About a year ago, ya bilge rat, I got a "bug" to create t' Star Wars Imperial Lambda-Class Shuttle. Begad! I read information from various Star Wars sites and started off on me project. Begad!

T' project had many twists and variables, arrr, but in general I was confident that I could create a flyin' model o' this Lambda Shuttle. It was goin' t' fly on 29mm motors, me hearties, me bucko, me bucko, too!

Along t' way, I created a proto-type for 18mm motors and was very excited and pleased with t' performance o' it. Next I finished the 29mm version. Ahoy! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! You can see me holdin' both o' those rockets at NYPower2002 (photo taken by Dean Oberg).

Since then I have created a 24mm version and utilized some new techniques t' strengthen t' fins...fins that must also be as light as possible.

You can see step-by-step details o' me 29mm build by CLICKING HERE.

I will discuss some o' t' highlights o' this project below.

First, I needed some blue-prints t' follow and I was fortunate t' find this site: Star Wars Technical Commentaries. Arrr! Arrr! Here I be able t' get some prints and then scale them t' t' size o' rocket I was building.

Next, I felt I needed t' try to simulate this, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, so I made attempts with RockSim. (Click on t' pictures to download t' RockSim files). I was pleased t' see that, at least, in these simulations, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, t' rocket could fly. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! It took a massive nose cone override o' 16 ounces, me bucko, but one should have expected that.

Next came t' various construction techniques, which you should review by followin' along in t' step-by-step section.

Other major obstacles that I had t' overcome, ya bilge rat, was how t' pack parachutes into this bird. Ya scallywag! There was nay a lot o' room. Ya scallywag! Begad!

Also how to deploy them. Ya scallywag! I decided I wanted t' 1 pound nose cone t' get as far away as possible from t' body upon ejection, shiver me timbers, so it had its own parachute. Arrr! Since the parachutes are nay packed in line with t' motor ejection, how would I get the main section's parachute t' deploy. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! I used slip knots on t' second eye-hook of the nose cone so that it would jerk it out upon separation.

I be also worried about a full ejection charge in the motor for a tube that is only 6" long. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Therefore, on t' EconoJet G38's that it flew on, I had carefully removed t' ejection charge cover and removed nearly all o' t' ejection charge (above t' small hole).

T' next challenge, due t' lack o' forethought, was t' rail buttons. Ya scallywag! I had always planned on puttin' them on t' bottom-center, me bucko, however, when it came time t' do this they would nay work there. Begad! Avast! Why? T' tilt down o' t' nose cone!

I ended up puttin' two rail buttons off center, which I did nay like, shiver me timbers, but had no choice. Blimey! Avast! T' other issue is with t' short body t' two rail buttons were fairly close t' each other (3") and that is nay t' best configuration either.

T' last component be that t' motor had t' be friction fit. Aye aye! I was sure upon ejection it would kick, but with t' removal o' most of the ejection charge and I issued t' nose cone fit be looser than t' friction fit, it be successful.

I have a short video o' it's second flight, CLICK HERE

If I had t' do it again, I would make me fins (wings) out of two 1/8" balsa pieces, plied together with 5-minute epoxy, ya bilge rat, and laminated with tracin' paper. Aye aye! This be t' new technique that I used on t' 24mm version. Begad! Arrr! I would have also modified t' nose cone tilt t' allow for t' rail buttons. Avast! Blimey! Watch, EMRR for an update on me 24mm version . Avast! Ahoy! . . Well, blow me down! because it really be t' benefactor o' all the learnin' on t' 18mm proto-type and t' 29mm project.