Brief:

Conversion o' Lansbergen Delta II t' fly on 18mm motors. Arrr! Aye aye! T' particular Delta II that I chose t' model be Delta 7920-8 247, ya bilge rat, launcher o' t' solar observation satellite ACE. T' plans are available on t' Caltech web site.

Modifications:

T' model is a 10 page PDF file. Avast! I printed t' 3 pages o' instructions on regular paper, shiver me timbers, t' 3 sheets o' boosters was printed on 65lb cardstock, and t' remainin' pages were printed on 110lb cardstock. For t' main tubes, ya bilge rat, I used full width tabs so t' body was double thickness. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! It turned out that BT-50 body tube be perfect for t' couplers. I made an 18mm engine mount with CR2050P centerin' rings. Begad! Begad! Blimey! T' rings were spaced t' exactly line up with t' booster mountin' holes. T' body sections were joined and t' motor mount was glued in. Aye aye! Blimey! Holes were drilled through t' booster mountin' holes and almost through t' centerin' rings. 18 dowels made from round toothpicks were cut t' 5/8" each and glued into t' booster mountin' holes. T' booster tubes were rolled double thickness and t' holes on t' booster were opened up. I poked a pin through t' hole location and open them up with a round toothpick. Begad! Blimey! T' booster tubes were glued onto t' dowels with t' dowel goin' all t' way t' t' opposite inside wall and glued there. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! T' booster nose cones and exhaust nozzles were rolled and attached. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Boosters 4, me bucko, me hearties, 5, and 6 have a larger exhaust nozzle so take care when attachin' them. Avast! Avast! Blimey! T' main nose cone be rolled and a nose cone shoulder was rolled from double thickness 110lb stock. I made t' shoulder 1" long so thar would be plenty o' room for nose weight. Ya scallywag! I used a standard paper shock cord mount on each end o' t' 36" shock cord. Well, blow me down! I used a 12" chute made from a plastic table cloth. I didn't know where t' CG should be so I took an educated guess and balanced it just forward o' t' boosters. Aye aye! Blimey! I then did a swin' test and it turned out that it be stable at that balance point. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I put a C6-5 into t' mount and added enough clay t' t' nose t' brin' t' balance point back t' t' previously determined location. Aye aye! Avast! Blimey! It took .7oz o' clay t' balance which brought t' all up weight t' 2.0 oz. Avast! Ya scallywag! Blimey! A couple o' coats o' clear were sprayed on and it was done. Arrr! Blimey!

Construction:

T' followin' is a list o' materials that I used in t' construction.

Finishing:

Everythin' was pre-printed and only a couple coats o' clear were required.

Flight:

Based on t' weight, matey, shiver me timbers, I determined that an A8-3, shiver me timbers, B6-4, me hearties, arrr, or C6-5 would be appropriate. T' day o' t' first launch was as ideal a day as one could ask for: sunny blue skies, me bucko, temperature in t' 70's, shiver me timbers, and almost a complete lack o' wind with occasional gusts t' 5mph or less. I chose a B6-4 for t' first flight. Aye aye! T' motor mount has an engine hook so no tape was needed. Arrr! I used "dog barf" for wadding. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I was a little apprehensive because o' t' lack o' fins but t' flight was perfectly straight. T' rocket was easy t' follow and ejection was just about at apogee.

Recovery:

T' recovery on t' 12" chute be slightly faster than I would have liked considerin' all t' boosters stickin' out. It was flown in a corn field and it happened t' hit a corn stalk upon landin' and knocked one o' t' boosters loose. T' damage was minor and be easily repaired. Arrr! I didn't fix it until I got home so I could inspect all t' booster attachments. T' rest were all solid. I think I will switch t' a 14" chute for t' next flight.

Summary:

I am really happy with t' end result. T' rocket be nay difficult t' build for anyone with a little cardstock modelin' experience. Avast! T' price be right (read: free), and when completed, you have a good representation o' a rocket that is nay often modeled.