The Zoot Rocket coloring model

McGee

Cory
Just an update on the current project I'm tackling. You know that retro Flash Gordon-y looking Zoot Rocket paper model that has a page of parts you can color yourself?
I printed off several copies of the pages and took them to work, to have a few of the people I take care of, color in whatever way they wanted, and then after their own artwork was established on the pages, so that the work and finished model can be called their hard work, I took them home and began to cut them out and reinforce and slightly modify the build details, and build them up.
I'm currently working on them slowly between a few other projects, but as soon as they are finished, i will post some pics.
Slight modifications means things like using the lenses from doll eyes without the googly eye bits, glued to the fuselage sides where the windows are, as well as a couple other things to punch it up a bit.
After they're done, Im considering mounting options. Originally I was going to mount them on acrylic rods and on a simple stained wood base, for them to proudly display "the rocket they made", but there is a guy living there who likes to go into any and everyone's rooms and throw and destroy and break people's things...no one's exempt, so I think i may have them color a few more other models that are related in nature and make a ceiling hanging mobile for the ones that make them..or even just the single model.
Not as nice of a display but at least he cant reach them there and tear them up.
I will say it....yes i would be PISSed. Not just for me but more because once i finish it , it is THEIRS and he is destroying THEIR work.
 

spaceagent-9

Right Hand Man and Confidant
Moderator
that's a hate crime and you can call the police on him. they wont tolerate any kind of terrorism.
 

Rhaven Blaack

!!!THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!!!
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
This is a GREAT IDEA!!!
I am quite certain that you will make MANY people VERY HAPPY when you present these to them.
I am GREATLY looking forward to seeing how these turn out.
 

McGee

Cory
Just an update...spent the weekend fitting in some moments trying to finish up the hand colored Zoot Rocket that Mark at work colored for me a few weeks ago. Almost done and I will post pics of it as soon as I am done. The little build mods to make it a bit more complete and details are the things slowing up the fnal moments.
That's pretty much the whole thing of building them though huh..those little details that make it pop and finesse are always are the longest part of the undertaking. :)
 

McGee

Cory
Okay....here a re a few pics of the as yet unfinished but workin' on it Zoot rocket that Mark (the guy in my avatar pic with me) colored. There are still some kinks and areas i am not yet happy with, to work out, and the fins put on...but so far, here is the unfinessed rough of it. The two sections with the words red and yellow on them, are going to be covered over by a "maintenance plate" that will more evenly create a rounded shape, spanning the joint between the two sections and hiding that seam. Im going to just hand draw one and have him color it. I have a couple more from him that I will alter the build process on....modify from mistakes i made on this one.
 

Attachments

  • 100_3779.JPG
    100_3779.JPG
    514.6 KB · Views: 22
  • 100_3784.JPG
    100_3784.JPG
    474.8 KB · Views: 22
  • 100_3780.JPG
    100_3780.JPG
    493.9 KB · Views: 24
  • 100_3781.JPG
    100_3781.JPG
    533.6 KB · Views: 22
  • 100_3783.JPG
    100_3783.JPG
    405.8 KB · Views: 25

McGee

Cory
The front nose glazing section was built as its conical shape, and then i gave a whirl at using the Doming block i got awhile back. It actually worked pretty successfully at doming that front section, but ya gotta really keep ironing and driving those wrinkles out from the back side. In the end, it gave some very tiny minor creases right at the very front edge, but then a paper punch hole piece, given the doming block treatment as well, tidied it up enough. The pics show it more readily than seeing it on the shelf. Learning some new things on these so it's pretty cool. :)
 

Rhaven Blaack

!!!THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!!!
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
@McGee You are doing a GREAT JOB on this project. I am looking forward to seeing how it turns out!!!

I need to find a good Doming block set for myself!!!
 

McGee

Cory
Hey Rhaven, I got the Doming block and punch set at Harbor Freight. It was pretty decent priced. It is very very helpful. I didn't expect that to turn out very well, but fortunately it turned out okay. I'm going to build his next one with one extra modification from what i do to this one; being the landing gear doors open and some simple landing gear with Apollo lander type foot pads.
I want to also try using the doming block to emboss the back side of the top window area so it has a proud but shallow bubble like shape to give it a bit more feature lines and character.
Thank you for your kind compliments and the motivation/inspiration to keep pushing and learning. :)
 

