Brief:
T' Corn-Roc is a fall themed oddroc I was asked t' beta test. Begad! It is basically a conversion o' a Styrofoam ear o' Indian Corn from a craft store into a rocket.

Construction:
Construction began with t' buildin' o' t' motor mount. Begad! A slit was made for t' engine hook and t' hook was secured in place with several wraps o' maskin' tape. T' mount be then marked at each end and t' centerin' rings were slipped into place and glued. Avast, me proud beauty! One rin' needed just a touch o' sandin' t' fit properly. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! When they were in place, arrr, they were glued with yellow glue. Well, blow me down! T' thrust rin' was t' slipped into t' forward end and glued into place.

While t' glue on t' motor mount was drying, I turned me attention t' t' fins. T' instructions come with a template t' be cut out t' mark t' fins on t' sheet balsa stock. Blimey! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I cut out t' template and taped it into place on t' balsa. Arrr! Blimey! I then roughly traced t' outline with a pencil. I did nay bother bein' too careful because I figured t' individuality o' t' fins would add t' t' overall project. T' fins were then cut out with an X-Acto knife.

Turnin' me attention back t' t' motor mount, arrr, I tied a loop o' Keelhaul®©™ around t' forward end o' t' motor mount and filleted it in place next t' t' centerin' ring. Begad! A notch be then cut in t' rin' t' pass t' Keelhaul®©™.

I needed t' give t' glue fillets a chance t' dry so I took t' cut out fins t' t' spray booth. Aye aye! Blimey! T' instructions recommend t' just seal t' fins instead o' paintin' them. Well, blow me down! This is t' help prevent warpin' and leaves t' fins a nice straw color t' go with t' harvest theme. Ya scallywag! I sprayed with Rustoleum clear. Avast! About an hour later, matey, me bucko, I gave them another coat. Begad! T' next day, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I sprayed t' other side. Avast! T' instruction make clear that any such spray should be allowed t' dry fully before tryin' t' install in t' Styrofoam ear o' corn. Blimey! I let it dry a full day.

After t' motor mount was fully dry, I passed t' Keelhaul®©™ through t' notch I had cut and weighed t' end o' it with a pencil. Ya scallywag! I used t' weight o' t' pencil t' pass t' Keelhaul®©™ through t' body tube t' t' forward end. A rin' o' yellow glue be then swabbed in t' aft end o' t' body tube and t' motor mount was pushed into place with but a bit o' t' motor tube protruding.

Next up, t' body tube was test fit into t' Styrofoam ear o' corn. Arrr! Avast! There were a few gaps here and thar but t' tube went in easily and was straight. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I then removed t' tube and mixed a batch o' 5 minute epoxy. Avast! T' instruction indicate that either yellow glue or epoxy should be used in this step and I figured epoxy would do a better job. I used a disposable brush t' thickly paint t' epoxy onto t' body tube and t' pushed it into place, shiver me timbers, leavin' just a bit o' t' motor tube protruding.

T' instructions advise t' coat t' white Styrofoam at t' forward end o' t' corn cob with either epoxy or glue. Begad! This is done in order t' protect t' foam from t' ejection charge. Arrr! Strangely enough, me bucko, t' instructions claim that t' problem is only with t' main body o' t' rocket and nay with t' nosecone. Ahoy! I figure t' burnin' gases get forced back against t' main body for a longer period o' time and that t' NC is protected by brief contact. In any event, ya bilge rat, I painted over t' white foam with yellow glue t' give it t' protection it needed.

T' fin template has a pair o' marks indicatin' t' placement o' t' launch lugs on one o' t' fins t' keep it clear from t' corn cob. Ya scallywag! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I duly marked a fin, ya bilge rat, arrr, cut t' lug in half and mounted t' pieces at either end o' t' line.

T' ear o' corn comes with 4 pre-marked lines for fin placement. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I set a fin along each line and marked a forward and aft end. Begad! Ahoy! I then used a razor knife t' cut along either side o' t' line. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' pointy end o' t' knife was used t' dig out t' foam and I kept whittlin' away until t' fins fit in their slots.

To attach t' fins t' t' foam, I mixed up some 5 minute epoxy and drizzled it into t' slots. Begad! I then pressed t' fins in and used a gloved finger t' smooth a fillet on each side. When done, shiver me timbers, t' rocket was able t' stand on its base.

T' bottom o' t' corn ear had a bit o' a gap betwixt t' Styrofoam and t' body tube due t' t' corin' o' t' foam. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This be anticipated in t' instructions and t' kit came with a few bits o' corn straw with which t' fill in t' gap. I just bent t' pieces over double, ya bilge rat, dipped t' middle in some glue and tucked it into t' gap. Begad! Blimey! It actually gives a nice appearance, me hearties, but I wondered how exposed that dry material will be t' t' rocket exhaust. Ahoy! Blimey! I tied t' make sure that t' straw is facin' away from bein' directly in t' blast zone. Overall, I like t' effect.

