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. Aye aye! Begad! All t' parts are readily available as well includin' t' decals.

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

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

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

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

Recovery:
Since t' fins on this upscale start t' get large, I would use t' through t' wall method next go around. Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' Der Red Max is a classic that flies great up or downscaled. Ya scallywag! Blimey! In addition you can't find a cooler set o' decals on a rocket anywhere.