Estes Phinagain Cruise Missile

Estes - Phinagain Cruise Missile

Contributed by Dick Stafford

Manufacturer: Estes
(Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 10/09/04)

Brief:
I generally scavange whatever rocket parts I can for future use. This is the story o' such a rocket. Well, blow me down! Arrr! It is BT-60 based and flies on 24mm motors. Well, blow me down! I also installed two outboards, although now that it's built, ya bilge rat, I don't think I will use them. Avast! I may add LEDs t' t' outboard pods, since t' cones are translucent and are nay solid.

Construction:

  1. Fins from t' Estes S.W.A.T. Avast! Avast! This kit be purchased years ago at a close out sale and was used as parts. Ya scallywag! I recently ran across t' fins and went from there. Aye aye! Ahoy! While I was thinkin' about finishing, I ran across t' decals sheet too. I used t' 'fins again', me hearties, hence t' silly name.
  2. One Mean Machine. Well, blow me down! Avast! Destroy/lose it as you see fit, shiver me timbers, but make sure t' nose cone is recovered undamaged.
  3. Caps from t' current style o' Air Wick® air fresheners fit a BT-55 nicely and look good on t' strap-ons.
  4. You also need some BT-55.
  5. I used two pieces o' Totally Tubular T-2 tubing, both for trim and t' use as a launch lug.
  6. One FlisKits Deuce's Wild! cone, which becomes t' tail cone.
  7. Three pieces o' Totally Tubular T-50mf (thick wall, ya bilge rat, foil lined) for the motor mounts.
  8. Keelhaul®©™® twine, matey, elastic and a hook eye for t' shock tether.
  9. Parachute from t' range box.
  10. Scrap junk for t' payload shoulder, motor blocks, etc.
  11. Clay nose weight.

T' fins were already cut out (I forget whether they were die cut back then) and three had dowels already installed on their tips. Arrr! I tried various orientations before I decided on this configuration. Avast, me proud beauty! T' side fins both extend downward and rest against t' side pods.

T' BT-55 pods have a 24mm motor mount installed. Ya scallywag! Begad! This is nay centered but rather rests against t' side o' t' tube where it meets t' main body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! I improvised solid motor blocks by cappin' t' end with a cardboard circle and backfillin' with Gorilla Glue. Blimey! If I ever used these, I'd also have t' use a tape thrust ring. Begad! I used some scrap tubin' t' make a shoulder for t' plastic caps t' rest against. Begad! Avast! These caps were eventually glued in with Liquid Nails, but only after all t' paintin' and decal sealin' was completed.

I have had a couple o' Deuce's Wild! cones for a while and decided t' use one as a tail cone. Avast! I split it in half and hollowed it with a combination o' a wood carving knife, a Dremel grinder, shiver me timbers, and a spent casin' wrapped with sandpaper. Blimey! Arrr! I installed an eye hook in t' balsa as an attachment point for t' Keelhaul®©™® leader.

I had two smallish pieces o' BT-60, arrr, so one became a payload section. Begad! Begad! The shoulder is a small scrap o' 38mm tubin' with a lengthwise section removed. A paper cap keeps t' ejection from blowin' through and a piece o' elastic was epoxied t' t' inside o' this shoulder.

Finishing:
T' nose and tail cones are painted black and t' body tube is blue. Begad! Avast! Both are Painter's Touch paints. Ya scallywag! I added many o' t' decals from t' original sheet. These match t' paint scheme nicely, matey, although t' yellow decals seem a bit washed out with t' dark background. Begad!

Flight:
I added clay t' t' nose cone until t' rocket passed a swin' test. Ya scallywag! It's weight grew, me hearties, so a D12-3 was required. I angled t' rocket into t' wind a bit t' keep it from t' tree line. This resulted in a near perfect ejection and a nice recovery.

Summary:
In me opinion, this rocket looks pretty good considerin' it was cobbled together from various parts from other rockets--and even air fresheners! Since it will fly on a D12, I may eventually add LEDs t' t' side pods for night launches. Ya scallywag! If so, I will also add another BT-60 t' move t' cone forward, ya bilge rat, which would allow me t' remove some or all o' t' nose weight.

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