It’s been years now, but once upon a time I did play amateur rocket scientist.  My greatest creation, the Albatross, was a 5 engine monster that is now long gone.  But I can share one other model which I was rather proud of.

And here it is, the one on the right, a scale model of the WWII German ballistic missile, the V2.

Estes made a V2 kit once upon a time, but by the time I got into the hobby it was long gone…  Or was it?

Like any other company, Estes reuses what it can, and while the V2 was out of production they did have a rocket called the “Silver Comet” in their line up.

Picking over some old plans online and looking at the catalog I came to the conclusion that they had added a cockpit outline to the V2 nose, lengthened the body, and reshaped the fins to create the Silver Comet.

So I bought the kit.  I took the fins and recut them into the proper V2 shape, shortened the body tube they provided, and turned the nosecone on a lathe to cut off the extra plastic “window frame” to make the nose once again smooth all around.
This was the result.  Painted in more or less the same manner as captured V2s were when they were brought to the US for testing after WWII.

The silver one on the left?  A rocket I found abandoned, presumably lost, in a field in Baltimore County that I (and apparently others) liked to use as a launch site.  I cut it down and fit a Quest tail fin assembly on it, and covered it in metal foil for a “bushed Aluminum” effect.  The NASA logo came from the gift shop at the Goddard Space Flight Center I believe.

via This is for the no ones..

Click above and read.

Well, if it hasn’t been made apparent yet, I am a Star Trek fan. Haven’t worn the uniform since I was about 8 years old (Halloween) or anything, but I am a fan.

I come right out and say that while I thought the last movie was “fun” and I didn’t feel like I wasted my money (which is RARE for me at the movies) it wasn’t really Star Trek to me… I won’t go into that any further

This however, IS.

And no, I’m not just saying that because George Takei is in it, but rather because this is the episode where they seem to “hit their stride”.

There were previous ones with various Trek alumni in them, the most prominent being one with Walter Koenig reprising his role as Chekov, but while it was GREAT to FINALLY see some on screen character development for Chekov, the rest of the cast (the “new” Kirk, Spock, McCoy, etc.) didn’t seem to quite click yet.

Here they’ve got it together. You ought to have a look!

Check out the HOMEPAGE and it will lead you links for downloading the episodes.

The “Pilot” and episodes 1 and 2 are OK, and get progressively better, but Episode 3 is where, as I said, the really hit their stride.

I’ll take Cawley over Abrams ANY day of the week.

Well I managed to do it.

Posted by a fellow of mine over at Flying Tigers Group -

1. Airplanes usually kill you quickly – a woman takes her time.
2. Airplanes can be turned on by a flick of a switch.
3. Airplanes don’t get mad if you do a ‘touch and go.’
4. Airplanes don’t object to a pre-flight inspection.
5. Airplanes come with manuals to explain their operation.
6. Airplanes have strict weight and balance limitations.
7. Airplanes can be flown any time of the month.
8. Airplanes don’t come with in-laws.
9. Airplanes don’t care about how many other airplanes you’ve flown before.
10. Airplanes and pilots both arrive at the same time.
11. Airplanes don’t mind if you look at other airplanes.
12. Airplanes don’t mind if you buy airplane magazines.
13. Airplanes expect to be tied down.
14. Airplanes don’t comment on your piloting skills.
15. Airplanes don’t whine unless something is really wrong.
16. However, when airplanes go quiet, just like women, it’s usually not good.

With an arrival time of 10:49pm EST – I present my 1st Grandson.

While Japan produces the first TRUELY synthetic pop star, I noodle on my PC and create this assault for the ears…

A first attempt, the result of mucking about with Sony’s Acid Express (free version of ACID Pro)