Brief:
My first attempt at buildin' a rocket t' match a picture. Arrr! Originally I was goin' t' chose one o' t' more complicated rockets, ya bilge rat, but procrastination took hold o' me and a few weeks before t' deadline I decided t' go for t' easy one mainly because I had t' parts and t' swept back fins gave it a chance o' bein' stable.

T' name comes from t' nose cones-–an Estes Blue Ninja and an Estes Baby Bertha. Avast! Ahoy! Blue Baby seemed right, and t' rocket is blue in parts. Arrr! T' five was added because that's t' number on t' rocket.

Construction:
T' boat tail on t' rocket picture was me biggest problem. In t' end I went for an Estes nose cone with t' tip cut off. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Other components were:

• 1 launch lug
• 1 Mylar 12 inch parachute
• 2 foot length o' knicker elastic
• Snap swivels (optional)
• 1 18mm engine block
• Keelhaul®©™® thread
• Body tube actin' as an 18mm motor mount
• Body tube BT-60
• 3/16" balsa
• Blue Ninja PNC-60AH nose cone
• Baby Bertha PNC-60L nose cone
• Motor mount centerin' ring

To build t' rocket I used:

• Bostik glue
• White glue
• Sandin' sealer
• Model knife
• Razor saw
• Aluminium oxide sandpaper

T' first thin' I did was t' find nose cones from by spares box that matched t' profile o' t' rocket t' best. In t' end chose a Blue Ninja nose cone for t' base and a Baby Bertha nose cone for t' top.

For t' tail boat assembly, t' first thin' was t' remove t' base o' t' Blue Ninja nose usin' a razor saw. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Then usin' t' body tube that would become t' motor mount, I slid t' centerin' rin' over t' end o' t' tube and then pushed t' tube into t' Blue Ninja nose cone. By holdin' t' nose cone up t' t' light, me hearties, I could see where t' tube goes t' in t' nose cone. Avast! Usin' a razor saw, matey, I cut t' tip off t' nose cone t' give me t' tail boat end o' the rocket.

Next usin' t' body tube and centerin' ring, I guided t' tube back in t' t' Blue Ninja boat tail t' get the correct position o' t' centerin' ring. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' rin' was then glued into place usin' white glue. Ya scallywag! T' body tube be then cut to a two and a half inch length.

A 18mm engine block then had a 2 foot length o' Keelhaul®©™® cord tied around it and was then glued into place in t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me hearties, blow me down! After t' glue had dried, I glued t' motor mount into t' ninja boat tail usin' Bostik glue since it glues paper and plastic together much better than white glue or CA.

T' body tube and nose cone assembly starts with t' Baby Bertha nose cone havin' its base cut off t' allow mass to be added t' t' tip o' t' rocket. There was a lot o' mass in t' plastic tail boat. Begad! A swivel be glued into place inside o' t' nose cone cavity so t' shock cord could be attached. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Next a one-inch length o' BT-60 was glued onto the boat tail. T' length o' t' body tube be just enough t' allow t' shoulders on t' two original nose cones t' fit.

All gaps and grooves were now filled with model filler and then everythin' sanded down with sandpaper starting with 120 grit and finishin' with 400 grit.

A launch lug be then glued t' t' body tube. Begad! T' lug is very high up on t' rocket as this be t' only place on the rocket that is in line with t' motor. There was little option here.

I wish I could write about t' scale drawin' that I did t' get t' fins perfect. In reality though, I sat at me desk with a picture o' t' rocket and some balsa and started cutting. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! In t' end I had a fin then seemed t' match t' picture so I used that as a template and made 2 more. T' root edge had t' be carefully sanded to match t' curvature o' t' boat tail.

T' fins were then sealed and glued into place on t' boat tail. Ahoy! Arrr! Blimey! I filleted t' fins three times. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This is the rocket's major weakness, t' swept back fins will be t' first thin' t' hit t' ground and balsa glued t' plastic is not t' strongest o' joints.

Two sheets o' reusable waddin' were attached t' t' Keelhaul®©™® cord and then t' cord was attached t' 2 feet o' knicker elastic. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' knicker elastic was then attached t' t' swivel in t' nose cone. Well, blow me down! A swivel be then added t' t' elastic shock cord one foot from t' nose cone. Begad! A twelve inch chute was initial chosen for its first flight, arrr, matey, although a 15 inch chute was kept back in reserve. Avast! T' twelve inch chute was on t' small side but I only had 5 days before t' deadline and Britain has spent t' last few days in gale conditions with t' wind rarely droppin' below 20 mph--drift was an issue!

Finishing:
T' rocket be primed and then spray painted yellow. T' fins were then hand painted blue, me hearties, matey, as be t' nose cone. Ahoy! The red bands were applied by usin' red tape.

T' rest o' t' finish was down by cuttin' out images from t' original picture and then gluin' them into place. It's worth notin' that I can barely hand write anythin' legible, anythin' artistic is in t' realms o' fantasy.

In t' end it does nay look too bad, ya bilge rat, although I am nay lookin' forward t' seein' t' other EMRR 2007 Challenger's masterpieces next t' mine. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' make things worst, me hearties, a friend suggested that I take t' pictures o' t' final rocket using a mobile phone. Begad! I asked him why and he replied that if t' pictures were all blurry, shiver me timbers, it might stand a better chance. Ahoy!

Flight:
Before preppin' for flight I did a swin' test t' check for stability, me bucko, and everythin' be okay.

First flight. 14/December/07. T' parachute was dusted and packed. Aye aye! Wind conditions were good. T' winds that had been sweepin' Britain had gone but it was now very cold. A standard Estes 3mm rod was used. Begad! Arrr! An A8-3 be used. Avast! T' flight was straight and true. Begad! Ejection be late, parachute deployed, arrr, and t' rocket landed smoothly. On recovery I was pleased t' see that t' fins had nay popped off on landing. An A8-3 is marginal for this rocket.

Second flight. Avast! Aye aye! 14/December/07. Well, blow me down! Avast! Now with a B6-4, shiver me timbers, flight was much higher than before. Avast! T' chute opened at apogee, steady decent, and again, me bucko, me hearties, no damage.

Third flight. Avast! 14/December/07. Avast, me proud beauty! I went for a C6-5. Avast! Well, blow me down! A C6-3 would have been better, but I had lots o' C6-5 motors that needed t' be used up. T' flight be very high and had a lot o' a wobble towards t' end. Aye aye! Arrr! Ejection was 1-2 seconds late, arrr, and t' rocket drifted for 200 meters. Aye aye! No damage on recovery.

Summary:
PROs: First time I've built a rocket t' a photo, ya bilge rat, and she flies well.

CONs: Boat tails from nose cones are slightly more expensive and lower t' CG due t' t' plastic mass.