Brief:
This has been an interestin' year for me. Avast! Arrr! Blimey! I call it "Rocketry On A Budget". Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! A box o' parts was donated by Jonathan Stewart from Plano Texas. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I thank him for his generosity. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I received me box on March 4, 2009.

Construction:
An inventory o' t' parts:

• A) BT-5 12" long
• B) BT-5 size 3-½" long party hornpipe tube
• C) BT-20 14-½" long
• D) BT-50 4" Clear Tube
• E) BT-50 12-½" long
• F) BT-55 14" long
• G) BT-56 11" long
• H) BT-55 12" long
• I) BT-60 3" long
• J) BT-60 10 ½" long
• K) BT-80 15 long
• L) 2 BT-5 "Pod" assemblies 5" long each (nose cones glued in each end)
• M) 4 BT-5 Nozzles assemblies, me bucko, 2-1/4" long each
• N) 4 BT-3 Pod assemblies 2" long each
• O) 20/50 Balsa Transition adapter
• P) 55/60 Plastic Transition Adapter
• Q) Balsa Conical Nose Cone for BT-5
• R) Plastic Nose Cone for BT-55
• S) Balsa Nose Cone for BT-20
• T) 2 (Usable) BT-50 Balsa Blocks
• U) 4 Engine Hooks (different sizes)
• V) "Street Marker" Conical Cone, shiver me timbers, 2" at base
• W) 1 Clear Plastic "Half" Bubble 2-½" long
• X) 6 "Pre-cut balsa Fins
• Y) 5 Launch Lugs 1/8" X 1"
• Z) 1 Launch Lug 3/16" X 4"
• AA) 4 Cardstock Tubes, 3/16" X 5-½"
• BB) 5 Popsicle Sticks
• CC) 3 Golf Tees
• DD) 2 Screw eyes
• EE) 1 Bamboo Skewer 5-½" long
• FF) 4 Black Plastic "Landin' Feet"
• GG) 1 Yellow Plastic Dome 3" diameter
• HH) Various Fiber Centerin' Rings
• II) 2 Black Plastic "Angle" Pieces
• JJ) 1 20 size Engine Block
• KK) 10 Various Plastic "Tips, me hearties, shiver me timbers, ends and points"
• LL) Orange Plastic Streamer 54" X 2"
• MM) 3/8" wide Black Shock Cord--long!
• NN) 5 small plastic "Missiles"
• OO) 4 White plastic Star Wars guns
• PP) 8 small orange plastic "Tips"
• QQ) 1 Plastic Candy Container
• RR) 6 plastic "Plugs" Many holed
• SS) 24" Nylon Parachute
• TT) 36" Nylon Parachute
• UU) 1 sheet Basswood 1/8" X 4" X 24"
• VV) 1 sheet Basswood 1/8" X 4" X 16"

Some o' t' tubes have been pulled from older painted models. Aye aye! There is some epoxy glue residue and paint. Arrr! I'll have t' cut off some o' t' rough edges and fill some imperfections. Aye aye!

With so many small, arrr, decorative pieces sent, it made t' best sense t' build a sci-fi fantasy spaceship.

It seemed thar be too many parts in t' box! Rather than just gluin' everythin' t' t' main tube, matey, arrr, I'll try to combine as many (recognizable) parts into sub-assemblies and then attach them t' t' model.

Most all construction is documented on the PDF instructions and patterns. Begad! Begad! Blimey! All parts listed above are referenced in t' file by t' same reference letter(s), arrr, too. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! This PDF is the Assembly View

I had opened t' box when everythin' had first arrived. Ahoy! I was a little overwhelmed. Aye aye! I wanted t' incorporate as many interestin' parts as possible but t' try and do it with some sort o' consistent decorum. Arrr! I also had the "Surprise Items" t' consider. Arrr! Blimey! For instance, how do I add four popsicle sticks? They have t' be recognizable but still stay with t' flow o' t' design.

I visualized many o' t' body tubes and one adapter together on t' floor. Avast! Begad! From t' aft forward: T' large diameter BT-80 "engine compartment" (K) will connect t' t' trimmed Yellow Plastic Dome (GG). Larger coolant "vanes" (UU) will be cut t' fit t' dome and tube transition. This would continue t' t' BT-55 (F). Blimey! Next is the Plastic 55/60 adapter.(P) T' ends will be trimmed and coated with epoxy t' protect t' plastic interior from the ejection charge. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' adapter connects t' t' BT-60.(J) This tube is slotted. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, arrr, blow me down! I'll add 2 forward fins and "guns" (X) here. Blimey! T' "Street Marker Conical Cone" (V) will top off t' model. Begad! It'll require heavy fillin' and trimmin' t' work.

I re-drew t' model for t' third time. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I played with variations and came up with "Butterflied" rudder tips. Aye aye! T' wings would have down turned win' tips. Begad! "Engines" (M, N, shiver me timbers, me hearties, & A) will fit into t' angle formed by the win' tips.

A ram-jet style nose cone be made out off part Q. Blimey! I cut ½" off t' tip with a razor saw then sanded t' cuts flat with a sandin' block. Ahoy! More sandin' followed until it achieved t' right visual balance. Begad! This will be joined t' a shortened BT-5 (A) and be glued t' t' middle o' t' rudder's butterflied top.

