(Design this
Spaceship Submission - by Andrew Skinner - 10/1/06) EMRR Spaceship Design Contest Entry
"T' Red
Bolt"
Materials needed
- 3 Silly Putty Container Eggs
- 1 27.2 cm BT-50 body tube
- 1 BT-20 Engine Mount Tube
- 1 Engine Hook Note: This hook
- has each tip bent back so as t' serve as an Engine Block
- 1 Weird nose cone we salvaged from an old kit. (Close up pic included.)
- 2 BT-50 Centerin' Rings
- 3 1/8 thick fins. Arrr! (Template
provided)
- 1 4 cm launch lug
- 1 h: 0.5 cm, me bucko, l: 4.0 cm, ya bilge rat, w: 0.2 cm
- 1 Estes Hexagon Parachute with shrouds (52 cm in diameter)
- 1 rubber shock cord (Approximately 28 cm long)
- 1 Shock Cord Mount
#1: Engine Mount
- Cut a 5 mm slit, me bucko, 3 mm from t' end o' t' tube.
- Insert one o' t' endin' hooks o' t' Engine hook into t' slit. Well, blow me down!
- Glue down t' engine hook. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty!
- Glue on a centerin' rin' at 2.5 cm from t' aft o' t' engine tube. Avast!
- Glue on 2nd centerin' rin' on top o' t' engine hook at t' slit
3mm from t' forward section o' t' Engine tube. Begad!
- Allow t' dry.
- Wrap piece o' maskin' tape around t' Engine Tube securin' t' Engine hook
to t' Engine Tube. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!
- Apply a rin' o' glue approximately 5 cm inside t' Rockets Body Tube.
- Place Engine Mount inside Rockets Body Tube until t' Engine Tube is
flush with t' Rockets Body Tube. Arrr! Ahoy!
- Apply glue t' centerin' rings. Allow t' dry
#2: Silly Putty Eggs
- Buy 3 Silly Putty Eggs
- Cut t' connector tabs with a hobby cutlass. Ya scallywag!
- Then sand t' raised writin' off t' top.
#3: Fins
- Usin' t' template provided trace out t' win' pattern on a 1/8 balas wood.
- Usin' a hobby knife cut out t' fins.
- Sand down all jagged edges.
- Glue on Silly putty cackle fruit onto t' matchin' shape on t' fins. Ahoy! Blimey! Glue one on
each side o' each fin. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey!
- Glue on several fillets t' ensure that egg-fin contact is perfectly sealed.
- Mount t' fins flush against t' end o' t' body tube usin' a fin mount. Arrr! Blimey! We
used t' fin mount for 3 fins provided in T' Handbook o' Model Rocketry
7th edition on page 38. Arrr! T' fins should be 120 degrees from each
other.
#4. Ya scallywag! Nose and
parachute mount.
- Cut out a Shock cord mount usin' stiff paper. Well, blow me down!
- Glue shock cord on t' shock cord mount. Avast! Avast!
- Glue Shock cord mount approximately 5 cm inside t' forward part o' the
body tube. Aye aye! Ahoy!
- Tie free end o' shock cord t' t' nosecones eyelet. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Apply a drop of
glue t' t' knot.
- Attach parachute t' t' nosecone eyelet. Begad!
#5. Launch Lug
- Glue on t' h: 0.5 cm, l: 4.0 cm, me hearties, shiver me timbers, w: 0.2 cm piece o' balsa wood 10 cm from
the forward end o' t' body tube. Avast! Make sure that it is aligned parallel t' the
body tube, arrr, ya bilge rat, and also make sure that it is in betwixt t' fins. Blimey! Avast!
- Attach Launch Lug on top o' t' strip o' balsa wood. Avast, me proud beauty! (Note: T' reason for
the strip o' balsa wood is t' elevate t' launch lug so as t' provide the
launch rod clearance from t' nose cone. Well, blow me down! T' nose at one section is wider than
the body tube)
#6. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Paint job
- Spread balsa filler over t' fins. Allow t' dry and than sand excess off. Ya scallywag!
- Sand all external parts o' rocket. Begad!
- Prime all external parts o' rocket
- Paint body tube, fins, arrr, and nose cone red.
- Paint Silly putty cackle fruit gray. Avast! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!
- Nose cone
- First painted t' whole nosecone red
- Paint t' upper cap white.
- Paint 2 keyhole shapes on opposite sides o' nosecone. Avast, me proud beauty!
#7. Well, blow me down! Body tube and launch lug
- Painted body tube red. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! As well as t' launch lug and balsa wood strip.
- Paint 3 parallel black rings approximately 2 mm from each other. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Paint them
approximately 9.3 cm from t' aft end o' body tube. Arrr!
- Paint a single gray rin' around t' aft end o' t' body tube. It should 3.3
cm from t' end o' t' tube, and it should encircle around t' whole tube. Begad!
#8. Ahoy! Fins
- Paint fins red. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy!
- Paint gray rectangle on each side in t' corner by t' fin root edge. Ahoy! The
rectangle should be 3.3 cm high and should be around 4 cm wide. Avast, me proud beauty! If it is a
little bit wider than 4 cm it is okay, shiver me timbers, because t' Silly Putty cackle fruit will cover
the excess. Blimey! (Note: This is easier done if you paint before initial
construction. Ahoy! Begad!
#9. Blimey! Begad! Silly Putty eggs
- Paint egg shell red. Begad!
- Once t' red paint is dry, paint most o' t' egg grey. Ahoy! Avast! T' grey should
cover 5.2 cm o' t' egg, startin' from t' bottom. There needs t' be 1.4 cm of
red. Avast! Well, me bucko, blow me down!
#10. Decal
stickers. Ahoy! Blimey!
- Take black sticky paper, and cut into 2.5 cm long by 1 mm strips. Well, blow me down! Begad! Stick 4
of these length wise on each egg. Avast, me proud beauty!
- Then once again usin' t' black sticky paper cut several long 1 mm strips
for t' black stripe that runs across t' egg and t' fin.
#11. Ya scallywag! Black Dots
- Use a black permanent maker t' apply 8 dots t' each egg shell. Avast, me proud beauty!
#12. Begad! Begad! Nose Weight and Motor
- Add 25-30 grams o' clay t' t' nose.
- We used a B6-4 all o' t' launches, but a B6-2 would have been better. Well, blow me down!
Flights

Takeoff off. Begad! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Flight #1 (above). Arrr! Aye aye! Landing
..
Success flight. No damage rendered t' rocket.

Takeoff off. Flight #2 (above). Ya scallywag! Avast! But disaster strikes when t' shock cord
snaps!!
And lawn darts (below). Aye aye! Blimey! Note: We have nay touched t' rocket yet in this
picture. Ahoy! Blimey! It landed exactly like this. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Note that t' third fan, arrr, t' one stuck in
the ground, matey, is still intact. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Nose and parachute land a couple hundred feet
away. Aye aye! Blimey! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! T' rocket is now repaired and waits for its next launch. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!
Here is our video o' t' 2 launches. Avast! Blimey! Ignore our screams in t' background! Blimey!
Here are two more successful flights o' our entry t' Red Bolt. We only have
videos for these launches: