Show anyone t' shape o' a V-2 and they will immediately recognize a real rocket! That classic outline has been t' love o' some people t' t' extent that they establish websites dedicated totally t' t' V-2. Arrr! Begad! These sites cover every possible topic related t' t' "vengeance" weapon. Ahoy! Its popularity continues in sport rocketry today with a number o' companies producin' V-2 kits. Public Enemy, me hearties, Maximum Thrust and LOC/Precision are several that come t' mind. Ahoy! Two o' t' more popular kits come from LOC/Precision in 5.38" and 7.67" versions.

Bein' a fan o' sport-scale rockets, I chose t' build t' 5.38" version with a 38mm motor mount. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I was originally lookin' for a neat-lookin' rocket that I could launch with relatively little prep work. Avast! Avast! You know, me bucko, ya bilge rat, insert t' motor and fly. Begad! I didn' t want t' spend an hour just gettin' it ready t' fly on electronics with multiple black powder charges. Arrr! Ya scallywag! But more on that later.

Make it durable. With a big 5.38" body tube and big plywood fins, shiver me timbers, I was concerned about durability o' t' rocket over time. Avast, me proud beauty! So, t' first step be t' apply a layer o' 1.7oz Keelhaul®©™ and 6 oz fiberglass t' t' body tube. T' LOC BT is non-phenolic cardboard so it really soaked up t' epoxy. Avast! I also coated t' top 4 inches o' t' inside o' t' BT with West Systems. Begad! Ya scallywag! I did that for two reasons: one, t' NC fit was a bit sloppy and I wanted t' take up some o' t' slack, ya bilge rat, and, me hearties, two, I wanted t' limit t' deterioration o' t' cardboard near t' NC when t' wet conditions o' Monroe caused t' layers o' t' cardboard tube t' unravel.

I sanded t' fins usin' 100 and 150 grit t' smooth t' flat surfaces and t' round t' leadin' and parallel edges. Begad! I vacuum bagged t' fins with 1.7oz Keelhaul®©™ wrapped over t' leadin' edge and then applied two layers o' six oz 'glass sandwichin' each fin. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Although I used a vacuum, arrr, a hand layup would be fine for this rocket. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I just like t' keep me hand in, shiver me timbers, I suppose.

LOC' s directions are very good for assemblin' t' rocket. Aye aye! I assembled t' fincan per t' instructions with t' exception o' addin' an AeroPack 38mm motor retainer t' t' MMT. Blimey! Although t' retainer is pricey, me bucko, it is perfect for this application where t' motor mount extends beyond t' bottom centerin' ring. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! And t' retainers are really, really cool!

From here, ya bilge rat, I made a few changes.

Those stubborn plastic nosecones. T' first change concerns t' tenaciousness o' molded nosecones in wantin' t' shed paint. It seems no matter what one does, ya bilge rat, it' s difficult t' get paint t' stick t' t' slick plastic. Ahoy! Well, boys and girls, try what I do. Aye aye! I use 100 grit sandpaper t' rough up t' whole NC. Yes, that' s right. Rough it up. Scrub it with soap and water and let it dry. Avast! There will be a lot o' fuzzies but paint will stick when t' preparation is finished. Avast! After t' first sanding, go back and fill t' mold seams and whatever other imperfections that might exist. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Let t' filler dry and sand lightly with 100 grit. Avast, me proud beauty! Use gray Plasti-Kote Spot Filler & Primer for a first coat t' identify t' big imperfections (gray primer makes imperfections easier t' see than white primer). Begad! Wet sand with 320 grit. Blimey! Fill again as necessary. Avast! Prime again with Kilz white primer (white is good t' use now as a base for t' paint). Use a couple or three light coats o' this stuff; it comes out very heavy. Begad! Let dry and wet sand again with 320 grit. I' d be surprised if you see any fuzzies now. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Prime again if needed and/or wet sand with 400 and you' re ready t' paint. Arrr! Blimey! Try it.

NC Shock Cord Attachment. T' NC has a big extrusion on it t' be used for securin' an eyebolt. Ahoy! Blimey! It certainly would work but there' s an alternative. Ya scallywag! T' V-2 requires nose weight due t' t' center o' pressure those fins create on a short rocket body. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' instructions suggest drillin' a 5/8" hole in t' side o' t' base o' t' nosecone t' be used t' pour an epoxy/steel shot mixture into t' nosecone. Ahoy! I decided nay t' do that. Aye aye! I drilled out t' plastic extrusion with a 3/4" wood spade bit. I like t' use a toggle bolt t' hold onto a 1/4" eyebolt for fastenin' t' shockcord t' t' NC. Ya scallywag! Plus it adds weight t' t' nose in a rocket where nose weight is critical.

