Construction

For plans I downloaded t' intructions for t' Estes Bomarc from "JimZ."  I upscaled t' outlines for t' main wing, tail, and aft wings by 1.237 on a copier. Begad!  I layed t' outlines on t' 1/8" balsa, outlined them with a pencil, and then cut them out with an X-Acto knife.  All t' pieces were glued together with Elmer's wood glue and allowed t' dry. Arrr!  When t' glue was dry I rounded t' leadin' and trailin' edges o' t' wings and tail. Avast!  T' ramjet extensions were cut t' size then sanded t' an airfoil shape. Arrr! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty!  For t' raceway, matey, I cut a 21" long by 1/2" strip from t' 1/4" balsa stock, t' which I laminated a 1/8" strip in order t' make t' raceway 3/8" wide. Ahoy!  I sanded a taper into t' front and aft o' t' raceway, shiver me timbers, and then cut a strip from t' center o' t' aft taper where t' tail would slide in.  T' raceway be t' least scale like feature o' this model, t' real missile raceway has a halfround cross section whereas mine is basically straight sided. Ya scallywag!  Next time I will use a long tube sectioned lengthwise with shaped balsa ends.  T' ramjet cones were created by makin' cones from copier paper.  Once t' cone be formed I soaked t' paper with super glue t' strengthen it. Ahoy!  I constructed t' ramjet transitions from thin cardboard by wrappin' it around a pointed BT-55 nose cone and trimmin' by eye until it looked right. Aye aye! Avast!  I glued t' cones into t' transitions which were then glued t' t' end o' t' 6 3/4" tubes.  T' plastic knozzles were super glued t' t' aft o' t' tubes. Blimey!  T' solid balsa nosecone was hollowed out inside with a power drill in order t' provide room for nose weight which Bomarc models usually require. Arrr! Ya scallywag!  In this case, t' total weight o' t' nosecone is 5.5 oz. Well, blow me down! Well, arrr, blow me down!  Due t' t' heavy nose cone I was concerned it would stike t' body tube after ejectin' so I decided t' have it recover on its own chute.  Later testin' in t' backyard showed that both t' cone and t' main body needed 24" chutes for slow recovery. Begad!  T' body tube had been prepared by removin' all t' fins and t' launch lug, then sandin' t' paint from t' tube. Avast!  In order t' ease t' paint removal, I sprayed t' tube with oven cleaner which dissolved t' color coat and softened t' primer. Arrr!  With careful work and sandin' t' tube came out smooth and ready for assembly. Well, blow me down! Begad!  I used wood glue t' attach t' wings, raceway, ya bilge rat, tail, and ramjets t' t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad!  I made 3/16" launch lugs by wrappin' paper around a launch rod and soakin' it with super glue. Blimey! Begad! (after removin' it from t' rod!)  I glued one lug under t' aft win' and another under t' main wing. Begad! Well, blow me down!  I added shock cords t' t' main body and nosecone usin' t' common Estes method. Ya scallywag! Aye aye!  T' cords don't need t' be very long due t' t' seperate recovery, and I made mine from old shoe laces. Begad!  Although t' Estes plans would have you add antennas t' each o' t' main and tail wings, arrr, I opted nay t' add these as I feered they might snag t' shock cords or parachutes resultin' in a bad recovery. Ahoy! Ahoy!  Once assembly was finished I moved onto finishing.