Brief:
I have converted t' Peck Polymers Jetex-powered Rocketboy rocket glider t' an Estes-powered boost glider. Ahoy! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! One o' t' tricks in designin' boost gliders is assurin' good flyin' qualities both under rocket boost and while glidin' after ejection o' t' boost motor. Since t' Rocketboy is also designed t' be launched by rubber band catapult as well as by t' anaemic Jetex, and t' motor placement was at t' CG, ya bilge rat, I decided this model be a good candidate for conversion t' Estes power for more fun.

Modifications:
Materials needed: one Peck Polymers Rocketboy kit, ya bilge rat, one Custom Rockets Twister kit, plus a sheet o' 1/64" plywood t' cut out fuselage doublers.

Buildin' sequence:

1. 5-minute epoxy is used throughout, me hearties, although sparingly--this is a glider!
2. Glue t' balsa nose cone onto t' Twister body tube, and set aside. Avast! (You can use any 18mm tumble recovery rocket here, or make your own motor pod.)
3. Trim t' Rocketboy fuselage t' relocate t' horizontal stabilizer 5/16" lower on t' aft fuselage, and t' top o' t' motor cut-out 3/16" higher that shown on t' plans, me hearties, and exactly parallel t' t' original location. Avast, me proud beauty! (You are doin' this t' prevent t' rocket exhaust from incinerating the tails and stab.)
4. Add a stick o' hard 3/16" balsa t' raise t' win' mount area on top of the fuselage and fair in t' t' contours o' t' "cockpit".
5. Trace out t' forward 1/3 o' t' modified Rocketboy fuselage onto the 1/64" ply (from t' aft o' t' motor cut-out forward); make two. This stuff cuts with scissors. Glue in place on t' fuselage
6. Glue t' stock kit balsa fuselage doublers on top o' t' 1/64" doublers
7. Glue t' Twister motor pod into t' correspondin' space in t' Rocketboy fuselage, fillin' t' gaps betwixt t' doublers with 3/16" balsa scrap. Begad! Blimey!
8. Complete t' assembly per t' Rocketboy instructions. Ahoy! It is nay necessary to "airfoil" t' balsa wings, shiver me timbers, just smoothly round t' win' leading edges with fine sandpaper. Aye aye! T' flyin' surfaces and motor pod are all exactly parallel t' one another, 0-0-0 degrees incidence relative t' one another. Begad! Note placement o' t' Twister launch lug on t' Rocketboy (see photo)--centered at 2/3 win' chord, shiver me timbers, t' balance point.
9. Balance motorless Rocketboy Custom for a nice flat glide when hand-launched briskly straight ahead. Expect t' use two pennies or two nickels taped t' the nose t' achieve this (see photos). Avast! Trim for a gentle turn if you know how t' do this (I don't bother). Aye aye! I fly mine unpainted.

Construction:
A streamlined 18mm Estes motor mount was added t' Rocketboy by graftin' in the body and balsa nose cone o' a Custom Rockets Twister kit. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Only a few other minor modifications were required t' create a Rocketboy Custom. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I must say that I chose t' create this conversion in order t' have a rocket boost glider that required no "tricks" t' transition from boost t' glide; I have since discovered t' Edmonds TINEE and CiCi models, me hearties, which do this superbly and are a blast t' fly. Blimey! With a little more fiddling, matey, Rocketboy Custom can probably fly every bit as good as these models. Avast! Blimey! Construction is slower and more "classic" however, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, as are t' funky, me bucko, 1930's Lockheed looks o' the twin-tailed Rocketboy, shiver me timbers, me bucko, which resembles Amelia Earhart's Electra or t' obsolete Hudson bombers me Dad flew in WWII. Avast! Well, blow me down! Looks cool glidin' overhead.

T' Rocketboy kit itself is excellent although I have never flown one as it was intended by t' manufacturers. Well, blow me down! T' fact that it is designed for rubber band catapult launch speaks t' t' fine balance o' this well-known design under "boost" as well as glide--why I think it has such good potential for conversion t' rocket boost.

Flight:
Use a B6-2 or B6-0 for this model, me bucko, with an A8-3 for t' first powered flight. Fit t' motor loosely into t' pod with just a bit o' maskin' tape on the outside t' keep it from droppin' out. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! When launchin' Rocketboy, be certain that the ignition leads will nay snag t' rudders on blast-off, or your glider will attain maximum spectator entertainment value and an altitude o' three inches. As with all aircraft, arrr, you should avoid take-off with a bilge-suckin' cross wind. Climb on a B6-2 is high and stable, with an archin' and rollin' moment. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Do nay fly Rocketboy Custom on a C6 motor, arrr, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, or you will overspeed t' airframe (the wing mount wood fails, arrr, nay t' glue). Blimey! Ya scallywag! Peck-Polymer kits are nay that widely distributed, so if you're considerin' buildin' a Rocketboy Custom, you can contact them at P.O. Aye aye! Box 710399, Santee, matey, me hearties, CA 92072, matey, ya bilge rat, or visit their website. Arrr! Even though it is not on their website, shiver me timbers, they still carry t' Rocketboy. Avast, me proud beauty! It's $16.49 direct from Peck-Polymers. Begad! Ya scallywag! Enjoy.

Recovery:T' glide is pretty good, matey, although in me hands, me hearties, arrr, I wouldn't say t' scuttle rate is contest quality. I haven't got 30 seconds out o' it yet. Ya scallywag! I noted a fallin' leaf stall tendency on t' first flight, so I added another penny t' t' nose.

Summary:
PROs:

• A different kind o' fun-fly boost glider, unusual looks. Begad! Blimey!
• Easy t' build. Aye aye! Aye aye! Blimey!
• No separate pod or "mechanism" t' build--just insert motor and fly.

CONs:

• A little too heavy for boost rocket contest flyin' at present. Begad!
• Need t' fuss and fiddle a lot t' get it trimmed properly for good gliding. Buy an Edmonds CiCi if you don't like t' do this.

Other:
Might be a good idea t' paint t' stab and tails with white primer-filler if any scorchin' is noticed from t' rocket motor. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I had t' fix this problem by relocatin' t' stab lower relative t' t' motor axis after I set fire t' the tail on t' first flight