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I post a lot of things on Instagram these days. Follow me here.
If you've been following Joe Barnard and BPS.Space's attempts to land a rocket propulsively on landing legs... HE DID IT.
Click here to go to his YouTube channel and see the awesome vid. Subscribe if you haven't already.
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Someone on the Facebook group Estes Model Rockets posed a question recently: Other than Amazon, where is everyone buying Estes rockets? I don't have a good hobby store near me.
I see beginners ask this kind of question frequently - where can you get model rocket stuff? This is quite an active, vibrant hobby with a hugely supportive base, but it's still somewhat underground. And it might surprise you to know that when I was a newbie 8 years ago, when I started googling where to buy model rockets, a lot of the best places didn't necessarily pop up at the top of the search results. Most of my first weeks' googling took me to Amazon, which is where I got most of my very first rockets and supplies, as well as my Kindle edition of The Handbook of Model Rocketry, by G. Harry Stine and Bill Stine, an absolute must-read for beginners.
Maybe this is because of Amazon's advertising budget, maybe not. I won't speculate. But it took me a little digging to find some of the best vendors in this hobby.
Of course, a good place to start is a local hobby shop - if you have one available to you. Whether it's a small, independent hobby store or a big box store, you can go browse rockets and supplies, which is a lot of fun. It can be good to get an idea of what something looks like and how big it is before you buy. And supporting a good local hobby shop is always appreciated! Independent hobby shops are kind of a dying breed, and the owners are often very supportive of the customers they have.
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| The Treasure Chest, in Bloomington, Indiana. Last time I went back, they had closed for good. |
Of course, not everyone has a hobby store nearby, and even if you do, the stock of rocketry supplies may be limited. Most people are buying things online these days, at least some of the time.
Here is a list of vendors I've bought from. It is not comprehensive, and is not in order of greatest to least, or anything like that. If there's someone left off the list, it's because I've either never bought from them, or maybe I did once, but don't remember it, so I don't have anything to go on. I've bought a lot of rocket stuff over the years. If I forget one of your favorites, leave a comment below and tell us all about them.
I'll start with the obvious one.
You can find rockets from Estes and Quest on Amazon, as well as occasionally one or two other, smaller companies. Most of these are smaller vendors selling through Amazon, though, as a way to increase traffic.
While shopping from Amazon has its advantages - you're pretty much guaranteed a replacement or refund if your stuff doesn't arrive, or arrives damaged, for example - these days, I only buy rocket stuff from Amazon in certain circumstances. For example, if I need a building tool or painting supply and either can't get it elsewhere, or it's drastically cheaper an Amazon, I'll go with them. I get hobby knife blades in bulk through them. With individual kits, though, I tend to avoid them. Last rocket I bought from them was an Estes Der Red Max, and I had to return it several times before I got one which didn't have a squashed tube or bent balsa fins. Amazon pickers don't really know the hobby, and with the way model rocket kits are packaged, this is unsurprising to me.
I personally have a lot of sympathy for people who pick for Amazon. It's much harder work than you imagine, so I don't blame the pickers. But I'll turn to them for things like household appliances or general consumer goods rather than a model rocket kit.
Sometimes you'll find a rocket which is discontinued, and sold out everywhere, but Amazon still has a few. That's when I'd go ahead and buy from them.
The Estes Website - EstesRockets.com
You can buy Estes stuff direct from the source at their website. All their current catalog (including the catalog itself, which you can get for free if you like paper catalogs), meaning rocket kits, engines, launch sets, and bulk engines and classroom rocket packs, plus building supplies, Estes hats, t-shirts and water bottles, plus The Handbook of Model Rocketry (Bill Stine, co-author and son of the book's original author, is VP at Estes). Shipping is free above a certain amount, and that amount may vary if they're having a sale. It's also the first place you can get certain limited edition products like ready-to-fly scale models. Their website also has a strong educational component, and you can download old catalogs and instruction sets from the site.
The Quest Website - QuestAerospace.com
Quest is another model rocket company you should consider. They have kits of varying skill level, just like Estes, and they also carry their own line of composite motors. This uses the more energetic ammonium perchlorate propellant, as opposed to the black powder Estes uses. Combining BP Estes motors with Quest AP motors in your range box gives you a lot of possibilities to play with as you fly rockets.
