Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The Cooler Estes Rockets for 2011

I'm sure that by now most everyone thinks I am some kind of Estes freak...kind of like one would think of a political alignment. Not really. I have built more Estes rockets over the years than just about any other brand but then again, I have scratch-build more models than I have all brands of kitted offerings combined. Having said that, I have recently begun researching (and reminiscing) the progress of model rocketry over the years and the major early players were Centuri and Estes. Estes was by far the "king" and so that is where I am concentrating for now.
Having said all that, I will fast forward to current Estes offerings and may in future blogs spotlight offerings from other manufacturers.
Der Red Max: A return of an early 70's classic that seemed to be present at just about every launch back then.
Interceptor and Interceptor E: Updated returns of the 1970 "decal covered" classic. Estes has released several versions of the Interceptor (including one larger than the current Interceptor E) but these two kits hit the sweet spot for rocketeers flying on a budget as well as those that want "something bigger."
Baby Bertha: A shortened version of the classic Big Bertha from 1964.
Mega Mosquito: The original tiny Mosquito was just a plain fun way to burn up pack after pack of mini-motors...so long as you limited yourself to 1/4A and 1/2A because you would likely not see it again after a flight on an A motor. It was one of the premier "Mini-Brute" kits which introduced the Estes Mini motor back in 1971. The "Mega" version is over five times bigger and flies on up to E power. You won't be burning pack after pack of motors but it's fun anyway. Oh, you get the classic original Mosquito with this kit, too!
Comanche-3: Another classic (see a pattern developing?) from 1982. I'm pleasantly surprised that it still utilizes a "D" booster and standard motors for the second and third stages rather than all standard motors. This puppy can hit about a half-mile without a problem. I wish Estes would bring the old Farside 3-stage back. I loved those giant fins and extra-gentle booster recovery.
D-Region Tomahawk:  The second different Estes version of the one-off sounding rocket is very much improved with scale qualities far exceeding those of the "original" 1985 release. Just slightly larger, this heavier-duty version will fly with E motors and you can actually be competitive in competition with this one without a lot of modification. It's also one of the very few scale offerings from Estes.
Super Neon XL: A scaled up version of the popular "regular" Neon of many years ago from Estes and the Super Neon which shares the catalog with the "XL" version.  I like it for its tube-fin design (which is a variation of the "Infinite Loop" from over 40 years ago) and small add-on fins. Makes for a durable model to burn up your stock of  D and E motors.
Screaming Eagle: Just a plain "neat" F-15 like model that is reminiscent of the Centuri Fighter Series of the mid-1970s. It looks just a tad funky with the extended "fuselage", though. I would consider shortening the body tube, adding noseweight to assure stability, and apply a "scale like" paint job...or just build it "from the box"...er...bag.
MIRV: This is the most unique and innovative model to come from Estes in years and neither the Estes catalog nor the Estes web site does this model the justice in describing its uniqueness that it deserves. Basically, it's a "two stage" model that has three "second" stages. A single standard engine booster gets the model into the air and then three separate "second" stages powered by A10-3 motors zip off on their separate ways. Not only that, but the three upper stages nest together to look like a single upper stage at launch.
Saturn V: What can I say? This is about the 5th variation on a 1/100 scale Saturn V from Estes. And, in today's dollars, it's about the least expensive (you can find them all day long [including from me] on eBay for about $60). It's supposedly a limited edition but they are EVERYWHERE. It also comes in a giant box that has about twice the volume of previous boxes.
Solar Flare: Just a pretty darn cool ring-fin two-stager of a modest size (27" long and 1" diameter). Don't believe the recommended engines on the Estes web site...someone really messed up there...but the model is not a mess-up!
Renegade-D: Virtually identical to the "Renegade" two stage version of the previous three or four years. The previous version used two stages and standard 18mm motors (I have talked to at least two people who damaged the first stage on recovery...which is probably the reason the new model is just single stage) but Estes made up for any performance deficiencies in going to single stage by powering this baby with a D motor. In my opinion, this model is every bit as cool as the Interceptor.
Mini Honest John: This one takes me back to the original Estes Honest John of 1967. Though it is a scale model of a different version than the original, it is in the same scale. And, it's a bit underpowered from a "spectacular flight" perspective. I would convert it to 18mm use (it uses mini motors as-is) or even modify this kit to make a version of the "original" Honest John.
Astron Elliptic II; I just plain like the sleek design and the high-performance elliptical fins of this mini-motor two stager. It can hit about 1000 feet on a pair of mini-A motors.
Alien Invader: The return of another classic from over 20 years ago. It has a really strange nosecone and a conglomeration of semi-circular wings and fins.
Flutter-By: A sort of re-release of a Centuri design from about 35 years ago. This tiny model pops into two tumble-recovered pieces at apogee.
Taser Twin: This model is cool because at first glance you would think it was a re-release of the Apogee II from the 1960's. Then again, it looks like it has an Apogee II booster (from the '60s) mated to Sky Hook upper stage (also from the '60s). And this thing will get up and go to about 2000 feet on standard 18mm motors.
Plasma Probe: Again, in paying a bit of homage to old Centuri designs, this model has somewhat of a resemblance to the the Centuri Laser-X from 1968. The color and markings are similar, too.
QCC Explorer: A really nice-sized (about 3-feet long) model that flies on any of the 24mm Estes motors from C through E. It's a bit deceptive in appearance but is a good challenge to build.
Xarconian Cruiser: A really unique design that is a big challenge to build. Its is a "builder's model" and is rated at Skill Level 5...and it really is. What I really like about it (other than the physical design attributes) is that it takes me back to the kind of building you had to do in the '60s and '70s (in spite of its laser-cut fins. I think Estes missed the boat a bit with the color/decal design scheme...but if I don't like it I can always go my own route it that department!
EPM-101: This is the kind of model that an Estes Design of the Month winner might have come up with 40 years ago. No single element is unique. It's got forward swept fins. It's got fin-tip pods, its got small fins on the body. Together, they just make for an unexplainably good-looking rocket.
Ventris: One of the first models in the new Estes Pro Series II lineup and marks Estes' return to high power model rocketry using composite motors up to G80. A fairly basic and classic "enlarged payload compartment" design reminiscent of the Centuri "Mini-Max" powered models of the late '60s and early '70s makes for a handsome addition to your collection.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Welcome To My World of Model Rocketry...the Late 1960's

