What's Next In The BlastFromThePast Shop?....

Easy answer. I've got a lot of items in the queue.

Now that the Steampunk Protostar and the 2021 binge-build are behind me, I'm lining up the next series of projects for the upcoming three months.

First on the docket is an Estes Mercury Redstone kit that I've had sitting un-built in the cabinet for awhile.  I've got the parts all laid out and ready to start.

I also have this Estes Booster-55 unit that was given to me by Lee Reep late last year. 

I intend to run down to Hobby Lobby and pick up another Cherokee-E kit to use the parts to build a rocket using the B55. This bird will likely be a good 24mm motor powered vehicle for conducting more video cam/altimeter flights.

Alongside these, I plan to build a couple of first stage boosters to fly with some of my smaller models. These will be BT-5 and BT-20 sizes.

In addition, I plan to use up some spare body tube scraps to knock together some payload sections of various sizes.

As if this weren't enough, I did an inventory of my parachute supply and found things to be lacking there. A 'parachute- fest' is in my near future. 

Also, I have noticed that a good number of my models are sitting on those cheesy old cardboard/spent engine casing  stands.

 Must break out the woodworking tools and fashion some more good display units.

And then there are those victims of my December 2nd launch debacle that are still awaiting repair.

Busy rocketeer.....

Concerning The Steampunk Protostar....

Blogger's Note:  In the interest of keeping this blog interesting and diverse, I sometimes stray from the beaten path and post something random, unusual, or off-the-wall.  The following is just such a post.

Having finally completed the build of the Steampunk Protostar, I decided to don my 'writer's cap' and concoct the following fictitious, humor-laden account of the 'history' of the craft:

Enjoy....

Following are excerpts from the journal of the esteemed inventor and adventurer associated with the Protostar, one Prof. Thaddeus P. Zamphyr. 

Professor Zamphyr, along with his assistant and builder, Hiram S. Bulch, have been deeply engaged in developing, constructing, and testing a rocket vehicle for well over a decade.  Their ultimate aim is, of course, a journey to the moon.

The account highlights begin here:

April 1895 - "Upon initial attempt at a launch of the steam-driven Moon Vessel, we found, to our consternation, that the steam pressure we had built up was by no measure adequate to budge the craft by even a handsbreadth. Nothing of significance was accomplished save the production of a substantial amount of smoke and steam, accompanied by a great noise."

May 1896 "After attempting to modify the steam drive for optimum pressure and nozzle velocity, we experienced only slightly improved results, yet not near enough to approach propelling the vessel.  It has become quite apparent that an entirely different system of propulsion will be necessary in order to realize success.  A very disappointing setback, indeed."

December 1896  "Word has come to us of a maker of solid gun powder-based propulsion devices!  The said firm is located across the Atlantic, deep within the interior of the continental United States of America.  I propose to send them a letter of inquiry right away, in the hopes that this company's product might prove to be a solution to our dilemma."

June 1897. "Following successful negotiation and proper payment to the firm mentioned in December of last year, Mr. Bulch and I have acquired some of their black powder propulsive devices, and are forthwith engaged in modifying and refitting our vessel to accommodate them. The proprietor assures us that the devices will perform admirably, provided we follow the precise instructions and precautions associated with their use. The gentleman does, by no means, guarantee that his 'propulsors' are adequate in strength to permit our vessel to reach the moon, but he postulates that they will provide a 'jolly good ride' into earth's atmosphere.  We shall be content with that."

July 1897  "From experimentation with our new American-made propulsor, Mr. Bulch and myself have busied ourselves with the design and testing of the system recommended by the firm for igniting them.  This requires the use of electricity, a discipline of which neither of us is intimately familiar. I must consult the latest scientific journals and published papers to remedy this situation."

