Brief:
Sport rocket with pass-through transition. This is a clone o' FSI's third rocket model as it appeared durin' t' first half o' t' 1970's.

Construction:
T' followin' parts were all obtained from Semroc Astronautics:

• ST-1160 (6") - lower body tube
• ST-8F90 (9" cut t' 8") - upper body tube
• ST-940 (4") - motor tube
• BC-8F28 - balsa nose cone
• BR-8F11 - balsa transition (1")
• CR-9115 - centerin' rings (2 needed)
• TR-9 - motor block
• LL-117 - 1/8" x 1.75" launch lug
• ST-545 - transition support (4.5")
• EH-38 - long motor clip (3.5")
• HTC-8F - motor spacer
• CP-12BW - 12" plastic parachute kit (blue/white)

I also supplied other parts from miscellaneous sources:

• 100# Keelhaul®©™ cord - shock cord anchor, ya bilge rat, about 12" (BRS Hobbies)
• 1/4" flat braided elastic - shock cord, about 42" (Wal-Mart)
• small screw eye
• 5/8" dia. Avast! fender washers (2) - nose weight (hardware store)
• 1/16" aircraft plywood - fin stock (BalsaUSA)
• #5 split rin' (fishin' store)

T' nose cone and transition originally used by FSI were turned from hardwood, arrr, arrr, but Semroc's versions o' these parts are made from balsa. Well, blow me down! Also o' note is that FSI's transition came with a large hole bored through t' middle, matey, while Semroc's version o' t' same part is solid. Finally, instead o' purchasin' t' parts for t' motor mount separately, me hearties, as noted above, me hearties, you can now simply purchase Semroc's engine mount kit, EM-9115. Arrr! (This mount kit was nay yet available when I built me model.)

Flight Systems, Inc. opened for business in 1967, ya bilge rat, t' same year that I got into model rocketry. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Durin' me initial 4-year run in t' hobby, I never heard o' them. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Which is too bad, because t' company is fondly remembered by many sport rocketeers who, over t' next three decades, were more inquisitive (and more daring) than I was. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! A couple o' years after returnin' t' t' hobby, me bucko, I finally discovered t' company through t' archive o' FSI catalogs at Sven Knudson's Ninfinger model rocketry web site, arrr, and through t' collection o' kit plans posted at Scott Hansen's Ye Olde Rocketry Plans web site. Avast! Although this company is mostly remembered for their line o' mid-power black powder rocket motors, shiver me timbers, I was taken by t' clean lines and simple elegance f their kit designs. Blimey! I was also just gettin' into clonin' at about that time, in order t' be able t' experience all t' great rocket designs that had come and gone durin' me 33-year hiatus from t' hobby. Ahoy! I really wanted t' try t' build reproductions o' at least some o' t' FSI designs, but I knew that it would be a tall order, me hearties, since their kits used many non-standard parts. Then I found out that Semroc Astronautics was addin' FSI-compatible components t' its ever-growin' catalog o' reproduction parts. And so, exactly two years ago, me bucko, in November 2006, matey, I set a personal goal o' clonin' every single one o' t' 30 rocket designs that FSI sold as kits durin' its 26-year run. Ahoy! I originally set myself t' goal o' buildin' them all within one year, ya bilge rat, arrr, but that deadline has slipped quite a bit since then, me hearties, shiver me timbers, matey, and now I don't have any fixed timeline for finishin' them all.

T' first design that I decided t' reproduce be t' Nova, kit number MRK-III. Blimey! T' Nova be one o' t' small number o' kits that were listed in every FSI catalog from 1967 t' 1994. Like many o' FSI's other kits, me bucko, shiver me timbers, t' exact dimensions o' this model changed over t' course o' its run, me bucko, by increasin' in length as t' years progressed. Aye aye! In t' Nova's case, ya bilge rat, almost all o' these modifications came in t' first few years, ya bilge rat, and by 1971, it seems t' have settled on its "classic" dimensions, with an overall length o' a (nominal) 18 inches. Begad! Begad! T' 1971 design, arrr, shown in t' beautifully hand-drawn and hand-lettered "catalog" from that year, me hearties, be t' version that I reproduced.

I used t' instructions available at Ye Olde Rocketry Plans FSI Mark-III as a guide t' buildin' t' Nova. Aye aye! T' first thin' I noticed about t' plans, which appeared t' date from t' early 1970's, me bucko, was that they were entirely hand-lettered in a calligraphic (but readable) style. Begad! T' second thin' was that thar was only one large cut-away and profusely labeled illustration ("artistically" drawn, arrr, as opposed t' bein' conventionally drafted) o' t' assembled rocket t' accompany t' text and depict t' assembly process. Begad! There were four additional detail illustrations inside "balloons" on t' same page that show a few specific steps. Ahoy! Ahoy! Finally, thar was no detailed parts list. Instead, arrr, thar be another illustration in t' lower left hand corner o' t' page that contained little hand-drawn and labeled pictures o' t' kit's parts. Begad! T' plans at YORP do contain a very helpful addendum listin' t' dimensions and part numbers for t' key components. Avast, me proud beauty! I also consulted t' various parts pages at Semroc's website, studied t' components pages in t' posted FSI catalogs, and also found this enormously helpful cross-reference chart at Semroc's website. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! With t' help o' these resources, I was able t' order t' proper parts and proceed with t' build with a reasonable degree o' confidence.

I used Aleen's Quick-Dry Tacky Glue for almost all o' t' construction, except where I noted. Aye aye! I started by puttin' together t' motor mount. Blimey! FSI designed t' Nova t' use their 21mm motors, but since these were no longer available, matey, I built a 24mm motor mount for mine. Arrr! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Semroc does nay make any rings t' will center either ST-9 or a BT-50 in ST-11, arrr, but they do make rings that center an ST-9 motor tube inside their heavy-walled Series 115 tubing. Begad! T' inner diameter o' LT-115 is only 0.01" larger than that o' ST-11. Aye aye! By simply peelin' a couple o' layers o' paper off o' t' outside o' t' CR-9115 centerin' rings, matey, I adjusted t' rings t' make a perfect fit inside t' lower body tube. Begad! FSI instructed t' builder t' glue a thrust rin' into t' lower body tube just ahead o' t' motor mount, arrr, but I glued mine inside t' motor tube in t' conventional manner, me hearties, 3.5" from one end. Well, blow me down! I used a spent Estes E motor t' push it into place. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! FSI's model did nay have any motor retention, me hearties, but I gave mine a motor hook, positionin' t' 3.75" hook so that extended 0.25" past t' end o' t' tube. T' CR-9115's do nay look like typical centerin' rings; at 1" in length, they resemble tube couplers (and they probably could be used for that purpose, me hearties, too). Aye aye! Blimey! I glued t' forward rin' over t' forward 0.5" o' t' motor tube, and glued t' aft rin' on 0.75" forward o' t' aft end o' t' tube. Well, me bucko, blow me down! I used a round needle file t' grind a shallow slot in t' inside wall o' each rin' so they I could slide them on over t' motor hook. Ya scallywag! Then I glued t' mount into one end o' t' ST-11 body tube, with t' back end o' t' motor tube even with t' end o' t' body tube.

Next I went t' work on t' transition. Ahoy! As I noted before, shiver me timbers, me bucko, FSI's transition was turned from hardwood and had a 0.69" diameter hole bored through t' center from top t' bottom. (See page 13 o' t' 1970 FSI catalog at Ninfinger for a detailed illustration o' it). Begad! I needed t' bore a similar hole through me balsa version, but I did nay think that t' balsa would hold together if I made it t' same diameter as t' original. Well, me hearties, blow me down! I did t' borin' slowly, by hand, usin' a series o' straight drill bits instead o' hole borin' bits. Begad! With a 3/16" drill bit held in a large pin vise, and workin' in from each end t' keep t' hole straight, I twisted out a small channel from end t' end. Ya scallywag! Then, shiver me timbers, matey, usin' a progression o' larger bits, I enlarged t' channel t' 3/8" wide. Arrr! I was worried, after that point, shiver me timbers, that drillin' with anythin' larger would over-stress t' balsa and cause t' transition t' break up. Ya scallywag! Begad! So I took t' 3/8" bit and used it t' gently scrape t' insides o' t' channel, gradually widenin' it some more. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! This was t' largest drill bit I had, but I wanted t' get t' hole t' be large enough t' fit in a length o' ST-5, matey, me bucko, so I went out and bought a 1/2" drill bit, ya bilge rat, just for use in this series o' clonin' projects. Ahoy! After gettin' t' channel t' be large enough t' allow t' 1/2" bit through, arrr, I used t' larger bit t' even out t' hole. Then I wrapped some fine grit sandpaper around a 1/4" dowel and used that t' sand t' inside o' t' channel smooth and get it t' t' final diameter needed t' fit in t' ST-5. Ya scallywag! Installin' t' tube served two purposes: t' provide some internal support for t' channel and t' provide a linin' t' protect t' balsa from gettin' charred by t' motor's ejection charges. Begad! I used Aeropoxy 6209 Structural Epoxy t' bond t' 4.5" long tube into t' channel, ya bilge rat, centerin' t' transition betwixt t' two ends o' t' support tube.

