I need to make a rocket pack

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Serj22

Serj22

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Not a jet pack... a rocket pack. There's a difference. No, it's not real.

Here's what's going on. I have been making one piece of this hallowen costume per year and last year was a big part of it. This year I need to have a rocket pack by october. I'm looking for it to be close to accurate, but... doesn't necessarily have to be. I just need ideas of lightweight "shapes" to make it out of. More on that in a sec.

Here's what went down:
I Printed out a 3d model of the helmet on cardstock. Then I put some blue tape on it - fiberglass, and let it dry. I layered it to about 3 layers of glass. Then I built a fin from 3/8" plywood. Then I glassed that to the top of the helmet.

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I then added some gold bondo to it. It was terrible stuff, and I see why it was on clearance...

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Sanded it and filled with regular bondo

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More sanding, more filling

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Sprayed it with a gloss to see what areas were still visibly messed up after it felt smooth

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Sanded the paint off and more filling.

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Finally happy then added some glazing putty.

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I then Sanded that all off, except for where it still filled in holes. I then layed primer on it.

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After the primer I painted it Brass, which looked more gold than brass...

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So I painted gold over the top of it, which looked more like brass... than gold. Go figure.

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I then added some of that cheap chrome trim stuff you can find at Pepboys and autozone to go chrome crazy on your car. That worked nicely to make the side marks on the helmet. Then I resprayed the gold over the chrome. I then brushed on damages with black and brown one-shot paint.

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I built a foam lining using hot-glue, green cushion foam, and suede fabric.
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I then made the eye cover using a tinted grinding shield cut to fit inside.

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I then made some fake rivets using some of those cheap chrome things again, this time around the eyes.

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The fin wound up a little off-center, but I don't care. Looks good

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For those that don't know - I love art deco stuff. If you ask me about things around my house, I'll show too many pictures of stuff I've built.

BACK TO THE SUBJECT

I need shapes. I need stuff, that is lightweight, that kind of resembles the rocket pack from the Rocketeer. Comic or movie - doesn't matter. My idea of using a paper model for it is so far unsuccessful due to being so complex. Thoughts?
 
Maybe this will help spawn some ideas.
 

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Bad Sport said:
Maybe this will help spawn some ideas.
Click to expand...

well yeah. I know what It looks like, I just need stuff that will make up it's shape. One person a while back suggested crab trap floats. They make sense, but heavy. I also thought 2 litre soda bottles, but they're too small... I just need some forming stuff to make it.
 
Do you have access to any fire extinguishers that you can make a mold of? Or any cylinder of that sort? The shape reminds me of one of the larger fire extinguishers, or perhaps a SCUBA tank. I know those would probably be too heavy, but if you could borrow one just long enough to make a mold, you could them remake the shape in fiberglass. Just a thought.

EDIT: I came across a couple links by people who made their own Rocketeer costumes. You may find some helpful info.

http://www.therpf.com/f24/screen-accurate-budget-rocketeer-costume-tutorial-120337/
http://www.evan.org/jetpack/

The second link above is also referenced in the first link, so a little redundancy here. But too much information is not always a bad thing!
 
I've scoured every bit of net info for stuff on making the pack. I've seen that pack. He bought a kit that costs about $400 and it's already made - you just assemble and paint it - no thank you. The kit isn't made anymore for one, and two, it defeats all the fun I'll have making it from scratch. I thought on fire extnguishers, but the tops are pointed, not spherical. That's the problem there...

The problem with online is I've not seen anyone really make one 100% from scratch. That's why I'm hunting through all your minds for shapes. lol. I'm hoping someone just goes, "oh, ya know that looks like a *****" etc. :happy1:

Also, don't spend too much time on the RPF.org you'll find a guy who made a scale lifesize model of the bridge from the millenium falcon and get too many ideas. That place is addictive.
 
True enough. I once attempted to make a Boba Fett costume, but gave up after about a year. I had the hard pieces for the armor, as well as the helmet. But my painting skills are not up to the task, and the helmet was too small. (Boba Fett's nose did not stick out through the front!) I ended up selling it all on eBay. I still want that costume someday, but I'll probably end up having to buy the whole thing from StarFortress Productions. They market the best costume I've seen.

BTW, I did find a link to another company that still produces the rocket pack kit. It's a little over $400, and they also sell a finished model for $4500. OUCH! You can buy a nice A-body for that much money!!! If you want, I can provide the link.
 