September 1897  "Success,!  We have managed, by our newfound electrical knowledge, to ignite one of the propulsors in a ground-based test.  We are now free to continue preparations of the vessel and, eventually, embark on our adventure.  Mr. Bulch and myself have retired to the parlour this evening for a celebratory glass of Sherry and a good Havana cigar, and to discuss final preparations!  Cheers!"

September 1897  "Following our string of successes, I employed a professional photographer to take images of our vessel, copies of which I sent off to the propulsion firm in the United States.  The representative was duly impressed by the fruits of our efforts.  He proposed that the vessel should be named 'Protostar'.  I have no inkling of what this means or what a proto star might be, yet I found the moniker to be quite satisfactory.  Mr. Bulch was in full agreement."

December 1897  With our vessel now named and nearly made ready for its maiden flight, I sent a letter off to Her Majesty The Queen to inform her of our endeavor and to ask if we might have her Royal blessing and permission to christen the vessel as the H.M.M.V.  (Her Majesty's Moon Vessel) Protostar.

February 1898  Received a letter from one of  The Queen's ministers, that read thusly:

"It is my sad duty to inform you of Her Majesty The Queen's response to your recent query. Her Majesty has stated, in no uncertain terms, that she considers your endeavor to be representative of the utmost form of absurdity.  Her Majesty also strongly denies permission to associate The Crown with such 'quackery'."

March 1898  "All is in readiness to partake of our maiden flight into the unknown aboard the Protostar.  All supplies and necessities are made fast, and a full check of the vessel has been thoroughly conducted.  This present volume of the journal will end here.  The second volume is aboard the craft, ready for entries describing our journey."

No further news or journals of this adventure have since been found. The fate of Prof. Zamphyr, Mr. Bulch, and the Protostar vessel remains to this day, shrouded in mystery....

BAR Fleet #133 - Steampunk Protostar

Source:  Estes Industries Kit #7260

Highly Modified

Type: Futuristic Sport Model

Stages: Single

Engine Type: 24mm

Recovery:  Parachute

Length:  62.4 (24.6 in.)

Diameter:  41.8mm (1.64 in.)

Weight Empty:  148.7g (5.25 oz.)

Nose Cone:  Parabolic

Fin Type: Swept, with Pods

Number of Fins: 3

Color Scheme:  Metallic Copper, Silver, Aluminum, Brass

Date Completed:  April 6, 2022

A Flight Of Fancy...

Back in May of 2018, Estes Industries R&D designer John Boren posted a reply on one of the online rocketry forums in a thread discussing the proper paint scheme for the Estes Protostar kit. John posed the question concerning when the first steampunk version would be built.

After reading this, I decided that I would make an attempt at rising to the task. With 40% coupon clutched tightly in hand, I made the trek to the local Hobby Lobby, returning home with a new Protostar kit.

Next step was to consult the Wonderful World Wide Web to learn what 'steampunk' was all about.

With the kit and newfound knowledge now in my possession, I retired to the Secret Basement La-BOR-atory to pore over a drawing board. After several moments of taxing the few active brain cells that are left to me (I blame the many years working in the electronics industry), I had a working concept plan laid out.

Work soon began on the model.  At the outset, I had no clear ideas on how many of the myriad details were going to be rendered.  These just happened to be worked out as the build progressed.

Ultimately, the build stretched out over nearly four years.  Not that the build actually took that long, but the model languished on the shelf for long periods of time while I pursued other various rocketry projects.

Zillions of Rivets !

As seen in the accompanying photos, the Protostar is covered with copious amounts of rivet detail. These were all painstakingly hand punched on adhesive paper sections that were then applied to the model.  I never bothered to count how many rivets were made, but I'm sure they number into the thousands!

I won't go into a detailed description of the build here, as the full process is well-documented and photographed in the BlastFromThePast blog.  There are forty-five posts covering the build.  Here is a link to the first of these:

BlastFromThe Past: Steampunk Protostar, Part 1 - A Marvelously Splendid New Adventure (castlerocketeer.blogspot.com)

Flying The Steampunk Protostar

Many model rocketeers would be quite reluctant to risk flying a model such as this more than one time. After all, many hours of work went into the build, much of it dedicated to forming and applying large amounts of minute detail.  An illuminated magnifying headpiece was used on many occasions! 

