Rocketeer Cirrus X-3 Rocket Pack Build

Do you know what an idiot I am? I'm looking through your pics here thinking "Gosh, I really love the look of this kit. I like the lines, I wonder which kit this is." Then I realized the cones, rockets and center piece were casting I sent you :/ .... I like it becasue it reminds me of MY pack :) Seriously about the Zinc Chromate. I'm considering tearing my pack apart to do this! And it doesn't matter if most people can't see it. I spent a tone of time detailing my rocket engines only to hide them inside.

Indeed, those are your nose cones, vents and engine bells. I also still have your center piece but ended up going with a 3D printed part part because I kinda screwed it up when I was sanding and fitting. Whoops. I honestly wouldn't be doing this build if it hadn't been for your original build thread. I still use it heavily while I'm building. As for the zinc chromate, it was a bit spendy for one can of the stuff but I like the outcome. I got it on Amazon, btw.
 
I made some more progress this weekend. I cut holes for the speed blisters and installed them as well as painting the nacelles gloss black in preparation for the metallic top coat. I also made some flaps from 1/8 inch sheet styrene. I like how they turned out.

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Looking great. If you want to take another crack at the red/blue heat discoloration. I simply used Metalcast Blue and Red rattle cans from AutoZone. I really like the look of yours as well.

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what are those fittings? the ends of the braided line? i am building up a 3d printed jetpack, but can not find a file or proper fitting for the lines to connect to! thanks!
 
what are those fittings? the ends of the braided line? i am building up a 3d printed jetpack, but can not find a file or proper fitting for the lines to connect to! thanks!

I'm using 1/4" brake lines here. I got some 5/16" brass compression sleeves and some aluminum spacers for the "cable plugs" along with some pop rivets and CA glue to hold it all together. I used a pop rivet gun to slightly tighten the rivet inside the cable without fulling popping it to squeeze the cable against the ring.

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I made some more progress on the flaps. I started with 1/8" sheet styrene, cut, shaped and sanded them to shape. Then, using a bunch of reference photos that I promptly ignored, used some styrene half round bits to make the details. I also decided I didn't like the look of the small grills in the center piece so I sanded them out and I'm going to add some wire screen from a sink drain food catcher thingy.

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I'm building this thing without instructions and making up the order of operations as I go. When I'm not building, I'm visualizing what my next step is going to look like. However, lately, it seems like I spend most of my time fixing stuff that I've messed up in the previous step. Luckily, nothing is ever beyond repair (mostly) and I keep chugging along. After multiple attempts, I settled on a design for the flap attachment cylinders on the back of the nacelles. I tried several times to make individual pieces to make it more screen accurate but ended up going with a single, thicker piece for structural integrity and ease of install. It's made from a 1 1/4" wooden dowel rod and sanded to the contour of the tube. I drilled and tapped holes for a couple of screws and voila!

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Then I fitted the sink drain mesh into the holes I'd previously cut and I like the way they look.

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I proceeded to attach the center piece to the nacelles and royally screwed the proverbial pooch. I'm using a 3D printed piece and attempting to fit it to parts that it was not designed to fit. I finally got it to work but I broke it in half the first time. I repaired it but had to completely strip off all of the paint and start over. This worked out because once I removed the center piece, I was able to score some panel lines prior to reattaching it. I got it to fit by using a few pop rivets to hold it in place while I used a heat gun to soften the plastic and mold it to the proper contours. Once in place, I used a few more pop rivets to lock it in. Then I ran a threaded rod through the bottom vent piece and tightened the whole thing together. It's nice and solid and I am confident it will hold together.

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I also added some interior lighting using some strip LEDs and weathered the 10 blade fan. I used a small piece of wooden dowel to make a little nose cone for the fan.

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This build is SO AMAZING! Great work!! Did you get the Rocketeer jacket from abbyshot back when they had them? I want one now and am trying to get them to reissue. If you don't have it yet, and want it, let them know.
 
This build is SO AMAZING! Great work!! Did you get the Rocketeer jacket from abbyshot back when they had them? I want one now and am trying to get them to reissue. If you don't have it yet, and want it, let them know.

Thanks for the compliment! That's a good question. That's the one item I don't have yet. I have pants, boots and a helmet, but no jacket. I'll burn that bridge when I come to it.
 
I think your flap attachment is a FINE solution. I struggled to get those correct/aligned as well. A real PITA. No one will ever notice.
 
I think your flap attachment is a FINE solution. I struggled to get those correct/aligned as well. A real PITA. No one will ever notice.

Thank you! I figured it's in the back and mostly covered by a harness anyway. I went with function over form in this instance.


This is a great build, and you're approach is inspiring. Watching with interest...

Thanks! Stay tuned because I'm closing in on making a harness. As for the pants, yes, they were HUGE! I now have the correct size but the calves are a bit snug. I don't think it's anything a tailor can't fix.
 
Back in 2017, I took my son to the asavage "Brain Candy" show here in Mesa, AZ. He generously provided excellent tickets to the show but also back stage meet and greet passes for any RPF member. It was an amazing experience. During the meet and greet, we discussed my rocket pack build and he offered two pieces of advice:

1. Get the pack chrome plated if possible (I probably won't due to expense)

2. When making the harness, make sure to put some kind of metal strapping inside the shoulders to provide rigidity so the pack would stay in place on my back and not slide down.

I am taking his advice on item 2. I thought long and hard about how to accomplish this and finally settled on one of those marching band drum harness things. I found one on eBay for around $10 and thought if it didn't work out, I wasn't out much money.

I stripped all the padding off and trimmed a few of the edges to give it a slimmer profile. I'm not 100% sure yet, but I think this may work. I plan on sewing these pieces inside a leather harness. I'm still sketching out the plans for that but I did buy a half hide of leather.

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Brilliant idea on the metal harness inserts. Great advice from Mr.Savage, and way to re-purpose the exact thing you need for cheap. I would guess based on a bit of frame by frame of the film that the screen used prop has a very sililar type of insert in it. Hard to tell of course but seems like it may.
 
I apologize for stalling this thread again. The summer here in the Valley of the Sun has been stupid hot. Since my shop/workspace is in my uninsulated garage, I only have two building seasons. Garage Season and Too Effing Hot Season. Things should become bearable in the evenings again fairly soon so I should be able to get back to work on this project. Lately, I've been building Gundam models in the comfort of air conditioning to keep my hands busy while I wait to get back outside.
 
Well, at least you have 2 seasons to work on your project...glad to see that it's coming to an end and eager for your next update (y)
 
The weather has finally cooled to the point that I'm able to get some quality garage time. I'm slowly chipping away on this project. I've been tinkering with the harness configuration and I think I'm making some progress. I'm cutting the aluminum down to a more reasonable size and grinding off screws so they don't poke me in the back.

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