New member and returning to rocketry...

[ewomack]

Hello everyone! I recently had some nostalgic itch surface in my brain to try rocketry again after quite a long break. Actually, a very long break. The last time I launched a rocket I was a mere tyke. Well, I thought that I would start small and rebuild the first rocket that I built as a child: the Estes Mosquito. It cost .99¢ back when I first built it, so I was surprised that it now costs $6.99, but that's cheap in today's dollars. It was also a beginner's level rocket back then, one of the easiest in the catalog, so I was doubly surprised to find out that it now qualifies as an intermediate level rocket. Wow.

Anyway, I'm slowly piecing it together and using "Wonderfill" to cover up all of those valleys, holes and imperfections and I plan to spray paint the little thing soon with Testor's Spray Enamel. Any tips or hints on brands of filler or paint to use? I pretty much bought everything cold based on what I saw in a hobby store that had a lot of options to choose from. I also bought some equally tiny 1/4A3-3T motors. So this experiment won't exactly serve as an inspiring tribute to the Saturn V, but if all goes well I hope to build a few more and see where it all goes. Does anyone have any recommendations for a decent launch set? I'd like something that will scale, assuming that I ultimately find the time and motivation to build larger rocket beasts. Or is one pre-built launch set pretty much equivalent to another?

I also joined NAR and have already gobbled up the recent issue of "Sport Rocketry," which was very interesting, but it made me realize that I have an immense amount of things to learn. HPR of course appeals to me, but I know that a long, long path stands in front of me before I even consider that option. I would also love to attach a camera to one (or two or three) and record the rocket's trajectory.

I'm looking forward to seeing where this all goes. I also plan to look into some local clubs. Hopefully I won't have too many tiring newbie questions. Thank you again and hello!

 

[mbeels]

Hello, welcome to the forum, and welcome back to rocketry. I think you'll find many BARs (born-again rocketeers) here (I consider myself in that boat). Don't forget about mid-power rockets, much can be done between low and high power.

My filler of choice is Elmer's Carpenter's wood filler, and I've had decent results with Rustoleum 2x and Krylon, although others are better experts in the finishing department.

 

[BABAR]

Welcome back!

Hobby Lobby just had a big sale on ESTES overstocks, I picked up a Journey launch SET (rocket, portapad, and ignition system) for $7.

If that is not available, IMO the best deal starter set is the Estes Tandem X, two rockets one pretty much ready to fly, other a basic but pretty nice kit, and the pad and ignition system.

Mosquito is a cool rocket but tends to get lost easily, good choice on the small motors. Because of risk of loss it’s not one I’d put too much work into finishing. If you get the Tandem x, the crossfire rocket in it is a nice design that IMO would be worth some effort.

Straight trails!

 

[Hobie1dog]

Welcome to the forum. Most people see their Mosquito for about 1 second after launch, they you will never find it again. ..lol
Also call your local Hobby Lobby as they have been marking a lot of the Estes stuff way down which they do annually to get rid of old stock, and stuff they will discontinue to carry.

 

[K'Tesh]

First let me say "Welcome!"

The mod that people are trying to improve the odds of recovering the mosquito is simply installing a Kevlar shock cord to the rocket and tying it to the nosecone (instead of glueing the nosecone on). This prevents the rocket from being fired off at some random angle at apogee, and prevents a stable ballistic return.

Also using some chrome Trim Monokote can add flashes of sunlight as the rocket falls.

 

[K'Tesh]

First let me say "Welcome!"

The mod that people are trying to improve the odds of recovering the mosquito is simply installing a Kevlar shock cord to the rocket and tying it to the nosecone (instead of glueing the nosecone on). This prevents the rocket from being fired off at some random angle at apogee, and prevents a stable ballistic return.

Also using some chrome Trim Monokote can add flashes of sunlight as the rocket falls.

 

[8thPaladin]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Zeus-cat]

Paint your Mosquito bright orange or neon pink if you want to fly it twice. I call them fire and forget rockets because once you fire it you can usually forget about it.

 

[les]

Welcome back! I too am a BAR. I got back into it 21 years ago, and worked my way up.
Feel free to ask questions - and we love to see pix of your rockets!

 

[Funkworks]

I only came back to rocketry about 1 year ago, but I've been building progressively more complex rockets since then, and can try to answer these:

Any tips or hints on brands of filler or paint to use?

I use "Bondo glazing and spot putty", or "Tamiya white putty" to fill the tube spirals or other deep gaps, along with sanding. Then I spray "Dupli-Color automotive primer Filler" as my main primer. For paints, most people here seem to use either Rust-Oleum or Krylon sprays.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a decent launch set? I'd like something that will scale, assuming that I ultimately find the time and motivation to build larger rocket beasts. Or is one pre-built launch set pretty much equivalent to another?

Unless you have your own private 1000' x 1000' field, the Estes Launch Pad is probably your best bet at this time. It's cheap, and can be upgraded from a 1/8" rod to a 3/16" one which will take care of all low power launches from A motors to E. When you start medium power, and find a club, either someone will allow you to use his at first, or you can get tips and build your own.

 

[ewomack]

Thank you for the welcomes and for the advice, everyone!

And yes, after I posted my message above I found some threads here about the rather high loss rate of Mosquito rockets. The odds of losing a Mosquito seem as likely as losing the lottery, so it seems. Given that, I won't put too much effort into polishing up the tiny thing as it may vanish into the void forever. I may build another one just to have one because they are such cool little rockets. It seems like larger rockets, at least those with a decent chance of recovery, may actually be a better place to start back into this hobby. Perhaps I now understand the value of the new breed of ready-made rockets (the new "Beginner" level that require almost no assembly), because it can be really discouraging to spend a lot of time building and finishing something just to see it vaporize. Such things may open the hobby to those who don't want to take the time to construct their first rocket. Times change.

 

[Bat-mite]

Welcome aboard. Take your time and enjoy the ride!

 

[kyle]

One thing you can do to increase the chances of flying the Mosquito again is to get some centering rings and motor mount tube and convert it to fly on MicroMaxx motors.

Something I learned on TRF from Micromeister, RIP.

 

[neil_w]

I use "Bondo glazing and spot putty", or "Tamiya white putty" to fill the tube spirals or other deep gaps, along with sanding.

Sorry, I gotta ask: do you use Tamiya white for filling spirals? I would love to know how you do that. I have a tube of the stuff and it's so marshmallow-y that I can't seem to apply it to anything without making a huge mess (plus it smells quite strong, but that's a separate issue).

I'm not actually interested in using it for tube spirals (for LPR spirals thinned CWF works fine for me) but if you're able to do it it implies some ninja-level mastery of the stuff that eludes me.

Oh, and to the OP: welcome back! Count me in among the BARs here as well.