Space Adventure is Where You Find It

When you are a space history fan, you tend to see the world in a different way. For example, while some people see plastic cups, you see launch vehicles. When others see two liter soda bottles, you see launch vehicles. When others see paper towel rolls, you see launch vehicles. When others see bacon, you see... well, bacon....you can't really beat bacon.

The other day I was at my work, I looked up and saw this...

Now, to most people this would simply be a light. I, however, immediately saw this:

Yes, with the reentry flames and everything. So, you can see how my life can be a little more exciting than other people's lives. Does this make me crazy?....Crazy for rockets, maybe!

So there you have it. Reality is what you make it. I think I'll make it bacon...For some reason I'm hungry.

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

Shoulda Set The Park Brake...

I was going to feature something different this week, but then I saw that "The Vault of Retro Sci-Fi 2.0" had published this on Facebook...

This cover was just too tasty to pass up! As you can see, it apparently features a band of intrepid space travellers who need to make a quick call to AAA. Now, what really caught my eye was the rocket. Anyone who has a passing knowledge of 1950's sci-fi (or has read this blog for a while) will recognize it as the Wernher von Braun/ Walt Disney ferry rocket! (or, rather, a close cousin). I'm pretty sure Walt and Wernher would not have approved of crashing their creation even just for a book cover, so this is obvioulsy a knock-off.

Still, I think the image is wonderful! Had I been hanging out in a German news stand in the mid '50s and saw it, I might have had to pony up the 60 pfg, which is the whole point of a cover to begin with!

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

To Save or to Fly...Star Wars Version

Part of the problem with collecting model rocket kits is that in all reality they were never meant to be collected. They were meant to be built and flown. Therefore, there is always a conflict when one views their collection....a bit of guilt. These birds should be FLYING! But, if you build the model and fly it, you can lose it forever....

One such model that always catches my eye when I open the rocket drawers is my Estes X-Wing. Here it is...

There are reasons that this might actually be a good builder kit. First, it's not a first release, it's the 15th anniversary edition. Also, the packaging isn't in great shape. It has some tiny tears and tape that I don't dare pull off. Lastly, it's just a really cool model!

However, there is one big reason not to build it. As long as it's in the package, it's safe. Nothing terrible will happen to it as long as it's in the drawer. So....back in the drawer it goes...again and again.

Maybe one day I'll build it, but not today

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

Be sure to check out my other blog, Stu's Attic.http://stusattic.blogspot.com

A Romantic Rendezvous...

Ok, maybe not all that romantic, but it made for a good title! The subject for this week's post is the Gemini missions and how one toy company got a lot right about them.

Let me back up a bit. A few weeks ago my wife and I were searching for treasure at a local antique mall when I spotted this:

This is the Wolverine company's Rendezvous in Space Game! This tin and plastic bagatelle game was made in the early 1960's when the space race was really heating up. It features two Gemini spacecraft doing what they were actually designed to do... conducting a rendezvous! In the closeup below, you can see that not only are the spacecraft close to each other, but they are conducting a spacewalk as well! Clearly someone at Wolverine was paying attention to the space program. The spacecraft are even fairly accurate!

In the lower closeup, you can see that although the Titan launch vehicle is fairly close, the artist couldn't resist a couple of flights of fantasy. There are a couple of decidedly 1950's sci-fi spacecraft and a Disneyesque space station. Still, it really just adds to the fun.

And how fun is it? Well, more than I would have thought! My wife Laurie has already said that I've gotten my money's worth. So although I paid a lot more than it originally cost in 1962, I count it a bargain!

So, there you have it! Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!