Ready2Launch
Member
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2022
- Messages
- 12
- Reaction score
- 12
Hi all!
I have only just registered for the forum after reading it quite a bit these past couple of weeks. Way back around 2002 my Dad bought my brother and me an Estes ARTF starter kit with a couple of military designed rockets and all the launch gear. We had a great time with it and I still have those two rockets sitting on my desk right now (only one is in a launchable condition)!
I bought an Estes Fat Boy shortly after that, followed by a Quest Big-Rage, which was my first rocket with two separate sections! Unfortunately both met the same fate as lawn darts (Still learning the terminology, bear with me!) due to poor delay selection (I think!). I don't have either of those any more and shortly after both rockets were destroyed I dropped the hobby and put all the rockets and gear away in my parents attic. Back in the day we didn't have cameras on us at all times, and certainly not ones capable of capturing a rocket in flight, so I don't even have pictures of any flights. Any pictures I would have taken of the kits would have been lost many computers ago.
20 years down the line, I have a house, a wife and two beautiful kids. And a box of rocket supplies from 20 years ago I found in my attic a few weeks back! Went and bought myself a new kit, an Estes Big Daddy, after looking to purchase my old Fat Boy again. Looking at the prices now, as it is out of production, I'd say it will remain a fond memory! I looked to clone one and even asked about it on Reddit, but still haven't been able to find the parts to do it yet. Did I mention how much it sucks to be in the UK yet?
Well, yes, I'm from the UK as well, so I have to contend with almost zero rocketry vendors. I get what I can from online hobby shops (Which don't specialise in rockets) but having looked at all the UK related rocket web links and how they are all parked or don't exist I think I'm going to have to build exclusively Estes for a while. There are some lovely Fliskits, Apogee and LOC/PM models I have seen online, but they will have to stay dreams for now as it is so expensive to ship from the US to the UK nowadays (Not to mention Import tax and VAT!).
Currently building the Big Daddy, slowly, as I keep finding I'm missing the odd tool or glue etc and keep having to wait for the postman to show up! I'll try and remember to take some pictures. Probably not very exciting as you've seen it all before, but I'll get some for sure once it's painted up.
My eldest is very interested in rockets and knows I have some old ones. I haven't told him about the Big Daddy yet. That'll be awesome seeing the kids faces when they get their chance to launch a rocket for the first time!
Anyway, here's one 38 year old back in the hobby after 20 years. I'll be around on the forums looking for build techniques etc. and I already have found loads of tips for modifying the Big Daddy nosecone. Now I just need to find a nice big spool of Kevlar cord... See you around!
I have only just registered for the forum after reading it quite a bit these past couple of weeks. Way back around 2002 my Dad bought my brother and me an Estes ARTF starter kit with a couple of military designed rockets and all the launch gear. We had a great time with it and I still have those two rockets sitting on my desk right now (only one is in a launchable condition)!
I bought an Estes Fat Boy shortly after that, followed by a Quest Big-Rage, which was my first rocket with two separate sections! Unfortunately both met the same fate as lawn darts (Still learning the terminology, bear with me!) due to poor delay selection (I think!). I don't have either of those any more and shortly after both rockets were destroyed I dropped the hobby and put all the rockets and gear away in my parents attic. Back in the day we didn't have cameras on us at all times, and certainly not ones capable of capturing a rocket in flight, so I don't even have pictures of any flights. Any pictures I would have taken of the kits would have been lost many computers ago.
20 years down the line, I have a house, a wife and two beautiful kids. And a box of rocket supplies from 20 years ago I found in my attic a few weeks back! Went and bought myself a new kit, an Estes Big Daddy, after looking to purchase my old Fat Boy again. Looking at the prices now, as it is out of production, I'd say it will remain a fond memory! I looked to clone one and even asked about it on Reddit, but still haven't been able to find the parts to do it yet. Did I mention how much it sucks to be in the UK yet?
Well, yes, I'm from the UK as well, so I have to contend with almost zero rocketry vendors. I get what I can from online hobby shops (Which don't specialise in rockets) but having looked at all the UK related rocket web links and how they are all parked or don't exist I think I'm going to have to build exclusively Estes for a while. There are some lovely Fliskits, Apogee and LOC/PM models I have seen online, but they will have to stay dreams for now as it is so expensive to ship from the US to the UK nowadays (Not to mention Import tax and VAT!).
Currently building the Big Daddy, slowly, as I keep finding I'm missing the odd tool or glue etc and keep having to wait for the postman to show up! I'll try and remember to take some pictures. Probably not very exciting as you've seen it all before, but I'll get some for sure once it's painted up.
My eldest is very interested in rockets and knows I have some old ones. I haven't told him about the Big Daddy yet. That'll be awesome seeing the kids faces when they get their chance to launch a rocket for the first time!
Anyway, here's one 38 year old back in the hobby after 20 years. I'll be around on the forums looking for build techniques etc. and I already have found loads of tips for modifying the Big Daddy nosecone. Now I just need to find a nice big spool of Kevlar cord... See you around!