I started work on the X-Win' shortly after gettin' level 1 certification. Well, blow me down! Construction be based on a set o' plans I found on a Japanese website for a paper X-Win' model. Well, blow me down! From these plans, shiver me timbers, I was able t' create templates for t' X-Wing's fuselage bulkheads, me bucko, wings, cockpit and nosecone. Construction began with t' purchase of a 38mm motor tube, a sheet o' 1/4" aircraft plywood and several 1/4" dowels. I cut t' fuselage bulkheads from t' plywood, matey, notched them at the corners t' accommodate t' dowels, me bucko, then joined them together. Blimey! Anyone who has built model airplanes will be familiar with this type o' construction. A 2 1/2' long section o' 2.6" body tube be placed inside t' forward end of fuselage t' contain t' parachute and t' allow easy attachment o' t' nose cone. T' fuselage was then covered with cardboard. Aye aye! Ahoy! After much fillin' and sanding, me hearties, ya bilge rat, two wraps o' 6 oz fiberglass were applied t' t' fuselage. Holes were cut in t' bottom o' t' fuselage t' accommodate t' 1/2" copper pipe that would serve as t' launch lug. Ya scallywag!

With work finished on t' fuselage, I began on t' wings. Aye aye! Blimey! T' wings are constructed o' a basswood skeleton covered with a glassed balsa skin. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! T' engine fairings are build from cardboard reinforced at t' corners with basswood. Blimey! Three different body tube sizes were used in t' construction o' t' wings. Well, blow me down! T' large motor tubes are 4" cardboard tubing, matey, t' aft "afterburners" are 2.6" tubin' and t' lasers on t' wingtips are made from 54mm motor tubing. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! All tubin' was purchased from LOC Precision. Avast, me proud beauty! When t' wings were complete, mounting holes were cut in t' fuselage. Win' are mounted through-the-wall; butted up to the motor tube. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' nose cone and cockpit are built from t' same cardboard that was used t' cover t' fuselage. Ahoy! Again, templates were created from t' paper model plans. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! A 2.6" coupler was epoxied inside t' nosecone t' allow attachment t' t' fuselage. Arrr! 2 lbs o' BB's and epoxy were added t' t' nosecone for stability. Ahoy!

T' detailin' on t' aft o' t' model was made with wood bits from Michael's arts and crafts. There are pieces o' wooden flower pots, bowls, milk cans, etc. R2-D2 is from an old Estes mini-engine powered kit.

Durin' final assembly, arrr, t' wings were glued in place and acrylic panels were installed betwixt t' top and bottom wings for increased strength and to improve stability in flight. Begad! Well, blow me down! All gaps were filled with an epoxy paste called PC-11. Many hours o' sandin' were required t' get t' model ready for paint. T' paints used were 4 cans o' Testors camouflage gray (if anyone knows o' a lower cost alternative, let me know!), Testors Yellow and Krylon Red. Blimey! Aye aye! A mask was created t' spray t' "red five" pattern on t' wings. Blimey!

With construction nearly complete, shiver me timbers, I began t' think about recovery. Ahoy! Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! The finished model weighs in at about 13lb with motor installed. It was goin' t' be difficult t' get enough chute into this thing. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! T' best I could do was two 48" chutes on t' rocket, and a separate 36" chute on t' nose. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' rocket flew at NYPower 11 on an Aerotech I-284 with 6 second delay. Arrr! I had thought about tryin' t' do a level 2 cert with t' model, but I was nay at all confident that t' model would be recovered without damage. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Besides, I really want t' get into altimeters and dual deployment for me eventual level 2 attempt. Breezy conditions made if difficult t' orient t' rocket edgewise t' t' wind. Avast! A brace was improvised usin' a piece o' body tube that be found near t' launch pad and some wire from used igniters. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Takeoff be slow, and t' flight path was a gentle arc onto the rocket's back. T' flight was slightly marred by t' premature separation of t' 2lb nosecone which proceeded t' snag on one o' t' wings. Aye aye! Maximum altitude was around 500' T' fight be a real nail biter with t' twin parachutes deployin' about 100' off t' ground. As expected, me hearties, t' chutes were not sufficent t' prevent damage t' t' rocket. Arrr! Two o' the "afterburners" were damaged, one heavily. Avast, me proud beauty! A split also occurred along the front o' t' fuselage, me hearties, this may have been caused by t' premature separation, ya bilge rat, or t' plus-size ejection charge that was used t' ensure deployment. Ahoy! Begad! T' model is repairable. Ahoy! Arrr!

T' rocket be a real crowd pleaser. Ahoy! Avast! People seem t' like t' more unconventional models. T' me knowledge it was t' only rocket at NYPower that got a cheer when t' chutes deployed.

This was me first scratch built high power model, arrr, and it was a great experience. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' excitement is much higher when you are flyin' a model you built from scratch. I highly recommend givin' it a try. Avast, me proud beauty!

Special thanks t' Bobby Buchalski from Hanger 11 for assistance and advice in preppin' t' model for flight and t' Chuck Rudy from Voodoo Digital Productions for assistance at t' launch pad.