Rocket Science

I spent virtually all of last week finishing a project I started (I think) two years ago. It might even have been three.

I had this brilliant idea that I could, without too much trouble, install all sorts of flashing lights and sounds and whatnot into a discarded Little Tikes Space Rocket Playset, to bring it to life for my son. Of course, I had no idea how to go about doing this, and I'd never done anything like it before -- but I expected I'd be able to sort it out as I went along.

I must have spent close to $150 on various colors of LEDs, wire, an assortment of buttons and switches, and anything else I thought might be useful (or just look interesting). I bought an electronic toy with a sequence of flashing LEDs, took it apart to see how it worked ― or, at least, what I might do with it ― and carefully connected it to the series of LEDs I had installed (in the front panel that already had non-functional controls and a steering wheel and lever).

My desk was covered in bits of wire and metal, pieces of electrical tape, and an infinite number of loose screws. The inside of the panel would quickly become an impenetrable maze of wires ― but somehow, it all worked. it worked! In fact, it worked so well, I bought another one of the toys to disassemble (I think I did something to damage that one, so I had to buy another after that), and installed an additional set of flashing LEDs.

I painted both the steering wheel the large circular knob on a lever a bright, vivid red. I had this idea that the lever should make some sort of a sound, as if the rocket's engines were being activated. I found a toy with appropriate space sounds ― but I made a mistake connecting it to the battery (which caused one of the components on the circuit board to explode!), and had to buy another. (I may have even had to buy a third one.) The switch in the lever was improvised with bits of metal, glue and electrical tape (a mechanism that had to be replaced two or three times), but it made an appropriately thrilling noise when pulled. Two small buttons activated other sounds when pressed.

I painted the top in silver, the original having been cast in an uninspiring dull red plastic, faded from years of sunlight. But the paint I chose never seemed to adhere well to plastic, and whenever I handled the top (and often when I brushed up against it), a thin coat of silver paint was left behind. I tried to install a light on the inside of the top, attached with velcro, so it could be removed when the batteries needed to be replaced. But it never seemed to stick.

I had a few other ideas, but I was so exhausted by the effort that went into this that I lost all momentum.

And after all that work? My son was never as interested in the rocket as I'd hoped he'd be. It sat, all but ignored, for almost two years. It's only been in the past few months that he's started to play, really play with it. Once it was decided that it should be moved into his room, which required that it be taken apart ― it wouldn't fit through a door any other way! ― I thought this might be a good opportunity to catch up with a few of the details I'd been neglecting.