Brief:
This is a 159% upscale o' t' popular Estes kit Der Red Max. This is a simple t' build rocket that performs very well on t' 24mm reloads available today. All t' parts are readily available as well includin' t' decals.

Construction:
High quality balsa nose cone, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me hearties, plywood ring, and eye bolt were supplied by Sandman. Ahoy! Avast! Estes BT-80, 24mm heavy duty motor tube, two lite-ply centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, fins are 3/16" balsawood, me bucko, Keelhaul®©™® shock card, and motor retainer hardware. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Excelsior provided t' awesome decals.

I constructed t' motor mount by usin' a BT-50H motor tube that was 4" in length. Ya scallywag! Blimey! On t' bottom centering ring, arrr, I installed two #4-40 blind nuts for t' motor retention bracket. Well, blow me down! T' light-ply centerin' rings were mounted a 1/4" from t' top and bottom o' t' motor tube. Begad! Ahoy! Blimey! I created a nice epoxy micro balloon fillet on both sides o' each centerin' rin' for strength. Aye aye! Blimey! I drilled a 3/16" hole in t' top centerin' for me 1/8" Keelhaul®©™® shock cord t' go through. Aye aye! T' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord ties around t' motor tube betwixt t' upper and lower centerin' ring. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I cut a BT-80 t' t' length of 13.5". Ya scallywag! I hardened each end o' t' BT with thin CA for strength. Ahoy! Blimey! T' next step was t' I fill t' spirals. Arrr! After sandin' t' BT, t' tube was marked for t' fin locations and t' launch lugs. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' bottom launch lug is flush with the bottom o' t' BT. Aye aye! T' upper lug is 4-3/8" from t' top o' t' BT. Each launch lug was 3/16" diameter and 9/16" long. Ya scallywag! T' motor mount be glued into t' BT usin' wood glue that created a nice fillet around t' top centerin' ring. A wood glue fillet be also created around t' bottom centerin' ring. T' fins were cut from hard 3/16" balsa and shaped. T' fin and launch lugs were glued on with epoxy. Blimey! Once dry, epoxy micro balloon fillets were created around t' fins and launch lugs. Aye aye!

Finishing:
T' fins and nose cone were sealed and hardened usin' two coats o' Minwax Polyurethane. Ya scallywag! Once dry they were sanded smooth and coated usin' thinned spackle that be brushed on t' fill t' wood grain. T' filler was sanded off and the rocket was primed with two coats o' Duplicote High Fill primer sandin' betwixt coats. T' nose cone was painted black usin' two coats o' old formula Krylon spray. Ya scallywag! T' body was painted metallic red usin' two coats o' Rustoleum spray. Once dry t' body was smoothed usin' super fine steel wool. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Once clean and dust free t' body was shot with two coats of Rustoleum clear. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! It be really cold durin' t' paintin' process for this rocket, arrr, but t' results were still acceptable. To finish t' model, ya bilge rat, t' decals were installed. Begad! Overall it looks fantastic.

Flight:
I designed this model t' fly on t' 24mm reloads such as t' E18, me bucko, me bucko, E28, F24, arrr, ya bilge rat, or F39. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! T' first flights I used a E28-4 and it worked perfectly. Begad! T' first boost was nice and straight with no stability issues. T' E28 produced a very respectable altitude. T' 24" parachute worked good but a little too slow t' brin' it down. Blimey! A smaller chute or a spill hole would be required for windy or high thermal activity days. Blimey!

Recovery:
Since t' fins on this upscale start t' get large, shiver me timbers, I would use t' through t' wall method next go around. Although I feel very good with me method t' attach fins and strengthen them with fillets, me bucko, TTW is king.

Summary:
This is a very easy rocket t' upscale but is a rewardin' project. Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' Der Red Max is a classic that flies great up or downscaled. Ahoy! In addition you can't find a cooler set o' decals on a rocket anywhere.