T' balsa cone (S) be split down t' middle then sanded t' t' contour o' a BT-60. Ya scallywag! These would be used t' make side engine intakes on both sides o' t' rudder. Aye aye! Begad! T' BT-20 (C) was split lengthwise down t' middle t' fit t' two sides from t' split nose cone.

1-1/4" was cut off t' BT-56 (G) t' make a coupler. Avast, me proud beauty! It be split lengthwise and slid it into t' BT-55. Ahoy! The overlap was marked then trimmed t' fit snugly. Ahoy! It took some "shimming" t' make these two (close diameter) tubes fit. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! T' butt-joint be hidden under t' aft tubing.

T' Red plastic Sanford Pen Casin' (KK) be cut into thirds. Two were centered in t' front o' t' win' engine assemblies. Avast, me proud beauty! T' remainin' third piece would go out t' end o' t' rudder tube.

T' 6-½" long BT-5 tube (A) was cut into equal thirds. Aye aye! Begad! I needed two win' "engine tubes" and one rudder ramjet tube.

I used t' four white plastic engine nacelles on either side o' t' engine tubes. Begad! Ahoy! T' front end be cut down, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I didn't want an exhaust nacelle on t' front o' t' engine.

Centerin' rings were cut out o' t' shippin' box for t' stuffer tube inside t' aft BT-80 tube. Arrr! Blimey! T' interior BT-55 tube be offset t' t' top o' t' BT-80.

T' Stuffer tube was made out o' two pieces o' BT-55 and 56 (parts F and G) joined by a coupler made from a short piece o' t' supplied BT-55.

T' engine will be a D12 fittin' into a BT-50 motor mount tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! (Part E). Ya scallywag! A 3" piece o' BT-50 be cut for an engine mount. T' BT-50 be notched for t' suppled engine hook (U). Well, blow me down! Begad! T' end o' t' hook extended 1/4" beyond the engine mount tube. Begad! Ahoy!

There be plenty o' centerin' rings but no 50/55 rings. Begad! From t' shippin' box, I made a 1" wide centering ring. Begad! I kept wrappin' t' cardboard strip round until it made a slip fit into t' BT-55 stuffer tube. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I'll lay white glue t' plug t' open holes in t' corrugated cardboard.

There be no Keelhaul®©™®, so I made a standard Estes style tri-fold mount.

T' engine mount was glued inside t' shorter BT-55 tube until t' BT-50 engine tube was even with t' aft of the 55 tube.

It was obvious t' cut t' cone (V) down t' fit t' BT-60 upper tube. Well, blow me down! I decided t' cut it at an angle so t' tip would be angled down, much like t' old SST Jetliner when it was in flight. Avast! Begad! However, me hearties, after trimmin' it looked too saggy at t' front. Aye aye! I trimmed and sanded t' tip back at an angle. Arrr! T' hole in t' nose cone tip was now an enlarged oval. Well, blow me down! I cut a piece o' scrap BT-55 (H) and CA'd it t' t' tip. Ahoy! T' edges were sanded down t' match t' new conical shape. Well, blow me down! The nose cone adapter was easier than I would have thought. Ya scallywag! Begad! I took a piece o' BT-60 (I) and split it. Aye aye! Begad! It was set into the upper BT-60 and t' overhang "tab" was CA'd in place. Ya scallywag! T' adapter was simply glued t' t' cone edge, centerin' it all around. Aye aye!

T' transition dome (GG) be t' hardest t' cut out. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Even after cuttin' and makin' an inside transition angle, the match wasn't close enough for me. Ahoy! Avast! I built up t' open gaps with strips cut from scrap BT-55. Arrr! Begad! I sanded t' fill pieces smooth with sandpaper wrapped around a BT-50 tube scrap.

T' form t' 55/60 plastic transition (P), t' original 3" long BT-60 was cut off t' transition piece. Aye aye! I coated t' inside with 15 minute epoxy t' protect it from t' ejection charge.

T' upper parachute tubin' (J) was a left over tube from a kit, arrr, already laser slotted for through t' wall fins. I'll have t' patch t' holes and fill t' seams. Ya scallywag! BT-60 scrap (I) was cut t' 1-½" t' make an inside tube coupler. Aye aye! Aye aye! This gives an inside wall t' glue t' patch pieces onto. After t' coupler was glued in place, scrap body tube strips were white glued in t' slots. Begad!

Three transitions vanes were cut from t' 1/8" basswood (UU). Two transitions had t' be matched, the curved aft dome (GG) and t' upper plastic transition.(P) Also, shiver me timbers, on t' two smaller outside vanes, t' dome angle had to be sanded t' an angle t' match t' curve. This and t' dome were t' hardest parts o' t' build.

Two wings, ya bilge rat, rudder, and win' tips were cut from t' 1/8" basswood. Arrr! (TT)

T' black plastic angles (II) were used for t' win' cannon housings. Avast, me proud beauty! I made "plugs" out o' laminated scrap 1/8" basswood. Well, arrr, blow me down! T' white Star Wars "guns" (00) were shortened and glued into 1/8" holes drilled in t' plugs.

