Customer Reviews

Toysmith Cosmic Rocket Kit

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This thing hasn't worked once. It leaks pressure from the "O-ring". Bear in mind this was fresh out of the box too. For the adults out there, a leak in an O-ring caused the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

In this toy, a leaky seal won't cause an explosion, but instead it will prevent one - and your launch as well: the pressure can't build up enough in order to achieve a launch.

I don't know whether this is a manufacturing defect or not, but my guess is that these typically cheap (Made in China) plastic toys are fabricated to a very low standard of quality, and these standards do not easily lend themselves to achieving the kind of precision required in order to create an airtight seal capable of sustaining high pressures. I'd guess that even a perfect specimen would be pretty low quality. Another possible culprit seems to be the inadequate composition of the O-ring material; it is a soft gray rubber. When tightened the ring compresses to much to the point that it deforms and is literally squeezed out of its groove.

I'd skip this toy with its poor quality and/or design, and the potential disappointment of having it not work at all, even once, and instead go for one of the old-fashioned water rockets. They operate on water and compressed air and requires no mixing. I had many a water rocket as a kid and they provided hours of summertime entertainment. And you can even have fun building your own water rocket using an empty two liter bottle and parts available at any home improvement store. There are lots of sites with instructions and various designs.

A water rocket itself is just a two-liter bottle with fins on the bottom to stabilize it in flight. The nice thing about using a plain old soda bottle is that they are designed to hold pressure with no o-ring needed, since they have to keep a drink carbonated from production through shipping and until you have finished the bottle.

If you get really into building water rockets, there is a sizeable water rocket enthusiast community and a lot of products and kits sold to help you enjoy this as a hobby.

I think most kids would learn more about something from building a rocket themselves from inexpensive parts than just mixing baking soda and vinegar. Granted, it does illustrate the concept of gas expansion well, but you don't need a rocket to do that.

My son 3 yo recieved this rocket for christmas two years ago. We love it. We shot it off a whole bunch of times. It takes a while to figure out jsut the right combination of baking soda and vinegar. We started using vaseline on the base to make the rocket hold a tight gripe, yet slide of easy for the launch. Sometimes we would have to shake it to get the BS to mix with the vinegar enough to build up the gas pressure required to launch. If you do that make sure to look the other way because you will get sprayed by the liquid. We did break ours a few months ago, but that is because we launched it and it hit the pavement and cracked the nose. but it is over a year old.

We tried this 7 times and it only launched once. It was exciting to see it when it happened, but the other failed attempts made a huge mess.

The idea behind this rocket is excellent: Mix vinegar and soda to generate gas, and launch this rocket into the sky.

The problem is the very poor design of the rocket: First, the rocket itself is made of two parts which screw into one another. Unfortunately, the seal between them is bad, so you either have some of the gas leaking out of the seal or, if you try to screw them harder, are liable to break the rocket (both happened to us). Furthermore, the seal between the launchpad and the rocket is poor, so again, either gas leaks or the rocket breaks.

We received two of these as gifts for our two sons, ages 10 and 14. We made a big deal out of driving to the local soccer field, expecting great results. Bth my husband and I are the type to thoroughly read and follow directions, so we thought we were primed for success. Both rockets failed to launch on multiple occasions (tried the first rocket for 6 or 7 tries; tried the second one twice without success). No matter what, we could not get a tight seal and the "fuel" would leak out all over the base after we carefully measured out the vinegar and baking soda and assembled the rocket (requires a tight connection). Without a tight seal, no presure builds up and the rocket goes nowhere. We thought maybe the first rocket had a manufacturer's defect, but the second one failed, too. I'd suggest you save your money and skip this purchase. Benefit: clearly shows the frustration a scientist feels when his or her experiment fails (and fails, and fails). 4M Cosmic Rocket

The learning materials in this product are excellent and descriptive. And in theory, it should work great. In order to work, the rocket must seal very tightly to the base while the air pressure from the reaction of the baking soda and vinegar builds up. But it doesn't--in fact, it leaks like a sieve and the only reaction we witnessed took place as the bubbles oozed out the side. I rated it high for durability because once the "blast-off" moment is a dud, the thing is almost impossible to pull apart so that you can try it again! I would have taken it back to the store, but we bought it too long ago. Severely disappointed little boys at my house.

We tried this several times, with no success, other than vinegar leaking out the "o" ring. What a huge disappointment after much anticipation. (son received as a gift at his birthday party) Would NOT spend a dollar on this. Would give ZERO stars if I could.

We followed the instructions to the letter, but instead of a great lift off, it was literally a fizz. The rocket leaked at the point where the body attached to the fins and never built up enough pressure to launch - it just foamed at the seal.

The concept is good. Step away quickly after you shake the rocket. Vinegar and Baking Soda are needed. The rocket goes approx. 20' into the air.