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Model Rocketry Page
I first got into model rocketry as a kid -- my cousins in Virginia were all into the hobby, and when we went to visit them in the summer of '77, I caught the bug.
I built and flew rockets on and off from then, until early 1982. I'd gone to Kay-Bee Toys & Hobbies at the Port Plaza Mall in Green Bay to buy a new rocket kit. I didn't find a kit I liked, but I did find the Dungeons & Dragons Boxed Set. Thus began another obsessive hobby...
I briefly returned to the hobby a few years back, but got back into it fully (truly becoming a BAR, or "born-again rocketeer") in the winter of 2004, after watching the "Rocket Challenge" shows on Discovery Channel. Following are pictures of some of the rockets I've built so far, with some post-flight comments.
These are the first 5 rockets I built in the winter of 2003-4,
pretty much in order of build:
- Estes Alpha III
- Quest Totally Tubular (the kit was missing the decal sheet, so
I added some "flame" decals) (a great, straight
flier)
- Estes Viking (Retired after 2 flights, due to a torn fin)
- Custom Tri-Star (Landed hard recently, and cracked a fin. May have to
retire it.)
- A clone of the Estes Citation Patriot. The first rocket I'd
ever made, back in '77, which only flew once. The original's
shock cord came undone on the maiden flight, and the body crashed
to earth.) (Another beautiful flier, with nice slow ascents.)
Here's a closer view of the Patriot clone. I kind of botched the gold eagle decal; it's pretty wrinkly and torn, though I used gold and black paint-pens to salvage it a bit. This picture is definitely of the "good side".
Estes Monarch. I like how the ruby red metalflake paint job turned out.
This is another clone, of the old Centuri X-24 "Bug" lifting-body rocket. My cousin Rich (who I had dragged into rocketry with me) had built this one when we were kids, and it was always one of my favorite models (I have no idea why I didn't build it myself back then). Has had a couple of rough landings, but fun to fly.
Estes Quark. Since this is such a tiny rocket, and so easy to lose, I opted against the suggested blue / white paint scheme, in favor of "have at least a ghost of a chance of finding it again" blaze orange. One flight, two broken fins, retired.
Estes Bandito. In theory, an easy-to-build kit, but the engine mount was a royal pain. If I don't lose this one, I'm going to make a decal of the "Fritos" logo, and stick it next to the word "Bandito." (If you understand that reference, you're old as dirt. :-) )
Semroc Micron. This is an update of a Centuri kit from the 1960s. I like the purple-fading-into-chrome paintjob. Really scoots, even on an A engine. However, after several great flights, she wound up 30' up in a tree.
Estes Baby Bertha. Unlike the Totally Tubular above, this one did come with a decal. But, it was pretty lame, so it got the flame treatment, too. Great flier, one that I send up almost every time I do launches.
Clone of the old Estes Condor. The first clone I've built completely from "scratch." By 3 flights, the booster was pretty heavily damaged, and has been retired -- I'll be building a new booster.
Two easy-to-build Estes kits -- the #2 Sky Writer, and the Chrome Domes. The Sky Writer flew well, but wound up 30' up in a tree on its maiden flight. The Chrome Domes really flies well.
The Estes Lucky Seven (one of their X Prize models), and Semroc's Lil' Ivan (a reproduction of an old Centuri kit). Lucky Seven is all plastic, and several of the "welds" broke apart on its first flight. Li'l Ivan snapped a fin on its first flight (the streamer didn't slow it down enough), but it's been repaired, and now has a parachute instead.
The Semroc Thunderbee, a long skinny mini-engine rocket inspired by Centuri's old Thunderbird and ThunderRoc. Really fast flyer, even on a 1/2A.
My clone of the old Estes S.S. Cassiopeia, one of my favorite models from my first time in the hobby (the original probably got given to the neighbor kids by my mom sometime in the past 20 years). Some parts came from Balsa Machining Services, others came from a clone kit from Pimp Daddy Rocketry, and the big "ring fin" came from a guy on The Rocketry Forum. Flies beautifully, though it came down hard on its first flight (the 12" parachute wasn't big enough, I don't think), and broke a fin. The fin's been repaired, and it now has an 18" chute.
Estes Big Bertha. A simple build, but it's well-known as a beautiful flier, and so I'm looking forward to launching this one. I ditched the black paint for red on this one, and since the supplied decals were ugly, I just put on a big American flag. Nice flyer.
Semroc Point. A reissue of an old Centuri design. Was a fun build, and definitely a bit different than a traditional 3FNC design. An interesting flyer, but the body "cone" got kind of dented by an overly-strong ejection charge on her second flight, and I think I'm retiring her.
Estes Fat Boy. Should have been an easy build, but warped centering rings and slots for the fins that weren't big enough made it more challenging. Also, the "Fat Boy" sticker refused to stick on the body tube for long, and it's gone now.
Flight Logs
I maintain logs of all my flights over on Essence's Model Rocketry Reviews; you can see them by following this link.
The Slush Pile
I've got a box full of kits in the basement, waiting for me to get to them. Among those waiting patiently:
- Semroc Taurus (built, awaiting painting)
- Estes Solar Sailer II
- Estes Space Ship One (another X Prize model)
- Semroc Recruiter (sent to me by Semroc in thanks for the review of the Micron I posted to EMRR)
- Estes Orbital Transport (for when I'm feeling very brave, though I got a set of laser-cut fins from Balsa Machining Services, which sounds like it might effectively lower the skill level a notch)
- Estes Scissor-Wing Transport (a reissue / reworking of the old kit, which failed miserably for me the first time)
- Estes Yankee
- Squirrel Works Firebird
- Estes Starliner (an old kit from the 70s that I'd built as a kid; I recently another copy of the kit in an eBay auction)
- Semroc Taurus
- Fliskits Triskelion
- Fliskits Alien8
Rocketry Links
EMRR's Model Rocketry Reviews -- a tremendous source of information on rocketry. Read the reviews before you buy or build a kit!
The Rocketry Forum -- a helpful, supportive message board covering all aspects of model rocketry.
Ninfinger Productions: Model Rockets -- Sven Knudsen has collected all the old Estes and Centuri catalogs (and more), and scanned 'em in. I love just browsing the same catalogs I did as a kid...
JimZ Rocket Plans -- hundreds of plans from now-out-of-print rocket kits. A great resource for recreating the rocket fleet of your youth.
Estes -- Still the granddaddy of rocketry manufacturers.
FlisKits -- Some very cool designs, and a big supporter of the hobby as a whole.
Semroc -- They specialize in rocket kits that look like the old days (many of them, in fact, are updates of old kits from the 60s and 70s).
National Association of Rocketry -- the U.S.'s sport rocketry association.