1966 and my interest in rockets and space travel made for a big year for me. I was totally hooked on NASA, the moon race and anything to do with rockets. For some reason I remember getting all excited over the possibility that a Gemini mission might fly along with the first Apollo mission. I likely just picked up on some speculative news reports for that one...but I was paying attention. I also remember being really excited about the Surveyor missions, too. An uncle had realized my interest in NASA and somehow had acquired a set of glossy prints from Mercury and Gemini that I have to this very day. He also provided me with my second model rocket...he mail-ordered Estes Astron Sprite in my name. I was completely surprised when the postman delivered something from "The Model Rocket Capital of the World."

I recall doing a much better job in building the Sprite than I did with the Scout. The nosecone and fins had layers and layers of Elmer's Glue all to "streamline" the rocket. The nosecone ended up being significantly "fatter" than the body tube. I painted it with the same metallic purple and yellow color scheme that had evolved on the Astron Scout. It didn't take me long to fly it because my uncle had also thoughtfully purchased a tube of three motors for it. And I think I understood why the engine moved back and forth just like with the Scout. I believe that by now I had read and somewhat understood the Estes technical report on stability that had come with the Scout.

The lumber pile was still behind my house though it was likely of an entirely different size and configuration from its use as a launch site for the Scout a couple of years before. And now, instead of the pile being adjacent to an old tractor shed it was literally just outside the door of my dad's brand new workshop addition to the back of our garage. This workshop addition was my new "block house." My dad did welding as a sideline and I had discovered that a "launch rod" (which I didn't understand or use for the first and only flight of my Scout) was just a welding rod by another name. I think my dad dutifully drilled an eighth-inch hole in one of the boards in the lumber pile for me to insert a "launch rod". The same Lionel power supply provided the juice for my second-ever launch of a model rocket. Standing just inside the workshop door I cranked up the juice and off the rocket went. I don't know if I was able to follow it in flight but it came back down in the back yard. I flew that Sprite several times over the next four or so years. I also learned to make "short" motors out of standard model rocket motors to use in the Sprite with this model.

