Classic ( comic book ) Rocketeer Rocket-pack WIP

[Frenchrocketeer]

Hi all,
I am obvioulsy a fan of anything Rocketeer. Always wanted to own some sort of replica of the costume, in one form or the other. Aside from a very accurate version by a profesional prop maker friend of mine, I never quite found a decent rocket pack based on the original design from the comic book. That one came before the movie by at least 9 years.

After trying different things I have always considered as warm-up lapses, I decided to address this project and do it justice to the best of my skills. I knew from the beginning I'd put my personal touch to it, not sticking to the actual design from the book, but staying close enough that it'd be satisfactory to the comic book version hardcore fans. Some choice were dictated by necessity, others by taste or interpretation.

When all is said and done, it is how it is and feel free to leave comments! I hope you finheads like it!

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I started with the usual PVC pipe and foam wedges filled with insulation foam spray... The bottom designed shape is a sheet of EVA foam. the exhaust is just your average metal piping you can find in any hardware store. I cut the fins out of hard board and plucked them in holes I drilled/cut inside the PVC and foam. the tight fit was still secured with glue. the hole shown here was at first my solution to connect it to the board that would carry it but I opted for another simpler system eventually.

 

[Frenchrocketeer]

Posting more on progress I made on that comic book version of the Rocketeer rocket-pack.





I then applied Fiberglass in some areas and bondo resin. and the most important ingredient, elbow grease. the metal exhaust was found at the hardware store, doubled with a plastic pipe inside, to give it a more realistic look. At this point; I started thinking about having devices inside that would allow ignition LEDs, possibly sound and smoke. Given how much time I was ready to spend on it, I decided to go the whole mile.

 

[Frenchrocketeer]

New Pics!

The Pack got primed and I started sculpting a custom arrow tip - granted, it strays from the canon version form the book. I always thought these should have been sharper than that of -the original version. The whole design is an adaptation of the comic book version applied to the real world anyway-

 

[Frenchrocketeer]

More progress on the classic Comic book version of the Rocketeer rocket pack.

After the primer paint layers have been applied, I started to scavenge for parts going inside the rocket. The gauge is made of a metal candle glass cup cover ( the black ring ), a gear gasket and a pepper grinder mill with a red LED.




I then started the paint job. I wanted vivid colors for starters, as I knew I was going to age the whole piece? I would also add some dirt, dust and scratches. In the meantime, I put some thoughts in the gauntlet design. I wanted to make a mash up version of both the movie and comic book version.






The "wear and tear" was done with basic acrylic dark hues applied with a dry brushes. I knew I had two wood curtain holders somewhere... I dug them out and added them as side exhaust. I painted them with with black acrylic paint and then some rub n' buff.

 

[Xolin]

Excellent job. I really like what you have done, particularly in keeping to the original theme

 

[feltonbass]

Very nice! Are you going to mount this to a harness, or leave it as a stand alone piece?

Im starting a build of this same pack, my first full build. Thought it would be fun while waiting for my TK armor.

The foam fill seems very popular on this, but what about dock piling caps for the nose cone? Ive found one that is more rounded like this and thought of attaching it to my 8 inch PVC.

 

[JPH]

I used a 8" diameter fat daddios bowl off amazon for the nose.

 

[Frenchrocketeer]

I used a 8" diameter fat daddios View attachment 735393bowl off amazon for the nose.

That pack is going to be so accurate, you can already tell! Amazing job!

 

[Frenchrocketeer]

It's been a while, been busy with all sorts of stuff. Forgot I had tweaked a couple of pictures.

 

[Lightning]

Hey this is great, didn't see it when you posted a couple years ago. Love the Life Magazine cover. My only comment, and please don't take this as anything but the most minor criticism, is that the Stove pipe exhaust is immediately recognizable as a piece of stove pipe. That said, it's still the perfect piece to use as a base for the nozzle.

 

[PAULH]

Great work. Well done !

 

[Frenchrocketeer]

Very nice! Are you going to mount this to a harness, or leave it as a stand alone piece?

Im starting a build of this same pack, my first full build. Thought it would be fun while waiting for my TK armor.

The foam fill seems very popular on this, but what about dock piling caps for the nose cone? Ive found one that is more rounded like this and thought of attaching it to my 8 inch PVC.

I have made a harness since then, indeed. Dock piling caps usually have a shape that is way to specific and steer away from the bullet shaped dome. But if you found a rounded one, I'd be interested to see how it turned out!

When adapting and taking liberties with a design - mine is definitely NOT 100% accurate to the comic book version - you still have to figure out what has to stay and what can me slightly modified, in order to keep the recognizable shape and silhouette. Always go for Wow, not meh.

If that rounded cap brings it more towards the original design, that is awesome!

 

[Frenchrocketeer]

Hey this is great, didn't see it when you posted a couple years ago. Love the Life Magazine cover. My only comment, and please don't take this as anything but the most minor criticism, is that the Stove pipe exhaust is immediately recognizable as a piece of stove pipe. That said, it's still the perfect piece to use as a base for the nozzle.

Very valid point! I am considering shortening it, for one thing and maybe also adding all sorts of weathering and damage. possibly a change of color in the metal to suggest various degrees of heat. I don't want to add too many gizmos and tech pipes in this area as I try to keep it close to the comic book version. But I guess a couple of wires, or ducts could distract from that very recognizable part. Thanks for the two cents!