Brief:
I've always been a fan o' t' mid-'70s Estes fleet. Ahoy! Aye aye! I cloned a Goblin a couple o' years ago and I be lookin' t' do somethin' that would compliment it well. Avast, me proud beauty! Upon lookin' through me '77 Estes catalog I settled on t' Scamp. Begad! However, the spare parts I had weren't quite right. What could I do with a BT-60 body tube and plastic nose cone? How about a Scamp upscale?! Thus, me bucko, t' Maxi-Scamp was born.

Construction:
T' rocket uses a 15 inch long BT-60 body, me hearties, me bucko, a standard BT-60 plastic Estes nose cone, 3/16 inch plywood fins, a 29mm motor mount, two regular Estes launch lugs (one inch long each), one 5/16 x 5.5 inch launch lug (the one you really use), three feet o' 1/4 inch sewin' elastic, and an old nylon flare chute, me bucko, arrr, and a positive motor retention device o' my own design.

T' rocket went together well. Aye aye! After all, it is pretty much a standard 3FNC model. T' fins were t' biggest part of t' project (other than t' finishing) and were shaped usin' me trusty Dremel tool. Ahoy! They were attached by makin' a series o' holes along t' body tube where t' root edge meets it and allowin' t' epoxy t' seep into t' holes as each fin is attached. Begad! Aye aye! It's nay quite as strong as through t' wall fins but it's still pretty strong. Ya scallywag! Arrr! T' motor mount was glued in usin' far more epoxy than be probably needed, but I wasn't takin' any chances. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' shock cord was mounted usin' t' old Estes method but with a whole lot o' epoxy thar too. I wanted t' rocket t' have a "low power" look so I put on standard Estes launch lugs like were on t' original. Well, blow me down! However, I then put on t' heavy duty lug on the other side so it could actually take off without whippin' t' rod like crazy. Aye aye! I wanted t' be real sure t' motor stayed in place, so I took two small plastic tubes and epoxied them on each side o' t' motor mount then threaded in two screws and rigged two wires t' run across t' bottom o' t' motor. Ya scallywag! Begad! Changin' t' motor takes a little time, matey, but it's not goin' anywhere. Ahoy!

I also added 2oz o' nose weight t' ensure I would nay have any stability issues.

Finishing:
T' model was painted usin' black and yellow H2O paint by Krylon, ya bilge rat, which doesn't make me break out in hives. Ahoy! It was fairly easy t' mask off t' one black fin and top black part. Blimey! Aye aye! On t' original, arrr, only t' nose cone is painted black. Since me parts are nay exactly scale, I had t' extend t' black part down t' body 2.5 inches t' get it t' look right. I then scaled up t' decals that I downloaded from Jimz, put them on, hit them with sealer, me hearties, me hearties, and that was it! Now I only had t' get up t' nerve t' fly it.

Flight:
I decided t' fly t' Maxi-Scamp for t' first time at NSL 2006. Aye aye! I was thinkin' about usin' a small motor and then workin' me way up t' t' bigger ones, matey, but I got a great deal on a Roadrunner G80-10. If you've never flown a Roadrunner, you should. They're maxed out and quite frankly scream. Avast, me proud beauty! I screwed in me motor and put t' Scamp on t' pad. T' simulation program that I had used said it should go over 3000 feet. Begad! I be pretty sure I wasn't goin' t' see it again. Begad!

When t' button be pushed thar was a mighty woosh from t' G and a plume o' black smoke that just kept goin' up and up and up... Arrr! Blimey! Soon I lost sight o' it completely. Ahoy! Blimey! I felt a little stupid for puttin' that much motor in it for its first flight, but everyone had gotten quite a show. Arrr! Blimey! I just hoped I had caught it with me camera. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! As it turns out, about an hour later a guy came walkin' up t' me holdin' t' Scamp! Blimey! She was drivin' back t' t' field after lunch and it drifted down right in front o' her car, about a mile from t' range head. Ahoy! Blimey! It was especially cool because all I caught with me camera be a bunch o' smoke. Ahoy! Blimey!

T' second flight was at a Hotroc event. This time I was a little saner and flew it on a Roadrunner F. Begad! Since there was no wind, matey, it landed about 50 yards from t' pad straight up on its fins! I haven't flown it since. Ahoy! I figure I've just about used up me luck. Arrr!

Summary:
I really like this model and may retire it now. Arrr! Ahoy! T' main pro is that it has t' lines and "flavor" o' the Estes original while havin' incredible mid-power performance. Begad! It goes well with me Goblin and I've ordered a PD A-20 Demon t' complete t' trio. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! T' main con is that that incredible performance makes every launch a risk o' bein' the last time you'll ever see it. Blimey! All in all, me bucko, a winner I'd say!