Merry Christmas, Apollo Style!

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while might remember that I had a problem with my Estes Saturn V. The problem was that I had taken so long to build (or even open it) that it was now a collectible kit and I COULDN'T open it. So there it sat in my rocket room; all shrink wrapped up with nowhere to go...

Well this Christmas, Santa decided to help me out! For, under the tree I found...

The NEW Estes Saturn V!!! And this time, I opened the sucker! Let's take a look, shall we?

The open box. I love the look of the massive BT-101! 

This version is based on the Centuri kit, as is evidenced by the vacuformed wraps. The old Estes kit used card stock. There are advantages to both...

The styrine parts pack. These include the capsule and escape tower (which fly) and the engine nozzels (which don't). 

Interestingly, there is NO balsa in this kit. The fins are two piece styrine.

Even though there is no balsa, there are some hardwood dowels. 

The decal sheet is rather small for a model of this size, but most of the visual impact is from the painted roll patterns, not decals.

So there you have it! I can now have my cake and eat it too! I'm pretty sure my version will be a cluster, but I haven't decided exactly what kind yet. I just can't bring myself to fly a Saturn on a single engine. Yes, additional nose weight will probably be added.

So there you go! Even at 54, Santa can come through.

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

One of the Coolest Clone Kits Ever!

Apparently, years ago, the members of DARS got together and produced (just among themselves) a clone of the original Estes Saturn IB. This kit included all of the original wraps and even the decals. All in all, it made for an incredible kit!

Now, this must have been during about a five year window when I was not involved with the club, because I didn't know anything about it until I got this kit from a former member.

As you can see, it's actually a great kit! As you can also see, I haven't built it yet. However, it IS in the build pile, and will be finished one day. I like the idea of doing the model "old school," as it were. I never owned this kit, but I built its big brother, the Saturn V from the same time, and I know it's tough! I may need a little luck on this one!

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

When Hot Wheels Could Fly...Part Two

A while back I featured an item produced by Mattel back in 1971 to try to cash in on the Hot Wheels craze...Hot Birds! In that post I showed you my plane, the Regal Eagle. However, I found another one on eBay a few months ago and since it had a very small price tag (under ten bucks, including shipping) I went for it!. Here, therefore, is my second Hot Bird, The Cloud Hopper!

This one is interesting because it's a turbo-prop! I like the intake mounted in the tail!

The condition of the paint is pretty rough on this one (hence, the tiny price tag) but it is complete and not dented. You can get air brush spectra-flame paint online... Maybe a repaint is in order?

A look at the landing gear! Note that all Hot Wheels products were copyrighted the year before they were released. This can cause some confusing in dating them.

So there you have it! Sometimes things just fall in your lap! If I decide to restore it, I'll post pictures.

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

The Death of the Zonker...

Some of you may remember a few years ago when I did an article about my one and only attempt at using a wrapping paper tube for a rocket. Never in my life had I put so much work (not to mention F&F) into a body tube. Finally after what seemed like days and days, I created The Screaming Yellow Zonker!

The Zonker was a simple rocket. Body tube, plastic nose cone, and a plastic fin can were really all there was to it. I slapped on some yellow and black paint and a home-printed decal and she was done.

She flew great, however. Her 24mm motor mount let me use Estes D's and E's. She really did scream!

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and so it is with The Zonker. Did she crash gloriously in flight? Did she cato into bits in front of hundreds of awed spectatators?

No....I stepped on her. Right on that blasted tube. Now, I could probably fix her, but I can't bear to think about that much work...So I'm retiring her. Maybe someday...

Until next time fly 'em fast and high!

The MIGHTY (tiny) SATURN V!

One of the nice features of most Saturn V models is that they tend to be fairly large. However, a few years ago Quest decided to go in another direction. They went TINY!

The Quest Micro-Maxx Saturn V is powered by the also-tiny Micro-Maxx 1/8 A engine. The whole pre-built model is slightly less than six inches tall. Here are a couple of examples...

These are a little under six inches tall. That's a penny in between them.

