Back To The Bench !

This week, I finally became motivated to pull a project out of the cabinet and get back to rocket building.
Out of mothballs came the EAC Viper.
The fins got masked and the purple stripes painted on.

I am surprised - the brushed-on paint job didn't turn out half bad.
I took the liberty to make the purple stripes considerably wider than on the original design.
Last night, the necessary decal sheet was designed and printed out, so this model should be completed this weekend.
Cheers!

BAR Fleet #125 - Super Shot

Source:  Estes Industries

Super Shot Starter Set #1449 (1999)
Type:  Sport Model E2X

Stages: Single
Engine Type: 18mm
Recovery:  Parachute

Length:  39.7cm
Diameter:  27.7mm
Weight Empty:  42.2g

Nose Cone:  4.15 Caliber Tangent Ogive
Fin Type: Clipped Delta
Number of Fins: 3

Color Scheme:  Black, Red, Yellow

Date Completed:  Originally built c.1999,
Refurbished 27 June, 2020

Another E2X Model In The Fleet….

The Super Shot model rocket was given to
me in by long-time Colorado Springs friend, Robert Antion.
The model was built in 1999, but never flown.
Once the Super Shot was in my possession, I performed my own preparations, including adding a fleet number decal, replacing the shock cord, and applying CA reinforcement to the end of the main body tube.

The model, despite being a beginner’s E2X model that I didn't even build myself, is nonetheless a welcome new addition to the fleet.

The Rest Of The Story

Last year, I posted here about a stash of model rockets, kits, accessories, and motors that a friend gave to me.

Today, that same friend visited, and presented me with a plastic shopping bag containing even more rocket stuff.

He said he found the items in the back of a cabinet he was cleaning out.

Turns out, most of it was stuff that was missing from the original lot:

The Estes Super Shot model rocket (already built),  the Estes Twister kit; the instructions, decals and face cards for the Quest Big Rage, Estes Viking, and Estes Quark, a Mosquito kit, and the two piece 1/8 launch rod that was missing from the Porta Pad set.

Receiving this bag of items kind of round-house kicked me out of my Covid19 doldrums, and got me fired up about model rocketry again.

Just might have to drag out those unfinished projects and start building!

Another Movie Featuring A Model Rocket

Part of my COVID19 'Safer-at-home' activities have involved taking in some movies.
Last night, we found an obscure film on YouTube called "Frank vs. God".

The story line revolves around a lawyer who lost his home to a tornado.
His insurance company refused his claim on the grounds that they did not cover 'Acts of God'.
The lawyer then filed a lawsuit in Florida court against God.

Anyway, a little sub-plot centered on the lawyer grieving his recently deceased wife.
The only thing he was able to retrieve from the wreckage of his home was the urn containing her ashes.  He had many memories of sitting with her on a Florida beach watching Saturn V launches at the Cape, several miles away.

Near the end of the movie, Frank is shown on the deck of his friend's  yacht out on the ocean.
He pours his wife's ashes into the top of a Saturn V model rocket, and launches it from the deck.

I recall one earlier scene showing the inside of the man's messy apartment.  For a brief moment there was a shot of what appeared to be a corner of a Saturn V  kit box sticking out of a cardboard carton.

Interesting....

Checking In To My Own Blog!

Hi, folks,
Obviously, it's been a while since I've posted anything here.
The lack of activity is due directly to COVID-19.

No, I did not contract the virus....

At the beginning of April, I was furloughed from my workplace in order to comply with Colorado's  stay-at-home directive.

Now you would think that all this free time would be fortuitous for getting a lot of model rocketry done, right?

Wrong..

As it turns out, the rockets got put on a shelf in favor of embarking on a comprehensive and thorough cleaning and organizing of the BlastFromThePast home.  This includes going through the contents of a four drawer file cabinet packed with paperwork.  A lot of time spent with the shredder!
Next was a total cleaning and re-org of the entire basement.
After that, it was wiring up the house with off-air antenna feeds and installing ROKU devices.  I cut the satellite TV and land line phone cords.

On top of that, the huge amounts of yard work and landscaping projects began once the weather started warming up.

As of this month, I have been scheduled back to work on an as-needed basis.  This means I can knock off with the big projects, and devote more time to the hobbies.....and posting here.

On another note, I received word from a local rocketeer, Jesse Ulibarri, that a new NAR section has been formed in Longmont, Colorado - the Longmont Rocketry Club.

Longmont is a small town a few miles up the road north of Denver.  Congrats to Gary Smith and company for getting this section started.
To my knowledge, this makes the 4th active section in Colorado.

"Hey, BFTP, Where's That Protostar???

Good question.

The short answer:

The Steampunk Protostar had been relegated to a back burner for a short while in favor of getting a few quicker builds completed.
I truly would like to have a couple of new models ready for the upcoming flying season.

I plan on resuming work on the PS in mid April or early May.

 It really is high time to close out that long-running project!

Hunkerin' Down In Colorado

Before I get too far into this this post, I  would like to wish all of you the best during these trying times.  Please be careful and stay healthy!

Like most others these days, what with the pandemic in process, I'm spending much more time at home.

As of this writing, I still go to work during the week, being in a medical equipment R&D and manufacturing environment.  

But the time I spend at home is...well...spent at home. Not much going out anywhere unless it's absolutely necessary.

Naturally, this equates to plenty of time to pursue my many hobbies and interests.

Chief among these is, of course, model rocket building.

A good amount of time was spent this weekend painting an EAC Viper.  The big difference with this project is that the model is being brush painted!

Gosh! I haven't painted a model that way since 1976 when I built my old fleet Estes A20 Demon and finished it with Butyrate dope.

I was fairly apprehensive at first about committing a model to a brushed- on finish, but so far it's turning out fairly nice. In the near future I will post here about some of the insights and pitfalls encountered in the project.

By the way, the Viper is earmarked to be my new fleet flagship, as the old Hornet will be retired after its next (and 50th) flight.

On an entirely different subject, I am also an avid LEGO fan.  The last couple of months, I've been binge-building on some large sets that my kids bought me for Christmas and my February birthday.

I maintain a parallel LEGO blog - "Tales From The Double Decker Couch" at this link:

https://castlelego.blogspot.com

The blog  content features lots of set build series' as well as a number of brick-built comic strips.  If you are a LEGO fan, be sure to check it out.
Lotsa fun....

Cheers!