Fixing up my Mini Mars Lander

[wonderboy]

I've decided that I need to spend some time on the low power models from my early years. My Mini Mars Lander is actually in pretty good shape but is missing all 4 landing feet. By my estimation from the on-line scans of the card stock parts, the feet are 3/8" diameter.

Does anybody have any ideas of some commonly available object that I could use INSTEAD of trying to cut out perfect circles of card stock? I'm just doubting my skills in being able to cut the nice circular landing feet, although I admit I haven't even tried yet.

What do you all think? Just buck up and try cutting them out, or try to figure out some other way? Once silly though I had was to create slices off of a 3/8" dowel. This begs the question am I better at cutting a uniformly thin slice of wood than I am cutting a circle in paper? I don't know the answer either...

There are a couple other areas that need attention, but nothing difficult (couple bad glue joints, new streamer needed, etc).

 

[ratchet01]

3/8 id brass tube use as a punch.

 

[wonderboy]

I found this hole punch on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B6G5611K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It easily punched out the feet from some extra thick card stock I had... time to get gluing!

 

[SCooke123]

This is a fun one to fly - especially in small fields

 

[wonderboy]

DONE!


I also changed out the old shock cord for a nice long piece of Kevlar (with elastic to connect to the nosecone) and repaired/reinforced a bunch of the glue joints. Ready to fly at our next launch!

NOTE: The picture shows that this thing is pretty grubby and dinged up... it's from when I first built it, way back when this kit released. So it's seen some miles plus it's from when I was a kid and I didn't have the building skills I have today. My goal was just to get it back into 'one piece' and solid enough for more flights... so don't harass me too badly about it being a bit 'worn'.

 

[SCooke123]

That gives it character!!

 

[Hobie1dog]

Owning one is on my rocket Wish List

 

[Paul Howard]

Wow! I still have mine from the early 80's(?), I've never flown it because it's just too cool to look at hanging from my ceiling where ever I've lived. It's the ONLY rocket I've kept from "back then" through college, the USAF, the USN, and later travels with career and residence changes. Cool post!

 

[wonderboy]

Thanks! I have a few from my original days. This one has flown quite a bit. I definitely intend to fly it again at our next launch. Given the field we fly at, there really is no chance of losing it, and if it gets damaged it'll give me another opportunity to work on it again.

I need to keep working through my inventory of my original rockets and get them gradually all flight worthy again. I'll post up some more as I work through them.