Shrockets Flying Model Rocket Kit Johnny Star Commander SHR 05150
The Johnny Star Commander model rocket is a sleek rocket with a futuristic look to it. The rocket is built around a 1.325 inch diameter tube so it has a nice size that is easy to see in a crowded launch range. Features through the wall fins, vinyl decals, laser cut fins and a through-the-wall body tube.
Length: 23.25"(59.06cm)
Diameter: 1.325" (3.37cm)
Fin Span: 8.29"(21.06cm)
Weight: 4.374oz (124g)
8 fins
18" Plastic Chute Recovery
Motors:
Estes B6-2 200ft
Estes B6-4 219ft
Estes C6-3 564ft
Estes C6-5 564ft
Aerotech D10-7 1235ft
Quest C12-6
Quest D16-6
Made in the USA by Apogee
The unique-looking Johnny Star Commander rocket is just the right size. Based on a 1.325-inch diameter tube, it is big enough to stand out in a crowd of rockets, but small enough to use the inexpensive 18mm diameter "regular-size" rocket motors. This combination allows for a lot of flights without cutting your wallet in half.
When we started the project of putting this rocket together, we began with a clean slate. Our first mission was to invest in the tooling for a brand new 3-to-1 (length to width ratio) blow mold nose cone. We wanted one with a pretty shape that looked right for a gorgeous model like this one. It wasn't cheap, but here at Apogee, we wanted to give you the best kit possible.
This model rocket features not only laser-cut balsa wood fins but also laser-cut and etched body tubes. This makes assembly more precise, so you'll have a more enjoyable building experience. And the lower jet-intake tube is also already laser cut for you, so you will have this rocket together in very little time.
The graphics on the rocket are what makes this rocket really unique. There is so much eye-candy to look at, at you'll start to believe the legend of Johnny Star. The decals are printed here at Apogee on real vinyl adhesive-backed material. The advantage of vinyl is that it has a little bit of stretch to it, so it goes around curves better and tucks neatly into hard corners, like the joint where the fin meets the tube.
The rocket is a joy to fly too. With all the fin area in the back, it has a very stable trajectory. The metal engine clip makes loading rocket engines effortless and quick. Just pack the colorful parachute, and you're ready to launch.
One cool feature of the Johnny Star Commander rocket is the ducted tube on the bottom of the rocket. This acts like a little fin, making the rocket more stable. The tube has a slanted edge on both the front and the rear, which makes it unique. In the past, this would have been cut as part of the assembly process. Unfortunately, this would have pushed the kit into the skill level 4 category. So we laser-cut the slant into the tube for you. Now all you have to do is to attach it to the rocket and add the dorsal fins into their slots on the tube. You'll really like how easy we tried to make the assembly of this beautiful kit.
The Johnny Star Commander is rated as a Skill Level 3 rocket on the Apogee Components complexity scale.
That means it is "average." If you've built kits before, this rocket will be relatively straightforward for you. The core of the rocket is relatively simple to put together and you probably won't even think twice about it because it has laser-cut parts and a beautifully slotted tube. The tube is even pre-marked for the location where the decorative strake is glued on.
Probably the most challenging aspect of building the kit is assembling the wing panels. Each of the two sides of the main wing is made from five pieces of balsa wood that have to be assembled together by gluing the edges together. This should be done on a flat surface so that both wings are flat and the tabs fit into the slots on the tube. In addition, you'll have to add the tip fins on the top and bottom of the wing. There is a lot of pre-assembly that has to be accomplished before you can start gluing the wood to the body tube. But at that point, you're moving quickly, because the parts go together very nicely.
Painting this rocket may be a challenge too. You don't have to paint it the way we did, just have fun with the scheme. We've provided a downloadable PDF document showing the paint scheme created by Shrox, as well as the location of the various decals for the rocket.
If you want general tips on building rockets, be sure to check out our Advanced Construction Videos. There are well over 200 YouTube videos that cover things like painting, assembly techniques, and flying model rockets.
For the Johnny Star Commander rocket, we highly recommend watching video #228, which shows how to get a flawless surface finish on the balsa wood fins on this rocket. Also watch video #90, which shows how to use soapy water to position self-adhesive decals like the ones on this kit. This is how we put down the decals quickly and easily on the kits shown here.
We know that your friends will be in awe of how you got such a great looking rocket. And when you share your secrets, please mention us.
Johnny Star is a fictitious space commander that wants to set the speed record on the famous Kessel Run. The legend, as told by kit designer Shrox, goes like this:
"One night long ago, in a space cantina far away, the need for a very fast ship was realized when the Kessel Run was down to just eight parsecs. Always up to a challenge, Johnny Star set his mind and soul to do it in seven.
The ship needed did not exist, not even as a plan on an engineering display. After a few subspace calls, Star realized that Apogee had the materials, Shrox had the faster-than-light (FTL) jump drive, but something else was needed - a brave pilot to do what some called a foolhardy stunt. Bring the three together and it could be done.
Four weeks later the ship's parts were all printed and assembled in orbit, the FTL was installed and ready to be spun up, and the pilot was briefed. "All systems go!" rang out from the sonic systems, and a collective gasp was uttered as Star's ship tore from moorings and hurled out into interplanetary space.