Here we have taken the engine mount out of the model on the left. You simply insert the 1/8 A and stick it back in and twist! The streamer is also shown deployed. The nose doesn't come off, it just slides up to release the streamer. In all honesty, it doesn't work well...

So, how do these mighty midgets perform? Not great, actually. They are so heavy that you could probably throw them higher than the motor can get it. The recovery system doesn't work well, but it doesn't really matter because it's pretty much a hunk of indestructable plastic anyway.

So, rather than fly them, I just stick them on a shelf to look at. They are kind of cool, in a weird way. And I know I won't lose them in the weeds!

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

Model Rocketry....50 Years Ago.

Hello rocketeers! This week we're going to take a trip back 50 years to 1966! Let's look at one of my coolest Estes catalogs (I think Royce Frankum gave it to me a few years ago...Thanks, Royce!) and the coolness therein!

The cover of the catalog features great artwork. Mine has a scuff, but it still looks cool!

Two true scale classics! I've built and flown both of them and they scream! I'd like to build the Aerobee again...

The Spaceman was a weird idea that actually ended up being pretty cool. The Streak was well named. It was a total hot rod. It looks like this version of the Phantom didn't have fins...but it probably did.

Classic gliders! These were tough to trim out, but really looked cool when you got them right!

I'm not sure that The Invader could be trimmed out well, but the concept was pretty cool. The Sprite was another hot rod. The Delta was best known as the launch vehicle for the Camroc!

The back of the catalog features this great full color picture of just about every rocket in the book. Note the paint schemes were pretty different than later versions.

So there you have it! There are lots of ideas for classic rockets that are easy to clone here. That may come in handy soon....

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

Everything's Better in Pictures

Today I have an image to show you that isn't exactly as it seems. Here you go...

It's the cover of the July,  1987 issue of American Spacemodeling! On this cover we see a fine example of a Saturn V blasting into the sky for a beautiful flight!...well, sort of...

You see, I happened to take this picture and I know the truth behind it. And I'm ready to spill the beans!

The year was 1987. The contest was Tex Regional. The event was Plastic Model Conversion.

John Dyer built this beautiful Saturn V and decided to make a makeshift tower for it using three rods pushed into the ground. I caught the bird just as it was lifting off...which was good, because an instant later it all went wrong!

Maybe it was the tower. Maybe it was not enough nose weight. Maybe the PMC gods were just angry that day. Whatever the reason, as soon as this bird got about two feet in the air, there were loops-a-plenty! Still, I don't think it was damaged and (if memory serves me) it flew again (albeit MUCH better!)

What is the point to all of this? Just that you can have a bad flight and still make the cover of the national magazine with no one the wiser! ...until now...Sorry, John.

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

Paper Trek

In the early 1970's, I was totally enthralled with Star Trek. The world of the United Federation of Planets was as real to my pre-teen brain as my elementary school. I lived for those rerun adventures every day after school.

And still, I wanted more. In a time before VCR's how could a 12 year old Trek junkie get his fix? One word- books.  Luckily, a British author named James Blish was tasked with writing collections of short stories based on Star Trek scripts.

Interestingly enough, the books were not based on what actually made it to the small screen, since he wrote them without seeing the final product. Therefore, there are frequently subtle differences between the stories based on the original script and what we saw on the t.v. This fact only made the books that much cooler.

Here are three of my books from my youth that I just yanked off of the bookcase in my den.

Here we have "Star Trek 1," "Star Trek 7," and "Star Trek 10." I have others, but these were the easiest to get my hands on. 7 and 10 are first edition paperbacks, but 1 was a re-release (from 1975). The stories in each are:

"Star Trek 1" (1967)
1. "Charlie's Law" (Charlie X)
2. "Dagger of the Mind"
3. "The Unreal McCoy" (The Man Trap)
4. "Balance of Terror"
5. "The Naked Time"
6. "Miri"
7. "The Conscience of the King"

"Star Trek 7" (1972)
1. "Who Mourns for Adonas?"
2. "The Changeling"
3. "The Paradise Syndrome"
4. "Metamorphosis"
5. "The Deadly Years"
6. "Elaan of Troyius"

"Star Trek 10" (1974)
1. "The Alternative Factor"
2. "The Empath"
3. "ThevGalileo Seven"
4. "Is There in Truth No Beauty?"
5. "A Private Little War"
6. "The Omega Glory"

These are, for the most part, very well written and exciting retellings of original series episodes. You can still find the collection (which goes through "Star Trek 12" with an additional book of Harry Mudd stories called "Mudd's Angels") easily and cheaply online. I highly recommend them for anyone who loved the original series!

