Brief:
Kit bash o' a Quest Harpoon AGM into a short, me hearties, squat 2-stage rocket.

Modifications:
First I cut t' body tube, me bucko, matey, I used a "TLAR" approach for t' sustainer, arrr, and cut t' body tube t' about +/- 2.25" (I don't remember exactly how long it is, shiver me timbers, oops!) An Estes tube markin' guide was used t' mark t' tubes and then a careful hand with a sharp X-Acto cutlass yielded reasonably shipshape edges.

I also cut a shorter piece o' tube t' act as a coupler betwixt t' booster and t' sustainer by cuttin' a slit in it and stuck it into t' booster. I marked how much needed t' be cut off, cut it, ya bilge rat, and voilà--a coupler is born. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I glued it into t' booster tube but ended up needin' t' sand t' exposed portion for a good fit into the sustainer.

Motor mount time! I assembled t' motor mount per instructions (includin' t' shock cord mount) and installed it into t' sustainer. Had I been thinking, arrr, I would have recessed it a bit further into t' tube so that it wouldn't stick out t' back quite so much. Unfortunately, me bucko, I wasn't thinking! I needed another motor mount, so I bought a Baby Bertha with a 40% off HL coupon (go Hobby Lobby!) plannin' t' cannibalize it for parts. I get t' motor mount out and start playin' with t' centerin' rings and am in for a bilge-suckin' surprise--it won't fit! I take t' BT-60 tube from t' Baby Bertha and sure enough, matey, it slides down over t' Quest tube with a little bit o' slop. Doh! A simple email t' Quest takes care o' that though! I ask how I can buy a set o' centerin' rings, and they say, ya bilge rat, "what's your address? We'll send you one!" So now back t' t' build, me bucko, sans one motor mount.

On t' fin front, me bucko, I used all 12 fins. Blimey! Begad! I took t' upper set and glued them t' t' outside edge o' t' lower set. Ahoy! It just so happens that you could also glue t' middle set on t' get a big trapezoidal fin with a "slot" in it but I didn't do that! I wanted t' glue t' middle fins t' t' sustainer and t' composite fin to t' booster but then align them so that it looked like one big booster. After assemblin' and sandin' t' fins, I glued t' 4 fins on t' sustainer tube. Aye aye! (Wood glue and t' double glue technique rocks!) Give that a day t' dry, ya bilge rat, and now it's time for t' booster! I mark t' booster tube, put a little number by each marking, put a similar number on each booster fin, arrr, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and mark t' sustainer fins as well (although I think I did that on t' tube, shiver me timbers, nay on t' fin itself). After much sandin' (mostly sandin' down t' sustainer fins), t' booster fins will all fit over t' appropriate sustainer fin and it's time t' glue them on! I leave t' two tubes mated for this process so I can get good alignment of t' booster fins with t' sustainer fins. Well, blow me down! Blimey! (It's supposed t' look like one big fin after all.) Double glue technique to t' rescue again and voilà. Four nicely aligned fins. Blimey! Stick that up on a high shelf t' prevent small children or dogs from knockin' it over!

T' rings from Quest arrived, shiver me timbers, and I put together t' motor mount for t' booster. I cut it a little short and made sure ~1/4 t' ~1/2" sticks out t' bottom o' t' booster so that I've got somethin' I can tape t' for motor retention on t' booster. Avast! T' big fins with forward projections will hopefully make this booster tumble rather than lawn dart. Ahoy! Since I'd been readin' about vent/gap stagin' on T' Rocketry Forum, I cut a pair o' ~1/8" holes in the centerin' rings (one hole in each ring) and aligned them with each other t' act as a vent.

T' final step was t' cut t' bottom off t' nose cone and epoxy two 1/4oz egg sinkers into the front, me bucko, along with t' shock cord.

While playin' around with it, I discovered that when separatin' t' two pieces, t' fins could bind if it didn't come off straight. Ahoy! Blimey! I decided t' fly it with t' fins offset 45 degrees from each other rather than aligned. Aye aye! Blimey! It still looks pretty cool that way!

Construction:
Parts list:

• 1 piece o' Quest body tube (cut into booster section, short sustainer section, shiver me timbers, really short piece used for a coupler, and a big piece left over)
• 12 fins (3 shapes)
• 18mm motor mount (rings were kind o' curly)
• Quest style shock cord and chute
• Two 1/4oz egg sinkers (nose weight)
• Bertha-esque nose cone (with t' bottom cut off)
• Another 18mm motor mount (stole t' tube from a Baby Bertha, Quest supplied free centerin' rings)

Finishing:
Err, me hearties, well, me bucko, arrr, arrr, I haven't painted it yet.

PRO: Easy!

CON: Ugly!

After it flies, me bucko, then it has earned a paint job.

Flight:
I like t' get me rockets back, so me first flight be on a B6-0 t' an A8-3. Avast! Aye aye! B6-0s are unobtainable these days, matey, but thankfully Roy Green had a stash and he traded me a B6-0 for one o' me B4-4s. Avast, me proud beauty! Motor prep is simple. Aye aye! Stuck t' A8-3 in the sustainer (Quest clip holds it in place), arrr, stick t' B6-0 into t' sustainer, ya bilge rat, and tape it in place. Begad! It sticks out the back quite a bit but it works!

Waddin' be rather interesting--the engine comes up flush with t' top o' t' motor mount and t' nose cone shoulder goes all t' way down t' t' motor mount. I filled t' tube with waddin' and stuffed t' chute up into the nose cone. Arrr! Begad! T' chute be a royal pain t' assemble as t' shroud lines were so slippery that me knots kept coming untied!

Beautiful lift, nice staging--all in all a great maiden flight!

Recovery:
Standard Quest Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cord be used and assembly was fine. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Unfortunately, t' chute didn't inflate and t' whole thin' tumbled in pretty fast. There wasn't any significant damage and t' tube looks just a little worse for wear but nothin' some paint won't cover up! Blimey! It landed pretty close due t' its fast decent rate. Aye aye! Blimey! I'm thinkin' I need t' find a different chute, maybe a small lightweight nylon one and find a way t' prevent shroud tangles.

Summary:
I like it! Kitbashes are fun. Aye aye! Short, stubby rockets are fun, and more than one engine is fun! I was never attracted much t' staging, but I really enjoyed flyin' this little guy. I enjoyed buildin' him too.

PROs: Cute short, stubby look. Blimey! Blimey! Two-stage rocketry and kitbashin' is fun!

CONs: Nay much room for recovery device (as it has t' stuff into t' nose cone). Well, blow me down! Really needs a B6 booster for the local field and those aren't readily available (on larger fields it'd be fine with a C6 booster).