Apogee was the first site I found and purchased stuff from that wasn't Amazon. I bought some body tubes. These days, if I just wanted tubes, I'd probably go elsewhere, because their shipping was a little high. But they are known for excellent customer service, and they have a huge selection of kits, motors, specialty products, and a lot of things you just can't get anywhere else other than at Apogee. They also have an excellent e-newsletter filled with information on rocketry. You can browse their website for all their past newsletters and learn a lot. Also, they include a simulation file with almost every rocket in their catalog, free for download right there on the same page. This can be helpful if you want to pick motors for your flying field, and need to see how high your rocket may fly.
This was an early favorite of mine. In addition to kits from just about every manufacturer, they sell parts and supplies. They're a good place to check if you're looking for something that was recently discontinued. I bought most of my body tubes and nose cones for my first scratch builds from JonRocket, and used to look at their website every day. Shipping is free over $50. I met the owners at NARCON a few years ago, back when we could do that in person, and they're very sweet people.
eRockets sponsors my podcast, The Model Rocket Show, and they're a great vendor with excellent customer service. They produce the Semroc line of rockets, and the parts on those kits are top notch. eRockets also carries one-of-a-kind tools, finishing supplies, airbrush paint, etc. And they carry kits from tons of manufacturers - Estes and Quest, of course, but also AeroTech, ASP, Custom, Dr. Zooch, Shrockets, New Way, North Coast, Rocketarium, Odd'l Rockets, Mad Cow, LOC Precision, and many others.
Aerospace Specialty Products - ASP-rocketry.com
ASP has much of what you'd find at other sites, but they specialize in a couple areas - scale model rockets and competition rockets. You can get kits specifically geared toward getting started in various NAR competitions, as well as parts and accessories (such a the NAR standard payload). They also have a series of their own scale model kits from small to large. Often, you'll find the same rocket in three different scale sizes, capable of flying on mini motors up to G or even H or I high power motors.
I particularly like ASP for specialty parts, like extra long body tubes, a wide variety of balsa nose cones and transitions, as well as their colorful nylon parachutes in all size.
AC Supply sells a lot of STEM products, including robotics kits, electronics, even Pinewood Derby supplies. The reason I like them so much is that they're an Estes wholesaler. You can get pretty much anything Estes at 40% off, and if you spend over $100, shipping is free. I like to buy from them if I need a large quantity of something, like bulk motor packs, or a bunch of rockets at once. I always save up and spend over $100 for the free shipping.
This can be a way to deal with HAZMAT fees - the large fee you have to pay for rocket motors with more than 30 grams of propellant. The current fee, I think, is about $37, and applies to many E, F, and G motors. (There are exceptions to this, but with Estes engines, E/F/G engines all incur the fee). It's a single fee, though. If you buy a single F26-6 motor, you'd have to pay shipping AND a $37 HAZMAT fee! But if you bought, say, 25 motors, you'd easily go over the free shipping line, and would simply be adding $1.48 to the cost of each motor (or pack of 2 or 3). With everything already 40% off, that's a pretty good deal.
I've probably spent more at AC Supply than any other rocketry vendor. Highly recommended.
I should really look at Belleville more often. Because, like AC Supply, they are a discounted rocketry shop, but they carry a few other brands besides Estes - especially Custom Model Rockets, and Quest Aerospace.
Here's a great example - you could get a Quest Quadrunner - an awesome 4-engine cluster rocket - for a deep discount.
I've only purchased from Belleville once or twice myself, but I did get excellent customer service when I did.
Like a lot of these vendors, BRM does sell some kits, but its specialty is composite rocket motors and motor accessories from AeroTech. You can get reloadable motor casings, delay drilling tools, and propellant refills, as well as single-use engines, from A all the way up through M high power! They also sometimes run specials on an AeroTech or LOC Precision kit plus motor casing combo, so it's not a bad idea to sign up for their email list.
Matt Steele, owner of NCR, is a great guy and will give you great service. North Coast has larger, mid-power kits. Built correctly, these could also fly on H or I 29mm motors, meaning you could do a certification flight on one if you chose to do so. I feel they're a good alternative to the old Estes plywood fins and centering rings Pro Series II builders' kits, which are no longer in production.
North Coast is also the U.S. distributor of the Adrel altimeter, a tiny, lightweight altimeter used in international competition rocketry.
If you're looking for something different, produced by a small manufacturer, FlisKits is worth a look. They've got some funny odd rocs, some tiny scale models, great cluster models with canted motor tubes for a cool smoke trail, and stuff for beginners to advanced builders. You can buy FlisKits rockets at many of the sites I've listed above, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention their website here. I know the founder, Jim Flis, as well as one of the current owners, Ray DiPaola, and they're great guys. Check out my episode of The Model Rocket Show podcast all about FlisKits by clicking HERE.
