Reply to Marclee

Coop · Aug 17, 2001

Hello!

I too am a musician. I teach music at the high school level and I have a group also. I play a little of everything and do some sequencing in my group, but enough about music. I have been interested in rockets since Al Shepard lifted off. I don't think I missed too many Mercury, Gemini or Apollo launches on TV. I got a chance to see the Shuttle go off in person, in fact it was the Challenger on the mission right before the explosion.

I agree with what you said about the earlier Estes kits. They were the best. Balsa nose cones and fins. You don't see too much of that anymore.

I recently built the Mercury Atlas kit (whew!) and now I'm finishing up the older version (balsa fins) of the Mercury Redstone. Neither of these kits will ever fly. They look to darn good to risk.
Good luck with your music and have fun with the rockets. If your ever out to the east coast let me know. We'll shoot off a few.

Coop

marclee · Aug 17, 2001

Coop-

Wow- I haven't yet met another musician/rocket fan. Think maybe there's a connection there? Maybe rockets are like playign music because...nahhh, It's different. haha

Hey man, you are THE guy I want to talk with. Ok, I am building the Atlas as we speak. Did you notice this:
1) In the instuctions in the first few steps, it has you measure "3 1/2 inches from the end of the motor mount tube..." to then make a slit fo rthe engine hook. Well the ENGINE HOOK IS ONLY 2 1/2 inches long!!?? I ended up screwing the whole thing up with glue in the wrong places, etc. What's up with that?

Also, any Atlas hints are appreciated. And you are right, what a gorgeous rocket. I hate to send it up...though at this rate it may never fly. Hahaha.

Thanks for the offer to shoot a couple off. I will look you up. I'll be in Connecticut in October- I'll check and see what else we've got coming up. Thanks Coop. Happy playing.

Marc

Coop · Aug 20, 2001

Hi Marc,

So you are building the Atlas also. It is a great kit but it takes a lot of patience. As for any tips I could give you...it's been a couple years since I built it but one thing I can tell you is to take your time with the silver wrap. It looks real good when you get it on but take your time with it so it lines up perfectly. Also, I used putty quite a bit to smooth the transitions between the body tube and the plastic outboard engine shrouds. I didn't bother with the launch lugs or the fin units because I have no intentions of ever flying this bird. I don't recall having any problems with the engine hook being too short. You may have gotten the wrong one in the kit.
Did you ever build the Saturn I by Estes? I have had this one sitting on my workbench partially built for about 4 years now and I just can't get seem to get up the willpower to finish it. That is a tough kit!
Keep me informed as to what your schedule is regarding that Connecticut trip.
Good luck in your rocketry and music!

Coop

marclee · Aug 20, 2001

Hey Coop

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, that Atals is a bit of a bear. not too complex, just lots of time-consuming steps. And it's so pretty (and expensive) that I hate to fly it. But oh, well. Gotta watch it fly off the pad. I'll take some pics and post them. You can watch vicariously through me- hahaha.

I'll keep you posted on our run through the East. Thanks again for the advice on building the Atlas. Gonna get on it again tonight.

And as for that Saturn, I'd be DYING if it was just sitting in my garage. Hahaha- go on, make that thing purdy and lets see how she flies- send along some photos! Hahaha. I can relate. I have 5 rockets in the garage awaiting my handiwork. Just not enough time. Last night I was primering the nosecone of an old Big Bertha kit. Gonna fly that next weekend.

Thanks again.

Marc

scooter · Aug 31, 2001

Originally posted by marclee
Coop-

Wow- I haven't yet met another musician/rocket fan. Think maybe there's a connection there? Maybe rockets are like playign music because...nahhh, It's different. haha

Marc, in an issue of Extreme Rocketry magazine awhile ago was an article/interview with Ricki Rockket (sp?), the drummer for the big hair metal band Poison. He's been into rocketry since he was a kid. The article shows the enormous rocket he built from the shells of bass kick drums. It's called Jurrasic Kick. You know how big kick drum shells are, well he stacked a bunch of them for the body of his monster rocket. I can't remember what the type of motor was, but I think it was somewhere in the O impulse range. So, anyway there are other musicians out there who are into it.

