Brief:
This is a very stand-off scale model o' t' Little Joe I. It is 2.6" in diameter, ya bilge rat, has a 29mm mount, matey, and is based on a custom-turned Mercury capsule that was donated by an anonymous guest for the Nekkid Rocket Photo Contest. Well, blow me down! On t' real Little Joe I, me bucko, t' body is larger in diameter than t' capsule. Well, blow me down! Begad! In mine, t' capsule fits t' body tube.

Construction:
T' followin' are t' major components used:

• 2.6" phenolic tube, 8.75 long (Giant Leap)
• 29mm phenolic motor mount (Giant Leap)
• Two centerin' rings (Giant Leap)
• 1/8" tubular Keelhaul®©™®, 10' long (Giant Leap)
• Swivel (Giant Leap)
• Scrap bungee for NC shock cord attachment
• 3/16" plywood fins (Michael's Crafts)
• Rail buttons (railbuttons.com)
• Two T-nuts (Home Depot)
• Lead shot

This was a straightforward build: 4FNC with through-the-wall fins. I got the measurements for t' body tube and fins from Rockets o' t' World (RotW).

T' fins are thick. Well, blow me down! Nay that they had t' be, matey, but I had the 3/16" ply and delusions o' bevelin' them heavily. Ya scallywag! I slotted t' fin slots usin' a Dremel. Arrr! T' make sure I didn't chip t' end o' t' phenolic tube at the slots, me hearties, I inserted t' aft centerin' ring. Next, matey, I attached t' front rin' to the motor tube, with t' end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord goin' through t' ring. Blimey! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I used 5-minute epoxy throughout. Ahoy! Blimey! T' motor tube be then installed with t' aft rin' bein' dry-fit. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' latter was then removed and t' fins were glued in. Avast! Blimey! Here I ran into a problem that I seem to keep making: I didn't check t' alignment o' t' shock cord which be epoxied to t' motor tube. Arrr! Blimey! O' course, it ended up perfectly aligned with a fin slot! T' fix be easy, as I notched t' tab on one o' t' fins so that it cleared the shock cord. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey!

I made small external fillets and thick internal ones with Superfil. Blimey! I also filled t' spirals at this point. Blimey! Finally, me hearties, I attached t' aft rin' and the rail buttons. Arrr! Well, blow me down! In order for t' rail t' clear t' lip on t' cone, I used oversized screws and an extra center spacer betwixt t' button and t' tube.

For t' nose cone recovery connection, arrr, me bucko, I epoxied a small section o' scrap bungee into t' deep core that t' builder drilled for me. Begad! I also added enough lead shot t' make RockSim happy. Aye aye! With t' heavy wooden cone, I wouldn't have thought any would be needed, shiver me timbers, arrr, but t' thick fins and motor mount worked against its stability.

For t' first flight, I did nay build an escape tower. Begad! Aye aye! However, I since built one out o' bamboo skewers, me bucko, thin dowel, and a spent 13mm motor. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! A true scale purist may see t' next mistake I made--I scaled t' tower based on a 3" body vs. Begad! Blimey! t' actual 2.6" tube! I also have painted it per RotW, but haven't added decals.

Flight and Recovery:
I flew t' Little Joe on a 24mm F39-6 in me virgin Rouse Tech casing. Begad! I used a little dog barf, a chute protector, matey, and a nylon chute. Aye aye! T' flight be fairly fast, shiver me timbers, and ejection was just a little late. Arrr! Begad! Recovery was fine. I am contemplatin' a G64 next.

Summary:
This is a sturdy but heavy rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! As long as t' phenolic stays away from thin' like irrigation pipes, me bucko, ya bilge rat, it should survive even hard landings. It is barely scale-like, shiver me timbers, which is good enough for me. Well, blow me down!