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

Three Rockets, Chosen At Random...

Ok, not exactly at random, but close. When I went to write this week's blog, I began to think about all the cool kits that, for one reason or another, I have never built. So, I went to my rocket drawers (no, those aren't what I wear when I'm flying rockets) and pulled out the first three unopened kits that caught my eye. Here they are!

From left to right we have the Semroc Orbital Transport, the Estes Black Brant II, and the Fliskits Acme Spitfire. All of these are great kits. All of these are noble kits. All of these are kits truly worthy of being built. Why haven't I? Well, let's take a look.

On the Semroc Orbital Transport, I was going to build it when the company went on hiatus. Suddenly it was "collectible." Crud. Of course now it's back in production again, so I can knock it right out, right? Not so fast. You see there is a lot of balsa in this kit. A whole lot of balsa. A stinkin' whole lot of balsa. I hate filling and sanding balsa! So, as much as I'd like to see it built, I've got to psych myself up to facing all of that dang wood....maybe next week...or the next...

Next we have the Black Brant II. It is an incredible performer, that never fails to put in spectacular flights! It also looks cool! There isn't too much balsa! Let's build it!!! Not so fast. It's also out of production and is a "minor classic" in my eyes, and therefore "collectible." Crud.

Lastly we have the Fliskits Acme Spitfire. It's a really fun kit. It has very little balsa. It is a fun and challenging build. Let's build it!!! Not so fast. It's also not mine.

WHAT?

Yep, it actually belongs to Laurie, my wife. Now, I'm fairly sure that if I asked her to let me build it she would gladly say yes, but I have dozens of other rockets that aren't hers that I need to build so....there ya go.

So there you have it. Right after I took this picture I put them all back in the drawers. Will they ever get built? Maybe. Of course there are many other projects that didn't catch my eye as fast like my Sizzorwing Transport, my P-Chuter Extreme, my Little Joe II, my Saturn V....and so on and so on....

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

A More Appropriate Phone Case

For those of you who might not know (which is probably just about everybody), I usually do my blog posts from my phone. It's easier that way because the pictures are right there, and I can blog from just about anywhere and any time! Ah, technology!

Anyway, recently my phone case broke. Actually, it was my "volumn down" button on the case that broke, which was just plain irritating. So, I started shopping around for a new case. I wanted something that could combine my interests in Rocketry, Science Fiction, and (of course) Disney.

After typing in "Disney Galaxy S7 Edge Cases" in Google I found this!

This comes from out of China, and I think they are specially printed per order, so it took about three weeks to get to me. Still, I love it! The quality seems quite high and I think the image will hold up.

So, in short, I will now be blogging from my really cool Space Mountain phone. This should increase the quality of my posts greatly! (I hope)

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

Poking About in the 8th Dimension....

In 1984 a movie was released that would forever define "sci-fi nerd." I say that because true sci-fi nerds loved it, while everybody else was just confused by it.

I loved it.

The movie waz "Buckaroo Banzai- Across the 8th Dimension!" It starred a post- Robocop Peter Weller, along with John Lithgow and Jeff Goldblum, and was so wacky and over the top that if you knew anything about sci-fi at all, you were in for a treat!

The plot is too complex to go into here....you'll have to see it for yourself. You'll thank me...probably.

Anyway, in celebration of the movie coming out, Marvel Comics released a two comic series based on the movie. Here it is!

I ran out and bought these as soon as they were released and have had then ever since. I really hoped that they would release a second movie, but with so-so box office sales, it was not to be...

