Best Rocket Competition Themes

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Escape system rocket (scale, proposed or fantasy/own design).

Alternative history: first space booster. (What if Sputnick had failed or wasn't the first?)

Alternative history/fantasy: "authentic" space rocket from a specific period in the distant past. Examples:

  • Antiquity
  • Gothic or Dark Ages, including Viking empire
  • Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica
  • Medieval Europe/Asia
  • European Renaissance (What if Da Vinci had designed a space booster?)
  • Revolutionary period
  • 19th century/Steampunk
Rocket shown in an actual cartoon, comic book, comic strip or graphic novel.

Goony-scale - goony version of an actual sounding rocket, military weapon system or launch vehicle. (Can someone build a Goony Snark or Hound Dog? And make it fly?)

Heavy metal rockets. (The musical genre, not the construction material.)

Rockets with operational clockwork-powered payloads (i. e., mechanical, not electronic). The payload must actually do something, even if it is just to ring a bell or something. (I would LOVE to see a cuckoo clock rocket!)
 
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How about a crossover theme like what crossed you from lpr to mpr. mpr to hpr ext.

Cartoon based like loony toons, hong kong phooey, jetsons, sipson, family guy ect.
movie themed rockets
Comady based rockets
eco based (captain planet, save the planet ect.)
oh oh how bout a shark week rocket heheeh
military based or themed rockets
or a classics sections nothing after the 90's
 
Excuse me? What...


KNOB is used alot on RP site. To describe any rocket that uses anything not related to performance. Ask someone over there what it means a watch all the replies you get. It was a long topic a while back. I still don't know where the word originated.
 
KNOB is used alot on RP site. To describe any rocket that uses anything not related to performance. Ask someone over there what it means a watch all the replies you get. It was a long topic a while back. I still don't know where the word originated.

It kind of kicked up a hornets nest..Term was also tossed around over here and was judged inappropriate as it was being used in a derogatory manner..Stemmed from some peoples' affinity or like of colored flames or sparky motors and some equated those motors as nothing more than 'fireworks'..
 
How 'bout "Anything that Glides." It would include helicopter type recoveries, as well as shuttle recovery (I don't really count that as a "glide").
 
How about "to infinity and beyond!"

Take the flight duration and divide it by the distance it lands from the launch pad!
 
The Re-bash until New contest takes a single stage, non-3FNC kit and reimages into a new rocket. All of the parts except fins from the original kit have to be used in the new rocket. Since fins may be re-oriented with a new leading edge grain direction new fins may be cut from new fin stock of the same thickness but the fin pattern from the kit must be copied for the new rocket. A kit's parts list must be verified by pictures as to where the parts were used. A picture of a stable and successful flight must be provided. The new rocket that is judged to be the most radically different from it's original kit by the members of TRF wins. For example the Fliskit US Tog is built using all of the parts in the kit but it doesn't look anything like the Tog.

:cyclops:

Is this idea appealling? If necessary more definitive rules can be provided.
 
I'm still pushing for an alternative historical rockets, fantasy division competition. (Hey, I spent an entire 3 minutes thinking up that idea!)

Or Goony Scale. In fact, I may submit a Pink Book revision next year to create an NAR Goony Scale event.
 
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How about a response to Layne's earlier suggestion?

MPR/HPR Semi-scale research crayons! :lol:

G.D.
 
A few suggestions

Big & Little (extreme size differences between two of the same rockets,( like an ultimate darkstar & a micromaxx darkstar)
Could also do 'family' - at least four of the same rocket in different sizes
Catastrophe (before & after photos of a rocket after a cato, shred or ballistic recovery)
extreme kit bash
Fleets (5 or more crayons, mini maggs, etc...)
Lawn dart (fin can sticking out of the ground)
Builder / rocket similarity (like dog owners that look like their pets.... rockets that look like their owners)
classics (rockets that are at least 15 years old and still flyable)
LED encrusted rockets
 
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May have been mentioned before. How bout just that "Themed" rockets. Meaning, rocket kits that have been painted,themed,named ,something other than the original kit name.
 
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WHat about best looking competition rocket?

Most are not painted and ar ugly but occasionaly there are a few nice ones.
 
I will never make pretty rockets. It is tough to take when they crash.
 
I will never make pretty rockets. It is tough to take when they crash.

It's got to look good once. When its new. Who knows when it's out on the pad? I know. After that, it's taking its lumps and every dirt spot, crack, or paint chip is a badge of honor.

JAL suggested best looking competition rocket... well not really. Most Scale and Sport Scale entries look pretty awesome if you ask me. Science together with the right people can produce a wickedly awesome rocket.

So I'll guess that JAL meant Heli, B/G, R/G, Duration, or Alt rocket that is not scale or sport scale?
 
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