Addin' Noseweight. T' kit comes with 8 ounces o' steel shot t' be inserted with epoxy into t' nosecone. Blimey! A finishin' nail is t' be used as a retention device for t' steel shot/epoxy mixture by drillin' a hole crosswise through t' tip o' t' NC and inserting. Ahoy! T' steel shot/epoxy is then poured over this nail and holds everythin' in place. Ya scallywag! T' ends o' t' nail are then filed or ground down t' fit t' contour o' t' nosecone. LOC recommends flyin' t' V-2 on nothin' larger than an I-284 and t' weight is calculated accordingly. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! But me construction isn't stock. Avast! I' e added epoxy and fiberglass weight. Nay a lot o' weight but it should be considered. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! I've also added a motor retainer. Begad! Light, ya bilge rat, t' be sure, matey, but still t' be considered. Ya scallywag! With t' rocket built and primed, I used Rocksim t' determine t' Barrowman and Rocksim centers o' pressure. Begad! Blimey! There be a big difference in these calculations but I knew t' real Cp was somewhere about 2" ahead o' t' fins. Blimey! Begad! I then took t' biggest motor (J350) that I thought that I would fly and taped it t' t' aft o' t' rocket. Aye aye! I put t' casin' into t' motor tube and fastened t' retainer. I installed t' parachute I'm goin' t' use (60" Top flight after weighin' t' V-2 ), matey, ya bilge rat, 20' o' 9/16" military spec nylon tubing, me bucko, Nomex® shields and quicklinks. I then taped t' 8 ounces o' steel shot t' t' tip o' t' nosecone. Aye aye! Findin' t' center o' gravity, I added another 6 ounces (overkill) o' steel shot after repeated measurements designed t' move t' Cg farther away from t' Cp. Ahoy! I wanted 1.0+ calibers for safety and feel I'm pretty close t' that.

Once I felt comfortable with t' weight, matey, I mixed t' epoxy/steel shot and poured it into t' nosecone and let it cure.

"I Don Wan No Stinkin' Launch Lugs!" Lose t' 1/2" cardboard launch lug and put on a couple o' Black Sky (or similar) Delrin rail guides. Arrr! Blimey! Once you use them, you'll never go back. Blimey! Blimey! They attach nicely t' t' boattail/body tube overlap and t' a spot 5" down from t' top o' t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Epoxy a 1/2" square piece o' body tube at t' 5" mark on t' inside o' t' BT t' give t' rail guide screw somethin' t' bite on.

Painting. V-2 paint schemes are widely varied. Begad! Arrr! There is a paint scheme for everyone, shiver me timbers, t' be sure. Ya scallywag! One o' me favorites be t' dark yellow and black o' V-2 No. 2 flown at White Sands, New Mexico in 1946. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I got t' paintin' detail from Peter Always's Rockets o' t' World, ya bilge rat, me bucko, 3rd Edition. Well, blow me down! If you don't have this book, me hearties, put it on t' 'ol birthday or Christmas wish list. Avast! It's a necessity.

After preppin' t' rocket for paintin' as described with t' nosecone, arrr, I found Plasti-Kote "School Bus Yellow", me bucko, "Gloss Black" and "Silver" for paintin' t' rocket. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! Strictly on an opinion basis, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I think P-K paints are a bit more durable than Krylon. Begad! Blimey! Can't substantiate it, matey, me bucko, but I think so. Aye aye! Avast! Blimey! Use whatever you' re comfortable with, matey, however, me bucko, but you may want t' try P-K paints.

Other than spendin' an enormous amount o' time (and blue detail tape) tapin' t' rocket for t' paint scheme, t' paintin' wasn't bad at all. Avast! AND! I did nay pull any paint away from t' nosecone when I pulled t' maskin' off. What could be better than that?

And One Final Thing. Remember I be talkin' about buildin' a rocket that would be easy t' prep and launch? Well, I've back-tracked a bit. I made provision t' put in a 38mm tube that will accommodate a BlackSky AltAcc accelerometer. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! This piece o' electronics screw mounts t' t' side o' t' airframe and is armed by turnin' an armin' screw. It won't be used for dual deployment; it will just fire t' main at apogee. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I don't know if I'll use it, but just in case.... Aye aye! Blimey! Creature o' habit, me hearties, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I guess.

All in all, a great rocket kit and somethin' different for me. Don't expect a lot o' altitude on this model, though. Ya scallywag! 1250' on an I357; 1500' on an I211; 1900' on an I300; 2700' on an I435 (if I dare). Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! But those altitudes are plenty for a short wide-bodied rocket with a parachute at apogee. Well, blow me down! Lift-offs should be great.

With 55,000 lbs o' thrust generated from a hydrogen peroxide-methanol motor, t' real rocket traveled at over 4400 ft/second. Well, blow me down! It was first fired operationally by t' Germans with a 1 ton warhead on September 6, 1944, me hearties, aimed at Paris. Avast, me proud beauty! After two firings on t' 6th, me hearties, t' target be switched t' London on September 7th.

T' reality o' t' V-2 was as t' progenitor o' t' space race betwixt t' U.S. and t' U.S.S.R. Aye aye! Blimey! T' United States managed t' ship parts for 100 V-2s and most o' t' Peenemunde scientists out o' post-WWII Germany while t' U.S.S.R. Ahoy! captured t' production facilities and most o' t' missle technicians. Blimey! Ahoy! What each country acquired was a rocket test bed capable o' reachin' an altitude o' 52 miles with a range o' 225 miles. Ahoy! T' V-2 had a throw weight o' about 2,000 lbs which amounted t' a lot o' scientific instruments. Arrr! T' United States fired some 70 V-2s betwixt 1946 and 1955. Well, blow me down! From Rockets o' t' World by Peter Alway.