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.
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.
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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