¼ Karat Carrot

When I saw this plastic carrot filled with candy in an Easter display, well, it just cried out, me bucko, “I’m a ROCKET!!” It looks sort o' like it could somethin' out o' a Marvin t' Martian cartoon, too.

Materials:

• One (1) plastic carrot (It came filled with Easter candy)
• One (1) 5” piece o' 24mm Estes tubing
• One (1) standard Estes 1/8” thick centerin' ring
• One (1) Estes flat cardboard centerin' rin' cut
• to match t' inside o' t' carrot
• ~24” o' Keelhaul®©™ string for t' shock cord
• 18”X 2” o' Mylar or metallic tissue paper streamer
• Four Mean Machine fins
• Orange and silver paint
• 3/16” soda straw for launch lug cut in ½” and 1” lengths
• ProBond adhesive
• 5-minute epoxy

I cut bottom out o' t' carrot, arrr, just enough for t' motor mount/body tube t' fit snuggly without bein' distorted. I slid t' mmt/bt and measure just enough t' extend out t' bottom o' t' rocket for t' root cord o' t' fins. Avast! Begad! Next, I measured where t' 1/8” centerin' rin' should rest comfortably inside t' carrot then glued it into place on t' mmt/bt and glued t' flat cardboard rin' 1/8” below t' top o' t' tube, addin' fillets when they were set in place. Ya scallywag! Before I glued t' assembly into t' carrot, I painted t' tube orange. Ahoy! I then used ProBond t' glue t' assembly into t' carrot, shiver me timbers, makin' sure I used just enough t' go betwixt t' rings and carrot ‘tube’.

To attach t' shock cord t' t' ‘nose cone’ carrot top, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I made a very small hole just enough t' slide t' cord through. Avast, me proud beauty! I looped t' cord around t' green top and back into t' hole and tied a triple knot. Begad! T' other end o' t' cord was glued usin' 5-minute epoxy t' t' inside o' t' mmt/bt.

T' fins were glued on t' t' remainin' end o' t' mmt/bt. Well, blow me down! Launch lugs were added, t' small ½” lug at t' top edge o' t' carrot and t' 1” lug ½” t' a fin, ½” from t' mmt/bt. Aye aye! Avast! A 2”X18” streamer be attached 3” from t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! T' lower end o' t' mmt/bt was painted orange while t' fins are painted silver.

A flight on a C11-3 was straight up with t' streamer ejected right at apogee and a soft grassy landing.