McGee

Cory
Okay.....sorry for the long pause everyone.....Life just gets tooo busy..Sat home today, and ignored my lawn work and bike ride, just so i could finally get to this....that lawn isn't going anywhere. Okay while its not entirely done, it is by and large for the most part complete. It just needs mounted on a nice wood base..probably with an acrylic rod into the tail pipe, epoxied in. I made a few mods as i said, to try to tie up loose or missing details on the model as it is on the pages. One of those things is the back ends of the fins. I took some different metallic markers and just drew a block of lines then mounted it on cardboard and cut the shapes after figuring out the correct angles etc. A bit fiddly but it worked. the other thing is that plate on the front that i just kind of penciled out and then had colored and added a crappy arrangement of bolts or rivets., to cover the seam and the words red and yellow and help to dome that whole front a little better. Not happy with the way the rivets are drawn(spaced) but too late.
Of course those little orange Michael's jewel thingies aren't paper but i loved the way they contrasted the rest, so I went with them, even though they dont hug the circumference shape so well on the larger ones, but once its mounted and on a shelf, no one will care and Mark gets to show everyone HIS work....HIS Rocket. Lastly i masked the top window area and sprayed it heavy with a gloss coat, as well as dipping the whole forward window dome are in Future to get a nice contrasting glassy sheen and amplify the dome shape to downplay the conical ness of the rest. Okay...enough talk...
 

Attachments

  • 1513190_10202593343208885_997809304710836828_n.jpg
    1513190_10202593343208885_997809304710836828_n.jpg
    36.2 KB · Views: 28
  • 1901804_10202593343288887_4161554282445210099_n.jpg
    1901804_10202593343288887_4161554282445210099_n.jpg
    44.9 KB · Views: 31
  • 10352784_10202593343448891_2022434938058368466_n.jpg
    10352784_10202593343448891_2022434938058368466_n.jpg
    45.4 KB · Views: 30
  • 10408642_10202593343568894_2764999758760810555_n.jpg
    10408642_10202593343568894_2764999758760810555_n.jpg
    36.2 KB · Views: 31
  • 10411316_10202593342728873_8020342652901485164_n.jpg
    10411316_10202593342728873_8020342652901485164_n.jpg
    36.7 KB · Views: 29
  • 10419403_10202593342928878_6564471899314982026_n.jpg
    10419403_10202593342928878_6564471899314982026_n.jpg
    36.2 KB · Views: 29
  • 10431467_10202593343648896_42982423647218768_n.jpg
    10431467_10202593343648896_42982423647218768_n.jpg
    43.7 KB · Views: 27
  • 10446015_10202593342768874_7770011700062684752_n.jpg
    10446015_10202593342768874_7770011700062684752_n.jpg
    40.4 KB · Views: 24
  • 1395333_10202593342808875_3888090001266457271_n.jpg
    1395333_10202593342808875_3888090001266457271_n.jpg
    40.8 KB · Views: 25

Rhaven Blaack

!!!THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!!!
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
OUTSTANDING!!!
It looks like something out of the old "Buck Rogers" or "Flash Gordon".
KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!
 

zathros

*****SENIOR ADMINISTRATOR*****
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
The technique you used on that dome would make a great "How to" thread. I love this model!! I love the feel, and the technical prowess which makes this model look so good, yet, deceiving in that it is not an easy build. The nose says it all. Great!!
 

McGee

Cory
WOW.....THAnk you BOTH so much... you are BOTH very very kind and very very inspiring and motivating to keep trying new ideas to push my builds and wanting to make each one a bit better...or a LOT better. This one was really fun to build once i got past the hump and grrr spots that nearly ALL projects have somewhere.
The two big grrrrr spots for me on this was actually the nose dome shaping and the little extra plate fore of the top window that I threw together quick. I wish i had taken the time to be a bit more precise and technical as far as the plopping down of the bolt pattern on that part.
I wanted to hide the words and top of the seem where you would view it most, so I should have been cleaner...BUT i DO like how a different shade of green was used to sell the "quick repair from donor rocket" look.
I have 3 more to build. Another from Mark and 2 from Terry.
Pretty much everything was put down with 5 minute epoxy. Because of the way i built the internal bracing and bulkheads, there was not enough room to put in the connecting strips beneath the seams.
each bulkhead has the pinpoint mark where the compass was used to cut them, so i just used that to drill bigger holes through the length of the whole thing, and ran a wood dowel down the middle with a slather of epoxy on the dowel and joined all the sections that way. Once the whole thing was truly cured, I used really thin CA to run into the seams and let it flow into the joins, then just used a very thin black sharpie around the fuselage joints to redraw the lines and cover any CA glue,to make sure no light came through any section joins.
There were a few spots where that was necessary.
Okay all that ramble aside, it was actually a LOT of fun and once it is absolutely done, and mounted, i will take a couple pics of Mark holding his finished Rocket.
I do really like the design of the Old Buck Rogers/ Flash Gordon serials look as well. :) Thank you kindly
 
Top