# The Rocket Rail (Scratchbuild)



## tolenmar (Dec 5, 2011)

I was looking through all of my spare parts, trying to figure out how to move forward on my Zombie hunter car, when I spied an old toy my son never enjoyed playing with that had wound up in my parts bin.

Sparks flew, and a few minutes with a dremel later, it gelled.


















I'm working on building a frame from (punnily enough) a piece of railroad track from another toy. I've never scratchbuilt anything before, not counting the zombie hunter. So I think this will be a lot of fun.


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## scottnkat (May 11, 2006)

that looks cool - great job so far


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## tolenmar (Dec 5, 2011)

I'm already having a blast with this one. I've found some huge racing slicks for the back, I'm using parts from an old 30's Ford for the front wheels, suspension and steering. I've even taken the roof of the old Ford, cut out about the middle two-thirds of it to make a roof.

























I'll get pics of the rest of the pieces tomorrow. It's late, so I can't make a lot of noise, which means that further cutting is out of the question. This is interesting, as I have parts from a Cobra, a Ford truck, an Acura, and even railroad pieces going into this project.

I'm imagining something like the Red Baron or Iced-T. A funky, retro styled hot rod. I may even try again to get a good flame job going. I'm having so much fun, I don't really want to stop (even though it's almost midnight).


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## tolenmar (Dec 5, 2011)

Here are most of the parts I've set aside for this project.









And here is a piece of railroad track so you can see how I created the frame for this rod. Obviously, I still need to create some proper cross-bracing for it, but it's a start.









The wheels and axles:









Engine and exhaust. I added a couple of old toy car wheels on top of the air cleaners that were already there. Basically, I'm thinking of the overall look as opposed to practicality here:









And a quick mock-up of what I've got, and what I'm thinking as I do this:









This is not a practical car by any means. It's going to be retro, funky, and of course, b-movie space invaders groovy. 

So whaddya think so far?


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## pejota (Mar 14, 2008)

Looks good!

I was thinking you were going to attach the wheels to the rocket and make it look more like a Bonneville Salt Flats car. 

Looks like those belly tank cars.


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## scottnkat (May 11, 2006)

That's cute - any while having the exhaust run over and under the wing may not be practical, like you said, this is retro, funky, and b-movie space invaders groovy, so far out, man!! I like it


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## CorvairJim (Dec 16, 2011)

Looks like something out of the old "Wacky Racers" cartoons!


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## tolenmar (Dec 5, 2011)

So I was using the wrong tool to shape the frame pieces, got disgusted, quit.

Then realized I do this a lot. So I went back, switched tools, tweaked the idea a bit, and started making real progress. As of this moment, I have the frame assembled, with all the cross-bracing it needs to be stiff enough to do the job. It took a lot of time with a sanding stick to get all the rough spots out of it. It isn't perfect, but it is an improvement. The rear end is almost complete. At least, as complete as I'll be able to manage with the supplies on hand. Once I get the frame painted properly, I'll attach the front and back ends, and start worrying about the steering system. All I really need is a long, thin rod to go from the interior of the machine to the front end. Everything I currently have is too large gauge.

One hitch with using the toy rocket is the nosecone. It's made of rubber. Rubber doesn't take paint very well. It never really cured, and even the slightest bit of dust would get trapped on it, and just a couple of days after painting it, it looked really bad. So I need to figure out a replacement for the nosecone. This is a good thing, as I was starting to think that for a 50's B-movie style, the nose was too short and round. Of course, that begs the question: What do I use?

The engine, seat, and top are all going to be the easy parts. The engine and seat came from an old Cobra model. The engine was already assembled, and is now primed so I can (hand) paint the details. The exhaust is a bit fiddly, but I don't think it will be a huge problem. I would like to lengthen the exhaust tips, though, so that they extend all the way back beyond the wings. I have an idea, but don't know if I have enough pens to pull it off. 

And that's where I stand. Most of my parts are outside drying from the primer coat (I hate painting outside if only because of the wind, but better than clogging up the house). Pics will be following soon enough.