The '60s were particularly harsh on my parents from an income perspective. Mom did ironing to supplement Dad's income as a steelworker who seemed to continually be on strike and having to make ends meet working oilfield jobs and some metalworking and carpentry as well. He really messed up one of his hands in this period. Mom was very sickly and constantly hospitalized beginning in the 60s and my sister also had a severe heart defect. Fortunately, other than allergies, I was a healthy kid.
Still, there were toys in the toybox though by now I was more interested in "models" than "toys". My sister and I got bicycles from Steve's dad who was an avid bicycle rebuild. I played mostly with Steve's toys and spent hours and hours on his breezeway joining my Lionel train set with his and watching multiple locomotives chug around the extended layout. Most of my relatives and family friends knew of my interest in space, rockets and model-building. I had been introduced to plastic models probably in first grade and had a fair collection of plastic planes and cars...primarily because most of my model-oriented birthday and Christmas gifts were cars and planes...not rockets. But I was going to take care of that.

Since I was now on the Estes mail list, courtesy of my uncle ordering the Sprite in my name, I received the 1967 Estes catalog which I though was even more spectacular than the previous catalog. It showed a real flaming launch of a NASA rocket. But even more impressive was that it contained the gargantuan and beautiful Saturn IB kit that was over a yard long and used FOUR motors! The bugger cost almost $10 (about $100 in today's Dollars) and I knew it was out of my reach but there was another model called the "Honest John" that I absolutely had to have. Not only did it look cook but it had my name and it cost "only" $2. This was my first mail-order rocket. I don't really recall how I paid for it...or if one of my parents did but I distinctly remember getting a 1/2A and a B motor with it. I also remember getting a short extra piece of BT-50 tubing, an engine mount, and some fin stock to make a "booster" for the Honest John. And the order was also over $5 because I got a free Gyroc kit with it. I was really set up now!

I was in 6th grade by now and the Estes catalog was my constant companion. The Apollo 1 disaster had occurred and I remember thinking that it would be "forever" before the next first manned Apollo mission would occur. But the Saturn V was making good progress. But I had my model rockets. It took several days for me to build the Honest John. I hand painted it using brush-on Pactra paint and I put several coats on the nosecone and fins trying to make them "slick."  I also built the "booster" for the Honest John that I had bought the parts for and I hand-painted a red-and-white checkerboard pattern on all of the booster fins which took me forever. I never used that booster for anything but a display stand and I don't know what became of it.

One of my schoolmates had tried model rocketry and given up on it after never being able to launch a rocket. He "sold" me his Estes Electro Launch for several lunch trades as I recall. It didn't work when I got it. I assumed the batteries were dead but I tore the thing apart and reassembled it according to the instructions. Lo and behold, when I touched the micro clips together and inserted the key the continuity light in the launch controller glowed! I was set! I had a real model rocket launcher!

I had gotten my 6th grade science teacher, Mr. Green, interested in model rocketry and he told me that I could bring my rocket to school and we would take my science class out to the oil field behind the school to launch it. The only real obstructions out there were a practice football field and a fenced-in "rocking horse" oil pump just "rocking" away. I proudly marched out to the "launch site" near the rocking horse, set up the pad, put the rocket on the launch pad and then did a very formal countdown to zero and then...and then...nothing. Several attempts...nothing. What an embarrassment.

The next day (it may have been the next week) when I arrived to science class Mr. Green presented me with a set of brand new "Photoflash" batteries. The rocket was still parked on a shelf at the back of the room and I immediately unscrewed the halves of the plastic case and installed the fresh batteries. When I "tested" the continuity, the light was incredibly bright. Apparently the original batteries were nearly dead after all.