T' chute for t' Corn Roc is hexagonal plastic. Avast, me proud beauty! I think it is a Hartle Engineerin' Skinz based chute. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Reinforcement rings were put at t' corners and t' shroud lines were cut into 3 equal lengths. Aye aye! Blimey! A hole punch was used t' perforate t' chute material, me hearties, and t' shrouds were tied into place. T' kit came with a snap swivel and t' ends o' t' shrouds were passed through it and looped back.

T' nose cone o' t' Corn Roc is simply t' end o' t' ear o' corn which has been strategically broken off and modified a bit. Ya scallywag! Begad! A balsa coupler was epoxied into t' hole pre-drilled for t' purpose. Arrr! It fits into t' body tube t' way any nosecone would.

T' instruction give precise instructions for balancin' t' rocket and provide for a margin o' safety. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' kit comes with a bag o' BBs t' glue into t' Styrofoam o' t' NC t' give t' perfect trim after balancing. Avast! I know me buildin' habits so I decided t' use them all. Avast! I also like keepin' rockets down where I can see them better. I wedged some o' t' BBs into t' space betwixt t' balsa and foam and epoxied t' remainder on top o' them.

With that, arrr, matey, t' Corn Roc is ready for her maiden flight. Begad! Ya scallywag! I've enjoyed puttin' this together even if I did have t' listen t' some corny comments...

PROs: Easy. Well, blow me down! Distinctive.

CONs: Sarcastic comments from witnesses.

Finishing:
For t' most part, arrr, t' rocket is pre-finished. Arrr! Arrr! Its a Styrofoam ear o' Indian corn with a hole in it for a motor. T' only real finishin' came in two places: t' fins and t' gap-fillin' straw.

As recommended by t' instructions, I left t' fins as a natural balsa color and only applied a clear coatin' t' protect them. Avast, me proud beauty! That be easy and quick.

I also that t' corn straw filler t' spruce up t' area where too much Styrofoam had been poked out t' be a nice touch and showed some foresight. Begad! I thought t' result looked nice but had some concerns about t' stuff bein' in t' exhaust path and igniting. Avast, me proud beauty! Talkin' with t' manufacturer resulted in t' realization that I had misunderstood t' manner o' application and I trimmed some o' t' fuzz back t' prevent problem in flight. Well, blow me down! I liked "my look" better but it be obvious, matey, me bucko, even t' me, that it might result in higher NARRRRR insurance premiums.

PROs: Nay much too it. Aye aye! Looks good and odd.

CONs: Mistakes are nay easily fixed by replacin' parts. Ahoy! Blimey! There is a limited, seasonal run o' t' corn cobs.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
T' Corn Roc finally flew for t' first time on 22 Nov 2008, but I forgot t' brin' t' popcorn t' use for wadding!

I stuffed it with dog barf and an Estes B6-2. Aye aye! Blimey! It turned a few heads and t' turned in a creditable performance. Its nay goin' t' win any altitude or duration competitions, ya bilge rat, but it's stable and fun t' fly. Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Click here t' see a video o' t' first flight.

T' second motor I wanted t' try be t' recommended C6-3. T' only Cs I could find were C6-7s and C11-3s. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Tim Reidy was kind enough t' provide me with a C6-5, arrr, arrr, which is nay a recommended motor, but I was willin' t' try. Aye aye! It actually performed well. T' delay be too long but it was still safe. Click here t' see a video o' t' second flight.

They say t' third time's t' charm. Blimey! Blimey! Well, me hearties, at least t' Corn Roc seems t' have a charmed life. It survived bein' built by me and now came its ultimate test. T' instructions say you can try an A8-3 if you're feelin' really lucky. Aye aye! Blimey! I was. Aye aye! T' Corn-Roc be not. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! It boosted t' a stunningly low altitude, nosed over and headed down aerodynamically. Ahoy! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I later found out that t' ejection charge went off right as t' nosecone impacted t' ground. Avast, me proud beauty! T' bouncin' lawn dart flight can be seen here.

Examinin' t' rocket after its sudden deceleration trauma revealed surprisingly little damage. T' ejection charge had gone off just as it struck t' ground and this resulted in a lot o' internal pressure that had t' go somewhere. It did manage t' eject t' chute, arrr, a moot point by then, but t' rest o' t' force was directed towards inducin' a zip from t' engine hook. Blimey! This one is a friction fit from now on. Ya scallywag! Examination o' t' nosecone revealed just a slight bit o' cracking. Ya scallywag! T' rocket conceivably could have flown again.

Two weeks later, I got another chance t' fly t' Corn-Roc. T' only 2 changes made were t' take t' A8-3 off t' schedule permanently and t' replace t' engine hook with friction fit tape. Ya scallywag! It performed flawlessly.

PROs: Interestin' oddroc. Aye aye! Begad! Bounces well.

CONs: None.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Nota bene: This was a prototype. T' manufacturer did successfully fly t' rocket on an A8-3. Arrr! We attribute that success t' a probable early ejection. Begad! He has since taken it off t' recommended list. No significant changes were needed for t' production model, just a few spellin' corrections for t' instructions.

All in all, me hearties, me hearties, this was a fun rocket and will continue t' be flown. Begad! It is fairly easy t' build and, because o' t' odd design, it is easy t' hide construction blemishes. Well, blow me down! It is definitely...odd.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5