Brief:
A lilliputian scale-down o' one o' me favorite rockets, arrr, t' Spudnik. Or, in other words, me hearties, I've too much time on me hands.

Construction:
T' materials were all scrap, me bucko, destined for t' dustbin. Avast! So, one rainy Saturday night with nothin' t' do, shiver me timbers, I decided t' build a replacement for me son's crippled space traveller, me bucko, matey, t' Spudnik. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! All I used was a 1 inch styrofoam ball left over from a Christmas decoration project, 4 Q-tips, me hearties, a length o' junk mail and some white glue.

Actually, shiver me timbers, this be t' easiest rocket I've ever scaled up or down, ya bilge rat, and all measurements were more-or-less SWAG'd. Ya scallywag! I just hollowed out a styrofoam ball with a 6mm drill bit. After that, shiver me timbers, I cut t' cotton off each end o' a plastic handled Q-tip, me bucko, then pushed them about 3mm into t' styrofoam, me bucko, evenly spaced around t' hole. Blimey! Next I rolled some "junk mail" around a 6mm drill bit, applyin' glue as I wound it around twice. Ahoy! Blimey! Once t' glue dried, I cut a circle out o' a Post-it note with t' hole puncher, and stuck this over one o' t' ends o' t' rolled junk mail (after removin' t' drill bit). Arrr! Well, me hearties, blow me down! I coated this whole assembly with a liberal dose o' CA, and once it dried thoroughly, inserted it into t' styrofoam ball. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! A short snippet o' Q-tip tube also serves as t' launch lug, ya bilge rat, and was unceremoniously shoved through t' styrofoam, me bucko, parallel t' t' motor tube and was trimmed flush. Simple, arrr, shiver me timbers, arrr, but effective. Ya scallywag! But here's t' gotcha- as an oversight, I didn't think about t' legs extendin' too far t' allow t' ignitor t' reach anywhere NEAR t' motor on t' Quest launcher. Aye aye! Begad! Time for Plan B. Aye aye! Build a new launcher. This was accomplished by takin' one o' me patio lights (that t' kid next door had destroyed), ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, removin' t' light bulb, trimmin' some plastic, matey, arrr, and meltin' a hole in t' top for a launch rod. Ahoy! T' Quest ignitor fits into t' socket designed for t' light bulb like it was originally designed for this purpose! This makes it a true "back yard rocket" in every sense o' t' word! And since t' light was 12 volts, arrr, thar's plenty o' power. Begad! Just turn on t' light switch inside t' doorway, arrr, and away she goes! T' other patio lights make a nice runway effect. Just can't forget t' replace t' light bulb afterward!

Flight:
There is only one motor for this rocket, t' Quest Micromax. Avast! Aye aye! Prep couldn't be easier- just install t' motor, like its big brother t' Spudnik. Aye aye! Flight characteristics are almost t' same as for t' Spudnik on an A10-3T: Slow ascent, ya bilge rat, matey, decent altitude but nay really high, and a total cessation o' movement when t' thrust stops. Arrr! Aye aye! It sort o' "wobbles" t' t' ground, arrr, me hearties, unharmed. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Ejection shoves t' motor out t' back. Ya scallywag! But, me bucko, me bucko, it seems t' me that proportionally, a Micromax motor has a better thrust-to-size factor than a 13mm motor. Blimey! Seems these little motors pack a good wallop for their minuscule size.

Summary:
Pros: ease o' construction, cheap flights, great conversation starter at barbecues, and you won't lose it in t' clouds. Ahoy! Cons: overall lack o' a plan from t' start led t' a design challenge in buildin' t' launcher, and t' styrofoam can't take too much abuse.

Other:
When buildin' a Micromax rocket, ya bilge rat, usin' a hollow Q-tip for a launch lug works great. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Just cut off t' cotton.