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Sunday, April 21, 2024

Old Letter

I'm cleaning out the garage, getting rid of old things I haven't looked at in years. In a file cabinet, I found this letter from Bob Bruce. I met and hung out with Bob at the 1975 NARAM 17 in Orlando, FL.

Bob always seemed to place in the Estes design contests, some of his ideas were groundbreaking. He started his own rocketry company called California Model Rockets. Back when a model rocket had to weigh under one pound, he sold models named "Woppers". They were big for their time, 4" diameter rockets with foam centering rings and cardstock wrapped bodies.
 

Here's the interesting part of the 1976 letter - for all the Star Wars fans:


The original title of Star Wars was "War Star". Bob told me that many of the spaceship detail pieces were plastic parts from AMT car model kits - Muffler pipes, axles and the like.
I understand Bob (Brandy) passed away in 2019.

12 comments:

  1. WOW!!! Some things should be preserved.

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    1. Hi Anonymous,
      I'm glad the letter struck a chord with some blog readers. I was never a hoarder, just downsizing.

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  2. Replies
    1. Hi Neil,
      I remember thinking: "Bob must be doing well, his envelopes are printed in four colors!" I found out later he airbrushed the envelopes.

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  3. Really amazing ! Glad you found the letter.

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  4. I would love to know how he could make perfect nose cones with no special tools. Interesting!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Anonymous,
      Who knows how it was done - Bob was an innovator.

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  5. Replies
    1. Hi Leo,
      I didn't think much of it at the time, until I saw Star Wars and figured out his was the movie he was working on.

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  6. Thank you for sharing! What a great peek into a pivotal cultural moment! I've never heard the term "War Star" used before. Lucas' early drafts from as far back as 1974 called it "The Star Wars" and by the time they were in production, it was just "Star Wars." I wonder if this was an actual "behind-the-scenes" term amongst the production staff, or if Bob just misheard. Then again, War Star = Death Star has a certain logic!

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