Brief:

Conversion o' Lansbergen Delta II t' fly on 18mm motors. Arrr! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' particular Delta II that I chose t' model was Delta 7920-8 247, me hearties, launcher o' t' solar observation satellite ACE. T' plans are available on t' Caltech web site.

Modifications:

T' model is a 10 page PDF file. Avast, me proud beauty! I printed t' 3 pages o' instructions on regular paper, me bucko, t' 3 sheets o' boosters be printed on 65lb cardstock, and t' remainin' pages were printed on 110lb cardstock. Well, blow me down! For t' main tubes, me hearties, I used full width tabs so t' body be double thickness. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! It turned out that BT-50 body tube be perfect for t' couplers. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I made an 18mm engine mount with CR2050P centerin' rings. T' rings were spaced t' exactly line up with t' booster mountin' holes. Well, blow me down! T' body sections were joined and t' motor mount was glued in. Well, blow me down! Holes were drilled through t' booster mountin' holes and almost through t' centerin' rings. Avast! 18 dowels made from round toothpicks were cut t' 5/8" each and glued into t' booster mountin' holes. Aye aye! T' booster tubes were rolled double thickness and t' holes on t' booster were opened up. I poked a pin through t' hole location and open them up with a round toothpick. Ahoy! T' booster tubes were glued onto t' dowels with t' dowel goin' all t' way t' t' opposite inside wall and glued there. Begad! T' booster nose cones and exhaust nozzles were rolled and attached. Arrr! Aye aye! Boosters 4, me bucko, me hearties, 5, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and 6 have a larger exhaust nozzle so take care when attachin' them. Well, blow me down! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' main nose cone was rolled and a nose cone shoulder be rolled from double thickness 110lb stock. Avast! I made t' shoulder 1" long so thar would be plenty o' room for nose weight. Ahoy! I used a standard paper shock cord mount on each end o' t' 36" shock cord. Ya scallywag! I used a 12" chute made from a plastic table cloth. Arrr! I didn't know where t' CG should be so I took an educated guess and balanced it just forward o' t' boosters. Begad! I then did a swin' test and it turned out that it be stable at that balance point. Avast! I put a C6-5 into t' mount and added enough clay t' t' nose t' brin' t' balance point back t' t' previously determined location. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! It took .7oz o' clay t' balance which brought t' all up weight t' 2.0 oz. A couple o' coats o' clear were sprayed on and it was done. Blimey!

Construction:

T' followin' is a list o' materials that I used in t' construction.

Finishing:

Everythin' be pre-printed and only a couple coats o' clear were required.

Flight:

Based on t' weight, ya bilge rat, I determined that an A8-3, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, B6-4, or C6-5 would be appropriate. Blimey! Aye aye! T' day o' t' first launch be as ideal a day as one could ask for: sunny blue skies, temperature in t' 70's, and almost a complete lack o' wind with occasional gusts t' 5mph or less. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I chose a B6-4 for t' first flight. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' motor mount has an engine hook so no tape was needed. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I used "dog barf" for wadding. Aye aye! Avast! I be a little apprehensive because o' t' lack o' fins but t' flight was perfectly straight. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket was easy t' follow and ejection was just about at apogee.

Recovery:

T' recovery on t' 12" chute was slightly faster than I would have liked considerin' all t' boosters stickin' out. Avast! It was flown in a corn field and it happened t' hit a corn stalk upon landin' and knocked one o' t' boosters loose. T' damage be minor and was easily repaired. Begad! I didn't fix it until I got home so I could inspect all t' booster attachments. Arrr! T' rest were all solid. I think I will switch t' a 14" chute for t' next flight.

Summary:

I am really happy with t' end result. Arrr! Avast! T' rocket be nay difficult t' build for anyone with a little cardstock modelin' experience. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' price was right (read: free), and when completed, you have a good representation o' a rocket that is nay often modeled.