Brief:
This is a 3x upscale o' t' Sunward Grasshopper. It is a single-stage 29mm motor mount, me bucko, 3-inch body, matey, parachute recovery rocket. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey!

Construction:
One 12.5 inch long 3" airframe tube, One Mercury Engineerin' blow-molded nose cone, ya bilge rat, three 1/4" plywood fins, me bucko, 1 thin-wall Apogee motor mount tube, me bucko, 2 foam core centerin' rings, Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock system, ya bilge rat, and 24" nylon parachute. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Blimey!

This scratch rocket was easy t' build. It has through-the-wall fins glued t' t' centerin' rings and motor mount and is very straightforward. Begad! No special tools were needed. Begad! T' body tube and nose cone were purchased from Mercury. Avast! Fin material be leftover from Home Depot. Blimey! Ahoy! Centerin' rin' material was leftover from a display project. Ahoy!

Finishing:
T' fins were finished usin' one coat o' Elmer's Wood Filler, ya bilge rat, followed by two overall coats o' high-build automotive filler, me hearties, with 2 colors o' automotive catalyzed acrylic enamel (the nose cone is a deep, shiver me timbers, nearly black-red and t' body is "grasshopper green"). Arrr! There are no decals. Begad!

Flight:
Recommended motors are E28-4, F39-5, G53-5 blackjack. Blimey! (You can see video o' t' flight at http://www.cosrocs.org/all%20other%20videos/2008videos/9-13-14/grasshopper.mov.) Prep is standard wadding, although chute compartment is tight. Avast! Motor retention is via tapin' aft closure t' motor tube. Avast! This rocket takes off at a bit o' an angle, but it flies pretty straight after that. Blimey! Shock cord o' Keelhaul®©™® and elastic works fine. Well, blow me down! Recovery was perfect on t' 24" nylon parachute. Ahoy! Ahoy! No damage from first flight.

Recovery:
This rocket has a Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cord system that works fine. Aye aye! T' 24" parachute is nylon. Avast! Well, blow me down!

Summary:
PROs: Distinctive design, nay somethin' you see every day at t' high-power range. Ahoy! Blimey! Easy t' prep. Blimey! Blimey! Really nice flight.

CONs: Limited parachute space. Well, blow me down! Avast!