However, Disney recently bought Marvel. They have given us Guardians of the Galaxy already. Could they swing a deal to bring Buckaroo back????? We can only hope.

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

A Note From A Great Day

I was going through some paperwork the other day and I came across something interesting...

This was a note that was placed inside every "goodie bag" that was handed out at the Apollo 7 Celebration. The event was held on October 17, 2008, and each table had a Semroc Saturn I-B as a centerpiece. It took a lot of folks a long time to build all of them, and this note acknowledged the builders. Take a look. You might see some folks you recognize!

Participating in the event was really one of the highlights of my life, and we were all very blessed to be chosen. We met many of our heroes that day, and made memories for a lifetime. Every once in a while, a hobby can be used for something really special.

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

I'll Trade You an Apollo 13 for Two Liberty Bell 7's!

You never know what you are going to find at estate sales. This past weekend, I was poking around one and in a box in the garage I found these:

Yep, NASA approved space related trading cards! These SpaceShot cards came out in 1991, right about the time when the trading card fad was booming. It seems like everything was getting put on a trading card and people were even buying them up as investments! (It didn't work, I got the whole box for 50 cents...which is about the going price)

Still, they are pretty cool, and feature some nice pictures and interesting facts about the space program. These are Series Two, which seems to indicate that there was a Series One (you can't fool me!). If you want a set, you can pick up a box on eBay for a few bucks (again, NOT good long term investments).

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

Mars Attacks!

In 1996, director Tim Burton brought an all-star cast together to parody 1950's B-movie sci-fi. The results were...mixed. I remember liking it on one level, but also thinking that it could have been much better. Still, Tom Jones alone is worth the trip in my estimation, so if you haven't seen it, I say give it a shot! (You may or may not be able to find the whole movie on youtube...just saying...)

The item I have for you today once belonged to Bob Wilson. I got it from his stash soon after he passed away, and I value it for that reason more than value it for what it is. Still, it's pretty cool in its own right. Let me introduce you to...

When your ambassador comes with a chaos ray blaster, you know diplomacy isn't a priority....

Other cool stuff you could get!

Yep, it's the Martian Ambassador with his blaster! He can defeat anything except Slim Whitman...(you gotta see the movie to understand that, I'm afraid). All in all he spices up my rocket room quite a bit!

Speaking of Bob Wilson, there is a contest in his honor coming up soon. Keep watching DARS General for more details!

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

Official Shot Glass of Steely Eyed Missile Men

In this week's STB, we take a look at an item that I picked up years ago at a flea market. I give you, the official White Sands shot glass!

Now, instead of "a shot of redeye" (whatever the heck that is) I've stuffed it with cotton so you can see the logo better. This is the same logo they use today, so I can't be sure how old the glass is. I do know that is seems like the museum gift store doesn't carry them any more (although you can get a coffee mug...but how rough and tough is that?)

I like the thought of test pilots knocking one back after a crazy dangerous test....but they probably wouldn't have used a souvenir glass.... Anyway, it's a romantic thought. Mine just sits on the shelf.

Someday, I hope to get out to White Sands (my wife has been).

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

It Was The Summer of '77....

When you have a business of buying and selling collectibles, sometimes you run into interesting items that you weren't expecting... Ok, a lot of times you run into items you weren't expecting....which is what makes it so much fun!

For example, a while back I bought a nice stack of '50s and '60s Hot Rod magazines and 60's and 70's Mad magazines. In the middle of the bunch, I found this:

Yep, Star Wars was the hottest movie of the year and People Magazine was doing their best to capture some of that glory (as was literally everyone else in the entertainment industry). I shot pics of the article. If you click on the pictures and zoom in, you should have no trouble reading it. Also, note the ads. Always good stuff there!

And as an added bonus, I found these drawings inside the magazine. Obviously, this was owned by a true fan! He was pretty good at drawing too...

I probably won't sell the magazine because it's not in great shape, and I think it's cooler than what I could get for it.

So there you have it! I hope everybody enjoyed our little trip down memory lane! Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

A Wonderful Kit I Never Built...

