Brief:
Another classic Estes rocket form t' 70's that I upscaled 168%. I had the original plans from when I built this kit over 25 years ago but nay t' fin patterns. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I downloaded those from JimZ's web site and started scaling.

Construction:
T' model is built pretty much like any other large model rocket. Ya scallywag! All t' body tubes are Estes BT-60 size with t' motor mount tube a BT-50 for 24mm motors. Fins are made from 1/8" balsa sheet stock and cut from t' enlarged patterns. Centerin' rings are standard Estes heavy duty rings. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' nose cone be t' most unique feature and probably t' most time consumin' t' make. Well, me hearties, blow me down! I started out by havin' BMS make a semi-custom cone o' an upscaled BNC-50Y. Begad! Ahoy! T' side bulges were made usin' 2" blue foam insulation that you can get at any Lowes or Home Depot. Arrr! Begad! T' basic shape was rough cut on the bandsaw. Blimey! Arrr! I then roughed out t' concave portion that would fit against the nose cone. Well, blow me down! I wrapped a sheet o' 80 grit sandpaper around t' cone then started sandin' t' pods t' fit. This is a messy process with lots o' foam dust everywhere. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Once I had t' fit t' t' nose cone set I worked on shapin' the outer moldline. Begad! When I had t' shapes finished t' way I liked I glued them to the nose cone then filled in t' joints with light weight spackle compound. Everythin' was filled and faired in. Arrr! T' final step was t' glass t' entire nose cone assembly.

I used standard finishin' resin and 3/4oz glass cloth. Avast! When t' resin was fully cured I filled t' weave on t' cloth with lightweight spackle and sanded it smooth. It was then ready for prime and paint.

T' model was painted usin' regular Krylon paints. Arrr! Gloss black and lemon yellow. You need t' mask t' upper portion where t' decal goes for t' yellow. I used an enlarged printout o' t' decal from t' .jpg file on JimZ's site. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! The actual decals were made by Tom Prestia at Tango Papa. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' strange looking pattern on t' nose section o' t' rocket is one big decal and you need t' use a lot o' care when applyin' it. It's very easy for things t' get away from you so take your time and have plenty o' water on hand. Aye aye! I painted t' inside o' the 'plasma tubes' fluorescent orange first after primin' then masked them off and painted t' rest o' t' rocket. Begad! After t' decals were applied and allowed to dry I shot t' entire model with Krylon clear. Blimey! Blimey!

Flight:
T' model is intended t' fly on Estes D12-5's. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! With a D12-5 it will go plenty high (around 675') and is just right for t' park we fly at. Aye aye! Blimey! T' parachute is a standard Estes 24" 'chute with a 48" long, 1/4" wide, ribbed fabric elastic shock cord. Begad! Blimey! T' shock cord is mounted usin' a typical Estes type SCM. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Prep for launch is no different than any other modroc. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! I use 'dog barf' type waddin' and since thar be no need for a stuffer tube on this rocket I pack it right down t' t' motor mount.

First flight was on a nice, arrr, me hearties, shiver me timbers, calm Sunday morning. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' rocket was prepped, placed on t' pad and t' obligatory pictures taken. T' boost was very straight and thar was no spin at all. Ya scallywag! T' ejection went off at just past apogee; perfect. Well, blow me down! T' 24" 'chute gently lowered t' Alien Invader t' the ground with no damage at all. me bucko was worried t' dowels that extend aft of t' 'plasma tubes' might get damaged but t' nice descent rate proved no need t' worry about that. Begad! Begad! Subsequent flight were repeats o' t' first.

Summary:
This rocket makes a nice addition t' me upscale fleet o' Estes classics which include t' Mars Snooper, Mars Lander, Orbital Transport, USS Atlantis and even t' Super Vega. Arrr! With t' exception o' t' nose cone it's a very straightforward and easy rocket t' build. Ahoy! I think after upscalin' it flies even better then t' original.