T' plastic candy package (PP) be sanded t' t' BT-80 body tube contour. Begad! Blimey! I used only ½" o' two ends of t' BT–5 pod assemblies(L). They were both sanded t' t' BT-80 curve and t' flat front o' t' candy package. T' assembly was centered t' t' bottom o' t' BT-80 then super glued in place. Ya scallywag!

Finishing:
Finishin' t' rocket, I did t' best I could without too much complex masking. T' built rocket was painted gloss white, ya bilge rat, matey, t' aft engine compartment painted black. T' popsicle stick vanes were first painted white, then glued onto the black engine tube.

I had plans for usin' many o' t' decals that were sent. Ahoy! While thar were plenty o' decals included, matey, most all were older and unusable. Some rolled off t' paper onto themselves, me hearties, others cracked. Well, blow me down! I know thar are decal solvents and repair solutions available, but I didn't have time t' order and fly t' model by t' deadline. I wanted t' use what was supplied. I did t' best I could without too much complex masking. Avast! I'm nay complaining, ya bilge rat, Mr. Stewart sent plenty o' parts for a fun build. Begad!

T' first time, me hearties, I pieced together some yellow decal stripes on t' wings and rudder. Others stayed together enough for t' rolled up edges t' be tacked into place with white glue. Avast! As t' decals dried, they pulled up on the edges. Ya scallywag! I tried re-tackin' them down again, but t' next day they lifted again. I let things sit for a few days while I tried t' think o' a solution. Ya scallywag! I removed most o' t' lifted decals.

On t' USPS Priority Mail Box were names and logos. Begad! Aye aye! I lightly scored t' eagle logo, me hearties, names, shiver me timbers, and navy blue stripes with a razor blade. Begad! T' thin top layer o' paper was peeled off. Usin' t' USPS logos changed t' theme and back story of t' model.

I lightly wet t' peeled paper back with a sponge and carefully scraped off what was left o' t' brown cardboard layer and glue.

From thar be was pretty simple, a thin coat o' white glue and placement. I did lay some water on t' body tube where t' paper art was t' go. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! It helped with t' positionin' as I could slide t' glued paper into position. Begad!

Flight and Recovery:
T' first launch be scheduled for June 6, me hearties, matey, 2009. Ahoy! T' weather be clear, arrr, arrr, but t' launch area be waterlogged! Many days o' rain in central Florida had left t' launch field too wet and unusable.

I usually don't fly with t' "Big Boys" in Bunnell, ya bilge rat, Florida, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but I went t' t' NEFAR Half-Blast for the first flight on June 13. Blimey! I flew two small test models before t' Postal Express. Aye aye! T' loadin' be typical, a D12-3 and wadding. Begad! I be nervous as it be a heavy build with lots o' nose weight.

Launch be show and straight maybe t' 350 feet. Avast! I be concerned t' angled nose cone might effect t' vertical trajectory, me hearties, but it didn't seem t' affect it at all. Begad! It slowed and blew it's chute just prior t' apogee. Well, blow me down! Someone said there be a zipper. Ya scallywag! There couldn't be a zipper, matey, matey, thar wasn't any Keelhaul®©™® to cut through t' body tube. Arrr! T' shock cord was hangin' from about halfway down t' body, matey, ya bilge rat, nay from t' nose. Avast! Begad! It was hung up around t' toothpicks on t' center o' t' BT-55.

Upon landing, t' nose cone broke cleanly away from its adapter. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! One o' t' forward fins be gone, broken above the fillet joint. Ya scallywag! T' snap back o' t' ejection must have hit t' forward fin. Arrr! Begad! Both are repairable, shiver me timbers, and I'll fly it again at t' June 27 R.O.C.K. Begad! launch.

All repairs were made for t' local NAR, ROCK Section o' Orlando launch on June 27, 2009. Aye aye! Blimey! As always, matey, ya bilge rat, I grabbed a smaller rocket and did a low level test flight t' get a feel for t' field and conditions. Ahoy! I noticed t' plastic dome on t' Postal Express transition was loose, matey, and I hit it with a few drops o' CA glue. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' remembered t' earlier flight on a D12-3 thinkin' ejection was a hair early so I loaded up a D12-5.

Launch was slow and ejection occurred after apogee, on t' way down. Avast, me proud beauty! T' chute ejected but was wrapped once around t' shock cord. Ahoy! It never fully opened but slowed t' descent with no damage.

A short rain held up launchin' for 15 minutes. Avast! I loaded up again, this time with a D12-3. Arrr! This seems t' be the best available engine. If someone were t' make a D12-4 engine it would be close t' perfect. Begad! This was t' best launch yet. Blimey! Straight up, ya bilge rat, full parachute and no damage on landing.

Summary:
PROs: Lots o' fun buildin' with supplied parts. Avast! Quite a learnin' experience. When doin' an out-of-the-ordinary build, you change directions many times and pick up a few new techniques along t' way.

CONs: Some small parts break off. If I had t' resources, it would have flown higher with an E or F engine.