Brief:
This is a very stand-off scale model o' t' Little Joe I. Begad! Ya scallywag! It is 2.6" in diameter, has a 29mm mount, and is based on a custom-turned Mercury capsule that was donated by an anonymous guest for the Nekkid Rocket Photo Contest. On t' real Little Joe I, arrr, t' body is larger in diameter than t' capsule. Arrr! In mine, ya bilge rat, me bucko, t' capsule fits t' body tube.

Construction:
T' followin' are t' major components used:

• 2.6" phenolic tube, 8.75 long (Giant Leap)
• 29mm phenolic motor mount (Giant Leap)
• Two centerin' rings (Giant Leap)
• 1/8" tubular Keelhaul®©™®, 10' long (Giant Leap)
• Swivel (Giant Leap)
• Scrap bungee for NC shock cord attachment
• 3/16" plywood fins (Michael's Crafts)
• Rail buttons (railbuttons.com)
• Two T-nuts (Home Depot)
• Lead shot

This be a straightforward build: 4FNC with through-the-wall fins. I got the measurements for t' body tube and fins from Rockets o' t' World (RotW). Blimey!

T' fins are thick. Nay that they had t' be, shiver me timbers, arrr, but I had the 3/16" ply and delusions o' bevelin' them heavily. Begad! I slotted t' fin slots usin' a Dremel. Avast! T' make sure I didn't chip t' end o' t' phenolic tube at the slots, shiver me timbers, I inserted t' aft centerin' ring. Well, blow me down! Next, arrr, matey, I attached t' front rin' to the motor tube, me bucko, with t' end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord goin' through t' ring. I used 5-minute epoxy throughout. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' motor tube was then installed with t' aft rin' bein' dry-fit. Begad! Blimey! T' latter was then removed and t' fins were glued in. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Here I ran into a problem that I seem to keep making: I didn't check t' alignment o' t' shock cord which was epoxied to t' motor tube. O' course, matey, matey, it ended up perfectly aligned with a fin slot! T' fix was easy, as I notched t' tab on one o' t' fins so that it cleared the shock cord. Ahoy! Blimey!

I made small external fillets and thick internal ones with Superfil. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I also filled t' spirals at this point. Begad! Ya scallywag! Finally, me bucko, I attached t' aft rin' and the rail buttons. In order for t' rail t' clear t' lip on t' cone, shiver me timbers, I used oversized screws and an extra center spacer betwixt t' button and t' tube.

For t' nose cone recovery connection, I epoxied a small section o' scrap bungee into t' deep core that t' builder drilled for me. I also added enough lead shot t' make RockSim happy. With t' heavy wooden cone, I wouldn't have thought any would be needed, but t' thick fins and motor mount worked against its stability.

For t' first flight, I did nay build an escape tower. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! However, I since built one out o' bamboo skewers, arrr, thin dowel, and a spent 13mm motor. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! A true scale purist may see t' next mistake I made--I scaled t' tower based on a 3" body vs. Aye aye! t' actual 2.6" tube! I also have painted it per RotW, but haven't added decals. Ya scallywag!

Flight and Recovery:
I flew t' Little Joe on a 24mm F39-6 in me virgin Rouse Tech casing. Well, blow me down! I used a little dog barf, a chute protector, and a nylon chute. T' flight was fairly fast, and ejection was just a little late. Begad! Well, blow me down! Recovery was fine. Blimey! I am contemplatin' a G64 next.

Summary:
This is a sturdy but heavy rocket. Avast! As long as t' phenolic stays away from thin' like irrigation pipes, matey, it should survive even hard landings. Begad! Begad! It is barely scale-like, which is good enough for me.