Note: For more Bull Dog pictures, visit John's site.

T' Public Missiles Limited Bull Dog kit be t' first high-power kit I built. Arrr! This is a nay a scale model o' t' famous "Bullpup" U.S. air-to-surface missile, shiver me timbers, but is reminiscent o' it. 

Here's what I said when I started it (in February 1998): 

"I'm already gettin' ahead o' myself here. Aye aye! I haven't flown any rockets in probably 20 years and I'm already buildin' a "level 2 rocket," which as far as I can tell, arrr, me hearties, I can't even fly in this area. Ya scallywag! Oh well, building them is most o' t' fun and this is certainly an impressive rocket. At 6' 4", it's taller than I am! 

This be me first high-power rocket. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Before that, I'd only built two model rockets (Quest Intruder and Estes Black Brant II) and two mid-power rockets (Aerotech IQSY Tomahawk and Loc/Precision Stovi). This be a good kit t' start with since t' instructions were well-organized and complete. But, it's a pretty big jump for "G" motors to "Ks". 

By t' time I'd flown it (in June), I be very happy with t' rocket. Arrr! I love the way it came out. Ahoy! I really took t' time t' build it right and finish it nicely. Begad! (See me construction notes in t' kit section below.) Too bad the P.M.L. Avast! Ya scallywag! phenolic body tubin' is so brittle as t' rocket took damage on its first flight. Ahoy! T' damage is repairable, arrr, but nay at t' flyin' field. 

You can see that a chunk is missing. Ya scallywag! Blimey! (I don't know if this be zipper or impact damage on landing.) I will try t' replace t' missin' body tube area with fiberglass, which will be an adventure by itself. 

On June 13, at t' annual ROC-stock launch in Lucerne, me bucko, California hosted by the Rocketry Organization o' California (ROC), t' Bull Dog flew for t' first time. Ahoy! It be recovered with only minor damage after a beautiful and spectacular flight on a K550, ya bilge rat, a definite crowd-pleaser. 

T' Kit

T' instructions for this kit were simple, but clear. Nothin' too unusual for a high-power rocket kit (I say in hindsight). Aye aye! Ahoy! Below are kit details and construction notes. 

Attachin' t' Fins. Ahoy! - T' fins actually mount through t' boat tail t' the motor mount tube. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! You epoxy t' aft centerin' rin' and MMT into t' boat tail, but leave t' forward centerin' rin' loose. T' fins are G-10 and are a standard through-the-wall mount. Avast! Begad! I used 1/8" wood dowel and a liberal amount o' epoxy as t' fillets after t' fins were mounted since you could get access from t' forward end o' t' boat tail. Ahoy! You could also probably pour fin fillets although access is very tight in t' tail. 

Stability. Avast, me proud beauty! - T' rocket required a pound o' nose weight be added for stability. T' CP o' this rocket is 58 inches from t' nose tip (accordin' to P.M.L.) and I wanted t' get t' CG forward o' that by at least 1 1/2 times the 6" diameter because o' t' canards in front. Ya scallywag! I bought #7 1/2 shot and mixed up a pound with a couple o' ounces o' epoxy and poured it into t' nose cone. Ahoy! I then backed that up with spray-in insulatin' foam. Aye aye! This seems t' be the right weight. Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' rocket took off without any weathercockin' and flew very straight. 

Finishing. Begad! Blimey! - T' biggest way t' get a nice finish is hard work. Avast! Blimey! (Calvinism lives!) I can never fill those P.M.L. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! body tube seams in one pass. Begad! Blimey! T' first mostly fills them up, but leaves visible lines. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I use lots o' Elmers Fill 'n Finish for t' first pass since it sticks well t' t' bare phenolic and fills quickly. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Then, I'll prime t' see find t' uneven spots (there are usually lots). Begad! Blimey! After t' primer, matey, I'll use a standard hobby white paste filler such as "Micro Fill." Two or three fill/sand/prime iterations later, matey, shiver me timbers, I'll be ready for finish paint. 

Maskin' is a real trick too. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Maskin' tape doesn't work well for me. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I haven't had fair winds with hobby maskin' films or tapes either, me hearties, but ordinary clear tape (3M Scotch Transparent or Magic tape) gives razor sharp lines. Unfortunately, clear tape is very high tack and will pull paint off blow-molded nose cones and sometimes paint-over-paint (yes, arrr, even Krylon). Second t' clear tape is "Pactra Maskin' Tape," which is lower tack and produces good lines (and is what I used on t' Bull Dog). Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I had t' touch up some paint which bled under t' tape by hand. Aye aye! Blimey! If you look closely, you can see t' touch-ups are not as flat as t' sprayed colors, but you'd never see it in a photo (see close-up below). 

Paint Scheme and Decals - I got t' paint scheme from t' Estes Bull Pup 12D kit (see t' kit cover below). Even though this isn't really a model o' a Bull Pup, it looks enough like it that I wanted t' use a real Bull Pup color scheme. (Since then, I discovered Bill Rossi's BULLPUP PAGE which has lots o' photos and some drawings.) I was able t' produce nice decals for t' letterin' using Detail Master decal paper (from Scale Sports) printed on t' Alps MD1000 printer. I was pleased with how t' decals came out. Obviously since this isn't particularly scale, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I took liberties with t' text on t' decals (no AGM-12X ever existed). 

My first try was usin' a laser printer, but t' toner didn't really stick so it flaked off as I tried t' apply t' decal. Well, blow me down! Also, matey, Krylon clear coatin' made the toner bleed. Aye aye! I had just about given up, when I thought I would give the Alps MD1000 printer a try since someone had posted an article about how this worked well for decals. Ahoy! Begad! It really does! T' Detail Master decal paper is very fine and melts nicely with decal set. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' paper also is very strong for its thickness so I be able t' position t' large decals for this project without tearin' them. Ahoy! For reference, t' block o' text below fills a 8 1/2 by 11" sheet. 

Recovery System. Blimey! Arrr! - T' rocket uses t' P.M.L. Ahoy! "piston ejection system," in which t' ejection charge pushes a plunger up t' body tube, shovin' anythin' inside violently out. T' nose and parachute attach t' the plunger which is attached t' t' motor mount tube. (This rocket would nay be easy t' modify for electronic recovery after bein' built.) Once caution P.M.L. makes is that you should reduce t' amount o' ejection charge because the piston ejection system requires less (you just have t' pressurize t' area behind t' piston t' get it movin' and keep it moving). I forgot t' reduce the ejection charge when I built t' motor (I just filled up t' well o' t' Dr. Rockets forward closure) and had no ill effects.