Rocketeer Rocket Pack From Trash

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?

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.