I had a pack o' BT-56 tubes, and no idea o' what t' do with them. I didn't even have a nosecone to fit. Avast! Begad! Blimey! One day while lookin' at them, matey, 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, arrr, me bucko, one thin' led t' another, and instead I decided t' do a long tube finned rocket. Avast! Blimey! Since t' body tubes are 18" long, ya bilge rat, by cuttin' one into 3" pieces, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I'd use t' entire package up and add another tube fin bird t' our fleet. Ya scallywag! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! This one is D-powered, t' go along with our mini-engined Finite Loop and the regular sized Groove Tube clone. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

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

 Why use t' "optional" stuff?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4. Arrr! Tube fins. Cut one o' t' BT-56 tubes into six 3" long sections. Glue pairs together so you have three pairs, let dry. 

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

With Boattail                                  Without Boattail

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

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

 8. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Boattail. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! 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. Begad! Blimey! T' completed boattail should be 1" long, with one end t' diameter o' t' BT-56, me hearties, t' other end BT-50. Glue it into shape, and when dry glue it into place. You can use thin CA or yellow glue to strengthen it. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! I used a little Fill'n'Finish t' smooth t' glue joints and the seemingly inevitable minor wrinkles. Ahoy! Blimey! You may need t' cut a slight notch for the motor hook, matey, shiver me timbers, use an X-acto for this. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

 9. Glue t' pairs o' tube fins around t' body on t' 1" line you marked in step 6. Begad!

 10. Aye aye! Blimey! Install t' baffle. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Glue t' baffle into t' aft body tube. Make sure it gets in thar at least 3 or 4 inches. 

11. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Install t' mid-body separation bulkhead. Blimey! Blimey! Glue it halfway into t' front body tube, arrr, with t' solid end closest t' t' nosecone. Arrr! This be t' coupler that holds t' two body tubes together!!! Blimey! Make sure you glue it in straight. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey!

 12. Blimey! Shock cord mounts. Ya scallywag! I used t' Estes paper-sandwich type. Begad! Aye aye! Glue one onto both ends o' t' 40" long elastic, shiver me timbers, arrr, and another onto t' 12" long elastic. Blimey! Three total. Avast, me proud beauty!

 13. Aye aye! Install t' shock cords. Ahoy! Begad! Glue one end o' t' 40" shock cord into t' bulkhead coupler, and t' other end into t' lower body just above the baffle. 

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

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

 16. Aye aye! Avast! Finish and paint as desired. Aye aye! Begad! This is a long rocket, so lighter colors are recommended. Arrr! Blimey! Dark colors tend t' get hotter in t' sun (like in your car), shiver me timbers, matey, and it could warp t' tubes.

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

Maiden flight, me bucko, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It climbed much quicker than I expected, arrr, me hearties, but nay a neck-snapper. Arrr! Blimey! Couldn't estimate altitude because I launched tilted into a pretty stiff breeze, ya bilge rat, arrr, but it was pretty high. Fine recovery, with ejection just after apogee. Aye aye! Blimey! After-flight inspection showed that t' baffle worked perfectly, shiver me timbers, with no charrin' t' t' shock cord or chute. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey!

T' Empress flew several times at NARAM. Begad! 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.