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## tolenmar (Dec 5, 2011)

Okay, got a couple of pics for ya:

Here is the frame after getting the braces finished. I wanted to do x shaped braces, but after several failed attempts to get the pieces to line up correctly, I decided on a ladder frame. Easier to manage, since I'm building from scrap parts.








It took a lot of sanding and filing to get to this point, too. Basically, I had to get rid of the wood pattern on the parts that were cross-ties, and the little lip that rails have where the spikes hold it down.

Here is a shot of the body with the new and improved primary intercooling stage booster. Or something like that. It's the new nose cone. It is vastly different from the old one, but this is good. I thought the old one was too short, this stretches the b-movie aspect even further. Of course to get it to work, I had to lose the belt on the engine. So, since the whole thing is a custom job, we'll just have to assume the belt and pulleys are inside that cowling. Perhaps its now turbo-fan cooled...









And finally, another mock-up stage. This one isn't quite right. After I shot it, I realised things would look cooler and work out better if I shifted it back a bit. Now I need to think about a wheelie bar on the back.


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## tolenmar (Dec 5, 2011)

Somewhere, I have a needle used for refilling printer ink cartridges. If I can find it, and i don't end up using it for the steering shaft, I think I'll attach it to the end of the nosecone. Lets face it, pulp mags always had this style of rocket with a frickin big spike at the top. I also want to work up some sort of nozzle for the rear end, something more rocket shaped than what's there by default.


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## scottnkat (May 11, 2006)

it's coming along nicely - like the new nose cone


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## tolenmar (Dec 5, 2011)

scottnkat said:


> it's coming along nicely - like the new nose cone


Yep. It stretches things out, makes it fit the frame better.


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## tolenmar (Dec 5, 2011)

Detailed the engine last night. Primered the whole thing, used spray silver in a cup to do the air cleaners, rocker covers, exhaust. Then did a black wash over that to pick out the details.

Then this morning I did something I've never done before: I wired up the spark plugs!
(I wish the pics were better, still learning how to do proper close-ups with this thing.)
























They are even in proper firing order. Well, almost. When I went to wire in #8, I realised that #7 had skipped a post. I thought CA was supposed to be instant, not just really fast. Oh well. I even left a wire open to go under the hood to the ignition circuit.

This was fun and exciting. I almost gave up with the first wire, though. It just kept not working out, and every time I went to bend the other end around to the plug, the first end would pop lose. Turns out the shorter wires are easiest, and you have to do most of the bending before you try to glue it down. Once I got a couple of wires under my belt, the rest went really easily. I only wish I had been able to find an even lighter gauge wire. These seem just a touch too big.

Other progress:
The axles are now attached to the frame, and I have the base coat on the rocket itself. Time to mask off part of it. Oh, and the roof is painted.


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## walsing (Aug 22, 2010)

Looking better all the time!


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## scottnkat (May 11, 2006)

Looking good there. I remember the first time I tried wiring an engine. I have just a suggestion which you may or may not take (since this is kind of a "what if" type of build), but spark plug wires have weight and they tend to droop instead of just going up and over. If you want them to look more realistic, you could bend them down so they look like they are drooping. Of course, with this being a bit of a fantasy build, it would be perfectly fine to keep them the way they are. As I said, this was just a suggestion and I mean no disrespect or anything. Keep up the good work.


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## tolenmar (Dec 5, 2011)

No disrespect at all. You are correct. When I took the pics, the glue was still fresh, and I had fought it enough just getting it into place. I'll see what I can do about it later.


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## tolenmar (Dec 5, 2011)

Major progress today, even if the individual steps were pretty simple.

Removed the tape today, a little paint touch-up and we're good to go. Mounted the body on the frame.

More importantly, I figured out how to do the steering and the wheelie bar. I'm priming the pieces now. They consist of more suspension pieces from that old 30's Ford. Turns out the front steering rack from that old kit is almost perfectly shaped for the front of my rocket rail. I did modify things a bit, and it'll end up with headlights to boot (you'll understand when you see it later). I have the rods that connect the steering rack to the steering box, which in defiance of traditional drag racer builds, will be inside the body, not out there near the wheels. It just means that the connecting rods need to be that much longer.

