Opinions About U.S. Rockets (USR)

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ScrapDaddy

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I am fully aware of the....."Mixed" reputation USR has but I was just wondering if anyone has acctually had any experience buying from them withen th last Year or so, thanks alot, and please only post if you have firsthand acount or have secondhand info that can be verified thanks :)
 
Scraps deserves an answer.

I am speaking ONLY for myself here.

WHen I got back into rocketry, I saw several USR rockets I wanted to try. I attempted to order them over the course of more than a year. Most of my emails were ignored. On a few, I got responses like "We'll get back to you when we get back from vacation". I then heard on various forums that other people had trouble with USR. I finally gave up.

Last year, I bought a few USR kits from somebody here on TRF. They were not the ones I really wanted but I trusted the source more than USR. The kits arrived. They are of adequate quality but are nothing to get excited about.

The proprietor of USR is apt to generate strong opinions. Let's keep it nice.
 
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So no one has any experience withen the past year with USR?

To the best of my knowledge, US Rockets is no longer in business. I think it would be impossible to find someone that has done business with them in the past year.

I did hear that they sell a few kits on e-bay.
 
Scraps deserves an answer.

I am speaking ONLY for myself here.

WHen I got back into rocketry, I saw several USR rockets I wanted to try. I attempted to order them over the course of more than a year. Most of my emails were ignored. On a few, I got responses like "We'll get back to you when we get back from vacation". I then heard on various forums that other people had trouble with USR. I finally gave up.

Last year, I bought a few USR kits from somebody here on TRF. They were not the ones I really wanted but I trusted the source more than USR. The kits arrived. They are of adequate quality but are nothing to get excited about.

The proprietor of USR is apt to generate strong opinions. Let's keep it nice.

I didn't notice US rockets for a while, the kits that intested me the most were the 12X18mm cluster rocket and the 18mm fiberglass rocket, And thanks for an answer :)
 
I didn't notice US rockets for a while, the kits that intested me the most were the 12X18mm cluster rocket and the 18mm fiberglass rocket, And thanks for an answer :)


You're welcome.

If you are really interested in a USR design, I suspect that plans for most of them can be had for cloning.

The stuff that really interested me seemed to be of little interest to anyone else so I have not seen plans for those.
 
Awwww, what's with all the disrespect for the man that single-handed invented modern rocketry as we know it?

I talked to Bruce Kelly about him once. Bruce's face just kinda tightened up and he didn't say anything, the perfect picture of restraint. Might have had something to do with the all USR edition of the Tripolitan he(JJ) produced(that never made it to print, I believe, at least I haven't been able to find one for my collection).

You can always ask JJ about anything you want to know about, he posts at The Rocketry Planet...then again, don't. There's not enough popcorn in the world to last the poopstorm that will ensue:rolleyes:
 
The 12X18mm cluster should be easy to clone. And do you know where you can get a 18mm fiberglass tube? Or any fiberglass tube under 2.6" for that matter
 
If you look on the instaship link on the USR site it seems as though you can email Jerry an order and then send payment after it is delivered. I had an email exchange with the guy and that is what he stated more or less. I'm still waiting for delivery. Not holding my breath. I suppose it is some kind of game, to perpuate the appearance of a real rocket company. Though Jerry used to sell kits and motors, USR doesn't actually sell or take money for anything, anymore. At least he isn't taking payment and not delivering.

If anyone has had success buying directly from USR recently, please tell.
 
If you look on the instaship link on the USR site it seems as though you can email Jerry an order and then send payment after it is delivered. I had an email exchange with the guy and that is what he stated more or less. I'm still waiting for delivery. Not holding my breath. I suppose it is some kind of game, to perpuate the appearance of a real rocket company. Though Jerry used to sell kits and motors, USR doesn't actually sell or take money for anything, anymore. At least he isn't taking payment and not delivering.

If anyone has had success buying directly from USR recently, please tell.

That one succered me it at the beginning.

I do agree, though, that I applaud him for not taking money and failing to deliver. THe worst I can personally accuse him of is getting my hopes up.
 
How is it that my fiberglass body tube question always gets overlooked


McMaster-Carr sells G-10 fiberglass tubing in a wide range of sizes from 1/4" to 3 1/4" OD. Search their site for "garolite".

Unfortunately, their products are specified in inches, not mm. So you won't find most "standard" rocketry body tube or MMT sizes.
 
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McMaster-Carr sells G-10 fiberglass tubing in a wide range of sizes from 1/4" to 3 1/4" OD. Search their site for "garolite".

Unfortunately, their products are specified in inches, not mm. So you won't find most "standard" rocketry body tube or MMT sizes.

I'm not certain, but the company I used to work for used G-10 tubing like this to insulate high voltage electrical constructions. If its the same stuff, its much too heavy to be useful in small diameters.
 
Giant Leap Rocketry sells fiberglass tubing for rocket airframes. They are closed until later this week, but you can see what they have at their website. Just click on the word "Products" on the black bar on their home page, and then click on "airframes" in the blue bar on the left side of the screen when it comes up. For their fiberglass tubes, click on the picture on the right, "Phenolic and Fiberglass Airframes." Scroll down past the motor mount tubes and the couplers to find the list of fiberglass tubes. The site uses a lot of frames, so it is hard to provide a direct link to the airframes page. I'm not sure what "Dyna-Wind" is, but it apparently isn't FG.

Mark K.

P. S. You're welcome. ;)
 
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Do I have to do all of the heavy lifting in Scrappy Doo's threads? :(

You can download RockSim files for quite a few USR kits from EMRR's RockSim Library. Right-click on the design name and choose "Save As..." Then open it with RS. Each file should give you all the info that you will need to clone the design.

BTW, I found this out from JJ himself in a post he made a couple of years ago on YORF. But I have known about the RS Library for several years, but I didn't think to look there for USR designs until he mentioned it.

Mark K.
 
Might be just over a year ago, but I built a USR kit won on an EMRR contest. Basic impression--way overdone and way overpriced. Materials were excellent, but fer Pete's sake who needs indestructible heavy wall tubing? All that ruggedness=too much weight=too much motor.

Hit one minor typo in the plans and the kit was missing a decal, got zero response to inquiries.

Nice rocket, but I would never have bought it even at half price.
 
Erm....20mm to large :D what do you think about taking a Semroc ST-7 tube and fiberglassing it with 16 Oz cloth? (I know this is total over kill)
 
Erm....20mm to large :D what do you think about taking a Semroc ST-7 tube and fiberglassing it with 16 Oz cloth? (I know this is total over kill)

16oz cloth? do you even know what your saying? The heavist i have used in HPR is 10oz and THAT was overkill! you need .75-2oz

Ben
 
Oh wait a minute 16 oz per yard ^2!!! time to stay away from PML's site for a while, I am thinking about building a rocket I dubbed "tank ammo" but out of curiousity how DO you fiberglass an airframe?
 
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