Hi, folks. Just joined.

[Joel]

Hello, I'm Joel. Just turned 60, and getting back into this hobby after a long absence.
Been building plastic model kits forever, wanted to get back into rocketry again and ruin my Grandkids with it.
As a teen, I helped a friend launch a lot of Centuri and Estes stuff, but didn't own any of my own gear until about 10 years ago.

Just this week I bought:

• Handbook of Model Rocketry old enough that it has BASIC computer programs for calculating stuff. Fun!
• Estes Baby Bertha @ HobbyLobby
• Quest Harpoon AGM-84, to replace my busted one, from erockets09 on eBay.

I've got several other Estes rockets I picked up at garage sales - most of which are painted something else, and I built an Apollo launch pad and 'crawler' out of wood for helping with the middle school's science class.
I draw a TON of crap using Corel Draw, including decal sheets. Currently working on laser water-slides for the U.S.S. Atlantis.
Being an original Trek fan, I've GOT to build that one!
Included a couple of Corel (PDF) samples. Might as well share, might as well smile.

Good to be here!
Joel - KG5OZH

 

[Hobie1dog]

to the forum. i just finished my Quest harpoon today

 

[DigBaddy]

Hi Joel! Looking forward to all that you share with the rest of us!

 

[mh9162013]

Welcome!

 

[Raythain]

Greetings!

If you really want to corrupt the grandkids, make sure you take some videos of your launches. Can’t tell you the number of times my kids ask to watch my dad’s flights. My oldest is 8, so depending on age, YMMV.

 

[Huxter]

Welcome to the forum Joel!

Big Star Trek fan here too. I need to build an Atlantis. We were just saying how cool launch towers are. Would love to see any pics of yours?

Do you do CAD stuff? Like 3d CAD? I bet you would love a 3d printer - you can be very creative.!

I keep looking at all garage sales for rocket related stuff, but very little comes my way. Maybe the classified ads?

Anyway, nice to meet you.

 

[prfesser]

Good morning Joel, and welcome! If you're a scratchbuilder, JimZ's site is an absolute gold mine of plans from the past. He's also got stuff from other rocketry companies, old catalogs, Model Rocket News and Design of the Month, you name it.

To make those rockets you'll need parts. ("Parts is parts...", shout out to Wendy's ). Balsa Machining Service has balsa and plastic nose cones, body tubes, motors and reloads, etc., etc. And if you're interested in today's Estes kits, AC Supply has them heavily discounted.

Have fun!

 

[flyingeagle]

Welcome to the Rocketry Forum Joel. I to got back into rocketry in 2015. Now I’m up to my neck with kits. I’m just the opposite from where your coming from. I’m now 61 and I have many many 1/25 scale model semi truck and trailer kits along with muscle car kits. I am thinking of packing up the rockets for a while and get back into the model building again. When I was around 9 years old I road in my dads Autocar dump truck and grew up around trucks all my life. I drove truck for over 30 years and love the truck kits. Kids around here today are just not interested in the rockets. They are stuck in the cell phone world and when you mention building a model kit they look at you like, what’s wrong with you? Enjoy getting back into the rockets and have fun.

 

[PaddyDaddy]

Welcome to the forum! What kind of decal work are you doing?

 

[Joel]

Greetings!

If you really want to corrupt the grandkids, make sure you take some videos of your launches. Can’t tell you the number of times my kids ask to watch my dad’s flights. My oldest is 8, so depending on age, YMMV.

That is a VERY cool idea! Somewhere I've got one of those tiny cube cameras; I need to get one installed for a flight!

 

[Joel]

Welcome to the Rocketry Forum Joel. I to got back into rocketry in 2015. Now I’m up to my neck with kits. I’m just the opposite from where your coming from. I’m now 61 and I have many many 1/25 scale model semi truck and trailer kits along with muscle car kits. I am thinking of packing up the rockets for a while and get back into the model building again. When I was around 9 years old I road in my dads Autocar dump truck and grew up around trucks all my life. I drove truck for over 30 years and love the truck kits. Kids around here today are just not interested in the rockets. They are stuck in the cell phone world and when you mention building a model kit they look at you like, what’s wrong with you? Enjoy getting back into the rockets and have fun.

Thanks for the welcome! My cousin and I were just discussing how we never have really quit building model kits ("Those are just for kids!"). We're saving the vintage Huey Cobra Team for the next time we get together, since we built these 2 helicopters when we were staying together one Summer in the 70s. I just built the USS Gato last week; I read somewhere it was likely the first plastic kit ever produced. It turned out so cool and pieces fit together so smoothly. Looks really great, so I picked up the Revell USS Missouri (Signing of the Japanese Surrender at the close of WW2). It has a piece that is a replica of the brass plaque in the floor of the Mighty Mo where the signing took place. I will start that one pretty soon. Sadly, I could never get my kids interested; I'm hoping the rockets will be a fun family event. I need to try a car model again; the details are sure great! I still remember the AMT Vega funny car and a Kawasaki motorcycle I had ages ago. Have a great weekend! I'm hoping to get the Photon Disruptor launched tomorrow afternoon.

 

[OC-Patrick]

welcome - welcome back!

 

[Joel]

Welcome to the forum! What kind of decal work are you doing?