You can look up the magazine in the publications section of Rocketry Online www.rocketryonling.com which if you haven't discovered it yet is the most awesome clearing house of rocketry site links and information you will ever find.

Welcome to our madness!

scooter · Aug 31, 2001

Okay, dang it, that was supposed to be www.rocketryonline.com. I may or may not be a nerd or a geek, but I'm definitely a typing impaired doofus.

marclee · Aug 31, 2001

Scott-

Thanks for the heads up! You know I had no idea Rikki was into rockets (did that sound funny to you?). The funny thing is I knew Rikki (ok, Rick is what we all called him) back in his days out here in LA on the sunset strip. Being that we were both musicians, we ended up at many of the same events parties, etc. He never mentioned he was into rockets. How cool.

That kick drum thing is hilarious!!!!!!!!!! You know how much maple shells weight?? My gosh, that must be a monster. I'm going to go find that issue. And next time I see him, I'm going to give him a hard time about not mentioning his rockets. Though as I remember, bing in a hot tub full of, not-completely-clothed girls was probably not the time to bring up his Big Bertha.

Hahahaha.

Thanks again! I'm a guitar player so launching one of those may be a bit toughter...

PS- Doofus huh? Hmmmm...it gets better and better. We're nerds, geeks and doofuses. Great.

Marc

scooter · Aug 31, 2001

Yeah, well I consider myself a doofus, don't take that one on unless you earn it and someone else hangs it on you. Actually I only have doofus moments and don't do it full time

.

Anyway on the Rocketry Online magazine link:

https://www.rocketryonline.com/Sear..._file=URL&submit_search=yes&category=Magazine

It lists Extreme Rocketry at the top of the magazine list and the little photo to the right is a picture of Jurassic Kick being raised into position. It looks like the flag raising on Iwo Jima with all the bodies trying to push that beast up. Man!

Fishhead · Sep 11, 2001

Poison, Scott?!

scooter · Sep 11, 2001

Duuuude!
I only know of Rikki Rocket as the drummer of Poison through the Extreme Rocketry article and from VH1 Behind the Music. Honest. In the eighties I was into punk and progressive (The Cramps, Talking Heads, King Krimson, Skinny Puppy, Clash, New Order, etc.) and in the nineties into alternative and a million other things that explicitly did not include BigHairMallCrawlingTeenybopperMetal. If I found myself grooving to Poison, I'd probably drink some.

Hope to see you on Sunday!

tony · Sep 11, 2001

We can add one more musician/rocketeer to the pyre. I played in bands in the Cincinnati area from the late 70s (bad high school bands) through 1986 (typically playing the Clifton are and the Jockey Club in Newport). I too was and still am prone to the other side of rock and roll (Cramps, Ramones, Jesus Lizard, Skinny Puppy, Alice Cooper, and the B-Surfers). Quite a few of my rockets have a R&R theme. Unfortunately, my Ramones rocket went the way of Joey. It is good to see other music types (whatever that is but people use the term) in the hobby.

Maybe a jam at the next NARAM???

Fishhead · Sep 12, 2001

JOCKEY CLUB RULES!!!! LONG LIVE THE PINK PUSSYCAT!!!!

marclee · Sep 12, 2001

Tony-

NOWWWWW, you're talking. A jam at a rocket event...THAT's an interesting idea. Of course my band would rather dress in tights than hang out with a bunch of "rocket nerds" (as they term it) at a launch. We could put together a band from all the guys on this forum of course. Interesting. When and where is the next NARAM?

PS- I don't mean to sound so jocular in light of the events of yesterday. I was fortunate that I did not get directly affected as I live on the West Coast. However, my thoughts and prayers are certainly with those who lost loved ones and we will ALL be eventually affected by this horrible event. In the meantime, I suppose all we can do is try to get back to a sence of normalcy- hence my post.

Marc

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