"FTL in 5...4...3...2...1...Jump!" The parsecs fell one after another as the suns of other planets streaked and stretched into long thin lines. Star held tight to the controls, his vision and mind distorted by previously unknown velocities. Then a signature prismatic burst revealed the outcome, 6.7 parsecs had been covered when the FTL spun down, space having curved back upon itself and depositing the ship just centimeters from where it had began the Kessel Run, a record that still stands today."
Wow.
This is one kit you’ll love showing off, because like all the Shrox designed models, it has a visual appeal that gathers attention from everyone that sees it. Let your imagination be the first passenger on the maiden voyage of your JSC rocket.
While the manufacturer's name says "Shrockets," the rocket is produced by Apogee Components, using the high quality components you'd expect. The Johnny Star Commander is a first class rocket in almost every way. We didn't skimp on the quality of the materials or the effort to customize them for you.
Why premium components? Yes, they do cost more. But one thing we know in working with thousands of modelers is that it is hard to get a great result when you start with inferior components. It increases the complexity and takes a lot more effort to put together a rocket when the parts don't fit quite so nicely. With your building skills, you could probably make them fit eventually, but at what cost? Doesn't that take a lot of time and rob you some of the enjoyment you get from rocketry? Wouldn't you have a better experience and more fun if everything went together easily and smoothly? Of course. And we couldn't agree more.
And what would happen if you gave this kit away as a gift to someone without good modeling skills? We worry about that too. But you can be assured that they'll have a pleasurable building experience because we built the quality into the components from the concept through the production. Quality counts a lot, and we want you to have a great experience when building this kit.
Premium Quality Laser-Cut Body Tubes - The tubes are thin-wall to reduce weight, but are plenty strong for this model. The surface is slick and smooth, which makes marking lines on them easy. Painting is also a breeze since the spirals are tight and require little filling.
They are pre-cut tubes, cut with our laser system, so that you don't have to do any cutting during assembly. This greatly decreases the time you will spend building the rocket, making for a more enjoyable assembly process. Additionally, the rocket will be more precise, will look better when completed, and you'll spend less time finishing the rocket since you won't have to try to fix any imperfections that typically occur when you have to make your own slotted tubes.
Blow-Molded Plastic Nose Cone - The nose cone of this kit was created specifically for the Shrockets line of kits. It is a true 3-to-1 ratio ogive nose shape. It is blow-molded from hi-impact polystyrene, so it is easy to sand, glue to, and paint. Compare it to blow-molds from other manufacturers, and you'll find it is nicer because the parachute loop on the back end is larger making it easier to attach the parachute.
Laser-cut balsa Wood Fins - Balsa wood is very lightweight and can be airfoiled by sanding to reduce the drag forces on the kit. This makes the rocket zoom higher and faster into the sky. Having the fins laser-cut means that each fin is pre-cut to size with the precision of a machine. There are no crunched edges. You'll notice as you are assembling the rocket that everything just goes together easily and quickly. You don't have to tweak parts by sanding them too much to make them fit together. This saves you time and effort and makes for a more enjoyable construction phase. They also have tabs on the root edge of the fin to go into the slots on the body tube. This creates a through-the-wall fin mount, which is the strongest method of attaching fins. It also assures that the fins are straight - so your rocket flies nice and steady every time it is launched.
Kevlar Shock Cord - The purpose of the shock cord is to join the nose cone to the rest of the rocket. This is important, because you don't want the nose and the parachute to float slowly while the rest of the rocket comes down fast and hard. When it all stays together, the whole thing comes down gently so that it can be used again and again.
This model comes with a high-strength, Kevlar® Shock Cord. Kevlar is six times stronger than steel, and is also heat-resistant. It can easily withstand the high heat of ejection, ensuring the rocket descends as a single piece. This makes for a very durable rocket that can be launched again and again.
Durable 18" Diameter Plastic Parachute - The kit comes with a colorful chute that makes it easy to see your rocket as it comes down from super-high flights. We chose orange because it makes it easy to see the rocket if it drifts a long distance down range. We've lost our fair share of rockets, and we use a bright color to minimize that risk.
At Apogee Components, we use a thicker cotton thread for our suspension lines than any other rocketry manufacturer. The thickness makes it easy for kids to tie knots because it is easier for their fingers to hold. It is little features like this that we think about, as we want your experience to be the best and easiest.
Spring steel engine retainer clip allows you to swap out engines between flights in just milliseconds. It is really that fast!
Standard-Size 1/8 inch Launch Lugs - Works great on a standard launch pad. If you need a pad, we recommend the Sky Launch System. Be sure to add it to your shopping cart when ordering this rocket.
Color-Coded Centering Rings make assembly easy. You don't need to know technical names of the individual parts. You just grab the one that is the right color.
Cardstock Display Stand - Because this is such a beautiful rocket, we know you'll want to show it off. The fins don't allow the rocket to stand upright by themselves, so the display stand holds the rocket up so it is easily visible and takes up less space on your shelf.
Real Vinyl Decals - While printed vinyl decals aren't cheap to produce, you'll love them for how durable and easy they are to apply. The color is eye-popping for starters, and they are pre-cut to make assembly easy. Just peel them off and lay them on your rocket. The high-gloss finish will make your rocket the envy of your friends.
Detailed Instructions - The assembly instructions in this kit are no different from the ones we put in all Apogee kits. They are well illustrated and very detailed. We spent a lot of time creating the instructions so you are assured of a well-built kit that is actually fun to build!
