If you are interested in filmin' digital video from t' perspective o' an Estes rocket itself, then you've come t' t' right place. Avast, me proud beauty! What follows is a project which be inspired by t' Eye Soar design. Arrr! Mine is simpler and uses only t' parts from two Estes Stormcaster rocket kits, an Aiptek 1.3 Pencam and a bit o' paddin' material. Avast, me proud beauty!

Below are t' simple steps required t' build a D12 powered rocket with on board video.

1. Begad! Blimey! First you must purchase two Stormcaster kits and an Aiptek Digital Pen Camera. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Believe it or nay these incredible little cameras are sometimes on sale for as little as 20 dollars. Avast! Blimey! When they originally came out, matey, arrr, they were nearly 100 dollars. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I purchased mine on sale for 39.99 down from 59.99 Go t' www.aiptek.com t' learn how t' purchase yours. Blimey! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Mine be t' Mini Pen Cam 1.3 although it also says Mega Cam on it. T' newer SD Pen Cam is a bit larger and may nay fit very well in t' Stormcaster body tube. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! These cameras support up t' 640 by 480 video and have very impressive image quality because they use a good lens. Ahoy! Blimey! Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! They also support two different video modes. Here is a picture o' t' camera I use.

2. Ahoy! Avast! Build t' lower half o' one o' t' Stormcasters as usual includin' t' insertion o' t' coupler at t' end o' t' lower body tube. Ahoy! NOTE: Although it is nay necessary at this point, you may want t' slide t' bottom section's coupler in an additional amount equal t' t' thickness o' t' engine mountin' rings. This will probably be approximately 1/16th o' an inch. If you do nay slide it in this much further then later you will need t' trim t' top end a bit t' make a shipshape fit with t' payload bay bottom.

3. Ahoy! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Now you will want t' take one o' t' upper body tubes from either o' your kits and cut off t' top 5.5 inches o' tubing. Begad! Blimey! This will become your payload bay for t' camera. Ya scallywag! T' bottom piece that you have left after cuttin' off t' payload section now needs t' be glued t' t' coupler on t' lower section o' t' rocket.

4. Avast! Well, matey, blow me down! Now take one o' t' nose cones and cut off t' complete section that would normally slide into t' top o' t' rocket. Avast! Blimey! This will become your payload cup. I used a razor saw which is available at any hobby shop or Michaels Arts and Crafts stores etc.

5. Begad! Now take one o' t' shock cords and usin' t' tri fold method, matey, position and glue t' mount up into t' 5.5 inch payload tube about t' thickness o' t' lower nose cone section plus half o' one o' t' couplers. Ya scallywag! You can figure this out by takin' t' bottom nose cone piece and insertin' it cut end first into one end o' t' 5.5 inch body tube. You then slide half o' one body tube coupler into t' body tube behind t' nose cone piece(Or use t' lower rocket section with it's already glue coupler). Begad! Push t' t' coupler in until it is halfway. Take t' coupler out and note approximately how far in t' piece o' nose cone has been pushed. Avast, me proud beauty! For good measure you will want t' place t' tri fold mount a little forward o' where you estimated, ya bilge rat, me bucko, just so you have enough room later. T' image below [right] is lookin' in from t' top o' t' 5.5 inch section down t' t' nose cone section formin' t' cup with t' tri fold mount just above it.

6. Begad! You will want t' run t' shock cord out through t' hole in t' bottom o' t' cup and place a thick rin' o' white tacky glue or other glue you are comfortable with usin' inside t' bottom o' t' 5.5 inch body tube. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! You want t' glue rin' t' start at least half t' coupler's length inside t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! This is so thar be no dried glue later which will obstruct t' coupler o' t' bottom rocket section. Blimey! Avast! Once you have your rin' o' glue inserted you want t' insert t' bottom nose cone cup section again with t' cupped part facin' up as seen in t' above photo. Begad! Once t' cup is slid in you will QUICKLY take either a coupler piece or t' bottom rocket section and slide t' coupler into t' bottom o' t' 5.5 inch payload section, pushin' t' plastic piece t' it's final restin' spot. Begad! At this point t' cup and t' tri fold mount may be allowed t' dry. Aye aye! DO NOT leave t' coupler in t' bottom o' t' 5.5 inch tube!

7. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! You now need t' create your sealin' assembly t' prevent hot gases from enterin' t' payload bay. This is done usin' t' notched engine mount rin' from your second Stormcaster kit along with it's punched out middle piece. Arrr! Blimey! First punch out t' center piece that you would normally discard. Avast! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Do nay discard this piece! Blimey! You now need t' enlarge t' notch which would normally accommodate t' engine retainin' clip so that it is just wide enough t' allow t' shock cord t' pass through. Aye aye! Blimey! You then want t' put some white glue around t' inside o' this engine mountin' ring. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Now take t' punch out piece and reinsert it back into t' ring. Blimey! Blimey! It should fit perfectly and you will see your flat notch at t' bottom where t' shock cord will eventually come out. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! You will want t' make sure t' fit betwixt t' punch and t' rin' is nice and flat t' make a good seal. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Now usin' your finger smear more white glue around t' edge o' where t' punch out piece meets t' inside edge o' t' engine mount ring. Ahoy! Blimey! Do this on both sides. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! You now want t' prop this piece onto somethin' so that it does nay dry deformed or get stuck. You can rest it on part o' t' plastic from your kit bag, me bucko, me hearties, ya bilge rat, or on wax paper. Blimey! Blimey! I laid mine across t' middle o' a roll o' tape. Begad! Blimey! If you leave t' engine mountin' rin' in it's parent piece o' press board you have more material t' prop it with as is seen in me picture below. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Notice t' perfect seal betwixt t' inside edges o' t' punch out piece and t' ring. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Also notice t' notch now perfectly sized t' fit t' shock cord.

8. Begad! Once t' above assembly is dry you need t' gently push this piece out o' it's parent piece o' press board. I recommend usin' an exacto cutlass t' remove t' little bindings holdin' it in so that you do nay damage your assembly or warp it. Now thread t' loose end o' t' shock cord through t' notch. Begad! Make sure it is nay twisted and that it is flat in t' notch. Begad! At this point you can either insert a rin' o' glue just below t' plastic cup or not. I recommend simply insertin' t' assembly and then droppin' t' loose end o' t' shock cord into t' bottom rocket section so that you can push this piece into place usin' t' coupler which is glued t' t' bottom section. Arrr! Ahoy! It should push it flat against t' bottom o' t' payload bay plastic cup. Avast, me proud beauty! Now add a glue fillet around t' inside o' t' body tube where it meets your new 'firewall' assembly. Begad! Once this is dry you may notice that when t' bottom section is fitted with t' payload bay that it has about 1/16th inch o' space betwixt t' two sections. Above I mentioned pushin' t' coupler in this amount so as t' accommodate t' firewall assembly. Arrr! Begad! If you did nay push it in this extra amount then simply cut off a rin' o' material around t' end o' your bottom section's coupler so that when you slide t' two together, they fit snugly.

9. Well, blow me down! You should have a perfect seal now at t' base o' your payload area. Avast, me proud beauty! If you want t' you can add glue around and in t' notch where t' shock cord goes in if t' seal is nay complete. Begad! This prevents hot gases from enterin' your payload bay. Aye aye! T' image below should resemble what you have done.

10. Arrr! Now you need t' take your unused nose cone from one o' your kits and usin' your razor saw, me hearties, cut t' angled section off o' it's base. Begad! It will then look like t' image below. Ya scallywag! Notice t' bit o' plastic which normally creates t' eye for t' loop o' parachute cord has also been removed. Ahoy! Avast! NOTE: In this example me nose cone is already painted black in this case because I am usin' parts from a prior Stormcaster t' some degree.

11. Begad! Once you have gotten t' this point you will want t' slide in your camera and see how well it fits. Avast, me proud beauty! You should be able t' slide t' nose cone in on top o' it. Ya scallywag! If you cannot then you will need t' cut a notch out o' one side o' t' nose cone base. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Blimey! This is pictured below. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' notched area will fit over t' front o' t' camera and lens. Note that you also may want t' add a layer o' maskin' tape t' t' base o' t' nose cone t' provide a snug fit.

