Brief:
A lilliputian scale-down o' one o' me favorite rockets, ya bilge rat, t' Spudnik. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Or, me hearties, me hearties, in other words, me hearties, I've too much time on me hands.

Construction:
T' materials were all scrap, arrr, destined for t' dustbin. Ya scallywag! Avast! So, shiver me timbers, one rainy Saturday night with nothin' t' do, I decided t' build a replacement for me son's crippled space traveller, shiver me timbers, t' Spudnik. All I used be a 1 inch styrofoam ball left over from a Christmas decoration project, me bucko, 4 Q-tips, a length o' junk mail and some white glue.

Actually, this be t' easiest rocket I've ever scaled up or down, matey, and all measurements were more-or-less SWAG'd. Blimey! I just hollowed out a styrofoam ball with a 6mm drill bit. Avast, me proud beauty! After that, I cut t' cotton off each end o' a plastic handled Q-tip, matey, then pushed them about 3mm into t' styrofoam, evenly spaced around t' hole. Next I rolled some "junk mail" around a 6mm drill bit, applyin' glue as I wound it around twice. Once t' glue dried, I cut a circle out o' a Post-it note with t' hole puncher, and stuck this over one o' t' ends o' t' rolled junk mail (after removin' t' drill bit). Blimey! I coated this whole assembly with a liberal dose o' CA, me hearties, and once it dried thoroughly, inserted it into t' styrofoam ball. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! A short snippet o' Q-tip tube also serves as t' launch lug, and was unceremoniously shoved through t' styrofoam, me hearties, parallel t' t' motor tube and was trimmed flush. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Simple, ya bilge rat, but effective. Blimey! Ahoy! But here's t' gotcha- as an oversight, I didn't think about t' legs extendin' too far t' allow t' ignitor t' reach anywhere NEAR t' motor on t' Quest launcher. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Time for Plan B. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Build a new launcher. This be accomplished by takin' one o' me patio lights (that t' kid next door had destroyed), removin' t' light bulb, me hearties, trimmin' some plastic, and meltin' a hole in t' top for a launch rod. Begad! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' Quest ignitor fits into t' socket designed for t' light bulb like it be originally designed for this purpose! This makes it a true "back yard rocket" in every sense o' t' word! And since t' light was 12 volts, me bucko, thar's plenty o' power. Just turn on t' light switch inside t' doorway, and away she goes! T' other patio lights make a nice runway effect. Just can't forget t' replace t' light bulb afterward!

Flight:
There is only one motor for this rocket, me bucko, t' Quest Micromax. Well, blow me down! Prep couldn't be easier- just install t' motor, like its big brother t' Spudnik. Flight characteristics are almost t' same as for t' Spudnik on an A10-3T: Slow ascent, shiver me timbers, decent altitude but nay really high, and a total cessation o' movement when t' thrust stops. It sort o' "wobbles" t' t' ground, unharmed. Begad! Ejection shoves t' motor out t' back. Begad! But, it seems t' me that proportionally, me bucko, a Micromax motor has a better thrust-to-size factor than a 13mm motor. Aye aye! Seems these little motors pack a good wallop for their minuscule size.

Summary:
Pros: ease o' construction, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, cheap flights, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, great conversation starter at barbecues, matey, shiver me timbers, and you won't lose it in t' clouds. Cons: overall lack o' a plan from t' start led t' a design challenge in buildin' t' launcher, matey, arrr, and t' styrofoam can't take too much abuse.

Other:
When buildin' a Micromax rocket, usin' a hollow Q-tip for a launch lug works great. Avast, me proud beauty! Just cut off t' cotton.