Estes Pro Series II - Introduction

Last week, I got a delivery from Estes. They've had sales going on practically all summer, so it's been a good way to pick up some deals.

I had hoped to buy another Leviathan, one of Estes' Pro Series II mid power rockets.

I love the way this rocket looks, and I wanted to have a backup in case I either screw up the build or lose the rocket. Unfortunately, the Leviathan looks like it is now out of production. Sad, really, I think it's a pretty popular rocket, and a solid flyer.

Also, looks like one of my favorite Skill Level 1 kits - the Cosmic Explorer - may also now be out of production.

So I picked up another Ventris - also a PSII kit - and a new rocket called the Sahara.

Estes Ventris - PSII rocket
with payload section

Estes Sahara

The Sahara - like the Scion - is another SPEV - Spare Parts Elimination Vehicle. Scion used Leviathan parts, while the Sahara uses body parts of the Argent, with the fins of the Partizon.

Estes Argent, left, and Partizon, right. Images from Jonrocket.com.

Does this mean Estes is eliminating these other PSII rockets? I'm going to guess they are phasing these out, though I hope I'm wrong about that.

Well, I received my order and did a count - I have 11 unbuilt Pro Series II rockets, plus one mostly-built Partizon, which I wasn't entirely happy with (I managed to get a fin on crooked and some saggy fin fillets).

The built but unpainted Estes Partizon - 56 inches tall!

I think I've held off on building these rockets for a couple of reasons. First, I had to stop building for a while in anticipation of my move to Boston.

But mainly, I think, I've been afraid to screw these rockets up. I like these larger rockets, and I didn't want to do a bad job of them.

Which is ridiculous! Mistakes happen, but at this point, I shouldn't be intimidated by building a rocket. Building smaller rockets is harder in many ways, anyway. A small flaw looks much bigger on a tiny rocket than on a large one, because it takes up comparatively more space.

Plus, I have doubles. So, it's time to start building. I'm going to go slowly, because I have a few decisions to make. But I've started the first steps on building the first two of my PSII rockets - the Ventris and the Nike Smoke.

Click here for Ventris.

Click here for Nike Smoke.

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