12. Begad! Ya scallywag! Now you must decide how you want t' secure t' camera. Ya scallywag! First I recommend takin' a complete strip o' estes waddin' as it would come in t' bundle from a waddin' pack and insert this crumpled up into t' plastic cup. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! This provides some cushionin' and is non flammable just in t' off chance some how a flame got through. You can use various fluffy filler material but t' estes waddin' will nay burn in that 1 in a million chance that you might get a spark through. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! With t' camera sittin' on either t' waddin' ball or other fluff, you then need t' take note how your camera fits in t' tube and measure where t' lens sits in relation t' t' outside o' t' payload tube. Blimey! You will want t' remove t' camera and then usin' a very sharp exacto cutlass cut a square or round hole for t' lens t' see through. Well, blow me down! Once you have done this you will want t' use felt pads or other material t' brace t' camera correctly so that it does nay move. Begad! In me example I use squares o' Velcro sandwiched together. Blimey! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! This is shown below. I also have a U Shaped piece o' paper inserted t' keep t' sticky glue from t' Velcro pieces off o' t' camera. Begad! You may want t' consider addin' filler material inside t' nose cone as well in case t' camera comes loose. Blimey! However, I think this is less o' concern than t' nose one comin' off entirely. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! You may want t' secure it in someway. T' lens hole is t' t' right in t' picture below.

13. Here you see t' camera mounted inside t' payload bay.

14. Well, blow me down! And now is a shot o' t' lens lookin' out from it's nest inside t' payload section. Ya scallywag!

15. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' last step is t' attach a parachute in t' middle o' t' shock cord betwixt t' payload bay and t' lower rocket section. Blimey! Blimey! Use whatever you feel comfortable with. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! A larger chute will provide a softer landin' but may carry t' rocket farther away, increasin' t' chance o' losin' it. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I don't recommend usin' a swivel since they seem t' fail. Ya scallywag! Blimey! You may want t' tie a second chute at t' base o' t' payload bay. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! You may also want t' then move t' middle chute t' t' top o' t' bottom rocket section. Well, blow me down! Blimey! A nylon chute may be best t' prevent heat damage. Below are two images o' t' complete rocket.

Firin' Your Rocket
My method is simple. Begad! Begad! First set t' camera's video mode t' either high or low resolution. Aye aye! Aye aye! Then insert it into t' rocket and make sure t' lens is positioned correctly. Begad! Make sure t' focal length is set on infinity(Not t' flower setting). Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! You might want t' use a piece o' scotch tape t' secure t' lens settin' in place. Now push t' shutter button and smartly attach t' nose cone. Blimey! Get back a safe distance and press your launch button. Begad! There are several ways t' make a quick launch and you may want t' experiment t' see what works best for you. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' camera I use provides me with about 30 seconds o' high resolution video which is plenty o' time t' get t' nose cone on and fire t' rocket. Avast! T' lower resolution settin' will give you much more time and you can take a slightly more leisured pace back t' your launch controller. Blimey! Once you retrieve your rocket you can download t' video t' a laptop or your home computer in t' normal manner.

Due t' t' occasional hard landin' and t' fact that I wanted t' camera t' descend at least somewhat vertically, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I have created t' followin' modification for this setup. You first need t' cut a small 1/4 inch slot in t' back o' t' payload bay about 2 inches from t' top. Avast, me proud beauty! It should line up approximately with t' lens view port cutout on t' other side o' t' payload tube. Avast, me proud beauty! This slot is indicated below.

You now need t' feed t' shock cord from your second Stormcaster kit through t' slot and into t' body tube. Make sure it goes in flat and nay twisted.

Now you want t' create a tri fold paper glue mount usin' this end o' t' shock cord. Begad! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! You should place this mount towards t' bottom o' t' payload bay inside. A closeup o' this is shown below. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! T' cord should come in taut and flat and directly into it's mount. Begad! You do NOT want any slack in this joint. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! T' mount o' t' lower shock cord is also visible in this image.

You should now cut a notch in t' coupler tub which mates with t' payload bay. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This will allow this new shock cord t' be passed into t' lower body tube where it is tied t' t' parachute. I recommend usin' a swivel for t' shock cord t' parachute attachment so that t' camera assembly does nay spin on t' way down. Begad! Blimey! However, you want t' use a strong swivel sense it will be carryin' t' weight o' t' entire rocket assembly. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It does nay need t' be as strong as you would think though because t' shock o' ejection is still absorbed by t' lower shock cord. T' swivel only connects t' t' parachute, supportin' t' rocket's weight on t' way down.

This next image below shows t' new shock cord tightly layin' against t' payload bay and passin' through it's notch in t' lower section. Ya scallywag! That's it! Now you're ready t' launch!

These are frame captures from some o' me recorded video.

These clips are compressed for bandwidth purposes and do nay represent t' full capabilities o' t' camera. Begad! Ya scallywag! They are a good representation however.
Video 1 Video 2