Welcome back to STB! This week we're going to take a look at a kit that has bugged me for years....but soon shall no more. The kit I'm talking about is the 1999 version of Estes' Saturn V!

My lovely wife bought me this kit for our first anniversary almost ten years ago. I had spotted it at Bill's Hobbies in Irving and since the first anniversary is "paper," it seemed perfect!

Now, at the time the kit had been out of production for about eight years and each year that passed something happened....The kit got more and more collectible...Which meant that it got more and more difficult to think about opening it...much less building it!

You must understand,  I love the Estes Saturn V. I've been quoted as saying it's one of the best kits Estes ever produced. At 37 inches long, even the box is impressive. I've built two Saturn V's over the years. I WANT to build this rocket!!!

Now, I may have a chance to have my cake and build it too! Estes is releasing it again! That means I can keep my unopened 17 year old collector kit...and build the new kit guilt free!!!

Yep! I now know what I want for Christmas.

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

It Pays to Know Where Your Towel Is

I have a quick one for you guys this week, and it's not even really rocketry related (although the sci-fi cred is pretty high). As I was looking about, wondering what to write about this week, my eyes fell upon this:

Yep, it's Zaphod and Jeltz from the greatest sci-fi parody ever (although "Galaxy Quest" is a close second) "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!"

My daughter (a.k.a. "coolest kid in the world") got these guys for me a number of years ago. They are from the 2005 movie version, which some purists didn't like, but I thought was wonderful. The detailing on these guys is fantastic, which means these are "collectibles" not "toys."

On a side note, I think I would vote for Galactic President Zaphod this year, all things considered...Maybe not the Vogon, though.

The point of all of this is that it's fun to have little sci-fi or rocket related things strung about your office, and I'm pretty sure they increase productivity by making you feel better. So there.

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

Fun With Paper!

Hello campers! This week's blog post is a day late (and a dollar short) due to my having to play shade tree mechanic yesterday. Ah, tis life. Still, we've got a pretty good one this week...

Paper models!!!! Now, I know that technically almost all model rockets are made (at least partly) of paper. However, several years ago while roaming the ol' interwebs, I stumbled across the world of paper models.

Paper models were not unknown to me. After all, I had the Gulf Oil LEM model as a kid (and have a framed, unused copy in my office now). But now you can download these models and print them out yourself...usually for free!

How do they look? Well, here is a V2 that I printed out and put together a few years ago. I didn't do a great job on it, but it still looks pretty good:

Also, I'm sure you could convert these to fly pretty easily.

If you would like to look at a few that are offered, you can start here http://jleslie48.com/gallery_models_real.html

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

Wishful Thinking 'Bout the Moon

I found this poster on Facebook, and I know nothing about it, except that I really like the idea. It seems the Department of Interstellar Tourism is promoting visiting the Apollo 11 landing site! What a great idea for school field trips! Ah.....if only.

It was pointed out on Facebook that the module wouldn't be there, but I think if they really did something like this, a mock-up might be made to fit on the original landing gear.

Of course, a much bigger problem is that there is no way to actually get tourists onto the moon (although they are going into space occasionally). Maybe someday...

Until next time, fly 'em fast an

Moon Day 2016!

Well, Moon Day has come and gone again! This year we had a larger space, which was nice. George Sprague lead two build sessions which resulted in a great little launch at a nearby park. All in all, it was a huge success yet again!

For those of you who might not know, Moon Day is held every summer at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field. It highlights the anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing. It features booths that focus on various aspects of space travel and science education. DARS has participated in every Moon Day. If you missed this year, we would love to see you next year! We can always use the help!

George Sprague stands by a support column...oh wait, that's his rocket!

John Dyer, Jack Sprague, and Buzz McDermont man the booth.

The DARS booth

Sean Dyer talks to the public.

Buzz, Michael Dyer, Jack, John, and Bob Melton. Sam Barone and Suzy Sprague were there too, but I somehow missed getting their pictures. Sorry, guys! Wait, my picture isn't there either....

An Alpha 3 blasts into the sky!!!

We had a ton of fun! Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!