When you build a rocket, do you usually build one at a time, or a few simultaneously? I have 2 Estes Launchable kits as well as an Estes SR-71 Blackbird that I've begun building. Today was the day to seal the fins, so I decided to do the fins for all three kits at the same time.

I discovered that I had to do absolutely no waiting for the sealer to dry. By the time I was done with the third set of fins, the first set was ready to be sanded. Within a couple of hours, all three kits had the fins sealed and sanded smooth.

Now I'm thinking of continuing in this fashion for these three builds. I think it will go faster if I just focus on one task at a time, like installing the motor mounts or putting on the fins, than jumping from task to task on one rocket and waiting for the glue to dry at each step.

What do you think?

I always have ' parallel builds' as it were.

generally have from 4 to 8 going at omnce, but sometimes it gets out of hand ( like now, lol ) .

More than one means I can work on # 2 while glue dries, sand fins while glue dries or sealer dries, etc.
Also , and this is rarely thought out , but true - is that if I get tired of sanding, or want to sand , or cut fins, or feel like building chutes ( one thing I hate, unlike most, I don;t mind sanding / sealing when in the mood , but I almost always hate building chutes ) .

Lately I do tend to do things in groups however - like today I made up sheets for decals, some days I'll trace multiple fins onto balsa sheets, then cut a whole bunch at once and bag em for 'later on' ( sanding em later on, lol ) .

those who saw my 'rocket room' pic can see many 'in-progress' builds, from most done to just started.

As for HPR, I usually have a few going as well, but build much more low to mid power, so HPR stuff tends to be the ' started this 10 years ago' ones, but once in a while I get motivated and finish one or two up

I'd list the ' in progress' stuff, but would both waste bandwidth and embarrass myself

~ AL

If you mean starting a new build before I've finished that last one, then the answer is "yes." Sometimes that facilitates the kind of efficiencies that you are talking about, but that is not usually the reason why I do it.

I will leave a project uncompleted if I need to order a part, haven't had enough practice with a particular technique yet to try it on a project that "matters", or because I need to get another rocket built before a looming deadline (such as an upcoming launch). There are also projects, usually scratch-builds, in which I have decided to change some aspect during the build (often involving a step that has already been done), and I'm procrastinating about backtracking and making the change. Sometimes (on very rare occasions) I may also suspend a project out of sheer boredom.

With that being said, I have done a few simultaneous builds of groups of very similar designs on a few occasions. These have all occurred when I was building a series of rockets that were just variations of the same basic design. Most of the time, though, I try to complete one project before I start another, and I do this to insure that I actually complete each project.

Mark

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I generally build two or three at the same time, mainly so that I will wait for the glue to dry... I'm terribly impatient. Having something to work on while the one I just glued up dries is a good thing for me.

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I have a number of builds waiting to be primed, but I usually build one at a time. When I start priming, I usually work about 8-12 in a batch because I spray with something more grunt-worthy than an airbrush. It requires at least a pint of primer to be prepared. Less waste in the long run, and takes less time per model, too.

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Craig McGraw

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I too have several on the build bench,...
several on the sanding sealer bench,...
and several on the paint bench.

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Bob
NAR 77103

3 or 4 in parallel for me...

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Bill Cooke
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I usually have two or three going at a time, not counting filling/finishing. I get in moods for my hobbies. One day I might feel like building a little, one day I might feel like fooling with something in a different hobby, one day I might feel like......sanding. Ok, I never feel like sanding, but I make my self sit down and sand every now and then. When a building mood hits, I get to a point where glue needs to dry so I work on another model.

I almost always have several rockets built before I start the finishing process. I despise sanding, so I really have to get in a finishing mood and force myself to sit down with the filler and work through a batch of rockets. Once that's done, the waiting process begins again for a warm low humidity day to paint. While waiting for that, other rockets get built.

Sometimes a detailed project just needs to get set aside for a while. I've done that on occasion and opened up a simple kit, or worked up a simple scratch build to do quickly, just for a quick "rocket fix".

Usually 2-3 at a time here, for all the reasons that have already been mentioned. TB sounds about like me. Once I get two or three build and filled. I force myself to sand and prime. Then they usually get painted around the same time. The other thing he mentioned is true of me too, where I'll be doing something complex and just do small chunks, then do a simple one in between. Give you a sense of accomplishment when the other build is going so slow. Mark had some good reason's too. For instance, two designs that are similar. The Semroc Saki and Ruskie involve identical steps through most of the build. I'm doing those "in parallel" as we speak. Actually, everyone's replies apply to me.

I don't have any problem getting myself to sand and prime (ad infinitum sometimes) as long as I have several to do at once.

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Once upon a better day... SAM #0076
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