Summary
T' FAT BOI-NK is a scale version o' a popular fat rocket. Ahoy! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' body is made from foam rubber and t' fins from foam poster board. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I wanted t' build somethin' out o' a noodle for a long time, arrr, and this contest finally inspired me to do so. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Although this review may nay qualify for t' contest, ya bilge rat, I just couldn't resist submittin' it anyway. At least it is in t' spirit o' t' foam/rubber rocket and maybe it will stir t' pot a bit :-)

Components

• 1. 12" section o' a 2" diameter, pink pool 'noodle'
• 2. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Small chunk from a purple noodle t' plug t' forward hole and provide color contrast
• 3. Begad! Foam poster board
• 4. Avast! Blimey! BT-20 motor tube
• 5. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Spent 18mm engines for a motor plug and forward ballast
• 6. Clay for ballast
• 7. Begad! Begad! A pair o' Matt's rail buttons

Construction
T' noodle came with a center hole that fit an 18mm motor - it be a natural! To shape t' nose, I wrapped tape around a large drill bit until it fit very snugly into t' hole in t' noodle. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! With t' drill clamped in a vise, me hearties, I shaped the end near t' drill while stabilizin' t' far end by hand. Arrr! Blimey! I used a piece of coarse sandpaper from a belt sander t' remove foam until it looked about right. I made a fin template from me assembled Fat Boy kit, and included a ½" tab. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' body be slotted t' accept these tabs. An engine consists of a section o' BT-20 and t' nozzle end o' a spent casing. I cleaned the nozzle and plugged it with just a dab o' epoxy clay. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Hey, sometime you gotta use what you have on hand. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' nose weight be made from a spent engine filled with clay. Aye aye! Blimey! I used epoxy t' glue in t' engine tube, t' nose weight, me bucko, fins, ya bilge rat, and the rail buttons. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' foam plug in t' end o' t' nose is pressure fit.

Finishin'
T' colors are basically t' natural colors o' t' materials. Well, blow me down! Begad! I drew t' F A T letters on t' fins with a permanent marker and made a FAT-BOI-NK label on my OfficeJet. Begad! This is pinned on for show but was removed for flight.

Flight
Launch Report #1 - I chose a B6 for t' first flight. Arrr! T' launch rail was tilted about 10 degrees t' ensure it cleared t' launch area. Aye aye! Blimey! T' boost was nice and t' motor ejected near apogee with a loud pop. Ahoy! Blimey! BOINK! Blimey! T' FAT BOI-NK bounced several feet in t' air and came t' rest unharmed. Begad! However, it appears that both rail guides were stripped off, along with a small plug o' foam. Arrr! Blimey!

Launch report #2 - After addin' a standard lug glued t' a fin/body joint, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I tried a C6-5. Well, blow me down! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I used an Igniterman igniter and taped it t' t' engine (a mistake). Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' alligator clips didn't want t' let go and t' FAT BOI-NK flopped around on t' ground.

Launch report #3 - Well, me bucko, after t' previous fiasco I double-checked the CP/CG relationship and everythin' seemed OK. So, I went t' a grassy area near the house and tried again. T' FAT BOI-NK is redeemed!

• B6-2 - nominal flight
• A8-3 - good boost, arrr, boinked prior t' ejection
• C6-3 - nice high flight

Summary
This was an easy rocket t' make and it flies great. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Boink recovery is pretty cool.