Brief:
This is a plastic model conversion o' t' Soviet SS-6 Sapwood Heavy Strategic Missile manufactured by t' Russian company, me hearties, Maquette. Avast, me proud beauty! T' scale is 1:144. Ahoy! I picked this model up at War & Pieces in West Hartford, CT. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! This store carries a lot o' Eastern European kits, and I really liked t' looks o' t' rocket. Avast! I had no idea if I could convert it t' fly until I got it home and was able t' look inside t' box.

Modifications:
Interestingly, t' instructions for t' model have some English on them, but most o' t' writin' is in Russian. Begad! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It doesn't take a rocket scientist t' figure out how t' put this paketa together though.

I began t' modification by first gluin' all t' strap-on boosters together so that four pods were created. Blimey! T' fins are already a detailed part o' t' boosters, so this was an easy step. I simply glued two halves together and I be complete. Aye aye! All parts were in halves and were vertical pieces.

T' central body tube is almost wide enough t' contain a central 13mm motor mount. Well, blow me down! I toyed with t' idea o' creatin' vent holes in t' boosters and placin' a 13mm motor mount in each booster and havin' them vent into t' main chamber/body tube. Ya scallywag! I then decided that this be too much hassle and would create too many chances for failure. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I decided after much thought that t' way t' achieve what I needed was t' remove some o' t' body tube and replace it with a slightly larger internal diameter BT-5 body tube. I began by gluin' t' main body tube together. Begad! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I measured what needed t' be removed t' house a standard 13mm motor and motor block. Begad! Ahoy! I then cut off 1 5/8" off t' bottom o' t' plastic body tube. Begad! I replaced this with BT-5 tubin' o' t' same length plus a small shoulder that I be able t' epoxy into t' plastic body tube. Blimey! I tied some Keelhaul®©™ around a motor block and glued t' motor block into t' rocket as well, me bucko, feedin' t' Keelhaul®©™ up through t' body tube.

Next, I glued t' four boosters onto t' main body tube. Blimey! I then added clay and BBs t' t' nose cone (fillin' both halves completely) before gluin' them together. Blimey! I did insert a screw eye in t' nose cone so that I would be able t' tie t' Keelhaul®©™to t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! I also glued a launch lug on t' upper portion o' t' body tube.

Last but nay least, arrr, I glued each nozzle onto a plate (4 nozzles per plate) which then fit on t' bottom o' each strap-on booster. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! There was another nozzle plate for t' central motor, matey, but this is only for looks since it has t' be removed for t' 13mm motor. Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' nozzle plates were glued on t' t' model after t' paintin' o' t' entire model be complete.

Construction:

T' plastic model parts used in this conversion consist o' t' following:

• 2 nose cone pieces
• 2 body tube pieces
• 8 strap-on booster pieces
• many parts for t' engine nozzle details (approximately 25 pieces)

What I needed t' add t' make t' conversion:

• short length o' 13mm tubing
• motor block
• Keelhaul®©™
• launch lug
• screw eye
• nose weight (clay, shiver me timbers, BB's, me bucko, epoxy)
• streamer or small parachute

Finishing:
There were no decals included with t' model. Arrr! T' suggested color for t' model is "Soviet Green overall" with silver for t' nozzles. Arrr! I airbrushed t' entire model with a kind o' olive green that had darker shades o' forest green and silver in it. Well, blow me down! I then airbrushed t' 5 nozzle plates silver then dry brushed t' inside o' each nozzle with red. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! All paints I used were acrylics. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! This is actually a pretty easy paint scheme and was fun t' put together.

Flight:
Motor prep is simple. Aye aye! Blimey! T' A10 is friction fit. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I used waddin' and then prepped t' chute. Begad! Blimey! T' nose cone is also friction fit (see below for more detail).

T' only motor I would recommend would be t' A10-3T. Aye aye! Blimey! I flew t' Sapwood three times usin' this motor selection. Avast! Blimey! In these initial flights, I used a small parachute. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Given t' size o' t' body tube, I would recommend usin' a streamer instead. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' parachute remained clumped durin' every launch, ya bilge rat, probably due t' it bein' crammed inside a small space.

There is one distinct CON with this model: t' nose cone has a shoulder o' about 2mm, so it does nay sit very well on t' top o' t' rocket. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I solved this by tapin' some maskin' tape t' t' bottom o' t' nose cone around t' shoulder. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! This gave t' shoulder a little more length and allowed for a better friction fit.

T' first and third flights were almost identical. Arrr! Arrr! T' boost be surprisingly good considerin' t' weight o' t' rocket. T' altitude, arrr, arrr, matey, while nay astounding, ya bilge rat, was respectable. Aye aye! T' three second delay worked fine, shiver me timbers, and t' rocket landed fine. Begad! Blimey! By t' third launch, matey, shiver me timbers, t' body tube be showin' signs o' stress and be beginnin' t' come apart at t' seams. Begad! Ahoy! A little CA glue would cure this little problem.

T' second flight be very strange. It did nay boost as high as t' first flight and t' ejection was very late. Well, blow me down! Nonetheless, me hearties, t' rocket be unharmed. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I wonder if I actually had a A10 in thar or if t' motor was mislabeled or malfunctioned.

Recovery:
As stated before, shiver me timbers, t' rocket could probably use a good streamer rather than a parachute. Avast, me proud beauty! Also, matey, after a few landings, me hearties, t' rocket was beginnin' t' come apart at t' glue joints. Avast, me proud beauty! With careful flyin' and maintenance, ya bilge rat, this rocket should last.

Summary:
As far as plastic model conversions (PMC) go, arrr, shiver me timbers, matey, I thought this was a pretty easy project (this is only me fourth or fifth PMC). Begad! Blimey! T' rocket is unique. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I have nay heard o' anyone else convertin' this model. Blimey! Blimey! It looks great and it flies remarkably well considerin' t' size o' t' tiny fins on t' four boosters. Begad! Blimey! T' price was pretty good, me hearties, too. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! As I recall, shiver me timbers, I paid probably less than $10 for t' model.

There is little room for a recovery device. Avast, me proud beauty! T' nose cone does nay fit well and t' flyer does nay have much motor choice, but overall, matey, I think it is a fun project.