Next, I tied a length o' t' Keelhaul®©™ twine around t' ST-8F end o' t' support tube just above t' shoulder o' t' transition, and then applied more Aeropoxy in very heavy fillets betwixt t' transition and t' end o' t' ST-5 at both ends. T' keep t' epoxy from dripping, I had t' continuously rotate t' assembly while keepin' it horizontal until t' fillets had firmed up enough, arrr, which ended up takin' an hour and a half. Avast! I just kept it goin' while I watched TV, lightly touchin' t' fillets every half hour or so t' check for firmness. Aye aye! T' process caused t' fillets t' assume t' shape o' little rounded cones o' solid epoxy at each end. Arrr! Then I slid t' transition onto a length o' 3/8" dowel and suspended it horizontally overnight t' let t' epoxy finish curing.

T' next day, I test fit t' transition into t' lower body tube. T' epoxy-filleted end o' t' ST-5 that extended below t' wide end o' t' transition just reached inside t' 0.5" o' CR-9115 that extended above t' motor mount. I slit and then glued in small sections o' more ST-9 into t' upper end o' t' CR-9115 t' take up t' internal space betwixt t' ID o' t' rin' and t' OD o' t' ST-5, so that when t' transition be inserted into t' lower tube, arrr, thar would be a tightly sealed internal couplin' betwixt t' motor mount and t' transition channel that would prevent ejection particles and gases from reachin' t' inside wall o' t' lower body tube.

I coated t' inside o' t' transition support tube with a thin layer o' Devcon 30-min. Ahoy! epoxy. After that had set, I coated t' inside o' t' inner couplin' with 30 min. Ya scallywag! epoxy, shiver me timbers, and then bonded t' transition into t' lower body tube with more 30 min. Begad! Ahoy! epoxy.

After t' epoxy cured, ya bilge rat, I tied a #5 split rin' t' t' t' Keelhaul®©™ twine that was bonded t' t' upper end o' t' transition at a distance above t' end o' t' transition that would cause t' rin' would be just inside t' upper end o' t' 8" length o' ST-8F when t' transition was inserted into it and then I trimmed off t' excess Keelhaul®©™. I tied a 42" length o' 1/4" wide flat elastic t' t' split ring, matey, and then applied a drop o' epoxy t' each knot. Well, blow me down! I pushed t' combination o' Keelhaul®©™ and elastic down through t' transition and out t' bottom end o' t' motor mount before bondin' t' upper tube t' t' end o' t' transition with 30 min. Ya scallywag! epoxy. Aye aye! Avast! After that had cured, I used a small diameter dowel t' push t' shock cord back up through t' transition and out t' top o' t' upper tube. Aye aye! Blimey! T' FSI instructions do nay mention gluin' t' two tubes t' t' transition, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but this step is shown in t' cut-away illustration.

I made a wrap-around fin markin' guide in VCP and used it t' mark lines on t' lower tube for t' three fins and t' launch lug. Begad! I extended t' lines for t' entire length o' t' tube, ya bilge rat, usin' a length o' aluminum angle as a guide. Aye aye! I cut out one o' t' pictures o' t' Nova's fins that were included in t' plans at YORP, and used it as a template t' trace out 3 fins on some 1/16" aircraft plywood. T' scan in t' plans clearly shows t' red edge o' t' fins, me bucko, which was how FSI marked t' root edge. Begad! Usin' a utility knife with a new blade and a metal straightedge, ya bilge rat, I had no difficulty cuttin' t' fins out o' t' plywood. Begad! I smoothed t' cut edges with some sandpaper but did nay bother t' round them. I tacked each fin onto t' lower tube with gap-fillin' medium-cure CA, matey, positionin' them so that t' bottom o' t' root edge be even with t' bottom o' t' tube, matey, and then gave each fin several light fillets with epoxy, allowin' t' adhesive t' partially cure betwixt applications. After it had fully cured, t' fins were very strongly bonded t' t' tube.

FSI shipped t' Nova kit with t' tubes already marked for t' fins and launch lug. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Consequently t' instructions did nay provide specific information about where t' place t' launch lug on t' rocket, arrr, ya bilge rat, other than sayin' t' center it on t' lower section betwixt two fins. I trimmed a 1.75" long lug t' 1.625" t' match t' dimension listed in t' addendum, and glued it t' t' lower tube so that its lower end be 2.125" above t' bottom end o' t' tube. T' location looked about right when I compared it t' t' illustration in t' plans.

