(Design this
Spaceship Submission - by Andrew Skinner - 10/1/06) EMRR Spaceship Design Contest Entry
"T' Red
Bolt"
Materials needed
- 3 Silly Putty Container Eggs
- 1 27.2 cm BT-50 body tube
- 1 BT-20 Engine Mount Tube
- 1 Engine Hook Note: This hook
- has each tip bent back so as t' serve as an Engine Block
- 1 Weird nose cone we salvaged from an old kit. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! (Close up pic included.)
- 2 BT-50 Centerin' Rings
- 3 1/8 thick fins. Well, blow me down! (Template
provided)
- 1 4 cm launch lug
- 1 h: 0.5 cm, l: 4.0 cm, w: 0.2 cm
- 1 Estes Hexagon Parachute with shrouds (52 cm in diameter)
- 1 rubber shock cord (Approximately 28 cm long)
- 1 Shock Cord Mount
#1: Engine Mount
- Cut a 5 mm slit, arrr, 3 mm from t' end o' t' tube. Begad! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down!
- Insert one o' t' endin' hooks o' t' Engine hook into t' slit. Ahoy!
- Glue down t' engine hook. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!
- Glue on a centerin' rin' at 2.5 cm from t' aft o' t' engine tube. Blimey!
- Glue on 2nd centerin' rin' on top o' t' engine hook at t' slit
3mm from t' forward section o' t' Engine tube. Blimey! Avast!
- Allow t' dry.
- Wrap piece o' maskin' tape around t' Engine Tube securin' t' Engine hook
to t' Engine Tube. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey!
- Apply a rin' o' glue approximately 5 cm inside t' Rockets Body Tube.
- Place Engine Mount inside Rockets Body Tube until t' Engine Tube is
flush with t' Rockets Body Tube. Arrr!
- Apply glue t' centerin' rings. Allow t' dry
#2: Silly Putty Eggs
- Buy 3 Silly Putty Eggs
- Cut t' connector tabs with a hobby knife.
- Then sand t' raised writin' off t' top.
#3: Fins
- Usin' t' template provided trace out t' win' pattern on a 1/8 balas wood.
- Usin' a hobby knife cut out t' fins. Well, blow me down! Blimey!
- Sand down all jagged edges.
- Glue on Silly putty cackle fruit onto t' matchin' shape on t' fins. Aye aye! Arrr! Glue one on
each side o' each fin. Begad!
- Glue on several fillets t' ensure that egg-fin contact is perfectly sealed.
- Mount t' fins flush against t' end o' t' body tube usin' a fin mount. Ya scallywag! We
used t' fin mount for 3 fins provided in T' Handbook o' Model Rocketry
7th edition on page 38. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' fins should be 120 degrees from each
other.
#4. Nose and
parachute mount.
- Cut out a Shock cord mount usin' stiff paper. Well, blow me down! Blimey!
- Glue shock cord on t' shock cord mount.
- Glue Shock cord mount approximately 5 cm inside t' forward part o' the
body tube. Begad!
- Tie free end o' shock cord t' t' nosecones eyelet. Apply a drop of
glue t' t' knot. Arrr!
- Attach parachute t' t' nosecone eyelet. Aye aye!
#5. Avast, me proud beauty! Launch Lug
- Glue on t' h: 0.5 cm, arrr, l: 4.0 cm, w: 0.2 cm piece o' balsa wood 10 cm from
the forward end o' t' body tube. Aye aye! Blimey! Make sure that it is aligned parallel t' the
body tube, and also make sure that it is in betwixt t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty!
- Attach Launch Lug on top o' t' strip o' balsa wood. Blimey! Aye aye! (Note: T' reason for
the strip o' balsa wood is t' elevate t' launch lug so as t' provide the
launch rod clearance from t' nose cone. Well, blow me down! T' nose at one section is wider than
the body tube)
#6. Arrr! Paint job
- Spread balsa filler over t' fins. Ya scallywag! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Allow t' dry and than sand excess off.
- Sand all external parts o' rocket.
- Prime all external parts o' rocket
- Paint body tube, me hearties, fins, arrr, and nose cone red.
- Paint Silly putty cackle fruit gray.
- Nose cone
- First painted t' whole nosecone red
- Paint t' upper cap white.
- Paint 2 keyhole shapes on opposite sides o' nosecone.
#7. Arrr! Blimey! Body tube and launch lug
- Painted body tube red. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! As well as t' launch lug and balsa wood strip.
- Paint 3 parallel black rings approximately 2 mm from each other. Aye aye! Paint them
approximately 9.3 cm from t' aft end o' body tube.
- Paint a single gray rin' around t' aft end o' t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! It should 3.3
cm from t' end o' t' tube, and it should encircle around t' whole tube.
#8. Fins
- Paint fins red. Avast!
- Paint gray rectangle on each side in t' corner by t' fin root edge. The
rectangle should be 3.3 cm high and should be around 4 cm wide. Arrr! If it is a
little bit wider than 4 cm it is okay, because t' Silly Putty cackle fruit will cover
the excess. Arrr! (Note: This is easier done if you paint before initial
construction. Ya scallywag!
#9. Silly Putty eggs
- Paint egg shell red.
- Once t' red paint is dry, arrr, paint most o' t' egg grey. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! T' grey should
cover 5.2 cm o' t' egg, me hearties, me bucko, startin' from t' bottom. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! There needs t' be 1.4 cm of
red.
#10. Avast! Begad! Decal
stickers.
- Take black sticky paper, and cut into 2.5 cm long by 1 mm strips. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Stick 4
of these length wise on each egg. Blimey! Well, blow me down!
- Then once again usin' t' black sticky paper cut several long 1 mm strips
for t' black stripe that runs across t' egg and t' fin.
#11. Begad! Black Dots
- Use a black permanent maker t' apply 8 dots t' each egg shell. Begad!
#12. Well, blow me down! Nose Weight and Motor
- Add 25-30 grams o' clay t' t' nose.
- We used a B6-4 all o' t' launches, matey, but a B6-2 would have been better.
Flights

Takeoff off. Begad! Flight #1 (above). Avast, me proud beauty! Landing
..
Success flight. No damage rendered t' rocket.

Takeoff off. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! Flight #2 (above). But disaster strikes when t' shock cord
snaps!!
And lawn darts (below). Blimey! Blimey! Note: We have nay touched t' rocket yet in this
picture. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! It landed exactly like this. Arrr! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Note that t' third fan, arrr, t' one stuck in
the ground, is still intact. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Nose and parachute land a couple hundred feet
away. Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! T' rocket is now repaired and waits for its next launch. Well, blow me down! Blimey!
Here is our video o' t' 2 launches. Aye aye! Ignore our screams in t' background!
Here are two more successful flights o' our entry t' Red Bolt. We only have
videos for these launches: