Who needs Howard Hughes or Peevy when you can build your own Rocketeer rocket pack from little more than the contents of your recycling bin?
Step 1: What you'll need
I was able to find everything I needed lying around the house, but if you don’t have a large stock of craft supplies you might need to pick up a few items.
From your recycling bin:
• two 2L pop bottles (I used Coke Zero)
• mouth was bottle
• two shampoo or conditioner bottles (plastic deodorant containers may work too)
• round plastic dip or spread container
• thin cardboard from cereal boxes or something similar
• paper towel tube
From the thrift store or the back of your closet:
• old purse with brown faux-leather straps
From the craft store, hardware store or your supply cabinet:
• scissors and x-acto knife
• glue gun and glue sticks
• white glue
• masking tape
• wire
• spray primer
• spackling paste
• silver spray paint
• craft paint in bronze, pewter and black
• paint brushes
From your recycling bin:
• two 2L pop bottles (I used Coke Zero)
• mouth was bottle
• two shampoo or conditioner bottles (plastic deodorant containers may work too)
• round plastic dip or spread container
• thin cardboard from cereal boxes or something similar
• paper towel tube
From the thrift store or the back of your closet:
• old purse with brown faux-leather straps
From the craft store, hardware store or your supply cabinet:
• scissors and x-acto knife
• glue gun and glue sticks
• white glue
• masking tape
• wire
• spray primer
• spackling paste
• silver spray paint
• craft paint in bronze, pewter and black
• paint brushes
Step 2: Rockets!
Rinse out the pop bottles and cut them in half.
Cut off the necks and toss them back in your recycling bin.
Cut two strips of cardboard slightly longer than the circumference of the pop bottles.
Wrap the cardboard around the bottle bottoms to form a tube that will be the main body of your rockets. Secure with masking tape.
Cut off the necks and toss them back in your recycling bin.
Cut two strips of cardboard slightly longer than the circumference of the pop bottles.
Wrap the cardboard around the bottle bottoms to form a tube that will be the main body of your rockets. Secure with masking tape.
Step 3: The pointy bits
Trace around a large mug or similar round object and then cut out the cardboard circle.
Make your rockets nice little party hats and secure them with the help of masking tape and your glue gun.
Be careful when using the glue gun on the pop bottles tops as the heat can warp the plastic.
Make your rockets nice little party hats and secure them with the help of masking tape and your glue gun.
Be careful when using the glue gun on the pop bottles tops as the heat can warp the plastic.
Step 4: Bring it all together
Cutting the mouth wash bottle is the trickiest part of this entire project. Using scissors, an x-acto knife or a hot knife, cut off part of the neck of the mouth wash bottle. Also remove part of the back of the bottle so it will sit flush with the two rocket tubes.
Secure the bottle in between the tubes with hot glue.
Cut the rounded bottom out of a plastic dip container and glue it to the centre of the mouth wash bottle.
Add a strip of card board behind the centre to create the top vent.
Glue a piece of paper towel tube to the bottom of the mouth wash bottle and the rockets on either side.
Cut the rounded bottoms out of two shampoo bottles and glue them to the rockets.
Make thin cardboard strips to secure to the bottom of the rockets and glue them down.
Step 5: Prime time
Spray your entire rocket pack with primer.
Fill any cracks and smooth out seams with spackling paste. Sand it down once it's dry.
To create fake rivets, dip the end of a paint brush in white glue and dot it on in evenly spaced rows. Allow glue to dry before spray painting rocket pack silver.
Fill any cracks and smooth out seams with spackling paste. Sand it down once it's dry.
To create fake rivets, dip the end of a paint brush in white glue and dot it on in evenly spaced rows. Allow glue to dry before spray painting rocket pack silver.
Step 6: Final details
After the rocket pack is painted silver, use black craft paint to paint the pop bottle bottoms.
Paint the cones bronze.