The connecting rods are being made out of more model railroad rails, this time of a much smaller scale. The same stock is providing me with the wheelie bar. This stuff does not need to be ground and filed down like the stuff I used for the frame due it being much smaller.

Finally, there won't be a steering wheel. In light of the fact that this is a rocket ship, he gets a control stick. Everything going into this coming out of my scrap parts bin, and either being broken or re-purposed to get what I need. The only downside is that it won't be too much longer before this project is finished.

I almost wish I had a suitable 1/24 scale figure to put in the drivers seat...


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## tolenmar (Dec 5, 2011)

Ok, it's done! Had lots of fun with this one. I do regret that I'm finished, because it could be a while before I can afford another kit, and I'm low on spare parts. I doubt I could scratchbuild another car with what I have left. At the very least I only have two wheels left.

Unfortunately, when I went to take the pics, the camera informed me: "battery exhausted". So, I'll have to provide you with the final pics tomorrow. Sorry!


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## tolenmar (Dec 5, 2011)

Okay, put on some David Bowie music...I bet you know the one: Space Oddity

Ready?

The project was renamed late in the build:

























Here is my scratchbuilt wheelie bar. I know, it doesn't really look like a real one, but it'll do the job. No, it doesn't have the fancy hydraulics, either. That's not the point. This works well enough, I think.









I know, I know, dragsters don't have headlights. This one does. The steering rack is from an old 30's Ford pickup. I bent the spring mounts up and back, expecting to break them off and sand it down. When the first didn't break, I tried the second, and then decided I had a couple of spare headlight lenses lying around. Maybe he likes to drag at night?


















My son asked "How is he supposed to see to drive it?" I told him, "It's a dragster. All he has to do is keep going straight and hang on!"


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## tolenmar (Dec 5, 2011)

The white lines are of course the brake lines. You can see all of them coming up to the master cylinder under the body.









It's not a good shot, but you can see the control stick in this one. Nothing fancy. It connects to the pair of long rods running up to the steering rack.









Another shot of the front end. This was intended for you to see the big steel spike on the nose. After all, what B-movie rocket ship didn't have one of these? It also serves to show off the headlights and the steering (which partially popped loose now that I see the pics myself...).

There we go. Now what to do?

Maybe I'll start this resto-mod:


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## tolenmar (Dec 5, 2011)

This project was a lot of fun. I could let my imagination run free and do what it pleased, so long as I kept the mechanical parts at least resembling something functional. Speaking of which, I forgot to get a good side view of the thing where you could see both the engine and the driveshaft. Let's just say they had to be very creative in designing a functioning gearbox to make those parts all line up!

I'll admit to not knowing much about drag racing, so there are bound to be all kinds of errors, but this was a fantasy build. Nothing to take too seriously. I do have to ask though, is there a division for home-built dragsters? That's definitely where this one would belong.


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## scottnkat (May 11, 2006)

Hey, that's great! I love the spike on the front of the rocket - it fits with its theme very well. Nice job on the brake lines - I haven't done those at all, so I am always jealous of those that do those extra details like that.


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## tolenmar (Dec 5, 2011)

Thanks! I put the brake lines in because too had never done them. Just like the wires on the engine. I figured, I had already used wire before, why not try something else?

I need to tweak them a bit, though. right now they look like wires wrapped around the frame. I may not get them as straight as they should be, but I hope to get them just a little bit straighter than they currently are. I also regret choosing white wire, but didn't figure the other choices from the cable I stripped would make for good choices either.

Of course, having done these things once, there's nothing holding me back from doing them again and again. I want to flock the floors of a model, but the only thing I have at the moment to do such a thing with is green. So...until I can come up with a green model, it'll have to wait.


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## CorvairJim (Dec 16, 2011)

That thing looks like it was a blast to build. Throw what's 'normal' out the window and build it the way YOU want to. Normalcy is overrated in my opinion, but then I AM a Corvair enthusiast. One thing I wonder about: The way the wings are set up, it will be banking hard right at the top end of the track! I've seen "Wheelie" cars do the entire 1/4 mile on the rear tires, but never on the RIGHT SIDE tires!


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## tolenmar (Dec 5, 2011)

lol, I thought about trying to fix that, but was afraid I'd just end up breaking it off. It's really thin there.


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