Thursday, 8 April 2010

Failure to Launch


I picked up this interesting Atlas Rocket and launch pad recently on ebay. Again it was a bit of a long shot, fuzzy picture but cheap price. The gantry itself is well made, but the 'rocket' is basically a one piece vac-formed tube. The box however is a different matter. It has some really nice illustrations of an actual concept rocket, but nothing like the one in the box!

The design on the box was actually made into toys, several HK companies made toys based on the shape, usually with four separate stages topped by a spring launched rocket with a tiny satellite under the nose cone.
The design also surfaces as a kit from manufacturer Hawk. A nice aerodynamic, classic shape. Its a shame that the one I bought doesnt match the illustration on the box!

3 comments:

  1. Hey, I had that spring-loaded rocket! It hit our living-room ceiling many a time! It wasn't vac-formed, though - that's blow-moulding, the same technique used for plastic bottles (pardon my going tech-nerd on you!)
    Grif

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  2. HA, HA - be as nerdy as you want Grif - im always keen to be educated!

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  3. Yep. Have no fear. There's nothing too nerdy or geeky for us ^_^

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