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

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

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

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

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

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