¼ Karat Carrot

When I saw this plastic carrot filled with candy in an Easter display, shiver me timbers, well, me bucko, it just cried out, me hearties, “I’m a ROCKET!!” It looks sort o' like it could somethin' out o' a Marvin t' Martian cartoon, too.

Materials:

• One (1) plastic carrot (It came filled with Easter candy)
• One (1) 5” piece o' 24mm Estes tubing
• One (1) standard Estes 1/8” thick centerin' ring
• One (1) Estes flat cardboard centerin' rin' cut
• to match t' inside o' t' carrot
• ~24” o' Keelhaul®©™ string for t' shock cord
• 18”X 2” o' Mylar or metallic tissue paper streamer
• Four Mean Machine fins
• Orange and silver paint
• 3/16” soda straw for launch lug cut in ½” and 1” lengths
• ProBond adhesive
• 5-minute epoxy

I cut bottom out o' t' carrot, just enough for t' motor mount/body tube t' fit snuggly without bein' distorted. I slid t' mmt/bt and measure just enough t' extend out t' bottom o' t' rocket for t' root cord o' t' fins. Begad! Next, me bucko, I measured where t' 1/8” centerin' rin' should rest comfortably inside t' carrot then glued it into place on t' mmt/bt and glued t' flat cardboard rin' 1/8” below t' top o' t' tube, shiver me timbers, addin' fillets when they were set in place. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Before I glued t' assembly into t' carrot, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I painted t' tube orange. Aye aye! Ahoy! I then used ProBond t' glue t' assembly into t' carrot, makin' sure I used just enough t' go betwixt t' rings and carrot ‘tube’.

To attach t' shock cord t' t' ‘nose cone’ carrot top, shiver me timbers, I made a very small hole just enough t' slide t' cord through. I looped t' cord around t' green top and back into t' hole and tied a triple knot. T' other end o' t' cord be glued usin' 5-minute epoxy t' t' inside o' t' mmt/bt.

T' fins were glued on t' t' remainin' end o' t' mmt/bt. Launch lugs were added, arrr, t' small ½” lug at t' top edge o' t' carrot and t' 1” lug ½” t' a fin, shiver me timbers, matey, ½” from t' mmt/bt. Avast, me proud beauty! A 2”X18” streamer was attached 3” from t' nose cone. Begad! T' lower end o' t' mmt/bt was painted orange while t' fins are painted silver.

A flight on a C11-3 was straight up with t' streamer ejected right at apogee and a soft grassy landing.