Postcard of the Day

[fflo]

 

Comments

[peteralway.livejournal.com]

Classic 1960's teen nerds, 5-10 years older than me.

I vividly remember that postcard. It was one of 3 or 4 Estes Industries postcards from the 1960's. The fine print around the logo reads "Model Rocketry" on top, and "Scientific Space Age Hobby" below.

The rocket on the left was the Astron Delta, a two stage rocket that carried the Camroc rocket camera for a nosecone. The camera was a kit that carried a single 1 1/2" disc of film, and a rubber band shutter that spring when the nose ejected. My brother Bob had it, and flew it once, but never got a picture.

The second rocket was the Big Bertha. They actually still sell the kit--I have one, and it's a lot of fun to fly. Coincidentally, it's made from the same carboard tubing that the rocket in my userpic is made from, 1.637" in diameter.

The third rocket is the Mars Snooper, a cool futuristic design based on a picture in an ad by an aerospace company that appeared in a number of trade journals around 1960.

The fourth rocket is a model of a small research rocket called the ARCAS. My 6th grade rocket club built one in 1971 or so.

The fifth rocket was the Farside X, a three-stage rocket with a huge bulging payload section, where I suspect a mumber of mice met their unfortunate dooms.

The 6th rocket is a model of the Honest John missile, and early tactical nuke from the US Army.

The 7th rocket, on the far right, is an Alpha, meant as a beginner model. It's still sold today, but with a plastic nosecone.

In the model rocket community, these are all iconic classics. You can find plans for them online, and people still build them. And the postcard itself triggers memories for model rocket geeks my age and older.

I bet you were expecting a long comment from me!

[fflo.livejournal.com]

I was hoping for one, in fact! :D