The Winter Blues

I'm suffering from a really bad case.

As far as model rocketry goes, I'm strictly a fair-weather flier.  That wasn't the case back in my old fleet days.  Back then I didn't mind heading out for club launches on days when the temperature didn't top forty degrees, and wind chill made it even colder.  Occasionally, launching would take place on fairly nice days when the field was still covered with snow from a recent storm.

Now, in my advancing years, I refuse to venture out with rockets and range box in hand unless the temperature is in the high fifties or above and wind does not exceed seven mph.  And no snow on the ground....  

This past several months in Colorado, these conditions have just not happened.  Instead, it has been a relatively cold winter, with regular snow storms, wind, and temperatures hanging mostly around freezing. 

The days that have reached up into the fifties have been on my work days.

Sigh.

So, the rockets have remained on their display stands.

Anyway, as I gazed wistfully out the window at the recent falling snow, I was reminded of a cartoon I drew back in 1980 for publication in the ROMAR club news letter, the Cosmic Steppingstone. 

I found the issue and scanned the cartoon for posting here....

Cheers.....

Non-Flying Saturn V Completed

Hi, All,
As you might have guessed, the Protostar project has been on hold for awhile in favor of putting together the LEGO version of the Saturn V.

OK... it is a model... and it is a rocket.

 

I must say, I am extremely pleased at how this set turned out and how detailed it is, given that construction is done with mostly standard LEGO elements.  There are very few kit-specific parts to this model.

What really impressed me was the level of ingenious building techniques used in the internal structure for attaching the outer skin and detailing.

It's also very nice that the lettering on the model is printed directly on the parts, and not done with stickers as with many other LEGO sets.

All in all, the end product is a BIG, highly detailed, sturdy, and impressive model that looks good on any display shelf.  Each of the various stages of the rocket separate to show the engine nozzle details.

 

 

The set also comes with two small dioramas:  the Lunar Module and two astronaut micro-figures on the moon's surface, and the Command Module after ocean splashdown.

 

I would highly recommend this set to anyone who has an interest in space exploration.  One does not have to be a dedicated LEGO fan either to enjoy this model.

In my opinion, LEGO hit a home-run with this one.

From here I can turn my attention back to the Protostar, and of course, purchasing the new Estes Saturn V kit to build and fly.

Cheers!

A Mash-up of Two Hobbies

This week I celebrate my 21st birthday - the third one in a row.

This past Saturday, family was over for the 'big birthday bash', and my youngest daughter and son-in-law presented me with this:

This kit satisfies two of my hobby passions - model rocketry and LEGO building .

 I will soon be purchasing the new Estes flying kit as well, so the two Saturn versions should make a nice pair of bookends on a display shelf.

While I'm on the subject of LEGO and model rocketry, I have to show off this rocket building cradle stand that I cobbled together this morning out of a handful of LEGO plates, bricks, and slopes.

During last week's flurry of workshop renovation, I accidently bumped into the partially built Protostar model that was residing on a narrow shelf -safely out of the way, so I thought.  The model was resting (balancing) on a woefully small wooden cradle made originally for BT-50 and smaller diameter rockets.

The Protostar took a 5 foot dive onto the cement floor of the shop.  Luckily only the tip of one fin was slightly dented from the impact, and presents an easy repair.

Not wanting to take the time to build a larger wooden cradle, I figured one built out of LEGO elements would work just fine.

Indeed, it does.  The cool part is that the length and height of this cradle can easily be altered to accommodate different sized models.

I suspect that this new cradle will remain a permanent fixture on the rocket-building bench.

Cheers!

The New BlastFromThePast Shop Is Finished!!!

Here it is...
the new, downsized, organized (kinda), and efficiently engineered workspace for model rocketry, hand tool woodworking, pyrography, electronics, small repairs, LEGO building, drafting, and whatever else comes to mind.

