Brief:
This is a 3x upscale o' t' Sunward Grasshopper. It is a single-stage 29mm motor mount, 3-inch body, parachute recovery rocket. Arrr!

Construction:
One 12.5 inch long 3" airframe tube, matey, One Mercury Engineerin' blow-molded nose cone, three 1/4" plywood fins, 1 thin-wall Apogee motor mount tube, 2 foam core centerin' rings, Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock system, and 24" nylon parachute. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Blimey!

This scratch rocket was easy t' build. It has through-the-wall fins glued t' t' centerin' rings and motor mount and is very straightforward. Arrr! No special tools were needed. T' body tube and nose cone were purchased from Mercury. Ahoy! Arrr! Fin material be leftover from Home Depot. Avast! Centerin' rin' material was leftover from a display project. Aye aye!

Finishing:
T' fins were finished usin' one coat o' Elmer's Wood Filler, me bucko, followed by two overall coats o' high-build automotive filler, shiver me timbers, me hearties, with 2 colors o' automotive catalyzed acrylic enamel (the nose cone is a deep, me bucko, nearly black-red and t' body is "grasshopper green"). There are no decals. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

Flight:
Recommended motors are E28-4, F39-5, shiver me timbers, G53-5 blackjack. Blimey! Ya scallywag! (You can see video o' t' flight at http://www.cosrocs.org/all%20other%20videos/2008videos/9-13-14/grasshopper.mov.) Prep is standard wadding, although chute compartment is tight. Ahoy! Motor retention is via tapin' aft closure t' motor tube. This rocket takes off at a bit o' an angle, but it flies pretty straight after that. Ya scallywag! Shock cord o' Keelhaul®©™® and elastic works fine. Begad! Recovery be perfect on t' 24" nylon parachute. Blimey! No damage from first flight.

Recovery:
This rocket has a Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cord system that works fine. Arrr! Begad! T' 24" parachute is nylon. Begad! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty!

Summary:
PROs: Distinctive design, nay somethin' you see every day at t' high-power range. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Easy t' prep. Avast! Really nice flight. Avast, me proud beauty!

CONs: Limited parachute space. Ya scallywag! Blimey!