2014...A Cloned Odyssey

Today I'm not going to write about a project that I've done. Instead, I'm going to write about a project that I'm planning to do! It all started 36 years ago.....(cue wavy lines over the screen)

It was September 13, 1978. I can remember the date because it happened to be my 16th birthday! I had a surprise party at my house and lots of my rocket buddies showed up. What do rocket buddies give for gifts? Rockets! I don't remember who gave me the Odyssey, but it was a winner! It had premiered in 1977, and had even made the cover of the Estes catalog.

The Odyssey was a deceptively simple model. About half of it was a complex plastic nose. It went together like a breeze and after applying the paint and decals looked like a champ! It quickly became one of my favorites.

I wish I could tell you what happened to it, but I simply don't remember. I grew up. It went away. End of story.... Until now!

You see, I never cloned this model because of that huge, weird, wonderful nose. There just isn't a good way to duplicate it. And then a wonderful thing happened....a wonderful thing called "Dark Energy."

Estes released this wonderful model of my dreams. Now, I don't mean that the model itself is wonderful (although it may be) I mean the nose cone is wonderful! Yep, the Odyssey cone is back! Well, almost. Its not exactly the same, but its pretty darn close!

Looking on Ebay (for the model) and at Excelsior Rocketry (for the decals) I can have my Odyssey back for about 20 bucks. Whatadeal!

So there you have it! Its not often you can get back a memory for so little coin, so I'll probably spring for it... So look for it at a meeting or launch coming soon!

So until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

My Non-PC Interceptor E

This week I am featuring what is probably my least politically correct rocket; the Confederate Space Navy Interceptor "JEB Stuart." It has raised a few eyebrows at launches, so I figured I might as well tell the story as to how it came to be. So settle back, light yer corncob pipe, and let me spin ya a yarn....

The whole thing started when Estes released the Interceptor E. At almost 40 inches long, it was an incredible follow up to their original Interceptor. It was supposed to take Estes E9 motors, but was actually under powered with them, so pretty much everyone used composite E's (such as the E24) instead. Maybe it was the lack of the Estes motor to properly power the model that caused them to discontinue it, but maybe not. At any rate, if you can find one I suggest you snatch it up, as they are great rockets.... but I digress...

Anyway, when I purchased mine I decided that I wanted it to stand out and really look sharp. The first thing I did was to laminate the fins with 1/32 aircraft ply so that I could omit the ribs that Estes had engineered to reinforce the largish fin area. That having been done, the rest of the build was pretty much by the instructions...until I got to the decals.

As you can see with even a quick glance, the Interceptor has a TON of decals. Strangely enough, the decals that came with the model were not great. They were very thin and very difficult to work with. Estes usually has good decals, so I'm not sure what went wrong. I originally was going to use the stock decals until I shredded too many of them. Well, crud!

I actually was able to find some replacements on YORF from a very nice guy named Bob Wheet (Thanks again, Bob!)  While I was waiting for them to arrive from Oklahoma, I happened to check out Excelsior Rocketry's selection of decals. They had German, Confederate, British, and Canadian versions of the Interceptor!

Now I had some deciding to do. I almost went with the German version ( to tie in with my Screamin' Max) but I decided on the Confederate version; providing Gordon (the ever- helpful owner of Excelsior) could make one little change.  You see, I had come up with a way to get my name on the model and still make it appropriate to the theme. Instead of the General Lee, I asked if he could print them with JEB Stuart. He said "no problem" and the rest is history! As it turns out, I used the YORF decals and Gordon's decals together. If I messed up, I had a backup! By the way, if anyone needs some I still have some... but not a full set.

So there you have it! My most un-politically correct rocket actually has nothing to do with politics. I just liked the design and wanted my name on it. So there. Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

Moon Madness

Today marks a rather interesting coincidence. It is Friday the 13th AND a full moon. Now I could do some research to find out how rare that is, but it might take effort and it really doesn't have anything to do with this post. I mention it simply to point out that it reminded me that Moon Day is coming soon!

Moon Day is an event that DARS participates in every year at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field. This year it is on July 19, and several club members have already volunteered to man (and woman) the booth. The event gets bigger each year, with many space and technological organizations participating. It is a great networking opportunity for DARS, and great PR as well. It's really worth your time if you can come out and participate.

So, for this week's blog, I am sharing some pictures from the Moon Day that took place two years ago. I would share last year's, but I didn't take any. Oops! So here ya go!

An overall look at the DARS booth

People really like displays like this!

John helps young modelers at the build session.

Of course there are great displays of other craft as well!

Until next time; fly 'em fast and high!

Two Random Pictures

Well the title about sums it up. I was scrolling through my phone and these two pictures caught my eye. First, we have this one...

Now there are several interesting things about this photo. First, I'm not sure who took it. I think it may have been Suzy Sprague, but I'm not sure (we were at their house, after all). We were building about a zillion Saturn 1B's for the Apollo 7 celebration, and silliness had set in a while back. Second, I'm not sure what the heck I'm doing (which is often the case). I seem to be attempting to glue eight fins to one spot on that poor rocket. A time saver for sure, but not exactly scale! Note the "tub 'o fins" sitting on the table in front of me. We had LOTS of parts laying about! Actually this pic brings back lots of great memories about building sessions that were tough, but fun as all get out!

Next we have this:

It's my dog, Alex. She has nothing to do with this blog, but I thought it was a cute picture. So sue me.

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

<<<UPDATE>>>

The mystery photographer had been identified! It was Chas Russell! He kindly sent in these additional shots from the same day!:

Ok, that other picture WASN'T the silliest!