You can sometimes get some real deals on eBay. If you're looking for an out-of-production model rocket kit, or if you're looking for some reloadable motor hardware, it's worth checking out. You do want to beware of overpaying for an old kit, and of course go with sellers with good ratings. But I've found a few things on there I'm really happy I bought.
I got a few Estes D Region Tomahawk kits, and managed to pay a reasonable price for those. I got some AeroTech and Cesaroni high power motor hardware for less than retail. I've bought some really cheap cameras on there for taping to the side of a rocket. I even got a great blast deflector and rod holder to convert a camera tripod into a launch pad, capable of holding launch rods up to 1/4 inch!
I had to break the eBay habit a while back - I was winning too many auctions, and it was getting expensive. Still, I do check from time to time. There are a few things on my wish list I try to get for a good price.
I've never bought from Balsa Machining Service, and I know I'm missing out here, because a lot of people in rocketry give them a lot of praise. Their specialty is, as the name suggests, machined balsa parts. Nose cones, tail cones, and nose blocks (a solid balsa piece used as a tube coupler to make the upper portion of the rocket a payload section) are their main stock and trade. They also sell motors, though, and the School Rocket is the cheapest kit you will find on the market - whether you buy 1 or 50 - making them a good place to shop for school projects.
Again, I've never personally purchased from them (yet), but I have them bookmarked, and they have such a good reputation I have to mention them.
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What about you? Do you have a favorite vendor I forgot to mention here? Leave a comment below and tell us all about them!
(This post is now also a video on my YouTube channel. You can see it by clicking here.)
Just a quick update:
The Thrifty Rocketeer asked me if I had any updates on things, as I haven't written in a while.
Well, my hospital stay is well over, and I'm mostly recovered, minus the occasional twinge.
My friend in Kenya succeeded in getting life-saving surgery for his son. The fundraiser fell short of the full amount, but he was able to put up the initial payment and take out a loan for the rest. Ochieng' is also recovering nicely.
I have been working on upgrading my YouTube channel, and while I've got some things in the works, I've also had some frustrations. I've been working on a video I think will be really useful to beginners getting into the hobby, as well as parents looking for info for their kids. I actually scripted and planned something out, rather than just throwing together some cool launch footage.
But I had to re-shoot it four times until I decided the video and sound were good enough. Now I'm editing. I only kind of know what I'm doing, so it's slow-going, but coming along. I was hoping to publish this video two weeks ago, but I think it will be done some time later this week.
I recently tried an experiment with YouTube Shorts. If you don't know what this is, YT Shorts are vertical videos of no more than one minute in length. I think they're kind of YouTube's response to TikTok.
I don't really understand TikTok, and I don't fully get YouTube Shorts either, but a lot of channels I follow on content creation for YouTube seem to suggest that they can add value to a channel and bring in views and subscribers. It feels like a really disposable form of content to me, but I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a try.
So I put together a quick short. This video (click here to watch it) is only four static shots of video I took when I taught model rocket camp a few years ago. I added a drum track I made myself, and a black end screen, and then posted it.
The video is only 12 seconds long.
Friends, let me tell you how shocked I am - in its first week, this little short video got over 2,600 views and brought in 9 new subscribers! A 12-second video outperformed every other video I've ever published during its entire lifetime, in six days.
Let's just say, I'm intrigued. And maybe I can publish something that will be useful to someone. We'll see.
In the meantime, back to work on this longer form video.
It's been an expensive week. I was in the hospital three times.
I've been intending to donate to my friend Eugene's son's operation for his tonsils. I've decided to donate 100% of any profits I get from my Etsy and Redbubble stores directly to Ochieng's surgery.
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| Drag Race shirt on Etsy |
The Etsy store is all rocket and space themed stuff, and the Redbubble store is a mishmash of space, funny stuff, and weird humor. Also dogs, cats, and frogs.
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| Frog Magnet Pack on Redbubble |
I'll donate every penny I make from these sales through Sunday night at midnight (the fundraiser is over Monday the 28th).
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| Lunar New Year Shirt on Redbubble |
The Etsy store is what I see as My Rocket N00b Shop.
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| NASA Worm with Colored Smoke Mug on Etsy |
To give some incentive, if you go to the Etsy shop, use the promo code OCHIENG to get 10% off.
Whether you use the code or not, I'll give all proceeds to Ochieng's surgery. Check out both stores, because you might find something you'll like.
