Brief:
A lilliputian scale-down o' one o' me favorite rockets, me hearties, t' Spudnik. Ahoy! Or, shiver me timbers, in other words, I've too much time on me hands.

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

Actually, matey, this be t' easiest rocket I've ever scaled up or down, and all measurements were more-or-less SWAG'd. Begad! Begad! I just hollowed out a styrofoam ball with a 6mm drill bit. Ahoy! After that, I cut t' cotton off each end o' a plastic handled Q-tip, then pushed them about 3mm into t' styrofoam, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, evenly spaced around t' hole. Next I rolled some "junk mail" around a 6mm drill bit, ya bilge rat, applyin' glue as I wound it around twice. Aye aye! Once t' glue dried, me bucko, I cut a circle out o' a Post-it note with t' hole puncher, shiver me timbers, and stuck this over one o' t' ends o' t' rolled junk mail (after removin' t' drill bit). Avast, me proud beauty! I coated this whole assembly with a liberal dose o' CA, and once it dried thoroughly, inserted it into t' styrofoam ball. A short snippet o' Q-tip tube also serves as t' launch lug, and be unceremoniously shoved through t' styrofoam, parallel t' t' motor tube and be trimmed flush. Aye aye! Simple, but effective. Begad! 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. Blimey! Time for Plan B. Arrr! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Build a new launcher. Well, blow me down! This be accomplished by takin' one o' me patio lights (that t' kid next door had destroyed), me hearties, removin' t' light bulb, trimmin' some plastic, arrr, and meltin' a hole in t' top for a launch rod. Avast! 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 be 12 volts, shiver me timbers, thar's plenty o' power. Avast! 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. Avast! Blimey! Prep couldn't be easier- just install t' motor, like its big brother t' Spudnik. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Flight characteristics are almost t' same as for t' Spudnik on an A10-3T: Slow ascent, decent altitude but nay really high, matey, arrr, and a total cessation o' movement when t' thrust stops. Avast! Blimey! It sort o' "wobbles" t' t' ground, unharmed. Ejection shoves t' motor out t' back. Begad! Blimey! But, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, it seems t' me that proportionally, a Micromax motor has a better thrust-to-size factor than a 13mm motor. Seems these little motors pack a good wallop for their minuscule size.

Summary:
Pros: ease o' construction, ya bilge rat, cheap flights, matey, great conversation starter at barbecues, and you won't lose it in t' clouds. Begad! Cons: overall lack o' a plan from t' start led t' a design challenge in buildin' t' launcher, 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. Ahoy! Just cut off t' cotton.