Again, we treked out to the oilfield and I put the 1/2A motor in the Honest John, repacked the parachute and got ready to launch. I fully expected several tries but after my proud countdown the rocket soared into the air instantly after my pressing the launch button...the first time that I had really been able to "see" the entire flight from liftoff to touchdown...and it promptly parachuted its way into the fence enclosure surounding that darn rocking horse. No way was Mr. Green going to allow me to climb the fence in spite of my claims of expertise at climbing fences. I was destroyed. My "namesake" model was gone... Magically, the next day when I went to the science class, the Honest John was in its place on the launcher on a shelf at the back of the class.

Between 1963 and 1967 I had only flown three model rockets on my own but by friend, Charles from way back in 1963, had also gotten into rocketry. He lived about four miles away (which seemed a long way at the time) but I spent frequent weekends with him and we flew rockets from his back yard. He literally had "miles" of pastureland between his house and Ellington Air Force Base. He had a very used WAC Corporal, an Arcas, a Mars Snooper, and a Farside-X...all Estes models. The Farside was painted white with dayglow orange fins and nosecone. It was the first multi-stage model rocket that I ever saw fly and it was spectacular.

My next model rocket, probably also in 1967 though likely near the end of the year or even a Christmas gift was an Estes Gemini Titan. I don't know who got it for me but it was likely my uncle. I was determined to do the best job possible on this model. The fact that it had two engines and used clear fins was a bit intimidating. But it wasn't long after I received it that I flew it. There was simply no using the Electro Launch and its puny four D-cells for this model. I equipped an extension cord with micro-clips and made a "launcher" from a fair sized square of plywood. Using the battery in a lawn tractor I touched the bare ends to the battery terminals and the Gemini shot into the air from the driveway with both motors (I believe they were B motors) and drifted gently into the fields behind my house.

1968 rolled around and the new Estes catalog contained even more "must have" models. Courtesy of Charle's mother and transportation services I had access to one of the coolest hobby shops that I patronized for years (and even worked at some years later)...Grant's Model Shop. I remember "ordering" an Estes Little Joe II from Grant's and for some reason it took several weeks to arrive. In the meantime, I mail ordered an Estes Trident with both the Trident and the Little Joe coming into my hands at about the same time. both were incredibly challenging to me...especially the tower on the Little Joe. I credit the Little Joe and that tower for pumping my lifelong enthusiasm for scale model rockets and intricate assemblies.

I discovered "Model Rocketry Magazine" in 1968 at Grant's Model Shop. I never subscribed to the magazine but used it as a good excuse to make the five or six mile trek to Grant's every month. Still, most of my models were mail order. It was just plain cool and exciting to order a rocket and get all worked up in anticipation of its arrival.

By now I was going to a new intermediate school, V.W. Miller, which coincidentally was built directly behind Charles' house in the prairie and about 1/4 mile away. Mr. Green had transferred there and was my "rocket support" for my 7th and 8th grade years. I was mowing lawns for money and felt I was rolling in cash every time I mowed a lawn. The lawns in our neighborhood were very large compared to modern lawns and some paid as much as $5 (and seemed like they took a half day to cut...). Now, I could pay for just about any model rocket I wanted. And I started scratch-building, too. I also built several models for some of my classmates for various forms of trade.

1968 was also the year that my neighbor Steve's house burned down. I remember coming home from school seeing the flames pouring from his garage and garage apartment which had been our "lab". We had conducted all kinds of non-model rocket "rocketry" experiments using the lab as our home base (our adventures with non-model rocketry between 1965 and 1968 will be subject of a future blog). Several neighbors, knowing our "experiments" with rockets and seeing quite a number of model rockets fly from our area, speculated that it was our rockets that caused the fire. Not so...both Steve and I were just getting home from a day at school when we found the house burning.

1969 was a banner year for me and model rocketry. I discovered Centuri Engineering. I bought a Laser-X...which I thought of as a "poor man's" Mars Snooper...not as cool but larger and beefier. Grant's carried a limited number of Centuri rockets by now but carried none of their engines or accessories.

