Brief:
That Tube Rocket is a tube finned rocket with many extras. Aye aye! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! It flies on a wide range o' motors from A6-4 t' C6-7. It is easy t' assemble and more durable than conventional rockets with balsa fins and is made from high quality parts.

Construction:
T' kit contains:

• 1 12" White BT-50 body tube
• 1 5.25" Red BT-50 body tube
• 6 2.75" Red BT-50 body tubes (fins)
• 1 2.75" Red BT-20 motor mount
• 1 BT-50 Balsa nosecone
• 1 BT-50 Balsa bulkhead
• 1 1" BT-50 coupler
• 1 BT-20 motor block
• 2 5/8" screw eyes
• 1 2.75" stainless steel engine hook
• 48" Keelhaul®©™shock cord
• 1 flat washer (nose weight)
• 38" x 3" yellow vinyl streamer

T' kit arrived 6 days after I ordered it, sealed in a plastic bag and double boxed. Begad! T' small, easy-to-lose parts were packed in a heat-sealed poly bag inside t' kit bag. Ya scallywag! All t' parts were present and good quality. T' 3 page instructions are given in a logical order and clear line drawings are provided where needed. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Assembly requires only glue, shiver me timbers, tape, and finishin' supplies. All t' tubes are precisely cut t' t' required lengths.

T' engine mount is built first. Aye aye! Begad! It is a standard design with a BT-20 body tube, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, a BT-20 engine block, shiver me timbers, a 2.75 inch stainless steel engine hook, and a thick, ya bilge rat, me hearties, 1 inch long BT-50 coupler used t' adapt t' BT-20 motor mount t' t' BT-50 body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! T' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord is tied around t' motor mount and through t' BT-50 coupler for a very strong attachment. Well, blow me down! T' loose end o' t' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord is tied t' one o' t' screw deadlights for later attachment t' t' payload section. Well, blow me down! T' BT-50 coupler also holds t' engine hook firmly in place. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Usin' an engine hook and engine block may seem like overkill but I think it is a great idea because I have seen many instances where t' engine hook slid and tore t' motor mount tube when it was nay securely reinforced. Begad! T' engine block also helps protect t' end o' t' motor mount tube from heat o' t' ejection charge and abrasion by t' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord. Arrr! Begad! This rocket is really built t' last. Engine mount glued into main body tube, flush with t' end o' t' rocket for a very neat appearance.

T' "fins" are made from t' six identical 2.75 inch long pieces o' red BT-50. T' color makes a nice contrast t' t' white o' t' main body tube. T' instructions suggest gluin' one o' t' tube fins t' t' main body tube 1/2" from t' bottom end and then markin' and gluin' t' remainin' 5 tube fins in turn. Ahoy! I prefer t' glue 3 separate pairs o' tube fins, supported on a flat surface, me hearties, and then glue t' pairs t' t' main body tube, one pair at a time. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! This makes alignment o' t' tubes almost foolproof.

T' remainin' red BT-50 is used t' make t' payload section. Well, arrr, blow me down! T' balsa bulkhead is glued in place on one end o' t' body tube. Blimey! T' only snag in construction came when fittin' t' nose cone t' t' top o' t' payload section. Well, blow me down! T' shoulder o' t' nose cone required some trimmin' and sandin' t' fit inside t' body tube. Aye aye! This was easily done and it better t' be too big than too small. T' flat washer is screwed and glued t' t' balsa nosecone with t' other screw eye and t' nosecone can be either friction fitted or glued t' t' body tube. Aye aye! Aye aye! I didn't expect t' be carryin' a payload so I glued t' nosecone in place so I won't lose it in t' field.

T' streamer is attached t' t' Keelhaul®©™shock cord with Scotch tape. Blimey! Simple but effective. T' screw eye at t' end o' t' shock cord is then threaded and glued into t' balsa bulkhead o' t' payload section t' complete construction o' t' rocket.

No launch lug is provided in this kit. T' gaps betwixt t' main body tube and any 2 o' t' tube fins are used instead. T' gaps are a good fit a 1/8" launch rod but too small for a 3/16" rod. This method positions t' launch rod at t' tail o' t' rocket and nay at t' center o' gravity. However t' 2.75" length o' t' channel and its robustness, should prove adequate support durin' liftoff. Avast, me proud beauty! Rusty or oily launch rods will stain t' body tube as it slides along it so some care should be taken t' clean t' launch rod before use t' preserve t' beauty o' t' rocket.

One obvious bash for this kit would be t' build it for 24mm motors. Avast! Begad! Blimey! This could be easily done by usin' t' BT-50 coupler as an engine block and tie point for t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord. Arrr! If built in this manner t' rocket could be flown with Estes C, D, and E motors, Aerotech and Ellis Mountain 24mm single use motors, and Aerotech RMS 24/40 reloads. T' extra weight o' a 24mm motor may require an addition washer for nose weight t' make t' rocket stable.

Finishing:
T' instructions suggest that several coats o' primer first. I felt it would be a waste o' time and add unnecessary weight t' use primer on this rocket. Aye aye! Begad! Also t' body tubes were a nice bright white and red already so 2 light coats o' clear lacquer are all I used t' finish it. T' glossy lacquer I used soaked into t' red tubin' really well and caused it t' turn a lovely shade o' burgundy.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I flew this rocket at t' Hill Country Rocketeers NARRRRR #671 monthly launch at Center Point, TX on January 22, 2005. T' temperature be a cool 60 degrees and it quite windy, with gusts up t' 18 mph. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Flight preparation be easy. An Estes B6-4 motor that I got from Wal-Mart for $4.97 for a 3 pack, me hearties, me hearties, snapped into t' motor mount. Blimey! I dropped a thumb-sized chuck o' dog barf into t' forward end o' t' main body tube, me bucko, accordion folded t' 3" vinyl streamer and slide it easily into t' long, 1" diameter body tube. Blimey! Avast! T' all Keelhaul®©™ shock cord virtually eliminates t' possibility o' a separation durin' recovery. Begad! T' payload section slid into t' main body tube perfectly with no tape needed. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I installed t' Estes Solar igniter and plug that came with t' motor at t' launch pad and slide t' rocket onto t' freshly cleaned launch rod. Begad! Ahoy! I let one o' our very enthusiastic junior rocketeers make t' countdown and press t' launch button while I caught t' lift off with me digital camera. Blimey! Arrr! From t' photo you can see that after months o' effort I've finally got t' camera shutter timin' just right. Well, blow me down! You will also notice t' smoke trail bein' smartly carried away from t' pad by t' wind. Avast! Begad! It flew very straight without much weathercocking. Begad! T' altitude reached be impressive considerin' t' rocket's draggy fins, me hearties, larger diameter, and low impulse motor.

Recovery:
Ejection came at apogee. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! It descended smartly on t' 3 foot by 3" wide vinyl streamer, shiver me timbers, hittin' t' ground tail first 500 feet downwind from t' pad. Begad! If it had weathercocked a bit more I might nay have had so far t' walk. Avast! Despite t' quick descent thar was no damage whatsoever, shiver me timbers, nay even a dented fin (tube). If t' rocket gods remain kind, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I will be able t' fly this one many more times.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs:

• Simple, matey, strong design
• Easy prep and recovery
• Wide choice o' cheap and easy t' get motors

CONs:

• None

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5