Brief:
This is an upscale o' t' classic Estes kit, t' USS Andromeda.

Construction:

• 4" Tubes: LOC Kraft
• 3" Tubes: PML Phenolic
• "Conduit Dowels": 74" 1/2" Oak Dowels
• "Conduit Stand-Offs": 3/8" 7 ply bud Nosen
• Main Fins: 1/2" 12 ply
• "Ram Tube" fins: 3/8" 7 ply Bud Nosen
• Ram Tubes: 4" LOC Kraft
• Small outboard fins: 1/4" 5 ply Bud Nosen

I didn't do a very good job documentin' t' construction. I didn't think of it until I be deep into t' project. Arrr! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I downloaded t' original plans from Jim Z. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! There was a problem with t' scale when designin' t' parts. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' 4" tubin' scaled out t' 4.16x while t' 3" tubin' scaled t' 4.10x. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Most of the rocket be designed usin' t' 4.16x scale. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Some o' t' parts had t' be 4.10x while I compromised in some places usin' 4.13x. This kept t' whole package as proportionally close t' t' original as possible. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

I waited until t' last possible moment t' chose t' motor size. I even painted most o' it before choosing. T' reason for this be weight. I wanted to know t' exact weight o' t' finished rocket. Avast! T' large fins will experience a great deal o' torque durin' t' initial thrust. Ahoy! I wanted t' choose a motor that would have enough power for a safe flight, but nay so much that t' g force would tear it apart. Each step o' t' way me thoughts were t' keep it as light as possible without sacrificin' strength. Begad! Begad!

It was a challenge makin' t' main fins. Well, blow me down! Ellipses can be hard t' upscale without pluggin' multiple coordinates into a CAD program. T' guys in the engineerin' department have been busy, so I opted for an easier way out. Well, me hearties, blow me down! I printed t' plans from Jim Z onto clear overhead projector paper. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! I measured the root o' t' fin and placed that dimension on a piece o' draftin' paper. I then projected t' image onto t' draftin' paper so that it lined up with the upscale dimension on t' paper. T' projector was squared and leveled several times. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I then simply traced t' projected image onto t' paper, arrr, cut it out, and traced it onto t' wood. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad!

T' three rings on t' fin can act like exterior centerin' rings. Avast! Avast! Countin' these, matey, t' main fins are mortised with 7 centerin' rings. Avast! T' 3" tube goes all t' way t' t' bottom so thar is only 1/2" o' fin "through t' wall". Begad! I tried t' compensate by ID fillets & epoxy rivets. T' entire ID o' t' 4" tube is coated with epoxy and t' CR/fin joints have 1/4" o' epoxy poured on them, matey, all sides. All epoxy betwixt t' 4" and 3" tubes are 2 hour slow cure. Avast! In all, the fins are attached with 9 oz o' 2 hour epoxy. Another bit o' security was several (probably 30 or 40 in each fin) 1/4" deep 1/16" holes drilled into t' fin roots t' act as epoxy rivets. Blimey!

T' small outboard fins are attached with four 2 1/2" long 1/8" diameter oak pins. Avast! Each pin goes through t' main fin and into each fin 1". Avast! Avast! 2 hour epoxy here too. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Again, another bit o' security was several 1/8" deep 1/16 holes drilled into t' fin roots t' act as epoxy rivets. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag!

T' conduit dowels were secured t' t' main fins with a kind o' mortise and tennon thing. Ya scallywag! T' depth o' t' mortise is about 1 /1/2". Well, blow me down!

I just had t' throw this in for good measure: Nay countin' any internal fillets, t' total length o' t' fillets on this puppy is 41.6 feet.

Finishing:
Finishin' t' rocket be one o' the more difficult tasks. Ya scallywag! T' majority o' t' "decals" were made form Super Monokote. Ahoy! Jim Z made some upscale "paint masks" for me. At first, I tried t' rubber cement/paint mask thing. Avast, me proud beauty! What a disaster! T' paint bled like a stuck pig. Avast, me proud beauty! So I 86'd t' paint mask idea and cut out t' decals with orange Monokote underneath. Ya scallywag! T' white be done t' same way but I used sticker material. Blimey! Aye aye! T' paint was Rustoleum satin black.

T' three "coolin' rings" were painted white in t' '75 & '76 Estes catalogue. Blimey! Blimey! They were painted black in t' '77 through '82 catalogues. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I opted t' paint them white t' add contrast in t' area. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

Flight:
Well, arrr, I sent t' Andromeda up on a J350. Arrr! Ya scallywag! It left t' pad with authority and flew perfect. Aye aye! It arched over at apogee and t' deployment came out perfectly timed.

Recovery:
Wait... What's this? T' chute is tangled! T' darn thin' backward slid all the way in at a pretty good clip. Blimey! (That's what 16 pound rockets do ya know.) It hit the ground with a thud. Nay pretty. Begad! With me heart stopped, matey, me bucko, and me stomach in my throat, shiver me timbers, I told me self "its only a rocket, right?" I am in the process o' rebuildin' it right now and should have it ready t' fly again at the May 11 NEPRA launch.

Summary:
Wow! this was much more work then I had anticipated.

Other:
Upscalin' old Estes kits is a great way t' build HPR and remember your youth at the same time. Here is a video. It's a bit big at 2.3 megabytes.