And then the 1969 Centuri catalog arrived. The catalog had both a "giant" Little Joe II and a smaller one as well which bracketed the Estes Little Joe II in size. But there was that magnificent Saturn V...the first large flying Saturn V to be available. I had already built the "little" Estes Saturn V which was about 1/242 scale and was intended to keep Estes in the "Saturn V race" while they fought to bring their 1/100 scale Saturn V to market. I foolishly waited for the Estes Saturn (because I was a die-hard Estes fan) while a couple of rocket buddies, Charles included, bought and built their Centuri Saturn V's. In the end, however, I think I ended up with the better looking model since I had a knack by now for painting and finishing. I also seemd to have better luck with clustering. I believe it was Charles who crashed his Saturn on its first flight when only two engines (probably B's) lit. I flew my Saturn several times on clusters and had one two-engine flight on C6-3 motors that went just fine. I also acquired the first of several Estes Saturn IBs and remember being elated when I pulled off my first 4-motor cluster flight.

It was the year of the first moon landing...Apollo 11. I never really synchronized a Saturn V model launch with any of the Apollo launches but always wanted to. By now I had discovered motorcycling which most, including my parents, though would permanently distract me from model rocketry. At first my parents thought that rockets were dangerous...but decided motorcycles were even more dangerous. Ironically, it was my dad that helped me get my first motorcycle...a mini cycle really.

The '60s wound down and I was deep into model rocketry...and the 1970's and my high school years were facing me.

Check out my web site at www.accur8.com

John Pursley

Welcome To My World of Model Rocketry...the early 1960's

1966 and my interest in rockets and space travel made for a big year for me. I was totally hooked on NASA, the moon race and anything to do with rockets. For some reason I remember getting all excited over the possibility that a Gemini mission might fly along with the first Apollo mission. I likely just picked up on some speculative news reports for that one...but I was paying attention. I also remember being really excited about the Surveyor missions, too. An uncle had realized my interest in NASA and somehow had acquired a set of glossy prints from Mercury and Gemini that I have to this very day. He also provided me with my second model rocket...he mail-ordered Estes Astron Sprite in my name. I was completely surprised when the postman delivered something from "The Model Rocket Capital of the World."

I recall doing a much better job in building the Sprite than I did with the Scout. The nosecone and fins had layers and layers of Elmer's Glue all to "streamline" the rocket. The nosecone ended up being significantly "fatter" than the body tube. I painted it with the same metallic purple and yellow color scheme that had evolved on the Astron Scout. It didn't take me long to fly it because my uncle had also thoughtfully purchased a tube of three motors for it. And I think I understood why the engine moved back and forth just like with the Scout. I believe that by now I had read and somewhat understood the Estes technical report on stability that had come with the Scout.

The lumber pile was still behind my house though it was likely of an entirely different size and configuration from its use as a launch site for the Scout a couple of years before. And now, instead of the pile being adjacent to an old tractor shed it was literally just outside the door of my dad's brand new workshop addition to the back of our garage. This workshop addition was my new "block house." My dad did welding as a sideline and I had discovered that a "launch rod" (which I didn't understand or use for the first and only flight of my Scout) was just a welding rod by another name. I think my dad dutifully drilled an eighth-inch hole in one of the boards in the lumber pile for me to insert a "launch rod". The same Lionel power supply provided the juice for my second-ever launch of a model rocket. Standing just inside the workshop door I cranked up the juice and off the rocket went. I don't know if I was able to follow it in flight but it came back down in the back yard. I flew that Sprite several times over the next four or so years. I also learned to make "short" motors out of standard model rocket motors to use in the Sprite with this model.

The '60s were particularly harsh on my parents from an income perspective. Mom did ironing to supplement Dad's income as a steelworker who seemed to continually be on strike and having to make ends meet working oilfield jobs and some metalworking and carpentry as well. He really messed up one of his hands in this period. Mom was very sickly and constantly hospitalized beginning in the 60s and my sister also had a severe heart defect. Fortunately, other than allergies, I was a healthy kid.
Still, there were toys in the toybox though by now I was more interested in "models" than "toys". My sister and I got bicycles from Steve's dad who was an avid bicycle rebuild. I played mostly with Steve's toys and spent hours and hours on his breezeway joining my Lionel train set with his and watching multiple locomotives chug around the extended layout. Most of my relatives and family friends knew of my interest in space, rockets and model-building. I had been introduced to plastic models probably in first grade and had a fair collection of plastic planes and cars...primarily because most of my model-oriented birthday and Christmas gifts were cars and planes...not rockets. But I was going to take care of that.

