Hello everyone, my name is William. I'm 30 years old. I'll give just a quick background story of how I've gotten here.
I was born and grew up in the Fort Wayne, IN area. I started flying model rockets when I was in the 5th grade (about 1993). I went deep in to the hobby and built many, many rockets. Most of them were Estes rockets. I built and flew up until about the end of high school. By that time, I was building Aerotech kits and using the Hobbyline hardware and reloads. After high school, other interests took hold and I stopped building rockets.
Every now and then, I'd go out with a few friends and we'd launch a few of the rockets I still had. One of the workhorse rockets I still have is the Aerotech Mustang. I must have flown that rocket at least 20 times now. (BTW - for those wondering, it was built completely stock - CA glue and I used the mesh and baffle. Never had a problem with it. I still plan to keep flying it now.)
Fast forward about 12 years... I had been promoted out of Indiana and I now live and work in Mississippi about an hour away from Memphis, TN. I decided that because of the stress of work and being away from home, I needed something to occupy my time away from home, family, and friends. I needed a hobby.
I spent lots of time on this forum, looking around websites like Apogee and Hobbylinc. Wow... so much stuff to read up on and learn that I didn't have access to in the mid-90s. I also found a club up in Memphis I plan to fly with. I got excited again about rockets - thinking back to my favorites as a kid and teen, the Estes Pro Series Patriot Missile, Photon Probe, Black Brant; the NCR Lance Beta; and the Aerotech Astrobee-D, and Mustang. I'd like to rebuild these kits, only this time as a patient adult. I never really worried much about the finish being perfect as a kid. I never primed before painting, or filled the tube spirals. I didn't do a lot of sanding or wood grain filling. These are the things I think that would make a build rewarding and something to take my time on. I'd also like to get in to some upscaling of the old Estes kits I loved, like the Photon Probe.
I decided to order some kits and I went with an Aerotech G Force and Astrobee D, the NCR Lance Delta, and the Pemberton King Kraken (love the look of this rocket!). I was also scouring around the attic of my house back in Indiana and I found my old Interceptor G kit that I never started. I picked it up on clearance at Hobby Lobby back in the late 90's for about $25 or $30 if I remember correctly! So glad I didn't build that kit back then! If anyone reading this has the old Pro Patriot (2066), I am always on the lookout for one. I check eBay daily now.
So - that's about enough of a background. I started building with the G Force first. I hope this isn't too boring for you guys, but I hoped that by sharing this, I'd learn some things from you all and make it an even more fun experience.
I was born and grew up in the Fort Wayne, IN area. I started flying model rockets when I was in the 5th grade (about 1993). I went deep in to the hobby and built many, many rockets. Most of them were Estes rockets. I built and flew up until about the end of high school. By that time, I was building Aerotech kits and using the Hobbyline hardware and reloads. After high school, other interests took hold and I stopped building rockets.
Every now and then, I'd go out with a few friends and we'd launch a few of the rockets I still had. One of the workhorse rockets I still have is the Aerotech Mustang. I must have flown that rocket at least 20 times now. (BTW - for those wondering, it was built completely stock - CA glue and I used the mesh and baffle. Never had a problem with it. I still plan to keep flying it now.)
Fast forward about 12 years... I had been promoted out of Indiana and I now live and work in Mississippi about an hour away from Memphis, TN. I decided that because of the stress of work and being away from home, I needed something to occupy my time away from home, family, and friends. I needed a hobby.
I spent lots of time on this forum, looking around websites like Apogee and Hobbylinc. Wow... so much stuff to read up on and learn that I didn't have access to in the mid-90s. I also found a club up in Memphis I plan to fly with. I got excited again about rockets - thinking back to my favorites as a kid and teen, the Estes Pro Series Patriot Missile, Photon Probe, Black Brant; the NCR Lance Beta; and the Aerotech Astrobee-D, and Mustang. I'd like to rebuild these kits, only this time as a patient adult. I never really worried much about the finish being perfect as a kid. I never primed before painting, or filled the tube spirals. I didn't do a lot of sanding or wood grain filling. These are the things I think that would make a build rewarding and something to take my time on. I'd also like to get in to some upscaling of the old Estes kits I loved, like the Photon Probe.
I decided to order some kits and I went with an Aerotech G Force and Astrobee D, the NCR Lance Delta, and the Pemberton King Kraken (love the look of this rocket!). I was also scouring around the attic of my house back in Indiana and I found my old Interceptor G kit that I never started. I picked it up on clearance at Hobby Lobby back in the late 90's for about $25 or $30 if I remember correctly! So glad I didn't build that kit back then! If anyone reading this has the old Pro Patriot (2066), I am always on the lookout for one. I check eBay daily now.
So - that's about enough of a background. I started building with the G Force first. I hope this isn't too boring for you guys, but I hoped that by sharing this, I'd learn some things from you all and make it an even more fun experience.