Acrylic discs to replicate props in movement?

[mikewint]

God Terry you bring back so many memories. I well remember the Aurora kits and the pre-molded pilot. I used to do the same thing by either driling a hole in one wing or tieing a string around the fusilage. Used to get so mad when they wouldn't fly straight. I don't remember if the old kits even mentioned scale. They were what they were. Was another point of frustration when a B-24 was smaller than a P-51. Took one kit and attached the prop to a small electric motor. Ran wires down the stand and just held them to a D-cell.

 

[meatloaf109]

I used to take a couple of Revell ship hulls and fasten them together catamaran style, and fixed a 1/32 corsair prop to a small electric motor and made a "cruiser" that went on the ice. Worked pretty good, but a rocket motor really made it fly!

 

[Airframes]

Don't start me on rockets, and other explosive stuff! I think I probably did quite a bit of damage when i was a kid. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever really grew out of it .....

 

[mikewint]

Ah yes, Estes model rockets. Built several, even one that was even a 3-stage. Launched that one only once as the third stage vanished. About 6 months later some boy scouts appeared at the house returning my rocket (printed my name/address on all rockets). They had come across it in a state park almost 50mi away.
Besides the usual fireworks like m-80s, cherry bombs, 4inchers, ect. We came across a tin of black powder, poured about a pound (.5kg) in a 2in pipe screwed the endcaps on with a length of cannon fuse. Not sure what to do, we leaned it against a fireplug, lit the fuse and ran like he*l. About a minute later a massive explosion and a geyser of water that shot 30ft into the air. Tried once to make nitroglycerine. Made about 100ml. To test it we threw it against the basement wall. Our experimet failed fortunately

 

[stona]

Tried once to make nitroglycerine. Made about 100ml. To test it we threw it against the basement wall. Our experimet failed fortunately

As an ex-chemist I can assure you that it was a good job that your attempt failed

In the UK you used to be able to by little solid fuel rocket motors. I think they were called Jetex motors. I bolted them onto boats which I fancied looked a bit like "Bluebird" (K7) with the advantage that even if the boat capsized the motor would run underwater and the little vessel would continue inverted!
This, needless to say, was in the days before Health and safety banned such things.

Two large bolts, a nut and some match heads could be used to make a decent bang

Cheers

Steve

 

[Airframes]

heck, I remember those, and yes, they were called 'Jetex' motors! I had a 'Keil Kraft' balsa model fitted with one, an 'Attacker', or maybe 'Scimitar', as far as I remember. Free flight thing - lit the rocket and threw it. Went off down range with a 'woosh' for about 300 yards before running out of air space. Tress make a mess of balsa and tissue!

 

[stona]

I'm sure they don't make them anymore!
I remember packing the discs of propellant in, a gauze screen was involved, and then a fuse, just long enough for you to get rid of the thing before it went off in your hand!
I do remember that the propellant was a red/brown colour and not always easy to light. Maybe it went bad in some way if stored for a while,like Guy Fawkes' gunpowder.
I'm not sure what it was. I shall put my old chemistry hat on and roam the internet in an effort to find out.

Kids today don't get the chance to blow themselves up or set their hair on fire.......They don't know what they're missing

Cheers

Steve

 

[stona]

There's a whole site dedicated to the Jetex motor here:

Jetex.org: Motors

The fuel was Guanidine Nitrate which, being deliquescent, would indeed "go off" if stored for a period, particularly in damp conditions.

Sometimes the old memory isn't as bad as I think it is

Cheers

Steve

 

[Airframes]

Great stuff Steve! They wouldn't be allowed nowadays, not just for the sometimes pampering effects of Health and Safety - they'd probably be classified as a terrorist device!

 

[subkraft]

Jetex, yeah, they were great.

Surprisingly, there has been a small revival in rocket planes:

Mike's flying scale model pages

There are some really brilliant balsa tissue build up models on this site......

 

[Airframes]

Great stuff, and some nice models there.
I'm not certain, but I don't know if powered, free flight models are still allowed, outdoors at least, in the UK. Wouldn't surprise me if the 'Fun Police' have banned it!
I've seen some fantastic R/C jet and ducted-fan models though, some really incredible stuff, that can pass for real even in video footage.

 

[[SC] Arachnicus]

I have been real tempted to get into RC planes. But then I remember that like most hobbies, it is expensive.