John Dyer on the assembly line!

James Gartrell added his many skills to the project!

"Next Rocket Flight in 5 Minutes!" Disney's Rocket to the Moon Game

Those who know me know that I love me some Disney. If I can combine that love of Disney with rockets; well, so much the better! So, today I'm going to do just that!


If you look at my avatar, you will see a piece of Disneyland rocketry history, The Tomorrowland Rocket to the Moon Game! It is on proud display on my piano at home even as you read this. Before we take a closer look inside the box, however, let's back up and look at a bit of Disneyland history.


When Disneyland opened in 1955, Disney was already really good at merchandising. After all, they had hundreds of products based on their animated characters and films. They fully understood that such items built enthusiasm for their core product...family movies and shorts. With Disneyland they had a brand new product: a "theme park." No one had ever even heard of a theme park before. There were amusement parks, of course, and Mr. Knott had a wonderfully themed park just up the road, but the idea of a completely themed park was new. The dedication plaque in Town Square sums it up nicely:

Disneyland

To all who come to this happy place:

WELCOME

Disneyland is your land.

Here age relives fond memories

of the past...And here youth may savor

the challenge and promise of the future

Disneyland is dedicated

to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard

facts that have created America...With the

hope that it will be a source of joy

and inspiration to all the world.

July 17, 1955

You see, Disneyland was supposed to actually BE a different time and place. One of the ways this was accomplished was to have different areas in the park that represented different times and places. The original "lands" were Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland. (Actually there was also a Holidayland, but that didn't last long and isn't even mentioned in the original concepts) Each of these lands were designed to whisk people away from the present, and take them to another place to entertain, inspire and teach them.

To promote this concept (and the park), Parker Brothers (and also Transogram) made games representing each of the lands and the park as a whole. They also produced a few games of individual attractions. I have several of these games in my collection, including Adventureland, Frontierland, and Disneyland. The one featured here is, of course, Tomorrowland.

Published in 1956, the box of the Tomorrowland game features our favorite Disney rocket, the TWA Moonliner with people in their best travelling clothes strolling toward it to board...or maybe just to ride the ride... You see, the illustration was taken from the actual Disney attraction and instead of a launch gantry, you see the show building in the background. There are several other rockets (although of a different design) flying about the sky, and a porter with a decidedly un-high tech megaphone calls for the next launch.

The game board is a bit more interesting in that we actually see the Moonliner lifting off in its seldom seen "gear up" configuration. It also shows a mish-mash of actual Tomorrowland landmarks (such as the Clock of the World) and fictional structures (such as a helipad). The graphics are bright and cheerful and...optimistic. Disney was always very optimistic about the future!

The parts of the game were very simple. There were four wooden flying saucers and a spinner that was actually used on several of the Disneyland games. The instructions reveal that the game was played like a combination of a regular board game and tidily winks.

All in all it is a great reminder of a time and place that was created to inspire people to dream and reach for the stars. And that is exactly what they did. Who could have foreseen that in 13 short years, men really would be riding rockets to the moon!

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!







Of Comic Kitties, Honeymoons, and Beautiful Princesses...

In this post I am going to cover three topics that might not seem to go together...except that they do...sort of... First, let me share a picture of my rocket Bad Kitty from the 2006 NSL:

Myself and Bad Kitty. I'm the one on the left...

Bad Kitty zooming!

This was the first time that I had flown Bad Kitty, and I was pretty proud of her. My wife, Laurie, had given her to me as a wedding gift, and I had just finished her up with special decals. Which, of course, brings us to part two of our three things that don't go together. We had just gotten married the weekend before NSL and we were honeymooning on the range! Talk about a great sport for a wife! In fact, I made special decals for Bad Kitty that commemorated the event!

See, it's a Honeymoon Rocket!

By the way, there is no real link to the name "Bad Kitty" and our honeymoon, I just liked the comic strip "Get Fuzzy" and based it on that.

Now, as you see, the date on the fin is the same as....TODAY! Yep, it's out 8th anniversary! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, LAURIE!!! Which brings us to the last piece of the puzzle:

Laurie and Princess Kyrie

My wonderfully cute granddaughter, Kyrie! You see, Monday is her third birthday!!! So HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KYRIE!!!

So there you have it! Three things that actually fit together quite nicely and make my life happy.

So until next time; fly 'em fast and high!

He's a Real Space Cadet...

Today, the term "Space Cadet" is used for people who might not actually be completely "on the ball." It denotes someone whose head is stuck in the clouds, and who has trouble with a little thing called "reality." You certainly wouldn't use it to describe someone who is at the top of their field, quick witted and courageous. Therefore it is all the more ironic that that description is exactly what the term used to mean!

Meet Tom Corbett, Space Cadet!

Tom was the main character in a series of stories that appeared in just about every format imaginable in the 1950's. If you read comic books, listened to radio, or watched TV, you knew of the daring exploits of Tom Corbett and the Solar Guard. Tom spent his time at the Space Academy, on his trusty ship, the Polaris, or on a variety of alien worlds. It was all great fun for a nation that was just beginning to get bitten by the space bug.

Although early space series like Tom Corbett are rather silly when viewed with contemporary eyes, it is important to remember that they ignited the spark that eventually sent man to the moon, and spacecraft out of the solar system. The only problem is that now that spark is dangerously dim. We have a space program mired in politics and economics, run by people who are more interested in the bottom line than man's destiny in space.

In many ways, we need Tom back.

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!