was excited to find this digest-sized Estes catalog in 1975 that featured their new Star Trek model rockets on the cover! We get a great cover painting, and a two-page spread inside about the models... nice. I am also including scans of any pages that mention or depict the Trek models. I was impressed with how accurate the Enteprise model was, without very much in the way of alterations to make it into an actual flying rocket. I know that if I had bought one, I would never have flown it, preferring to keep it in good shape to display (if I had lived in a home with a father that permitted such things). Enjoy!
(Click on images to enlarge.)
Although, the Klingon ship looks like it was built around a barrel.
Although, the Klingon ship looks like it was built around a barrel.
Anyone familiar with early Trek merchandising remembers how the starship was often erroneously depicted with rocket exhaust coming out of the shuttle bay (which irritated me). In the case of this model rocket, it was actually correct!
UPDATE: I said earlier that I had a newspaper clipping somewhere of a local model rocket club launching the Enterprise. Well, I've found it, and it's below. It was clipped from the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel on May 25, 1975. I didn't save the entire article, only the photo and the line in the article about the launching of the Enterprise rocket.
The Enterprise rocket exhaust actually comes out just below the impulse engines. The rocket body tube is seated in the area between the primary and secondary hulls, just under the saucer section. :-)
ReplyDeleteMy wife remembered her family having this when she was little, so I bought a vintage one for her for this past Christmas holiday. We're a rocketry family. She'll probably build it later this summer.
I never had one of these - I did have an original Aurora (if they were the ones who put it out) plastic model kit. I had the upper part of the saucer kit laid out on my desk, paint drying after I painted some details on it. Then my male parent decided to "clean up" my room and took everything on the top of my desk and threw it all in the trash. I've never forgiven him.
ReplyDeleteThis was the catalog that turned me on to model rocketry. The Enterprise and Klingon cruiser never worked as well as the actual rockets, unfortunately, but it was a great lesson in aerodynamics. Did someone ever put out a remote control flying Enterprise?
ReplyDeleteRob,
ReplyDeleteNow that you ask, I did see a video online where someone did have a remote control flying E. It looked amazing!
I'd love to find that remote control E. Time to hit eBay, I guess.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, somewhere in your files do you have the 1977 or 1978Dynamite issue that featured an article about Star Trek? I think Cher was on the cover. It's one of my many valued Star Trek items from youth that were lost years ago in my parent's house fire (the featured model rocketry catalog was among those items, so thanks for sharing it!). I'd love to see a post about that Dynamite issue.
Rob,
ReplyDeleteI have at least one issue of Dynamite with Trek in it, I'll have to see if I can find it. Not sure if it's the same one, though.
Here is the Google result for the flying Enterprise!
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=remote+control+flying+enterprise&aq=f
A friend just gave me the link to your blog. It is funny because I am in that picture. I am the guy standing on the far right side of the picture with my right arm up to my ear. This was a launch back around 1975 down in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I lover ST but never owned a flying Estes ST kit. I do have numerous ST plastic models on my shelf and in boxes to build.
ReplyDeleteRobert.
ReplyDeletethanks for commenting, it's amazing that you found this photo posted online, I bet you never expected to see that again! It's good to know that at least one of the people in the photo by name now. I am adding your comment to the body of the post! It's awesome to hear from you, I loved living in Ft. Lauderdale.