Since I was now on the Estes mail list, courtesy of my uncle ordering the Sprite in my name, I received the 1967 Estes catalog which I though was even more spectacular than the previous catalog. It showed a real flaming launch of a NASA rocket. But even more impressive was that it contained the gargantuan and beautiful Saturn IB kit that was over a yard long and used FOUR motors! The bugger cost almost $10 (about $100 in today's Dollars) and I knew it was out of my reach but there was another model called the "Honest John" that I absolutely had to have. Not only did it look cook but it had my name and it cost "only" $2. This was my first mail-order rocket. I don't really recall how I paid for it...or if one of my parents did but I distinctly remember getting a 1/2A and a B motor with it. I also remember getting a short extra piece of BT-50 tubing, an engine mount, and some fin stock to make a "booster" for the Honest John. And the order was also over $5 because I got a free Gyroc kit with it. I was really set up now!

I was in 6th grade by now and the Estes catalog was my constant companion. The Apollo 1 disaster had occurred and I remember thinking that it would be "forever" before the next first manned Apollo mission would occur. But the Saturn V was making good progress. But I had my model rockets. It took several days for me to build the Honest John. I hand painted it using brush-on Pactra paint and I put several coats on the nosecone and fins trying to make them "slick."  I also built the "booster" for the Honest John that I had bought the parts for and I hand-painted a red-and-white checkerboard pattern on all of the booster fins which took me forever. I never used that booster for anything but a display stand and I don't know what became of it.

One of my schoolmates had tried model rocketry and given up on it after never being able to launch a rocket. He "sold" me his Estes Electro Launch for several lunch trades as I recall. It didn't work when I got it. I assumed the batteries were dead but I tore the thing apart and reassembled it according to the instructions. Lo and behold, when I touched the micro clips together and inserted the key the continuity light in the launch controller glowed! I was set! I had a real model rocket launcher!

I had gotten my 6th grade science teacher, Mr. Green, interested in model rocketry and he told me that I could bring my rocket to school and we would take my science class out to the oil field behind the school to launch it. The only real obstructions out there were a practice football field and a fenced-in "rocking horse" oil pump just "rocking" away. I proudly marched out to the "launch site" near the rocking horse, set up the pad, put the rocket on the launch pad and then did a very formal countdown to zero and then...and then...nothing. Several attempts...nothing. What an embarrassment.

The next day (it may have been the next week) when I arrived to science class Mr. Green presented me with a set of brand new "Photoflash" batteries. The rocket was still parked on a shelf at the back of the room and I immediately unscrewed the halves of the plastic case and installed the fresh batteries. When I "tested" the continuity, the light was incredibly bright. Apparently the original batteries were nearly dead after all.

Again, we treked out to the oilfield and I put the 1/2A motor in the Honest John, repacked the parachute and got ready to launch. I fully expected several tries but after my proud countdown the rocket soared into the air instantly after my pressing the launch button...the first time that I had really been able to "see" the entire flight from liftoff to touchdown...and it promptly parachuted its way into the fence enclosure surounding that darn rocking horse. No way was Mr. Green going to allow me to climb the fence in spite of my claims of expertise at climbing fences. I was destroyed. My "namesake" model was gone... Magically, the next day when I went to the science class, the Honest John was in its place on the launcher on a shelf at the back of the class.

Between 1963 and 1967 I had only flown three model rockets on my own but by friend, Charles from way back in 1963, had also gotten into rocketry. He lived about four miles away (which seemed a long way at the time) but I spent frequent weekends with him and we flew rockets from his back yard. He literally had "miles" of pastureland between his house and Ellington Air Force Base. He had a very used WAC Corporal, an Arcas, a Mars Snooper, and a Farside-X...all Estes models. The Farside was painted white with dayglow orange fins and nosecone. It was the first multi-stage model rocket that I ever saw fly and it was spectacular.

