Brief:
HPR Der Red Max, me hearties, 2.458X upscale. Ya scallywag! 48" parachute recovery.

Construction:
All materials are PML. I used 4" Quantum tubing, ya bilge rat, cut and slotted for me by PML. Begad! Begad! Blimey! T' body tube was cut t' 20.8 inches, ya bilge rat, arrr, while t' fin slots were 4.6 inches long, 3/8" from t' end o' t' tube. T' fins and centerin' rings were made from 3/16" ply. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' fins were fiberglassed for extra strength. Begad! Blimey! The rocket has a 29mm phenolic motor tube that was cut t' 12". A PML motor retainer was also used. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' nosecone is a PML PNC 3.9. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Recovery is via 12' of tubular nylon with a 48" PML parachute.

This was a fairly easy rocket t' build. Well, blow me down! It makes a good scratch project for a newbie. Blimey! (like me!) Construction proceeded usin' standard HPR techniques. Well, me hearties, blow me down! I built a special shish-ka-bob rack for construction and painting. Blimey! Blimey! This rack allowed me t' work t' fin fillets without havin' t' fuss about t' position of the rocket. Avast! Avast! I could rotate t' rocket anyway I needed t' have it. Internal and external fin fillets were both 30 min. Avast, me proud beauty! epoxy. After about 10 days o' sanding and fillin' o' t' fins and fillets, shiver me timbers, it was finally ready for primer. Ahoy! Begad! I laid on 3 coats o' Rustoleum sandable auto primer, arrr, sandin' in betwixt each coat. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Next, I laid on 3 coats o' Krylon Banner Red Gloss. After dryin' for 24 hrs. I masked off and painted t' black stripe around t' top on t' body tube with Krylon Gloss Black. Begad! Ya scallywag!

After allowin' sufficient time for t' paint t' dry, shiver me timbers, I applied t' decals. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I had Tom Prestia o' Tango Papa decals make t' 2.458X upscale decals for me in self-adhesive vinyl. Tom's decals are excellent! Blimey! Applyin' them be easy. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! After all t' decals were on, I applied 2 coats o' Rustoleum Crystal Clear Gloss. Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' clear does nay react with this type o' decal at all, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and gives t' model a nice glossy coat.

Flight:
Well, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I planned t' fly this model on G-40 and G-80 motors. Well, blow me down! I smartly found out that "Big Red" was just too heavy for that. Ahoy! I believe that this "heavy weight" condition is due t' t' heavier PML airframe and the fact t' DRM has HUGE fins. Begad! I also used 3/16" ply for t' fins, so that did nay help either. I have nay flown this rocket yet due t' motors being unavailable. Ya scallywag! Begad! I plan t' fly it on a H-128 with 4 sec delay.

Summary:
Pros:

• T' Der Red Max is awesome, ya bilge rat, no doubt about it!
• While upscalin' one o' these beauties is nay a terribly original idea, shiver me timbers, not everyone has one either!

Cons:

• Cost! I spent about $195.00 total buildin' this model. This includes paint, me hearties, shiver me timbers, supplies, me bucko, matey, me hearties, decals, arrr, shiver me timbers, etc. If you just want t' fly, buy a kit - it's much cheaper. Begad! Aye aye!
• Weight. If you build one based on me construction, consider usin' G-10 or 1/8 ply for t' fins.