What to do with so many rockets?

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mh9162013

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The best part of model rocketry for me is the designing and building process. I enjoy the construction steps of LPR builds and the best part is figuring out a new way to do something. But I'm getting to a point where I'm collecting/building more rockets than I can hope to regularly fly and/or adequately display. So what should I do with the ones I don't really want anymore?

If I was connected to a local community of current and aspiring model rocketeers, I could give some away. Then there's throwing them in the trash, but I can't bear to do that. I could burn them for heat, but I don't have a fireplace. So what else can I do?

I guess I could sell them online, but my modeling skills aren't good enough where I can justify charging enough money to make it worth the time and effort of listing and shipping the rocket. Plus, I don't do eBay. Maybe I could sell some locally for just a few bucks? But I doubt there's a demand for built LPRs, even if they only cost $1 each.
 
My club maintains a couple of boxes of completed rockets they call their "fly it and take it" supply. When we have people stop by our launches to watch, if they have kids we encourage the kids to pick out one of the rockets, we help them prep it and fly it, then they take it home with them. You could inquire with nearby clubs to see if they would take some of your rockets for that purpose.
 
My club maintains a couple of boxes of completed rockets they call their "fly it and take it" supply. When we have people stop by our launches to watch, if they have kids we encourage the kids to pick out one of the rockets, we help them prep it and fly it, then they take it home with them. You could inquire with nearby clubs to see if they would take some of your rockets for that purpose.

ROC does this, too. At ROCStock, there was a 20-something guy who pulled a flyable Executioner out of the box and went over to the motor vendor's trailer. His first two rocket launches ever were good, nominal flights on F44s. I am assuming he's hooked. Far worse things could have happened to that rocket.
 
My club maintains a couple of boxes of completed rockets they call their "fly it and take it" supply. When we have people stop by our launches to watch, if they have kids we encourage the kids to pick out one of the rockets, we help them prep it and fly it, then they take it home with them. You could inquire with nearby clubs to see if they would take some of your rockets for that purpose.
+1
 
The best part of model rocketry for me is the designing and building process. I enjoy the construction steps of LPR builds and the best part is figuring out a new way to do something. But I'm getting to a point where I'm collecting/building more rockets than I can hope to regularly fly and/or adequately display. So what should I do with the ones I don't really want anymore?

If I was connected to a local community of current and aspiring model rocketeers, I could give some away. Then there's throwing them in the trash, but I can't bear to do that. I could burn them for heat, but I don't have a fireplace. So what else can I do?

I guess I could sell them online, but my modeling skills aren't good enough where I can justify charging enough money to make it worth the time and effort of listing and shipping the rocket. Plus, I don't do eBay. Maybe I could sell some locally for just a few bucks? But I doubt there's a demand for built LPRs, even if they only cost $1 each.
Brock R. Wood
847 Holly Street
Denver…
 
Brock R. Wood
847 Holly Street
Denver…
I run a little “make and take” rocket building session, on a semi-regular basis, for a local community group. We glue together Skill Level 1 rockets. Building a Skill Level 1 rocket from scratch takes more time than we have available, especially when glue has to dry between steps.

I sometimes wonder if it would be better to simply repair some of my rockets that need some fixing rather than building kits from scratch. Gluing a fin back on, replacing a burned throug parachute, or replacing a threadbare shock cord are all one evening activities. Then the person has a rocket to fly. Might even be painted already.

Oops. Replied to myself. Tired.
 
Put an oversized motor in them, remove your good chute an put an Estes one in. Kid that retrieves it, can keep it.

If the rocket isn't worth the cost of a motor, then it's recovery gear is cut out, and it's disposed of in my wood burner. Chalk it up to learning. Each rocket I build improves in quality drastically. I don't even want to look at some of my old rockets.
 
OP, just how many do you have?
Right now, about 12. But I have almost no room to store any of them except in boxes, nose down. And I have the shelf space to store about 2-4 BT-20 sized rockets, like the Yankee. So yeah, space is limited for me. Also, I don't get off on collecting built rockets; again, it's more about the building and designing process for me than anything else.
 
At our RC airplane club field, there's a shed where we keep the mowers.

If anyone has an old plane or parts or accessories, they just leave it in the shed and if somebody needs it they take it.

I'm guessing that rockets, like model planes is a niche hobby. I've been to a few estate sales were someone had a bunch of stuff and you almost feel kind of bad telling the person that this stuff is so old and musty/mildewed/decrepit/out of date that it's really not worth anything.

I think it's better for the other club members and the "new guys" to end up with old models.
 
If I knew of local organizations that wanted my rockets, I'd gladly let them have a few.
Perhaps you could call some of them, and ask if they're interested?

And as much as I'd like to get more rockets, getting them to China likely disqualifies me as I'm not "local".
 
Right now, about 12. But I have almost no room to store any of them except in boxes, nose down. And I have the shelf space to store about 2-4 BT-20 sized rockets, like the Yankee. So yeah, space is limited for me. Also, I don't get off on collecting built rockets; again, it's more about the building and designing process for me than anything else.
That's not many, as there are guys on here that have posted up pictures that have 100 plus rockets in their room, and there are several that have over 700 in their collection, mostly unbuilt.
 
I hang mine from the garage ceiling. If you have a garage your all set. Or hang them from the ceiling in the house. For instance, in the bathroom. Then you'll have something to look at while you sit and think. And I have a few more than 190 hanging from my garage ceiling and in a storage unit. I build way more that I fly.
 
Once upon a time, about 20 years ago, Aerotech made these wonderful, stupid, high-impulse, SU 24mm motors. I. too, had a bunch of rockets I thought I didn't want any more. So I made some *really* big parachutes out of trash bags, and launched these rockets. Almost all of them caught thermals and drifted out of sight. You should *definitely* not do something silly like this.
 
Once upon a time, about 20 years ago, Aerotech made these wonderful, stupid, high-impulse, SU 24mm motors. I. too, had a bunch of rockets I thought I didn't want any more. So I made some *really* big parachutes out of trash bags, and launched these rockets. Almost all of them caught thermals and drifted out of sight. You should *definitely* not do something silly like this.
Write your name and phone number on the parachute and then it is like a message in a bottle.
 
Once upon a time, about 20 years ago, Aerotech made these wonderful, stupid, high-impulse, SU 24mm motors. I. too, had a bunch of rockets I thought I didn't want any more. So I made some *really* big parachutes out of trash bags, and launched these rockets. Almost all of them caught thermals and drifted out of sight. You should *definitely* not do something silly like this.
Yes! bring back the G55 SU motor! those were fun.
 
Yes! bring back the G55 SU motor! those were fun.
Oh, yeah! a G55 and a single-use fiberglass Mach Buster!

I've got a single G55 put back. I doubt it will ever be used. One, it's a White Lightning, and I fear it would be a chufflupagus. Two, It's from a launch buddy that's no longer with us, so I keep it (and the B14 motors) in his memory.
 
Put YOUR name/address on it and make people really wonder...
If you really want to get eyeballs popping, then what you do is you put my name and address (using my Chinese alias (written in Chinese)) on it.


龍吉
中国, 山东, 烟台, 芝福渠,
南大街, 261, 振怀浪帆 4, 阿斯顿英语, 264000
 
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