Brief:

Conversion o' Lansbergen Delta II t' fly on 18mm motors. Arrr! Blimey! T' particular Delta II that I chose t' model be Delta 7920-8 247, 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! Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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. Ahoy! Blimey! For t' main tubes, me bucko, matey, I used full width tabs so t' body was double thickness. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It turned out that BT-50 body tube be perfect for t' couplers. I made an 18mm engine mount with CR2050P centerin' rings. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' rings were spaced t' exactly line up with t' booster mountin' holes. Begad! T' body sections were joined and t' motor mount was glued in. Holes were drilled through t' booster mountin' holes and almost through t' centerin' rings. Avast, me proud beauty! 18 dowels made from round toothpicks were cut t' 5/8" each and glued into t' booster mountin' holes. Aye aye! T' booster tubes were rolled double thickness and t' holes on t' booster were opened up. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I poked a pin through t' hole location and open them up with a round toothpick. T' booster tubes were glued onto t' dowels with t' dowel goin' all t' way t' t' opposite inside wall and glued there. T' booster nose cones and exhaust nozzles were rolled and attached. Ahoy! Blimey! Boosters 4, ya bilge rat, 5, ya bilge rat, and 6 have a larger exhaust nozzle so take care when attachin' them. T' main nose cone be rolled and a nose cone shoulder be rolled from double thickness 110lb stock. Begad! I made t' shoulder 1" long so thar would be plenty o' room for nose weight. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I used a standard paper shock cord mount on each end o' t' 36" shock cord. I used a 12" chute made from a plastic table cloth. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! I didn't know where t' CG should be so I took an educated guess and balanced it just forward o' t' boosters. Begad! Begad! Blimey! I then did a swin' test and it turned out that it was stable at that balance point. Ahoy! Arrr! 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. Begad! It took .7oz o' clay t' balance which brought t' all up weight t' 2.0 oz. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! A couple o' coats o' clear were sprayed on and it was done. Arrr!

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, me hearties, I determined that an A8-3, B6-4, arrr, or C6-5 would be appropriate. Avast! Avast! T' day o' t' first launch was as ideal a day as one could ask for: sunny blue skies, me hearties, temperature in t' 70's, me hearties, 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! Aye aye! T' motor mount has an engine hook so no tape be needed. Blimey! Begad! I used "dog barf" for wadding. I be a little apprehensive because o' t' lack o' fins but t' flight be perfectly straight. Blimey! Blimey! T' rocket be easy t' follow and ejection was just about at apogee.

Recovery:

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

Summary:

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