It's been a whirlwind of intense activity the last couple of weeks, but finally the cabinets, benches, electrical power, task lighting, bench mat, drill press, stereo system, and tool storage drawers are all finished and in place.

With a little additional organizational fine-tuning of the space inside the cabinets (actually, it's all in shambles at the moment), the space will be ready for me to get cracking on real, actual projects!

What a ride....

New Shop mostly Set Up

This past weekend, I managed to complete assembly of the remaining storage cabinets, as well as installing power, lighting, and the stereo system.  All of my rocketry stuff and shop tools, hardware, etc. are now crammed into the cabinets and bench drawers. 
Now begins the lengthy task of getting it all sorted, organized, and arranged to my liking.

Here is a pic of the overall shop area, including the woodworking bench.  Surprisingly, I've been able to fit most of my woodworking hand tools, jigs, and small sized project stock into the base cabinet!

These are a couple shots of the rocketry / small project workbenches.

This is a much neater and tidier workspace than what occupied the area before.

The most important thing is that Mrs. BlastFromThePast is much happier with the new arrangement, as well.

Soon, I will be ready to get back to work on the Protostar. 

Phew!  This has been a job!

More Shop Progress....

Two more tall cabinets are awaiting assembly and will be placed next to the workbenches.
After that, power and lighting needs will be taken care of, after which begins the monumental task of organizing and arranging all of the tools, hardware, and, of course- rocket stuff! 

Phew!

This stuff is fun, but it will be nice to sit down and get back to rocket building again.

Yet Another Diversion....

A couple of weeks have passed since I last had anything new or post-worthy to present here.  The reason is that I have embarked on yet another project that has put an abrupt hold on any rocket building.

Workshop renovation.....

Yep, once again the BlastFromThePast basement workshop is undergoing yet another phase of its ongoing evolution.  This time it's a major facelift.

Up to this point, the shop has been operating using a hodge-podge of benches, desks, cabinets, and makeshift shelves. Nothing matches, it's aesthetically unpleasing, and adequate storage area is sorely needed.

To add to the chaos, the same shop space is used for my other hobbies:  hand-tool woodworking, and my ever growing LEGO collection (Yep, I'm an AFOL - Adult Fan Of LEGO).

Not to mention that the shop is also the place where I engage in the usual household utility stuff  -general repairs, electrical, small painting projects, and the like.

So, last week I was wandering around the local Wal-Mart, when I happened to notice some items I had never encountered there before - some heavy duty metal storage cabinets and matching heavy duty workbenches.  I could tell just by looking at the display samples that they were well designed and very good quality - definitely not the typical plastic or particle board junk one is usually accustomed to seeing.

"Made In The U.S.A." said the box.    Hmmmm.....

A quick online search of the particular manufacturer and its shop furniture products revealed a consistent customer review rating of 4 and a half stars, with a lot of very positive comments to go along.

I was sold.   I later brought Mrs. BlastFromThePast back to Wal-Mart to see the items, and floated the idea of perhaps getting one or two of the cabinets for the basement shop. She was thrilled at the idea that I wanted to take steps toward cleaning up the chaos there.

After doing a little comparison shopping of similar shop furniture at other stores, I was still drawn to those at Wally World. I just liked the overall look and features they included.

We ended up purchasing three of the storage cabinets and two of the workbenches.

The past few evenings have been spent assembling some of the new all-steel shop furniture.  As I suspected, the items are extremely well-engineered, easy to assemble, and packed with a lot of great features I have not seen with other commercially-made shop fixtures.  And the price point is not too shabby either.

Here are a few pics of this new adventure.....

A table loaded with displaced wood-shop tools and hardware.

Hey - there's those scissors!   I've been looking all over for those.

The first storage cabinet- assembled and in place.

And, more future fun with a wrench and screwdriver.......

I am totally stoked about getting my new shop space organized and start using this new stuff. 

Maybe even get a few rockets built!

More to come.