VIRGIN SPACESHIPTWO ROCKET MOTOR TEST-FIRING

Virgin Galactic spaceline’s ambitions took another small step with the test firing of SpaceShipTwo’s hybrid rocket motor yesterday (top picture). Once cleared for flight the SS2 will be carried up to 15 km (9.3 miles) by a White Knight 2 mother plane, then will be released to fly up to the edge of space, carrying a single pilot and some very excited passengers, ready to win their astronaut’s wings.

SpaceShipTwo is a bigger version of the SpaceShipOne that won the Ansari X-Prize for commercial spaceflight in 2004. For model builders, the Estes 1:20 scale offering is a fun way to fly rockets, but is also good enough to detail up for a reasonable display model. The odd scale marks it down, though.

As for SpaceShipTwo, Fantastic Plastic is working on a 1:144 scale White Knight 2 carrier plane with SS2 rocket combo that should be a showstopper when it arrives - as planned, this will be in September. The pictures (bottom two) show the amazing design in mid-air (thanks Virgin) and work in progress on the kit. Looks good!

You can buy the Estes SpaceShipOne from Amazon here, and enjoy the amazing range of rare and weird flying machines at Fantastic Plastic here.


Picture of rocket firing by Mark Greenberg

Models that fly: rockets from Estes

Talking of rockets, if you ever feel like taking scale models into the outside world, then the long-established Estes model rocket company gives you the chance. The company’s many types of rocket range from ultra-simple to deliciously complex. I used to fly them back in tthe 1990s, and had a huge amount of fun, especially with camera-equipped ones.

Recovery tended to be a bit hit-and-miss, depending on wind strength and direction. We had to leave one such rocket drifting into the distance under its recovery parachute, when my younger daughter Emily decided that it was time to be born - very soon indeed - and no hanging about please! So I drove mum and daughter-to-be straight to hospital, with bare minutes to spare!

Some Estes rockets are good scale models in their own right. One of the most interesting of these is the 1:20 scale SpaceShipOne, shown in these pictures. Pre-flight assembly and prep is minimal, and if you you want to turn it into a display item after a few launches, then time spent with the super-detailing tools will really bring the craft to life.

You can find out more about model rocketry at the Estes site.

Revell Apollo model rockets

If a Steve Eves giant rocket is not quite your thing, then Revell has a tasty range of Apollo-era plastic kits to tempt you. Three of them are shown here. You can find them at Revell’s site under the 'Buzz Aldrin Rocket Hero' banner.