All it would take to undo all of this would be a recovery system SNAFU or, worse yet, a destructive motor CATO. Like it or not, those things are an integral part of the hobby of model rocketry.

My plans for the model are to get at least ten flight missions accomplished before retiring it. Maybe more.  In other words, the Steampunk Protostar is by no means to be relegated to a display shelf.

Cheers!

Steampunk Protostar, Part 45 - Some 'Victorian' Decals

 The final touches to the Protostar are in the form of a few home-print decals to represent a brass fleet number and some viewing ports for the crew capsule.

A little searching on the Wonderful World Wide Web netted the following:

A set of cool looking Victorian style brass-colored numerals.  Here they are applied to the designated spot on the model.  I thought the "No." designation was an appropriate touch, as well.

To represent the viewing ports, I came across the image of an ornate antique brass circular picture frame. 

Importing the image into Paint, I had only to apply a black fill to the center of the frame, make a size adjustment, cut/paste three copies, and... Voila !!  

A trio of fancy, frilly viewing ports for the Protostar.

All of these decals were printed on the same page as those required for the recent seven-model binge build.

Here is a pic of the crew capsule with viewing ports in place:

Almost done !!!!!

Steampunk Protostar, Part 44 - The Crew Capsule

 ...a.k.a, nose cone.

Today's post covers the final decorative treatment of the Protostar model's nose section.

There are no new techniques here, as most of the features are a continuation of those found on the main rocket body.

Three vertical riveted strips and a riveted band were laid out, back-punched, painted metallic silver, and applied.

A crew access hatch was formed by painting the assigned area with enamel 'aluminium' paint and surrounding it with a riveted silver frame.

The hatch lock and handle mechanism, as well as the grip bar, were fashioned out of more parts from the aforementioned surplus plastic model kit. Again, these were painted with brass acrylic.

Tomorrow's post will pretty much wrap up the Protostar's decorative aspects with the application of a few home printed decals.

Stay tuned!

BAR Fleet: #139 ESAM-58

 Source:  Estes Industries Kit #0661

Type: Sport Model

Stages: Single

Engine Type: 18mm

Recovery:  Parachute

Length:  69cm (27.2 in.)

Diameter:  42mm ( 1.64 in.)

Weight Empty:  88.7g ( 3.13 oz.)

Nose Cone:  Ogive

Fin Type: Multiple

Number of Fins: 8

Color Scheme:  Grey, Red, Aluminum with black, white, red , and silver trim.

Date Completed:  March 30, 2022

A Nice-Looking Bird

This kit was purchased from the local Hobby Lobby store about a year and a half ago, but construction didn't  begin until last October, when the model became part of the 2021 binge-build.

The BT-60 based rocket features two sets of inter-digitatated fins and a very long nose!

The kit was largely built stock, with the exception of being equipped with a longer motor mount stuffer tube.

The paint scheme follows that shown on the kit face card.

The application of the myriad kit decals makes for a very attractive model rocket which I am quite pleased to add to the fleet.

Binge Build - The Final Flourishing Finish !

Well, boys and girls, the Great BlastFromThePast 2021 Model Rocket Binge Build has finally come to a conclusion.

The seventh and last model, an ESAM-58, received its decal and paint embellishments yesterday, and has now been deemed flight-ready.

D'ya know what else this means?

No more of the corny alliterative blog post titles !

Coming up with those was putting quite a hurt on the few active brain cells that yet remain to me.

Anyway, here is a photo of the 2021 binge-build family:

I had so much fun with this project that I've already lined up the models that will comprise the Great BlastFromThePast 2022 Binge Build.

This one will begin on July 1st to give me six months to ensure end-of-year completion.

Cheers !