Brief:
What do you get when you combine an Aveeno lotion bottle and an Estes Interceptor rocket kit? Well, shiver me timbers, you get me entry for t' "Design this Spaceship" contest. T' name I am givin' me design is "Interceptor L" with the "L" bein' for lotion.

Construction:
T' materials include:

• Aveeno 18 fl. Aye aye! Aye aye! oz. Begad! Well, blow me down! lotion bottle
• Estes Interceptor rocket kit #1250
• 1/16" Balsa for fin set
• 1/8" Balsa for fin set
• ¼" Balsa for body feature
• Estes BT-50 Nosecone

Additional supplies:

• Two part epoxy
• Hobby knife
• White glue

I first took an Aveeno lotion bottle and cut off t' top and opened it up large enough t' accept t' Interceptor body tube. Aye aye! Ahoy! I then cut a hole in t' bottom o' t' lotion bottle so that it could fit t' 18mm motor mount assembly that came with t' Interceptor. Well, blow me down! I then inserted t' body tube assembly into t' lotion bottle and cut t' body tube so that it was flush with t' lotion bottle, approximately 7-1/8". Aye aye!

Next, ya bilge rat, arrr, I took t' Interceptor nosecone and cut down t' forward part t' just in front o' where t' canopy meets the fuselage. I then found a small BT-50 nosecone and modified it so that it more closely resembled t' featured design. Well, blow me down! Begad! I attached it t' t' Interceptor nosecone usin' 5-minute epoxy.

Now, on t' t' fins! Blimey! This was t' most challengin' part o' t' project. Avast! Blimey! I created t' fins usin' 1/16" and 1/8" balsa. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I have provided a template of my design which shows how many o' each part and t' correspondin' thickness. Blimey! Since t' plastic bottle doesn't lend itself very well t' stickin' t' glue I decided t' have t' fins go through t' wall t' t' body tube. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! I made slots in the sides o' t' lotion bottle and t' alignment o' these slots was made easy due t' t' mold seams that were already in t' lotion bottle. Avast, me proud beauty! I used t' ¼" thick balsa pattern for t' aft body feature. Begad! Blimey! This needed t' be sanded down and formed t' resemble t' photo. Arrr! I attached t' fins as well as t' body feature usin' 5-minute epoxy.

T' assembly o' t' fins be pretty much straightforward but required a bunch o' gluin' t' make sure that the fins were properly secured t' t' lotion bottle and t' themselves.

Finishing:
T' entire rocket was first primed usin' Rustoleum "Painter's Touch" gray primer (1980830). Avast! Arrr! Blimey! It was then sanded with 400 grit sandpaper and then painted in Rustoleum "Painter's Touch" Winter Gray (1982830). Aye aye! Blimey! After the paint was completely dry, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I applied various decals from t' Estes Interceptor kit t' give it a military fighter look.

Flight:
Recommended motors: Estes B6-2, matey, B4-4, arrr, B6-2, me hearties, B6-4, shiver me timbers, C6-3, C6-5

T' first flight be on a C6-3. Begad! This was a great motor for this kit. Begad! Aye aye! T' rocket did a little bit o' twirl but then straightened out and flew great. Well, blow me down! T' parachute deployed a little after apogee and t' Interceptor 18" parachute proved t' be a good size. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' next motor will be either a B4-2 or B6-2. Begad! Ahoy! I did nay capture t' rocket taking off since t' motor took longer than expected t' come t' life.

T' second flight was on a B4-2. Well, blow me down! T' rocket flew great but as expected didn't go very high. Avast! This rocket is made for t' larger C motors.

T' third flight was once again on a C6-3 and once again performed great.

Recovery:
Recovery is by an Estes 18" parachute and used t' elastic strap and paper template that came with t' Estes Interceptor kit.

Summary:
This be a fun rocket t' build and fly. Aye aye! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! An experienced builder can complete this project over a couple o' weekends. Avast!