Brief:
This is a featherweight rocket made from printed cardstock designed t' use 13mm motors.

Click here t' download Lemon Drop plans in .PDF format.
[Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.]

Construction:
T' Lemon Drop uses a single 13mm body tube, has three fins, me hearties, and a cardstock nose cone. Ahoy! Begad! T' thrust rin' doubles as t' nose cone shoulder.

This is a relatively easy build. T' fact that alignment is important when buildin' t' parts, and t' fact that you actually have t' make your parts (body tube, nose cone, shiver me timbers, etc.) makes it a bit more difficult t' build. Avast! I feel that anyone with a moderate amount o' buildin' skill though can build this rocket.

T' rocket includes two pages o' instructions and a single page o' parts that should be printed on 110# cardstock. Blimey! T' instructions cover t' complete construction process and are broken down into two main sections: Buildin' t' Parts and Assemblin' t' Rocket. Blimey! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Once t' parts are built (and thar be a total o' seven -- nose cone, body tube, ya bilge rat, thrust ring, launch lug, shiver me timbers, me hearties, me hearties, and three fins), they are put together just like any other rocket kit.

Probably t' oddest tool needed for this build is a soft mouse pad. Avast! Blimey! This is used t' roll t' curves into t' cardstock parts. Other tools needed (all o' which are listed in t' instructions) are a hobby knife, ya bilge rat, metal ruler or straightedge, arrr, me bucko, cuttin' mat, scribin' tool (or empty ball point pen), a 1/4" dowel, white glue (not carpenters glue) and maskin' tape.

Finishing:
In addition t' t' cardstock and color printer, a piece o' bristol board or similar cardboard (cereal box weight) and some sort o' enamel spray clearcoat are needed t' finish t' rocket. Avast! Because t' rocket is pre-colored, shiver me timbers, no paint or decals are needed (although t' rocket can be painted a different color if desired).

Flight:
Recommended engines are Estes 1/4A3-3T, me hearties, 1/2A3-4T and A3-4T. Ya scallywag! All flights so far have been made with Estes 1/4A3-3T engines since I wanted t' get t' rocket back.

Preparation be simple. Avast! Blimey! T' motor fits into t' rocket without needin' any maskin' tape t' hold it in. Begad! Blimey! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! O' course, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I wanted t' motor t' come out at ejection, so too tight a fit is undesirable.

Three flights have been made so far with t' rocket and all three were perfect. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Fast straight boost and good recovery. Blimey! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Each time, me hearties, t' motor returned before t' rocket did.

Summary:
PROs: T' main pros o' a kit like this are that they are simple t' build and disposable. Avast! Ya scallywag! If you lose it or it catos, no problem. Avast, me proud beauty! Print and build another one. Ya scallywag! Blimey! For t' cost o' a sheet o' cardstock, arrr, shiver me timbers, a little cardboard, me hearties, me hearties, and a little printer ink, ya bilge rat, you can build as many as you want. Aye aye! And t' build is quick--I built this one in a single evening. Aye aye! A couple coats o' clearcoat t' next day and t' rocket is ready t' go. Ya scallywag! Consider how long a two tone (yellow and lime green) paint job would take with several coats o' each and t' maskin' involved, me bucko, however, me bucko, all o' that is eliminated with a paper rocket.

CONs: T' same as any other featherweight--the rockets are very easy t' lose.