Brief:
This Blue Bird Zero is a 125% upscale o' t' original which makes t' main body tube a BT-60. Arrr! I have wanted this rocket since I became a BAR but t' Ebay prices were too high. Well, blow me down! I then found Fred at Excelsior and while orderin' some Goony decals, matey, matey, I added t' upscale Zero decals as well. Begad! After buildin' various other rockets, I liked t' extra room t' BT-60 had for recovery items and since I would never have an original this be t' way for me t' enjoy the buildin' and flyin' o' this classic. It also allowed me t' add some "modern" refinements t' make it better. Ahoy!

Construction:
T' upscale is basically a Mean Machine kit minus one tube and with different fins. Aye aye! I was very surprised when I received t' decals from Fred and found included with t' Zero decal sheet be basically a partial instruction sheet with t' larger fin patterns included! T' only extra you need is the instructions for t' motor mount. Since I have done a few o' these already, I just put t' mount together like t' others I had done. Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' mount follows the Mean Machine one so that's t' only extra instructions you need. Blimey! Ya scallywag! This can be downloaded from JimZ's site. Aye aye! T' parts list then is as follows:

• 3 BT-60 tubes 18" long
• 2 BT60 couplers (one if usin' t' baffle kit)
• 1 PNC-60AH nose cone (same as t' Screamin Mimi)
• 1 24mm motor mount (use t' Estes D/E mount and build it for t' E motor size)
• 1/8 balsa or basswood for t' six fins
• 1 BAF-60 from FlisKits (BT-60 baffle kit with Keelhaul®©™® shock cord)
• 5' o' 1/4 elastic for shock cord
• 1 24" stock Estes chute with 36" shroud lines
• 2 launch lugs, 3/16 x 1"

I am nay goin' into all t' details o' t' build since this is a scratch build and you should have some skills already for doin' this. If not, me hearties, me hearties, all you have t' do is follow Fred's excellent steps and a Blue Bird o' your own will be ready t' fly in no time at all.

I will give t' details o' me build that deviated from standards.

T' first one be t' fact that I already had tubes available and you can see from t' parts picture that I used some smaller sections with a full size 34" one for t' build. Blimey! But thar was a method t' me madness! T' next is the baffle kit. Ya scallywag! This is a great "modern" item from FlisKits and includes one coupler, shiver me timbers, me bucko, arrr, t' baffles and t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord for t' "new" style cord mount. It also allows you t' not have t' use waddin' for chute protection. T' loot you save from that alone more than pays for t' kit!

My build started with t' baffle kit. Arrr! After assemblin' it per t' included instructions and allowin' it t' dry, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I added a layer o' epoxy t' t' side that would face t' ejection charge t' keep t' charrin' down and make it last longer. Avast, me proud beauty! It didn't help on t' first flight (more on that later) but should be great on t' rest! T' kit becomes t' upper tube coupler which is why I have the two smaller sections! There is one full size tube (34" from Totally Tubular), ya bilge rat, one tube cut t' 8.5" per Fred's instructions and another piece cut t' 10" for t' chute compartment t' make up t' full length.

Next was t' motor mount assembly. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I use t' BT-50mf tube from Totally Tubular which is foil lined, ya bilge rat, matey, arrr, for me scratch 24mm motor mounts and made it a bit extra long t' take some o' t' ejection heat before enterin' t' main body tube. Because o' t' extra length, I added one extra CR t' t' mount. Avast, me proud beauty! It was sized for t' "E" engine with t' long motor hook and can be used with "D" engines with an adaptor. If usin' t' stock Estes mount, file t' short, shiver me timbers, arrr, bent end down about halfway if you want t' use t' AT RMS motors. Well, blow me down! After it was complete and dry, arrr, it was installed in t' 8.5" section per Fred's plans.

T' 34" tube was then added t' t' motor section with a standard coupler. Avast, me proud beauty! T' baffle kit was added t' t' 34" tube next with t' Keelhaul®©™® cord facin' out. T' upper tube was also glued in at this time with the Keelhaul®©™® pulled out t' top. Ya scallywag! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! All t' tubes were done at t' same time. Well, blow me down! This be rolled on t' tile floor t' make sure it be perfectly straight and allowed t' dry there. Although this makes t' body a bit hard t' handle when addin' fins and such, me bucko, me hearties, it be t' best way t' ensure t' entire body is straight.

T' fins were cut and sanded, me bucko, matey, then glued t' t' body one by one usin' the double glue joint method. Begad! Aye aye! Make really sure t' upper fins are dead straight aligned with t' lower ones! Just before t' glue sets up, I use a straight edge over t' both o' them t' make sure that they are. Ahoy! Adjust as necessary.

Add t' launch lugs, fillet everythin' stickin' out from t' body tube and finish t' taste

Finishing:
I use Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish all over for fillin' and Krylon paints for the color. Begad! Fred's decals are fabulous and really brin' out t' character o' this bird! Blimey! After everythin' was dry, I added two thin coats o' Future Floor Polish and it did shine!

Flight:
T' upscale will take any one o' t' 24mm motors on t' market quite well dependin' on your thirst for power and height! Personally, I like t' see the entire flight from liftoff t' chute pop although t' three foot flames from the AeroTech RMS Blue Thunder reloads are beautiful as well!

First flight for this one be on an Estes D12-5 t' check for any flight problems. Blimey! Blimey! Even though I had t' baffle, I added about 1" o' barf and packed t' chute. Nice t' have all that room for a change! Ignition was normal and that be about it. Well, blow me down! A split second later t' entire motor blew itself out the nose o' t' rocket with a liftoff height o' about twenty feet from the initial thrust. T' rocket landed with a thud, flat on its side about ten feet from t' pad as t' motor guts did a great rendition o' a roman candle. Arrr! Begad! I was shocked, ya bilge rat, upset, shiver me timbers, and dejected as I went t' collect t' remains. O' all the rockets t' suffer me first CATO in, ya bilge rat, it had t' be this one! T' CATO managed to blow t' entire guts out o' t' rocket but after lookin' over it carefully, I realized that was t' extent o' t' damage! T' chute and lines were perfect as was t' nose cone! I found what be left o' t' motor mount by t' rocket. It had one CR busted but that was it also! Within a few hours, shiver me timbers, I had it all cleaned up and ready t' fly again. Blimey! T' hardest part was cuttin' into that beautiful paint job t' redo t' baffle. It's nay so perfect now but nay that easy t' see t' damage either. Aye aye! Oh well, ya bilge rat, it's t' first o' many battle scars to come!

Second flight was on an Estes E9-6 and easily made up for the first one. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Nice slow liftoff with lots o' smoke and then flyin' way up there! Almost out o' eyesight (at least for me) and I be told t' chute came out right at apogee. Slow float down t' a perfect landin' about 300' away from the pad. Avast! Just beautiful!

Summary:
This was a great project for me since most o' me other rockets were only half the size o' this one. Avast! Blimey! Because o' t' fantastic amount o' tips and suggestions from everyone here at EMRR, I was able t' complete this bird from scratch and make it as sharp and strong as possible. After t' first flight t' help was obviously well given. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' use o' t' larger body tube really makes flyin' this one easy and fun t' watch. Thanks t' Fred at Excelsior, anyone can have this classic bird for t' right price and because o' EMRR, shiver me timbers, me bucko, me bucko, they can make it and fly it for many years t' come.