Short rocket, me hearties, long story.  T' original brainstorm (not quite a plan) was t' extend a long motor like B2, me hearties, I435, shiver me timbers, J350 or I200 up into t' nose cone, shiver me timbers, me bucko, ya bilge rat, with only enough body tube t' hold t' fins, me bucko, and the recovery system packed around t' motor.  This has nay worked out t' me satisfaction yet, me hearties, but I have this fun little concept-test rocket to show for it.  It was yellow and white until I came across a  cheap roll o' 3/8" wide pro maskin' tape in a surplus store and went digging for a rocket t' try it out on.  A light coat o' black, me bucko, and Voila:  Eric t' 1/2A Bee.

The "29 Can" (right) never flew in this form. Aye aye! Blimey! With 22" o' Quantum tube added, it did fly on an H238.  T' small rainbow rocket is dead. Arrr! Blimey! It is deceased. It has passed on. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It has gone t' meet its maker.  More precisely, it has been hangin' in a large tree since April 2001. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Eric t' Pre-Bee is at lower right.

Nose Cone: I've done this with several different plastic nose cones.  Eric is based on t' long Estes PNC-50 used in t' Athena and several other simple kits.  It's a two-piece cone; t' shoulder section is nay used for this project.  T' forward centerin' rin' projects from t' body and fits into t' base o' t' cone.  If a one-piece cone is used, the shoulder is cut t' about 1/4" and t' centerin' rin' recessed into the fin can t' fit.  In either case two 1/16" holes are drilled, 1/2" from t' open end o' t' cone and 1/8" apart, t' tie t' shock cord to.

Motor Mount Tube:  This is a piece o' BT-5.  Push it up into t' nose cone as far as it will go without forcin' it. Begad! Mark t' rim o' t' cone on the tube, and mark again 1.25" farther down.  Cut on t' second mark. Your motor mount tube will be about 3.75" long dependin' on t' thickness of t' plastic.  You may need t' trim it after assembly for perfect fit.

Body Tube:  This is a 1.25" long piece o' BT-50 or equivalent, marked for four fins and one 1" long launch lug.

Centerin' Rings: This is a problem due t' t' reduced availability of builder's parts. Begad! Begad! You could cut them from thin plywood or heavy card stock, or build them up in layers o' Kraft paper.  I used, shiver me timbers, matey, on each end, a 2050 ring, ya bilge rat, a 5/16" piece o' BT-20, ya bilge rat, and a 520 ring, shiver me timbers, firmly glued together.  T' one at t' aft end is flush with t' end o' both tubes. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' one at the front fits into t' BT-50 just far enough t' center it and projects about 1/4" forward t' center t' nose cone; here at least you will need a standard Estes AR-2050 ring.  A slot is cut in t' aft 520 ring to accommodate an engine hook made from .047" music wire.

Fins:  Cut four from 1/16" bass or balsa.  Mine are slotted in t' t' MMT, just because I be prototypin' t' bigger one, me hearties, but that's hardly necessary on this scale.

Nose Weight:  Essential!  I used 1/2" o' 3/16" diameter lead sinker wire, epoxied into t' tip o' t' cone.  Without nose weight this rocket flew arrow straight twice and unstable once. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! (That one was in front o' t' club.) T' CG needs t' be a bit ahead o' t' nose-body joint.

Recovery:  16" o' 1/32" Keelhaul®©™® cord.  Tied through the two holes in t' side o' t' nose cone from t' inside, and taped to the base o' t' motor mount tube with tough tape on t' other.  A small parachute or 1" x 8" streamer is attached t' t' shock cord within an inch o' t' motor mount tube end.

Prep:  Insert the  1/2A3-4T or A3-4T motor. Arrr! Ahoy! Stuff t' forward portion o' t' MMT loosely with recovery wadding.  Fold t' chute or streamer very neatly into a flat package that wraps about 3/4 o' the way around t' MMT.  Slip t' nose cone on over this, and use a small stick t' push t' Keelhaul®©™® cord up into t' base o' t' nose cone in the gap; then push t' cone down over t' CR. Begad! Do nay wrap anythin' all the way around t' MMT.