Brief:
Kit bash o' a Quest Harpoon AGM into a short, squat 2-stage rocket.

Modifications:
First I cut t' body tube, arrr, I used a "TLAR" approach for t' sustainer, and cut t' body tube t' about +/- 2.25" (I don't remember exactly how long it is, oops!) An Estes tube markin' guide be used t' mark t' tubes and then a careful hand with a sharp X-Acto knife yielded reasonably clean edges.

I also cut a shorter piece o' tube t' act as a coupler betwixt t' booster and t' sustainer by cuttin' a slit in it and stuck it into t' booster. Ahoy! Ahoy! I marked how much needed t' be cut off, arrr, cut it, arrr, and voilà--a coupler is born. Well, blow me down! I glued it into t' booster tube but ended up needin' t' sand t' exposed portion for a good fit into the sustainer.

Motor mount time! I assembled t' motor mount per instructions (includin' t' shock cord mount) and installed it into t' sustainer. Begad! Had I been thinking, me hearties, I would have recessed it a bit further into t' tube so that it wouldn't stick out t' back quite so much. Arrr! Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, I wasn't thinking! I needed another motor mount, matey, so I bought a Baby Bertha with a 40% off HL coupon (go Hobby Lobby!) plannin' t' cannibalize it for parts. I get t' motor mount out and start playin' with t' centerin' rings and am in for a nasty surprise--it won't fit! I take t' BT-60 tube from t' Baby Bertha and sure enough, it slides down over t' Quest tube with a little bit o' slop. Doh! A simple email t' Quest takes care o' that though! I ask how I can buy a set o' centerin' rings, and they say, matey, "what's your address? We'll send you one!" So now back t' t' build, sans one motor mount.

On t' fin front, me bucko, I used all 12 fins. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I took t' upper set and glued them t' t' outside edge o' t' lower set. Avast! It just so happens that you could also glue t' middle set on t' get a big trapezoidal fin with a "slot" in it but I didn't do that! I wanted t' glue t' middle fins t' t' sustainer and t' composite fin to t' booster but then align them so that it looked like one big booster. Blimey! Blimey! After assemblin' and sandin' t' fins, me bucko, I glued t' 4 fins on t' sustainer tube. Begad! (Wood glue and t' double glue technique rocks!) Give that a day t' dry, shiver me timbers, and now it's time for t' booster! I mark t' booster tube, put a little number by each marking, ya bilge rat, put a similar number on each booster fin, and mark t' sustainer fins as well (although I think I did that on t' tube, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, nay on t' fin itself). After much sandin' (mostly sandin' down t' sustainer fins), t' booster fins will all fit over t' appropriate sustainer fin and it's time t' glue them on! I leave t' two tubes mated for this process so I can get good alignment of t' booster fins with t' sustainer fins. Begad! (It's supposed t' look like one big fin after all.) Double glue technique to t' rescue again and voilà. Aye aye! Blimey! Four nicely aligned fins. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Stick that up on a high shelf t' prevent small children or dogs from knockin' it over!

T' rings from Quest arrived, and I put together t' motor mount for t' booster. Arrr! I cut it a little short and made sure ~1/4 t' ~1/2" sticks out t' bottom o' t' booster so that I've got somethin' I can tape t' for motor retention on t' booster. T' big fins with forward projections will hopefully make this booster tumble rather than lawn dart. Arrr! Ahoy! Since I'd been readin' about vent/gap stagin' on T' Rocketry Forum, I cut a pair o' ~1/8" holes in the centerin' rings (one hole in each ring) and aligned them with each other t' act as a vent.

T' final step be t' cut t' bottom off t' nose cone and epoxy two 1/4oz egg sinkers into the front, along with t' shock cord.

While playin' around with it, I discovered that when separatin' t' two pieces, me bucko, arrr, t' fins could bind if it didn't come off straight. Blimey! Blimey! I decided t' fly it with t' fins offset 45 degrees from each other rather than aligned. Begad! It still looks pretty cool that way!

Construction:
Parts list:

• 1 piece o' Quest body tube (cut into booster section, short sustainer section, matey, really short piece used for a coupler, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and a big piece left over)
• 12 fins (3 shapes)
• 18mm motor mount (rings were kind o' curly)
• Quest style shock cord and chute
• Two 1/4oz egg sinkers (nose weight)
• Bertha-esque nose cone (with t' bottom cut off)
• Another 18mm motor mount (stole t' tube from a Baby Bertha, me bucko, Quest supplied free centerin' rings)

Finishing:
Err, matey, well, I haven't painted it yet.

PRO: Easy!

CON: Ugly!

After it flies, then it has earned a paint job.

Flight:
I like t' get me rockets back, me bucko, so me first flight was on a B6-0 t' an A8-3. Blimey! B6-0s are unobtainable these days, but thankfully Roy Green had a stash and he traded me a B6-0 for one o' me B4-4s. Begad! Motor prep is simple. Aye aye! Stuck t' A8-3 in the sustainer (Quest clip holds it in place), arrr, stick t' B6-0 into t' sustainer, and tape it in place. Well, blow me down! It sticks out the back quite a bit but it works!

Waddin' be rather interesting--the engine comes up flush with t' top o' t' motor mount and t' nose cone shoulder goes all t' way down t' t' motor mount. Ahoy! Blimey! I filled t' tube with waddin' and stuffed t' chute up into the nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' chute was a royal pain t' assemble as t' shroud lines were so slippery that me knots kept coming untied!

Beautiful lift, ya bilge rat, nice staging--all in all a great maiden flight!

Recovery:
Standard Quest Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cord be used and assembly was fine. Ya scallywag! Unfortunately, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' chute didn't inflate and t' whole thin' tumbled in pretty fast. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! There wasn't any significant damage and t' tube looks just a little worse for wear but nothin' some paint won't cover up! It landed pretty close due t' its fast decent rate. Ya scallywag! I'm thinkin' I need t' find a different chute, maybe a small lightweight nylon one and find a way t' prevent shroud tangles.

Summary:
I like it! Kitbashes are fun. Avast! Short, me hearties, stubby rockets are fun, and more than one engine is fun! I be never attracted much t' staging, but I really enjoyed flyin' this little guy. I enjoyed buildin' him too.

PROs: Cute short, stubby look. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Two-stage rocketry and kitbashin' is fun!

CONs: Nay much room for recovery device (as it has t' stuff into t' nose cone). Begad! Really needs a B6 booster for the local field and those aren't readily available (on larger fields it'd be fine with a C6 booster).