Brief:
This is a kit bash o' an Estes Bullpup plus a few parts t' build a model o' the futuristic Star Duster from t' 1960s cartoon "Scott McCloud, shiver me timbers, Space Angel".

Modifications:
"Scott McCloud, me hearties, ya bilge rat, Space Angel" be a cartoon produced from 1962 through 1964. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It used t' "synchro-vox" technique, where stills were used in the cartoon, matey, but close-ups o' t' characters had t' actors mouths pasted in as they spoke. Well, blow me down! Blimey! His ship, me bucko, arrr, t' Star Duster, was an impressive piece o' retro-looking space craft. Comin' up with t' design be a challenge, me hearties, because as you can see from t' samples included, arrr, t' proportions were nay very consistent from one picture t' another. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I had t' actually measure various zooms o' these pictures and come up with an estimated average proportion from among them.

T' body, me hearties, arrr, nose, shiver me timbers, tail cone, matey, launch lug, recovery gear and motor mount are all right from t' Bullpup kit and are put together just as t' directions show. Begad! What makes this model be t' fins, includin' pods on t' "wing" fins, me bucko, t' rather art deco lookin' aditions t' t' "rudder" fin, and the canard fins. Begad! T' body construction was done with normal LPR materials but epoxy be used on t' fins and fillets.

T' fins were cut from 1/8" basswood. Well, blow me down! Arrr! They could have been lighter stock, but I wanted good strength for flight and a hefty feel for display. Avast! Arrr! Each of t' three main fin has a 4" root and 4" span. Begad! T' win' fins are set with t' trailin' edge/root point at t' joint o' t' body tube and tail cone, but t' rudder fin is set back 1/2" from these and must be cut at the root t' fit over t' tail cone. Avast, me proud beauty! T' fins were glued on 120 degrees apart. T' two canards were glued on 180 degrees apart on t' sides o' t' rocket about 1" aft o' t' forward end o' t' body tube. Aye aye! Arrr! T' launch lug was placed on t' "bottom" o' t' body.

T' win' pods are made by gluin' one o' each o' t' PNC5 nose cones into t' tube and cutting a 1/8" x 1.25" slot in t' tube t' fit over t' win' pod with the ogive nose forward and pushed on until t' win' tip stopped it from going further. T' top addition t' t' rudder was 1" o' 1/4" styrene tube with a piece o' 3/16" dowel sanded t' an ogive and glued in t' front. Blimey! The others were 3/16" dowel sanded t' rounded ends, cut in half lengthwise and the two pieces glued t' either side o' t' rudder across from each other.

Since t' fins were so heavy and thick, shiver me timbers, epoxy was used t' glue them on along with t' win' pods and rudder pieces. Begad! Arrr! Epoxy was used as well for the fillets.

Construction:
1 Estes Bullpup kit, matey, plus:

• 1/8" basswood stock
• 1/4" styrene tubing
• 3/16" wooden dowel
• two 3" pieces o' BT-5 tube
• two 2" long tangent ogive PNC5 nose cones
• two 3/4" long parabolic PNC5 nose cones
• Pactra stripin' tape

Finishing:
Finishin' was two coats o' Deft spray lacquer sandin' sealer over everything, sanded after each (400 and 600 grit), me bucko, ya bilge rat, then two coats o' Rustoleum white primer, followed by two coats o' Rustoleum white satin finish. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' black window hatches were hand cut from Pactra stripin' tape.

Flight:
All three flights t' date have been on B6-4s. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! It arcs over slightly with the rudder up because o' t' imbalance o' t' two win' pods, so it looks good enough that I can pretend I meant it t' do this. Well, blow me down! T' ejection is a little before apogee at 4 seconds, matey, but this is a slow flyer so it's safe enough a delay. Avast, me proud beauty!

Recovery:
I use a 12" "sport chute" from Aerospace Specialty Products on this bird. Blimey! Blimey! It comes down a little fast but it's built like a rock. Arrr! Blimey! If I ever fly it where it runs t' risk o' landin' on pavement, me bucko, I'll try a larger chute.

Summary:
I enjoyed t' challenege o' tryin' t' design, sculpt, me bucko, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and build this bird from minimal background material and still make it true t' t' original. Begad! Or, as true as possible since t' original looked different even on t' same episode. Frankly, me hearties, what I had t' work with wasn't quite enough--I did a lot from memory. In fact, when I started I didn't even remember t' name o' t' rocket. Begad! I asked on TRF and someone knew. Ahoy! But t' shape...that I remembered well.