Etsy store link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/RocketN00b
Redbubble store link: https://www.redbubble.com/people/RocketN00b/shop?asc=u
And if you want to skip buying something and donate directly to Ochieng's surgery, and potentially save this boy's life: https://gogetfunding.com/ochiengs-acute-tonsillitis-surgery/
Please help if you can. He just needs another $1757 by Monday. Thank you.
A Facebook friend of mine posted some alarming news a couple of days ago.
Eugene Awimbo, a man in Kenya who I'm connected with because of his amateur rocketry project, has a son, Ochieng, with chronic tonsillitis. Things have gotten really bad with this latest infection, and they have been advised to remove his tonsils and adenoids no later than February 28.
Some of Eugene's Facebook friends encouraged him to look into crowdfunding, which he has done. The surgery costs $3000. Insurance would cover it, but Eugene has a gap in his insurance until March 9.
I don't know much about life in Kenya, but I must assume that $3000 is kind of a lot of money there. For those of us living in the United States, however, $3000 for a critical surgery is really cheap. It wouldn't take many of us donating a small amount to get this kid his operation. If my son Simon had a potentially life-threatening infection, I'd do whatever it took to get him help. If I couldn't get him the treatment he needed for want of a few thousand dollars, I'd be absolutely desperate.
Here's the link to the crowdfund and some additional details. Feel free to share with your friends, but also please consider giving a little bit of money.
I've been working on building an Etsy shop (and a Redbubble shop as well), and this is sample of my first item - a Robert H. Goddard coffee mug!
And this is kind of a rough draft, too. I got so excited when I was making this, I ordered a sample right away. Then I decided to sharpen and color correct the image a little before finalizing the design, and I think I even made it slightly larger (though only a tiny bit). So, customers are going to get an even nicer looking version of this than I have.
Not only that, I could have ordered samples of some of my other products at the discounted rate if I'd just calmed down and thought it through... No matter, it's here, and I love it.
I really, really like this thing, and I've been counting the days until it arrived.
The shop is really new and has six items (eight, really, if you count the kids' sizes), but there's more on the way. If you're interested in checking it out, here's the link:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/RocketN00b
I put epoxy fillets on the V2. A follower on Instagram suggested JB Weld epoxy for this model, which I always have on hand. After some thought, I decided to try it, and it turned out really well.
Since it's a steel-reinforced epoxy, I had assumed JB Weld wouldn't be sandable, so I'd have to get the fillets perfect on the first try or there would be no fixing it. This turned out to be wrong - you can sand JB Weld if you need.
When making epoxy fillets, I find it best to tape off the outline to keep it clean. To make a small radius, round fillet, I chose a bamboo chop stick.
I started by marking the edges of the fillets with the chop stick. Using a soft graphite sketching pencil, I rubbed the end of the chop stick with graphite and ran it along the root edges of the fins.
Next, I taped along these marks.
The lighting is terrible because the blue tape completely threw off the white balance of my phone camera, and I couldn't fix it for the life of me.
Due to the curvature of the boat tail, I used multiple pieces of masking tape to follow the marking on the fin and get an appropriately shaped fillet.
To keep things relatively neat and reduce wasted epoxy, I sacrificed a medical dosing syringe to lay down a bead of epoxy. Just a little did the trick.
It may not look like enough for a good fillet, but once I smoothed it out with an alcohol-dipped chopstick, the fillets spread to fill the taped-off area and looked good.
Because it's so thick and doesn't sag or self-level, I was able to do all four sets of fillets in one go. I let about an hour or so pass before trying to do any touch up with an alcohol-soaked swab.
The end result is really great. Not too heavy on the back end, and even the one fin which was slightly loose is now solidly attached.
I wouldn't use JB Weld for larger fillets, as it comes in small tubes and might get a little expensive if you use it for something large. But I can see turning to this for some smaller projects.
The basic build is done. Apart from some cleaning up of the nose cone ridges, the V2 basically ready for primer and paint. I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out and look forward to painting it and showing it off at the field next season.
Fins are on the V2, and it's looking good!
Wood glue worked. Even the fin with the slight gap between the tab root and the motor tube is attached - but only just. There is a bit of wiggle. The forward tab is probably not attached at all. Due to the way the rocket is constructed, there are gaps between the fin root and the boat tail.
Both of these issues will be taken care of by adding a good fillet to the fin roots. Instructions don't mention fillets, but there's good reason for them. The V-2 missile had significant fairings at the bases of their fins, so it makes sense from a scale modeling standpoint.