Yeah way too much. I only paid $2500 for my Dart. The $400 is still too much and robs me of all the creativity really. I did a lot of research on sizing so I wouldn't have to crush my nose as you experienced. It's touugh.
 
Maybe a couple medium size water jugs upside down?You know the kind from a home water station.Good luck.:coffee2:
 
First off, you have WAY too much time on your hands! LOL
That said, I've seen some large cardboard tubes that could be used to make the cylinders. Maybe you could use something like paint strainers for the pointed end, and glass over them. For the center between the cylinders you might used some of that expanded metal that is formable, then glass everything together.
Good luck,
Dallas
 
now i have to go find the vid a freind sent me. there is some thing you hook up to the back of a jet ski and you can fly around with it
 
MOBodyman said:
First off, you have WAY too much time on your hands! LOL
That said, I've seen some large cardboard tubes that could be used to make the cylinders. Maybe you could use something like paint strainers for the pointed end, and glass over them. For the center between the cylinders you might used some of that expanded metal that is formable, then glass everything together.
Good luck,
Dallas
Click to expand...


For the cardboard, are you talking about cement sonotube? That's a good idea. It's lightweight and meant to be used as a form so you could take it out easily... I don't know if they make it small enough. Usually it's about 8" in diameter or bigger, but I'll look around for it. And what do you mean by expanded metal?

I saw someone that made a cheesy small one using 2 2litre soda bottles and an upside down listerine bottle for the center...lol
 
Serj22 said:
For the cardboard, are you talking about cement sonotube? That's a good idea. It's lightweight and meant to be used as a form so you could take it out easily... I don't know if they make it small enough. Usually it's about 8" in diameter or bigger, but I'll look around for it. And what do you mean by expanded metal?

I saw someone that made a cheesy small one using 2 2litre soda bottles and an upside down listerine bottle for the center...lol
Click to expand...

I've seen cardboard tubes a little smaller than that, maybe they were shipping tubes? How big are the ones they use for new carpet rolls? I'm sure you can find something and 're-purpose' it.

I've seen the expanded metal used for lots of purposes. Aluminum would be best as it's light. I remember some used as a backing in certain types of furnace filters. Expanded metal is made of a sheet of metal that has slots cut in it, then it is stretched sideways to open up the slots into diamond shaped openings, if that makes sense. Just google 'images for expanded metal' and you will see what I mean. You can form it pretty easy since the openings will expand or contract when you form it into a shape.
Dallas
 
Oh, so it's that metal grate looking stuff. I've seen it before but didn't know what it was used for. Do you think it would be maleable enough to make the "T" shape in the middle?

Frankie said:
You're a true "Rocketeer"! Nice job!
Click to expand...
Thanks!
 
Serj22 said:
Oh, so it's that metal grate looking stuff. I've seen it before but didn't know what it was used for. Do you think it would be maleable enough to make the "T" shape in the middle?


Thanks!
Click to expand...

The stuff I saw in the filters was very light and you could form it really easy. You couldn't use the heavy duty steel stuff, of course.
Dallas
 
If you can sculpt, go to your local Northern Tool and ask them for a couple of foam blocks that come in on their trailers. They use them in between the trailers so they don't scratch each other. They will give you as many as you want for free. Carve out the shape that you want then glass over it. Cheap and light weight. I do it all the time......Gary
 
southerneagle said:
If you can sculpt, go to your local Northern Tool and ask them for a couple of foam blocks that come in on their trailers. They use them in between the trailers so they don't scratch each other. They will give you as many as you want for free. Carve out the shape that you want then glass over it. Cheap and light weight. I do it all the time......Gary
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Northern tool? What would be the equivelant for the West Coast? We have Lowe's, Home Depo, Osh, and Harbor Freight pretty much. Are the blocks like styrafoam or are they way more dense? I am interested in this... also i you put resin or oil based paints near it will it disolve?
 
Crap, I just lost half of my afternoon on that RPF site. Thanks pal. I don't have any brain power left, but I will mull over the rocket pack and get back to you if I have anything relevant.
 
Serj22 said:
Northern tool? What would be the equivelant for the West Coast? We have Lowe's, Home Depo, Osh, and Harbor Freight pretty much. Are the blocks like styrafoam or are they way more dense? I am interested in this... also i you put resin or oil based paints near it will it disolve?
Click to expand...

Anybody that sells the pull behind little trailers, The foam blocks are used to keep the trailers from rubbing each other during shipping....I usally put a coat of latex paint on first then I can paint it with anything that I want too.... the blocks are styrofoam and carve really well with just plain tools or knives.....Gary
 
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