My next model rocket, probably also in 1967 though likely near the end of the year or even a Christmas gift was an Estes Gemini Titan. I don't know who got it for me but it was likely my uncle. I was determined to do the best job possible on this model. The fact that it had two engines and used clear fins was a bit intimidating. But it wasn't long after I received it that I flew it. There was simply no using the Electro Launch and its puny four D-cells for this model. I equipped an extension cord with micro-clips and made a "launcher" from a fair sized square of plywood. Using the battery in a lawn tractor I touched the bare ends to the battery terminals and the Gemini shot into the air from the driveway with both motors (I believe they were B motors) and drifted gently into the fields behind my house.

1968 rolled around and the new Estes catalog contained even more "must have" models. Courtesy of Charle's mother and transportation services I had access to one of the coolest hobby shops that I patronized for years (and even worked at some years later)...Grant's Model Shop. I remember "ordering" an Estes Little Joe II from Grant's and for some reason it took several weeks to arrive. In the meantime, I mail ordered an Estes Trident with both the Trident and the Little Joe coming into my hands at about the same time. both were incredibly challenging to me...especially the tower on the Little Joe. I credit the Little Joe and that tower for pumping my lifelong enthusiasm for scale model rockets and intricate assemblies.

I discovered "Model Rocketry Magazine" in 1968 at Grant's Model Shop. I never subscribed to the magazine but used it as a good excuse to make the five or six mile trek to Grant's every month. Still, most of my models were mail order. It was just plain cool and exciting to order a rocket and get all worked up in anticipation of its arrival.

By now I was going to a new intermediate school, V.W. Miller, which coincidentally was built directly behind Charles' house in the prairie and about 1/4 mile away. Mr. Green had transferred there and was my "rocket support" for my 7th and 8th grade years. I was mowing lawns for money and felt I was rolling in cash every time I mowed a lawn. The lawns in our neighborhood were very large compared to modern lawns and some paid as much as $5 (and seemed like they took a half day to cut...). Now, I could pay for just about any model rocket I wanted. And I started scratch-building, too. I also built several models for some of my classmates for various forms of trade.

1968 was also the year that my neighbor Steve's house burned down. I remember coming home from school seeing the flames pouring from his garage and garage apartment which had been our "lab". We had conducted all kinds of non-model rocket "rocketry" experiments using the lab as our home base (our adventures with non-model rocketry between 1965 and 1968 will be subject of a future blog). Several neighbors, knowing our "experiments" with rockets and seeing quite a number of model rockets fly from our area, speculated that it was our rockets that caused the fire. Not so...both Steve and I were just getting home from a day at school when we found the house burning.

1969 was a banner year for me and model rocketry. I discovered Centuri Engineering. I bought a Laser-X...which I thought of as a "poor man's" Mars Snooper...not as cool but larger and beefier. Grant's carried a limited number of Centuri rockets by now but carried none of their engines or accessories.

And then the 1969 Centuri catalog arrived. The catalog had both a "giant" Little Joe II and a smaller one as well which bracketed the Estes Little Joe II in size. But there was that magnificent Saturn V...the first large flying Saturn V to be available. I had already built the "little" Estes Saturn V which was about 1/242 scale and was intended to keep Estes in the "Saturn V race" while they fought to bring their 1/100 scale Saturn V to market. I foolishly waited for the Estes Saturn (because I was a die-hard Estes fan) while a couple of rocket buddies, Charles included, bought and built their Centuri Saturn V's. In the end, however, I think I ended up with the better looking model since I had a knack by now for painting and finishing. I also seemd to have better luck with clustering. I believe it was Charles who crashed his Saturn on its first flight when only two engines (probably B's) lit. I flew my Saturn several times on clusters and had one two-engine flight on C6-3 motors that went just fine. I also acquired the first of several Estes Saturn IBs and remember being elated when I pulled off my first 4-motor cluster flight.

It was the year of the first moon landing...Apollo 11. I never really synchronized a Saturn V model launch with any of the Apollo launches but always wanted to. By now I had discovered motorcycling which most, including my parents, though would permanently distract me from model rocketry. At first my parents thought that rockets were dangerous...but decided motorcycles were even more dangerous. Ironically, it was my dad that helped me get my first motorcycle...a mini cycle really.

The '60s wound down and I was deep into model rocketry...and the 1970's and my high school years were facing me.

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John Pursley