Brief:
A lilliputian scale-down o' one o' me favorite rockets, ya bilge rat, t' Spudnik. Begad! Or, shiver me timbers, in other words, I've too much time on me hands.

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

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

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

Summary:
Pros: ease o' construction, arrr, me hearties, cheap flights, great conversation starter at barbecues, and you won't lose it in t' clouds. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! 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, usin' a hollow Q-tip for a launch lug works great. Aye aye! Avast! Just cut off t' cotton.