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| From Wikimedia Commons. Photo Credit: Jan B.H.A. Vervloedt (photo) Ad Meskens (scan) |
For most low and mid power rockets, I prefer simple glue fillets. But here, because of the plastic, the significant gaps, and the weak fin attachment, I'll opt for epoxy fillets. This will also allow for larger radius fillets, for the look.
My original thought was to go with one of two choices - Bob Smith 30 minute epoxy thickened with microballoons, or some kind of epoxy clay.
I already have microballoons on hand. I've used them before with good results. Microballoons make epoxy lighter, but thicker and less prone to sagging while it cures. It's easier to sand if needed.
The downside is that adding microballoons to epoxy makes it brittle. I have one rocket with cracks in its beautiful fillets, even though it's never had a terribly hard landing, because of the microballoons. (They're made of silica glass, so they make epoxy much more glass-like.) And though it's less prone to sagging than straight epoxy, this mixture can still run a little as it cures. Since these fillets will be on the boat tail, I'd probably need to keep a close eye on them for at least 15-20 minutes to make sure they aren't pooling on the tail end, or running off. And, of course, epoxy is messy.
Epoxy clay seems easy to shape and work with. It is apparently sandable when it cures. It won't sag or run.
But, I don't have any, I've never worked with it, and it's dense, so it'll add some tail weight. Since I trimmed the fins, I need to shift the CG forward. Extra weight in the fillets means extra weight in the nose, and if I add too much I'll need more powerful motors for a decent flight.
Apogee Components sells a product called Fixit Epoxy Clay. There are others as well. But since I've never used it before, I would have to spend the money to try it out - and what if I didn't like it?
A follower on Instagram gave me a suggestion, and after mulling it over for a bit, I decided to try it. That's coming up in the next post.
But while test fitting the fins, it became apparent to me that the V2 fin tabs made solid contact with the motor tube on three sides, but on the fourth side, there was a tiny gap. Wood glue is great adhesive for model rockets, but it's not very good at gap filling. To get a strong bond, the two parts have to touch.
At first, I thought maybe I had installed the motor mount crooked. But looking at the boat tail from the bottom end, it looked like maybe it was slightly out of round. If I gave it a squeeze, I could get the parts to touch.
So, what to do?
I could use a thicker adhesive, like epoxy. That would fill the gap, and I could also use it to attach the fin roots to the outside of the plastic boat tail, for extra strength, if I wanted to.
But I prefer not to use epoxy with paper rockets. For wood to paper, it's no better and adhesive than wood glue, and also, it's heavy. With smaller fins, I want to keep the excess tail weight to a minimum. I'm already likely to use a small amount of epoxy for fillets. So I'd prefer to use wood glue here.
Then I had the idea - what if I could reshape the boat tail by hand, and get it back to a round shape? I could warm the plastic and try and mold it while it was soft.
I got out a hair dryer and warmed up the part. I got it so hot I had to use an oven mitt to handle the plastic boat tail.
The good news is that it worked - sort of. I was able to squeeze it and change the shape, which set when it cooled.
The bad news is that I didn't shape it correctly, and the fin still didn't quite touch the motor tube. In fact, I kinda made the boat tail look worse.
But only slightly, and you have to look closely at the back end to tell. The picture above is the before shot, and I forgot to take an after, but it doesn't look any better.
So, I'd have to figure out the best way to adhere the fins to the rocket with the boat tail out of round...
I figured it out and will tell you how it went in the next post.
Busy week this week, but here's a brief update on the Estes V2 build.
I decided to use the body tube that came with the Estes V2 after all. The minor stretching of one end won't be noticeable, and I'll use that end for the aft end of the airframe, where the tail cone gets glued in. The snugger end of the body tube will have the nose cone.
As I usually do, I filled the tube spiral with Elmer's Carpenters Wood Filler. This wide groove filled quite easily, and the tube is so short, it took no time.
Some people feel you're wasting your time if you fill in tube spirals. Not me - I enjoy the process and the results, and with a scale project like this one, I think there's a stronger argument in favor of doing it.
But it's a cosmetic thing - if you don't like it, you certainly don't have to bother. Rocketry has a lot of different things to offer as a hobby. You should do the things you like doing, and don't let others' opinions make you feel bad. I've seen plenty of the "that's not how I do it" types of comments in various forums, that I feel the need to make these points whenever I bring up tube spirals.
I would never call someone out for not filling spirals on their rockets (I've seen someone do that on a forum before). I'd also never tell someone they're wasting their time pursuing some part of the craft I'm not into (which I've also seen). It's your rocket - do as you please.
My method for filling spirals is HERE.