To bring out some of the detail and dull down the shiny silver, rub on a mixture of pewter and black.
Create the bottom flaps out of cardboard, paint them silver and then glue them on.
Cut small pieces of insulated wire and insert them into the black parts by first cutting a small slit and then pushing the exposed copper wire through.
Step 7: Making the pack
Remove the straps from an old purse.
Cut out the bottom of the purse and glue it to the back of the rockets.
Attach the straps with more hot glue.
Cut out the bottom of the purse and glue it to the back of the rockets.
Attach the straps with more hot glue.
Step 8: I think you're gonna need a helmet
You're done!
Pair the rocket pack with some khaki pants, big boots and a leather jacket and hit the town.
The finished rocket pack it about half the size of the movie version, so while it might not satisfy purists, it would be perfect for children or people who have a habit of bumping big backpacks into strangers.
Pair the rocket pack with some khaki pants, big boots and a leather jacket and hit the town.
The finished rocket pack it about half the size of the movie version, so while it might not satisfy purists, it would be perfect for children or people who have a habit of bumping big backpacks into strangers.
![LAW Rocket Launcher Replica w/Flash Cotton Muzzle Blast [HD Video Tutorial]](http://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/FE8/XAEL/GSUT3LA9/FE8XAELGSUT3LA9.SQUARE.jpg)
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But it still looks great!
The only thing I could criticise would be the suggestion of deodorant cans. Even when empty, these are still under pressure and can explode if you're crafting with them and they accidentally get punctured. Believe me, the bruises from a deodorant can flying at high speed can take ages to heal.
Safety first!
In Australia (where I'm from) the aerosol versions are more common than roll on or stick versions... I've never seen Speed Stick (but I have heard of it) at my supermarket
Like a hood ornament!
The flat silver looks very fake and I think if it had a black wash over it to darken the silver paint, and perhaps a little corrosion around the bottom it would really finish it off.
Loved the Rocketeer movie as a youngster and just watched it with my kids this year.
wish we celebrated halloween here, i'd wear this!
seriously, make the helmet
now if you can just make a JENNIFER CONNELLY replica, id be your slave forever :D
I went to Halloween for a couple years as the Rocketeer.
My helmet was made from an old hard-hat. I made the fin from foamcore. The face part of the helmet was tagboard, with black screen for the eye lenses. Then the whole thing was painted with Rustoleum Hammer Finish Bronze colored spray paint.
(And I can't find a photo of it right now!)
I've read your whole blog over the weekend and really love the way you and Chris love life and crafts.
I've been following instructables for over a year now and yours have been the most fun and interesting to read because of your passion.
Please keep it up, maybe one day I'll go to Burning Man and see you guys there.
Also, I found this through your blog, but I found your blog through your instructables, which is all very confusing. I feel like subscribing to you would be the easiest route from here on in.
I tend to post full instructions on instructables only when I have a totally original project or I don't see any previous instructables on something that I'm making.
I'll usually blog about everything that I'm making, doing or that I find interesting. If there's already an instructable about it, I might briefly explain how I did it on my blog or link to the how-to, but I won't bother posting a duplicate instructable (like when I made ice cream in a jar or hacked a kitchen table into a coffee table).
I try to also blog about on-going projects before they are finished (like my dinosaur) but I won't make the instructable until I've got it all worked out and finished.
I hope that makes it less confusing!
Have you made a helmet? I nearly did....out of a fibreglass aeroplane wheel-spat salvaged after a plane crash (nobody hurt). The spat had a nice aerodynamic fairing look....so it was half-way there in terms of design. The guy I bought my plane from has a Rocketeer helmet a friend made him...not sure what for!
I also like the movie guy's leather jacket and your suggestions about khaki etc are spot on.
Cheers!
When my boyfriend wears the rocket pack, he's going to clip the straps to his pants like suspenders.
You could also loop the straps through a normal belt or cut them shorter and attach them to the back of the pack.