Oh boy, where do I start? Here's just a few:

• Fundimensions Space:1999 Eagle updated before Round2 fixed them for good.
• Electronic/Electrical control panels on Avery 6575 vinyl before drill and cut the panels for switches and indicators.
• The generic 2001:A Space Odyessey Orion which came with really weird red, white blue decals - Made Pan Am decals to match the movie instead.
• Apollo LM 1/48 'cake topper' that had no decals whatsoever, and a US flag for the two astronauts.
• Full size Apollo LM control panel drawing (not really a decal, of course).
• AMT starship USS Enterprise redux, and scaled them down for the other versions, including the tiniest one included with the K-7 space station.
• Ham QRP radio panel vinyl panel.
• B-1B overlay decal to cover up the Estes Flash body tube and nose cone.
• Tiny color maritime flags for the USS Missouri thread lines.
• Mic mixer channel decals for Yamaha MG16XU with same color scheme as its panel.
• Robotech/Macross insignia, including the beautiful Minmay.
• Space Shuttle decals for various scale models around the house and office.
• etc, etc, ad nauseum.

Corel Draw is such a great design tool. I've used it to create drill patterns for parts to line things up, create designs that I've had the local laser cutter guy cut into plexiglass, Braille touch maps and signage, circuit board layouts for electronics projects. I sometimes make balsa or basswood models of simple stuff, and create the overlays that make them look real, then shoot them with dull-coat. I don't think I'm ever going to hit the limit of ideas.
Thanks for asking!

 

[Joel]

to the forum. i just finished my Quest harpoon today

Wow! That looks great!!! Don't ya just love this rocket?

 

[cflytech]

Welcome to the group, I am doing the same thing with the grand kids. Currently I have three all girls and they all love to go an launch rockets. However they are not very happy if they can't find them afterwards. So now its tracking systems and alarms for the small rockets to help find them. This will be our third year and they have such a great time.

 

[samb]

Welcome back to the party Joel. As far as the printed word goes, you may find a couple of more recent books by Mike Westerfield valuable references.
Make: Rockets: Down-to-Earth Rocket Science
Make: High-Power Rockets: Construction and Certification for Thousands of Feet and Beyond

https://www.thrustcurve.org/ is a quick and dirty simulator used to find the right motors for a given rocket.
https://openrocket.info/ is a full featured simulator with a longer learning curve used to design your own.

 

[Joel]

Welcome back to the party Joel. As far as the printed word goes, you may find a couple of more recent books by Mike Westerfield valuable references.
Make: Rockets: Down-to-Earth Rocket Science
Make: High-Power Rockets: Construction and Certification for Thousands of Feet and Beyond

https://www.thrustcurve.org/ is a quick and dirty simulator used to find the right motors for a given rocket.
https://openrocket.info/ is a full featured simulator with a longer learning curve used to design your own.

Many thanks! Appreciate the links!

 

[Craig]

Hello, I'm Joel. Just turned 60, and getting back into this hobby after a long absence.
Been building plastic model kits forever, wanted to get back into rocketry again and ruin my Grandkids with it.
As a teen, I helped a friend launch a lot of Centuri and Estes stuff, but didn't own any of my own gear until about 10 years ago.

Just this week I bought:

• Handbook of Model Rocketry old enough that it has BASIC computer programs for calculating stuff. Fun!
• Estes Baby Bertha @ HobbyLobby
• Quest Harpoon AGM-84, to replace my busted one, from erockets09 on eBay.

I've got several other Estes rockets I picked up at garage sales - most of which are painted something else, and I built an Apollo launch pad and 'crawler' out of wood for helping with the middle school's science class.
I draw a TON of crap using Corel Draw, including decal sheets. Currently working on laser water-slides for the U.S.S. Atlantis.
Being an original Trek fan, I've GOT to build that one!
Included a couple of Corel (PDF) samples. Might as well share, might as well smile.

Good to be here!
Joel - KG5OZH

Joel, I just joined for the same reasons. Currently building the 1/70 scale Satrun V from Apogee. 5' Tall would like to display. The tower and crawler. Would love to build....any help or ideas?

 

[Joel]

I picked up a couple of Estes "Flash" rockets at a garage sale a while back.
For those of you who remember those old Fina gas stations with their oil-can stands and 10-cent Coke machines - and especially the 'Pflash' decals they gave away in the early 1970s, here's a new PFLASH wrap or water-slide decal to overlay an Estes Flash rocket body and fins.
I'm using Avery 6575 DuraLabels and just applying the entire vinyl-adhesive wrap to my rocket.
Enjoy!

 

[cwbullet]

Big howdy and welcome back.

 

[K'Tesh]

Putting in Omega decals on your first post... Nice Touch!!!

But can you cook?

www.klingonfood.org

 

[Joel]

Prolly not to anyone else's taste. Lol

 

[Joel]

Welcome back to the party Joel. As far as the printed word goes, you may find a couple of more recent books by Mike Westerfield valuable references.
Make: Rockets: Down-to-Earth Rocket Science
Make: High-Power Rockets: Construction and Certification for Thousands of Feet and Beyond

https://www.thrustcurve.org/ is a quick and dirty simulator used to find the right motors for a given rocket.
https://openrocket.info/ is a full featured simulator with a longer learning curve used to design your own.

Many thanks for the links!