I had a pack o' BT-56 tubes, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and no idea o' what t' do with them. Aye aye! I didn't even have a nosecone to fit. One day while lookin' at them, me hearties, tryin' t' figure out how I could get rid of the things, I started playin' with t' idea o' buildin' a Mean Machine clone. Well, one thin' led t' another, and instead I decided t' do a long tube finned rocket. Since t' body tubes are 18" long, matey, by cuttin' one into 3" pieces, I'd use t' entire package up and add another tube fin bird t' our fleet. Blimey! This one is D-powered, t' go along with our mini-engined Finite Loop and the regular sized Groove Tube clone.

 If you've never built a tube fin rocket, me bucko, you will be amazed at how easy and smartly you can do it. Aye aye! Blimey! T' Empress does add t' complexity o' mid-body separation, me hearties, shiver me timbers, an ejection baffle, me hearties, and a boattail. Ya scallywag! T' make this a true beginners level project, ignore t' boattail and baffle, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and use regular nose-cone separation. Ya scallywag!

 Why use t' "optional" stuff?

 Well, shiver me timbers, t' boattail will allow t' rocket t' go higher. Arrr! Avast! There's a whole lot o' complicated mathematical formulas that explain why in aerodynamic terms, but it's all pretty much beyond me. Arrr! Ahoy! Besides, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I like t' way they look. Blimey!

 T' ejection baffle eliminates t' need for recovery wadding. Blimey! Blimey! I don't entirely trust them, me bucko, and usually wrap t' chute in one square o' wadding anyway, just t' be sure. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

 Mid-body separation means that instead o' blowin' t' nosecone off, the body itself comes apart, me bucko, releasin' t' recovery system. Begad! Blimey! T' main advantage for this rocket is that I don't have t' haul around this loooooooong rocket in the car. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It breaks into two shorter sections. Blimey! Blimey!

 Yellow glue is plenty strong enough for this rocket. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I used Elmer's Fill'n'Finish for fillets betwixt t' tube fins and t' smooth the boattail. Begad! Blimey!

2. Ahoy! Ejection Baffle. Begad! Begad! Take one o' t' BT-56 couplers, and cut a disk from balsa or thin cardboard, matey, one for each end (See the diagram below). Glue it together and let dry. Aye aye! Arrr!

hint: if you use thin cardboard, try sandwichin' 2 layers together and soak them in CA (superglue) t' toughen them up. Well, blow me down! Coat Balsa with yellow glue t' add stiffness.

 3. Begad! Mid-body separation coupler. Aye aye! Cut a disk from balsa or cardboard and glue it into one end o' t' second coupler. Avast, me proud beauty! Don't put any holes in this one, it's a solid bulkhead. Avast! See t' hint in step 1 about how t' strengthen it easily. 

4. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Tube fins. Avast! Cut one o' t' BT-56 tubes into six 3" long sections. Glue pairs together so you have three pairs, matey, me hearties, let dry. 

5. Begad! Blimey! Assemble t' motor mount. Aye aye! If you are usin' t' boattail, arrr, me bucko, t' rearmost centerin' rin' goes 1 1/8" from t' end, arrr, arrr, otherwise follow t' motor mount instructions. Well, blow me down! Blimey! See t' diagrams below for an idea o' what this should look like. Let it dry. Avast! Begad!

With Boattail                                  Without Boattail

6. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Mark t' body tube 1" from t' end where you'll be installin' the motor mount. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey!

 7. Glue t' motor mount from step 5 into t' body tube. Aye aye! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' rearmost centerin' rin' should be slightly inset from t' aft o' t' body tube. Arrr!

 8. Arrr! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Boattail. Aye aye! Well, arrr, blow me down! Cut t' appropriate sized shroud pattern from an Estes transition pattern sheet (available from Estes or at Jim Z's site). Or print one usin' VCP or other software. T' completed boattail should be 1" long, with one end t' diameter o' t' BT-56, t' other end BT-50. Glue it into shape, arrr, me bucko, and when dry glue it into place. You can use thin CA or yellow glue to strengthen it. Avast, me proud beauty! I used a little Fill'n'Finish t' smooth t' glue joints and the seemingly inevitable minor wrinkles. Ya scallywag! Begad! You may need t' cut a slight notch for the motor hook, matey, shiver me timbers, use an X-acto for this.

 9. Avast, me proud beauty! Glue t' pairs o' tube fins around t' body on t' 1" line you marked in step 6.

 10. Install t' baffle. Blimey! Glue t' baffle into t' aft body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Make sure it gets in thar at least 3 or 4 inches. 

11. Aye aye! Begad! Install t' mid-body separation bulkhead. Well, blow me down! Well, arrr, blow me down! Glue it halfway into t' front body tube, arrr, me bucko, with t' solid end closest t' t' nosecone. Begad! This be t' coupler that holds t' two body tubes together!!! Make sure you glue it in straight. Begad!

 12. Shock cord mounts. Arrr! I used t' Estes paper-sandwich type. Ahoy! Glue one onto both ends o' t' 40" long elastic, ya bilge rat, and another onto t' 12" long elastic. Three total. Blimey! Ya scallywag!

 13. Begad! Install t' shock cords. Ya scallywag! Begad! Glue one end o' t' 40" shock cord into t' bulkhead coupler, shiver me timbers, and t' other end into t' lower body just above the baffle. 

14. Begad! Just for backup, arrr, glue t' last (shortest) shock cord into t' upper tube to secure t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! This way, if t' nose cone should accidentally come loose, me hearties, it'll stay attached t' t' rest o' t' rocket. Blimey! Aye aye!

 15. Install t' launch lugs. Arrr! I cut mine in two. One was installed inside one o' t' tube fins (closest t' t' main body), matey, with t' other about 12" up from t' bottom. Blimey!

 16. Blimey! Ahoy! Finish and paint as desired. Begad! Begad! This is a long rocket, ya bilge rat, so lighter colors are recommended. Ahoy! Dark colors tend t' get hotter in t' sun (like in your car), matey, and it could warp t' tubes.

I painted mine white, and sprayed light blue up from t' back end, shiver me timbers, matey, arrr, fading about halfway up. Blimey! Next I sprayed dark blue up from t' back, arrr, fadin' at the quarter mark. Blimey! Add some cockpit windows t' t' nose, me hearties, matey, some stripin' along the sides, and some windows t' make an interplanetary liner. Aye aye! Be creative, have fun!

Maiden flight, and I set it up with a D12-5 engine and a vented 18" parachute. Good boost with maybe a slight wobble off t' rod. Aye aye! Blimey! It climbed much quicker than I expected, but nay a neck-snapper. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Couldn't estimate altitude because I launched tilted into a pretty stiff breeze, me hearties, arrr, but it be pretty high. Fine recovery, me bucko, with ejection just after apogee. Ya scallywag! Blimey! After-flight inspection showed that t' baffle worked perfectly, with no charrin' t' t' shock cord or chute. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

T' Empress flew several times at NARAM. Well, blow me down! A large tube-fin rocket like this makes an impression! Perfect flights every time, includin' one usin' a 4"x40" streamer due t' gusty wind conditions.