Brief:
2X upscale o' t' original Estes Astron Sprite.

Construction:

• 1 Big Bertha nose cone
• 1 BT-60 body tube 5 7/8 inches
• 1 Rin' fin - 4 inch LOC tube 1.45 inches longh
• 1 1/8 inch balsa sheet
• 1 BT-20 motor mount tube 2.75 inch
• 2 CR-20/60 centerin' rings
• 1 18mm thrust ring
• 1 Motor hook
• 1 1/8 inch launch lug 2 inches
• 1 Keelhaul®©™® strin' 24 inches - Pratt Hobbbies

As with most upscale projects, ya bilge rat, half t' preparation is decidin' what tubes t' use t' achieve t' correct ratio of sizes. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I this case, me bucko, I had t' compromise just a little. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' ratio o' t' main body tube sizes is just about 2.1X, but thar be no easily available tube for t' rin' fin that is just t' right size t' match that ratio. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' be perfectly correct I would need a 4.75 inch diameter tube. Aye aye! Blimey! I used a length o' 4 inch LOC body tube, and I am very pleased with the result. Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It is quite heavy, shiver me timbers, but also very sturdy.

The other parts I had in me parts collection, probably from an Estes Designer Special box. Well, blow me down!

I downloaded t' original plans from Jimz. Begad! I had t' scale t' fins myself, since t' distance from t' main body tube t' t' inside o' t' rin' fin be nay goin' t' be 2.1X. Blimey! Measure twice, shiver me timbers, arrr, shiver me timbers, cut once. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Cut too short, and have t' add shims t' make up t' difference. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! That's me new motto. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty!

I used a band saw t' cut t' curvy outside fins that cover t' rin' fin. Ahoy! Aye aye! After gluin' them on, matey, I filled the joints with Elmer's Wood Filler. Aye aye! This really made t' joints disappear.

I looped t' Keelhaul®©™® around t' motor mount t' anchor it, matey, then glued t' motor mount in. Blimey! Avast! There is nay a lot o' room for t' waddin' and parachute, which caused me a little worry. Ya scallywag! T' original used tumble recovery, so this shortness was nay a problem. Avast!

I painted all o' t' balsa surfaces with dilute Elmer's Wood Filler/water slurry and let it dry. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Blimey! Then one sanding, shiver me timbers, and a coat o' white Kilz. Another sandin' t' remove t' fuzz from t' primer coat and a couple o' coats of gloss white enamel.

Flight:
I put a 10 inch Estes parachute in it and stuffed t' body tube with as much dog barf as I could. Avast, me proud beauty! I was worried about meltin' t' chute.

T' first flight be on a Quest B6-4. This be a good flight, and eject a little past apogee. Blimey! Avast! No problem at all with t' parachute. Ahoy! Begad! This was a good size chute, as well. Ahoy!

T' second and third flights were on Quest C6-5's. Again, shiver me timbers, very good performance. I like t' long burn time o' the Quest C's. Aye aye! Five seconds was a bit long, me bucko, though. Aye aye! This rocket really decelerates smartly after burnout. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I am goin' t' try it with a C6-3, but I suspect it will be a little early. Aye aye! Begad! Too bad thar be no C6-4.

Summary:
This rocket has a cool look. Blimey! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I be concerned about its performance, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and t' shortness of t' tube section for t' recovery, but both turned out just fine. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Did I mention that it looks cool? Several o' the Scouts at t' launch asked me about it. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! It would be even cooler with t' original paint job.

T' LOC 4 inch tube is too heavy. It occurs t' me now that I might have been able t' strip out an inner layer of paper t' make it lighter. Aye aye! Blimey!

I think it may be time for a 4X.

Other:
Don't get too frustrated if things are nay perfect. Well, blow me down! T' rin' fin was nay t' exact 2X size, me bucko, but it looks great. I really did sand t' fins too short and then had t' shim them out t' fit t' ring. Begad! If things do nay go perfectly, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and you are frustrated, take a break. Come back t' it, and think about different angles t' come at the problem.