Something Else From My Library...

This week we have a selection that's fresh off the shelf... from my book case! I give you:

Now, this isn't a new book. It was published in 1987. It's also not an expensive book. You can find it starting at just over two bucks on Amazon. It is, however, a pretty entertaining book for the typical rocket/ sci-fi geek (myself included). Here is a shot of the back cover and table of contents:

Yes, that's my thumb in the last picture. We spare no expense or effort at SLTB!

Ok, back to the book.

John Javna teamed up with various tv critics and gives us an amusing take on quite a few sci-fi shows. As you can see, they cover the "Top Fifteen," the "Worst Ten," the "Classics," etc...  You may or may not agree with what they have to say (the Amazon reviews had a couple of folks who were clearly not happy with the rankings!) but the material is presented in such an entertaining way that that doesn't matter (except, apparently, for the beforementioned reviewers).

I like it because it not only brings back great memories of shows I loved (or hated), but it also informs me about shows I've never seen! Would I have modeled Captain Video's faithful ship without this book? Probably not.

So, since I feel that model rocketeers should be well informed about not only science fact, but also science fiction, I recommend plunking down five bucks or so (shipping, you know) and checking this out!

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

From Maxi-Kit to Maxi-Project

This week we have a blast from the past...and a project for the future! Years ago, I bought and built an Estes Maxi Honest John. Here are a couple of pictures from way back then:

As you can see, it turned out pretty well! However, there was one problem. 29mm motors had just recently been introduced, and I thought it would be a great idea to substitute the standard 24mm mount with a 29mm! Cool, huh?

Ok, not so much. You see, I failed to strengthen the vacuum formed fins. When I used a G motor for the first time, the obvious happened...SHRED!!!!!! My cool model was now a very uncool parts pile. I shoved it up in a closet in shame...

Years later I stumbled across it and discovered it really isn't uncool. It's actually rather cool after all. You see, other than the fins and the original body tube, the parts are in pretty good shape. I'm pretty sure that with new fins (I'm leaning toward aircraft ply over framework, with root pins through the wall) this baby can fly the way I really wanted it to originally. I think I can turn this:

...into something really special. So, that's what I plan to do! As the internet is my witness SHE WILL FLY AGAIN!!!

Ok, maybe that was a little too much drama, but it should be a fun project. I'll post it here as soon as she's finished....

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

A Long Time Ago, On a Turntable Far Away...

Before we get into this week's post, I have an announcement to make...

Shroudlines- The Blog now has over 10,000 pageviews! Thanks, guys! I wasn't sure if I was going to keep this thing going for 6 months...but here we are!
And now, on with the post!

Last week we looked at Disney's "Black Hole" movie album from 1979...This week, we're going to look at the inspiration for that movie...and album.

In 1977, two years before the Disney effort, this hit the record store shelves:

Yep, Lucasfilm did the whole thing before "The Black Hole" was even thought of. Of course, at the time releasing a story album with a movie was much more common than it is today. There were very few home formats to watch movies on out there, and very few people had access to them. Still, just about everyone had a record player, so it made sense.

This album is mainly interesting for the pictures and the clips from the movie that tell the story. It's not bad, but it sure ain't a Blu-Ray. So the next time your DVD freezes at a bad time in a movie, or you lose your Netflix signal, remember that you could be listening to a scratchy vinyl disc...and be thankful for what you have.

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

Disney Does Space Opera!

In this week's post we will visit 1979! In this far away time, Star Wars was HUGE (oh, wait, it still is...) Er....but Disney was NOT. Let me explain...

In the years following Walt Disney's death, the company had pretty much lost its way. The hits just were not happening, and, in fact, things looked a little grim. It was at this point that a little film called "Star Wars" was released and it did fairly well at the box office. Suddenly, Disney decided that since they needed a great original hit, they would follow that time-honored Hollywood tradition and rip off the competition a.s.a.p!
Therefore, they came out with:

...and it pretty much flopped. Still, they had a lot of tie in merchandise with it- such as this album that I found at a local thrift store! Here are some more pictures:

Actually, the movie wasn't so bad. It was a bit of an odd duck, though. It was probably a little dark for Disney fans at the time, and the attempts to appeal to that crowd probably drove off the serious sci-fi crowd. Still, it was enjoyable. I particularly like the model work and design. By the way, there is a whole Estes rocket sub-plot to this story that involves poor luck with licensing and rumored landfills filled with kits.... Some did get released, but that's a story for another day.

Eventually people forgot about "The Black Hole" and Disney made enough money on princesses to just buy "Star Wars" and act like they came up with it in the first place, so everyone is happy.

But I still like Disney's original quirky film...and album.

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!