I was concerned that t' balsa nose cone had less mass than t' hardwood cone that be used by FSI and I also wanted t' be sure that me model would be stable if I flew it on Estes E9 motors, shiver me timbers, so I epoxied two 20mm diameter fender washers t' t' base o' t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, before bondin' a screw eye t' t' shoulder with more epoxy. Well, blow me down! This noticeably increased t' nose cone's weight, and now I am nay sure that this step was actually necessary. I held off on tyin' t' nose cone t' t' end o' t' shock cord, because I wanted t' paint it separately from t' rest o' t' rocket. Begad! Begad! Assembly o' t' Semroc CP-12BW chute kit went without a hitch, arrr, and I ended up with a very nice-lookin' blue and white 12 inch diameter plastic parachute. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I finished it by tyin' a #3 brass snap swivel t' t' bottom o' t' shroud lines.

Finishing:
I applied 6 coats o' Future floor finish t' t' balsa nose cone by immersin' it into a jar filled with t' finish up t' t' shoulder line for 30 seconds at a time, then withdrawin' it and lettin' t' excess drip off, occasionally givin' it a shake, and then hangin' t' cone up by its screw eye t' dry for a couple o' days betwixt coatings. Begad! Ya scallywag! I gave t' nose cone a light sandin' after every second coatin' had dried. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Then I brushed on 3 coatings o' Pine-Pro, a water-based balsa filler and sealer t' t' nose cone, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' transition section, and t' plywood fins, ya bilge rat, arrr, givin' each surface a light wet sandin' with 400 grit sandpaper betwixt coats. Begad! I then gave t' entire rocket and nose cone a light coatin' o' Krylon white primer. Blimey! Begad! After t' paint had dried overnight, shiver me timbers, I wet sanded t' nose cone again and set it aside. Ya scallywag! I gave t' rest o' t' rocket a good sandin' with 240 grit sandpaper until most o' t' primer was gone, tack-ragged it, me hearties, and then applied thinned Fill 'N Finish t' t' shallow spirals in t' tubes. Aye aye! Once they were dry, matey, I sanded t' tubes again, and then gave t' entire rocket and t' nose cone three light coats o' Duplicolor High-Build Primer. After t' primer dried, shiver me timbers, I gave everythin' another wet-sandin' and let it dry overnight. Next I sprayed on another coat o' Krylon white primer, matey, lightly dry-sanded it, and then followed it up with two coats o' Krylon Gloss White.

I wanted t' give t' Nova t' same paint pattern that is depicted in t' drawin' o' it in t' 1971 FSI catalog, so after allowin' t' paint t' dry for a couple o' days, I masked off t' fins and t' upper body tube startin' just above t' transition. I sprayed one light coat o' Krylon Gloss True Blue onto t' exposed areas, and, separately, onto t' nose cone. Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I removed t' masks after about 6 hours, and then allowed everythin' t' dry for another couple o' days. Aye aye! Finally, arrr, arrr, me bucko, I tied t' end o' t' shock cord t' t' screw eye in t' nose cone, which completed t' construction.

There is a scan o' a decal in t' YORP plans for t' Nova, arrr, me bucko, but it is for a later color scheme, so I did nay use it t' make decals for me version. Begad! At some point I will try t' recreate t' decal set shown in t' 1971 catalog drawing. Begad! I be quite pleased with t' way that this color scheme turned out.

Flight:
I built me Nova two years ago this month, but I held off on flyin' it until I had it painted, which I finally did this year. (I know - I'm really courtin' bad luck there.) And then a variety o' factors conspired t' keep me from flyin' it, me hearties, shiver me timbers, or much o' anythin' else either this year. Accordin' t' RockSim 8, me bucko, though, me hearties, matey, it should get almost 700 feet on an Estes C6, arrr, ya bilge rat, and over 1500 feet on a D12. (It would roar t' over 4300 feet on Aerotech's new F35 reload for t' 24/60 case. Well, blow me down! I doubt that I would want t' risk losin' t' casin' for such a flight, arrr, but it's interestin' t' contemplate, arrr, though.) My sims show that t' Nova will fly best on these two BP motors (at least it won't totally shred its chute), but I may try others, too. Avast, me proud beauty! T' mount can accommodate 3.75" long motors; t' fit in t' shorter 2.75" long black powder motors and t' RMS 24/40 case, ya bilge rat, I will use a Semroc HTC-8F coupler as a spacer. Begad! Ahoy! Usin' a coupler for ST-9 or BT-50 tubin' as a spacer is usually recommended in this situation, but I have always had a great deal o' difficulty gettin' those spacers back out o' t' mount, because they were designed t' fit snugly into t' tube t' begin with. Aye aye! ST-8F has a slightly smaller ID, so that coupler slips into a 24mm motor tube and comes back out easily, yet it has a large enough diameter t' do t' job. Ya scallywag! T' 8F coupler is also t' right length (1"). A spent Estes E9 motor, shiver me timbers, cleaned o' its nozzle and burnt propellant residue, will make a dandy adapter for t' 18mm C6 in t' Nova's mount. Avast! In any event, this rocket looks like it will be a real screamer. Avast! I will add flight logs as I get them.

