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

Construction:
High quality balsa nose cone, shiver me timbers, plywood ring, and eye bolt were supplied by Sandman. Ya scallywag! Begad! Estes BT-80, arrr, 24mm heavy duty motor tube, shiver me timbers, two lite-ply centerin' rings, me hearties, fins are 3/16" balsawood, Keelhaul®©™® shock card, and motor retainer hardware. Blimey! Blimey! Ya scallywag! 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! On t' bottom centering ring, I installed two #4-40 blind nuts for t' motor retention bracket. Ya scallywag! T' light-ply centerin' rings were mounted a 1/4" from t' top and bottom o' t' motor tube. Ya scallywag! I created a nice epoxy micro balloon fillet on both sides o' each centerin' rin' for strength. Well, blow me down! I drilled a 3/16" hole in t' top centerin' for me 1/8" Keelhaul®©™® shock cord t' go through. T' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord ties around t' motor tube betwixt t' upper and lower centerin' ring. Avast, me proud beauty! I cut a BT-80 t' t' length of 13.5". Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I hardened each end o' t' BT with thin CA for strength. Begad! T' next step be t' I fill t' spirals. Begad! Avast! After sandin' t' BT, t' tube was marked for t' fin locations and t' launch lugs. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! T' bottom launch lug is flush with the bottom o' t' BT. Arrr! T' upper lug is 4-3/8" from t' top o' t' BT. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Each launch lug be 3/16" diameter and 9/16" long. Avast! Ahoy! 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. Begad! T' fins were cut from hard 3/16" balsa and shaped. Ahoy! T' fin and launch lugs were glued on with epoxy. Once dry, shiver me timbers, epoxy micro balloon fillets were created around t' fins and launch lugs. Avast!

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

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

Recovery:
Since t' fins on this upscale start t' get large, ya bilge rat, I would use t' through t' wall method next go around. Aye aye! Avast! Although I feel very good with me method t' attach fins and strengthen them with fillets, TTW is king.

Summary:
This is a very easy rocket t' upscale but is a rewardin' project. T' Der Red Max is a classic that flies great up or downscaled. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! In addition you can't find a cooler set o' decals on a rocket anywhere.