A Minor Hobby Lobby Gripe...

 Don't get me wrong here - I am generally very happy that Hobby Lobby stores carry Estes model rocket products, and that I have a local store here in Castle Rock, Colorado a mere mile and a half from my home.

I like that there are rocket kits exclusive to HL that are unavailable elsewhere.

My concern is with the greatly reduced selection of motor types available.

It is understandable that, with the new order of things between Estes and Hobby Lobby, an attempt is made to match motor types with the selection of kits hanging on the nearby pegs.  

This is all well and good, and the most commonly used motor types: A8-3, B6- 4, and C6-X are readily available.  

But I have noticed the disappearance of several motor types that I have been accustomed to purchasing frequently at Hobby Lobby in the past: 1/2A -2T, A10-3T, A10-0T, and any of the other 18mm zero delay booster motors smaller than a C6.

In my opinion, it would be nice to see a more rounded selection of motors on the peg board at Hobby Lobby.

Besides the types mentioned above, it would be cool to also have a D12-0, D12-7, the little 1/4A mini, and maybe even the new C5s.

We'll wait and see as things unfold.

Gripe over.....

Rocket Building Mobility

Last weekend, a little time was spent in the BlastFromThePast shop in order to build a quick rocket building accessory:

This is a small portable laptop 'workbench' made from a surplus cabinet shelf.

This project was driven by desire to work on model rockets somewhere else around the house apart from the deep, dark, and mysterious basement la-BOR-atory. 

With this device, I can hang out in the living room with the Missus while she's watching her movies/TV shows, work on models while keeping an eye on the football games, or enjoy the outdoors on the back deck.

The 15x18 workspace includes sides and tool compartments made from Home Depot paint stir sticks, a plastic small-parts container, and a removable stop on the front of the panel to keep things from falling off.  The tool holder features a block of hard foam in which to stick frequently used modeling tools.

With this workspace, I've been able to perform many model building operations including fin cutting, model marking and assembly, brush painting, decaling, parachute construction - anything that doesn't require sanding or use of stinky paints/glues, or is otherwise messy.

Gotta keep Mrs. BFTP happy, you know.

Aside from building rockets, the work board has been useful as well for LEGO building and tinkering with other small projects.

It's quite surprising to see how much can be accomplished on such a compact workspace.

The best aspect, though, is the added time for rocket building that the device affords.