This is from a short-lived blog I started on a box of my sons old cards (he's 23 now).
It was originally titled 1991 Topps Walt Disney Rocketeer and was posted in June 2008.
Here we go.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQV_5H3ToLimbMZo7KYCXtRTCoa6Qx6RvshHwBSmYcWrtQOkqp5BUOi8DARXd_z7uVDoPBdc6dw0tEmyFqJaJYEQ1pVDYzAmbpNiIHw0SjxkOGr0WXZ2ITWQ1jPiZJDNil_0XgACJ2Uba/s400/rocket.jpg)
Card number 40 HIGH FLYING HERO.
First we saw the movie. Then, being the collector that I am, came the box of cards, movie poster, coloring book, comic book, and whatever else I could get my hands on. The Rocketeer is one of my top ten all-time movies.
A couple years after these cards were released I picked up a wax box really cheap. The assortment was awesome as I got a complete set from one box. I put them nicely in order, in a binder, so you could follow the story from card-back to card-back. Then I gave the extras to Tommy, a nice creased one was in the box.
Back to the movie. I remember there were parts of the movie that were a little over his head, he was probably five or six when I first let him watch it. I had to cough or "blah-blah-blah" during a couple questionable words, and we both had to "look away!" during one brief barely immodest scene, but the rest of the action was awesome! Machine guns, thugs, airplane crashes, explosions, a Flying Rocket Man! The best kind of father-son bonding stuff ever.
We were so enamored with the Rocketeer that Tommy wanted to BE the Rocketeer, so I made him a costume that Halloween. Using cardboard and scotch tape, I transformed his styrofoam tricycle helmet into a real Rocketeer steerable helmet. I hot glued two liter-sized soda bottles together, spray painted them silver, and attached a strap...just like the real Rocketeers jet pack. Tommy creatively came up with the pants and shirt. He'd run around the backyard rescuing people and doing Rocketeer stuff. I took a picture of him posed on the ground like he was ready to blast off. We did it at night for some added drama, you can see the jet-pack flames better at night.
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Of all the super hero costumes we ended up making him, the Rocketeer costume is still my most favorite.
Ah, good times.
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