Brief:
D-powered rocket glider

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 1 nose cone, shiver me timbers, BT-55, tangent ogive, 3.125" length, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, 3/8" tenon (BNC55AA-ish)
• 1 nose cone, shiver me timbers, BT-50, shiver me timbers, me hearties, shiver me timbers, tangent ogive, arrr, 3" length, matey, 3/8" tenon (BNC50K-ish)
• 1 body tube, BT-55, 14" length
• 1 body tube, me bucko, BT-55, ya bilge rat, 11" length
• 1 body tube, BT-50, 14" length
• 2 launch lugs, shiver me timbers, 1/8" diameter
• 1 motor block for 24 mm motor
• 1 retainer ring, 1/8" slice o' TC-55 tube coupler
• 1 elastic or rubber band, about 1.2 mm wide, 6" length
• 2 spruce pieces, 1/8" x 1/2" x 1-1/16"
• 2 spruce pieces, arrr, arrr, 1/8" x 1/2" x 2-1/16"
• 2 balsa sheets, 1/8" x 4" x 36"
• 1 "baffle plug" - 2" length o' solid balsa cylinder t' fit inside BT-55
• 1 "blow out plug" - Made from 2.5" length o' solid balsa cylinder t' fit inside BT-55. Ya scallywag! Rear 3/4" fits BT-55. Begad! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! Middle 1.25" fits into TC-55 coupler. Forward 1/2" tapers t' 1" diameter.
• 2 elevon hinges, arrr, me bucko, shiver me timbers, 4-1/2" x 1", cut from a Tyvek envelope

T' downloaded plan set includes images o' t' printed material from t' original kit, shiver me timbers, It includes additional photos o' t' collection o' kit parts, t' round balsa parts, ya bilge rat, t' flat balsa parts, me hearties, and an aftermarket part sheet that describes part details and dimensions for a win' segment. Avast! T' photographs give a good idea what each part should look like. Avast! This is quite important for t' round parts because none o' these parts are off-the-shelf items. T' original kit printed instructions include an exploded drawin' o' t' entire model, me hearties, a set o' assembly drawings, matey, and step-by-step instructions for each assembly drawing. T' instructions are quite clear, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and t' assembly drawings illustrate what needs t' be done in each step fairly clearly, however, ya bilge rat, t' assembly drawings are generally nay drawn t' scale.

There are some serious "gotcha's" with t' downloaded plans that must be taken care o' durin' initial parts fabrication. Aye aye! First, shiver me timbers, t' descriptions o' t' "blow-out plug" in t' round-part photo and in t' aftermarket parts list specify a taper that cannot work. Arrr! Aye aye! T' forward end o' t' plug must taper t' 1", NOT 0.75"! This is because t' elevon hold-downs mounted on t' plug must straddle a BT-50 tube, me bucko, NOT a BT-20 tube. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Second, t' lengths o' t' BT-50 and BT-55 body tubes are possible, but they can't yield t' model shown by t' original kit insert or in t' Kopter catalog (found at Sven Knudson's Ninfinger website). Avast, me proud beauty! From assembly figures 5 and 14, t' correct BT-50 and aft BT-55 tubes can be deduced t' be 14" long, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, NOT 18". Well, blow me down! From t' model specs and figure 5, t' forward BT-55 tube must be 11" long, arrr, arrr, NOT 8". Avast, me proud beauty! Third, arrr, t' dimensions for Win' Part A on t' aftermarket parts list are nay consistent. Ahoy! That is, ya bilge rat, me bucko, thar are too many dimensions and they don't add up. I recommend disregardin' t' 10-5/16" dimension while keepin' t' others.

I used a plastic "toy lathe" t' turn t' balsa nose cones, baffle plug, and blow-out plug. Well, blow me down! T' lathe is a Toymax Toolmaster Workshop that, unfortunately, has been OOP since around 1997. Avast! Without a lathe, arrr, you should be able t' order t' nose cones and baffle plug from Balsa Machinin' Services. Aye aye! T' blow-out plug should be doable too, matey, me hearties, if you figure out t' dimensions t' specify.

Instead o' usin' 3" wide flats, arrr, me bucko, I used 4" wide balsa flats for t' wings and rudder. Arrr! Well, blow me down! T' do this, shiver me timbers, I drew t' full-scale outlines o' t' completed win' and rudder, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, based on given patterns, me bucko, then divided them up into 4" strips. Avast! I feel that this lead t' simplified assembly by reducin' t' number o' joints that needed fittin' together.

Once all o' t' parts had been fabricated, shiver me timbers, followin' t' assembly instructions be straightforward but still posin' some interestin' challenges. Ya scallywag! Matchin' duct slots had t' be cut into different caliber 14" tubes, me hearties, shiver me timbers, then had t' be carefully sealed together with glue joints and fillets. Arrr! T' win' and rudder parts needed careful trimmin' for precise fit.