Recovery:
As I mentioned earlier, I assembled a Semroc 12-inch plastic parachute for this rocket. Avast! Blimey! For its initial flights, ya bilge rat, though, I may substitute an equivalent sized nylon chute, either regular or thin-mil or possibly even use a streamer. Avast, me proud beauty! FSI instructed t' flier t' place a ball o' flameproof waddin' in t' bottom end o' t' upper tube, ya bilge rat, just above t' transition. This arrangement, combined with t' fact that t' ejection charge will be comin' through a half-inch diameter channel through t' transition, may work particularly well t' protect t' parachute from burns durin' ejection. In t' FSI instructions, t' shock cord was anchored t' t' inside wall o' t' upper tube, arrr, shiver me timbers, just below t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, me hearties, usin' a mount that appeared t' be very similar t' t' type used by Centuri. Aye aye! Blimey! I chose t' more modern method o' tyin' t' shock cord t' a Keelhaul®©™ leash that is anchored t' t' upper shoulder o' t' transition inside t' bottom end o' t' upper tube. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! This allows t' cord t' extend straight up and out t' top o' t' tube with t' rest o' t' recovery system at deployment, without presentin' any structures along t' inner wall that could snag t' chute as it is bein' deployed. Avast! Aye aye! Blimey! In a personal little touch, or perhaps it's more o' a quirk, matey, I finished off t' upper end o' t' Keelhaul®©™ leash with a small split ring, ya bilge rat, onto which I tied t' shock cord. This was purely optional, arrr, me hearties, though. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! (I include it in all o' me builds.)

Summary:
T' MRK-III Nova is very typical o' FSI's early designs. Long and sleek, matey, me hearties, me hearties, with an elliptical hardwood nose cone, a hardwood blow-through transition and thin plywood fins, me bucko, it was designed t' be a durable rocket that be capable o' reachin' impressive altitudes for a model o' its size. Begad! Well, arrr, blow me down! Reproductions o' all o' t' key components (except for plywood for t' fins) were readily available from Semroc, me bucko, and t' quality o' t' parts was uniformly excellent. There are easier FSI clones t' build, ya bilge rat, but I wanted t' immediately tackle t' biggest challenge o' this build - creatin' t' channel through t' transition. Avast! This be quicker and easier t' accomplish than I expected, shiver me timbers, but still, me hearties, this was a solid Skill Level 3 build, me hearties, possibly even higher. Along with creatin' t' channel, I had t' cut t' fins from a hard material, trim one o' t' body tubes t' size, reinforce t' channel for t' ejection charge and create me own shock cord anchor/leash. Arrr! T' instructions in t' artistically-drawn plans are actually pretty good, arrr, but they require careful reading, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and they leave out some key measurements and one obvious step. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I had t' study them carefully, and then develop me own construction strategy. T' color scheme depicted on t' front page o' t' 1971 plans is, like t' rest o' t' Nova, simple yet elegant, ya bilge rat, and reproducin' it gave me a handsome-lookin' rocket; unfortunately, me bucko, no one currently makes reproduction decals for that specific decor, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and thar are no published scans o' them, either. Begad! T' Nova can fly on 18mm motors as small as a B6-6, as well as on 24mm black powder and composite motors with long delays, shiver me timbers, but you might want t' hold off puttin' it up on t' larger motors until you have an appropriately large field and some spotters, arrr, me hearties, because this design will smartly attain some serious altitude.

Other:
I will be uploadin' me RockSim 8 file t' EMRR t' accompany this review. Begad! I have adjusted t' design with mass objects here and thar t' match me model's overall weight and CG location. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Feel free t' try out different motor/delay combinations with it t' get somethin' that doesn't have a chute-shreddin' deployment speed. Begad! T' three motors that seemed t' work t' best for me in simulations were t' Estes C6-7 and D12-7, ya bilge rat, and t' Aerotech F35-11 reload for t' new RMS 24/60 case.