Brief:
As a part o' t' Centuri "paper brigade" that included t' Point and t' X-24 Bug, arrr, t' Vulcan always looked like an intriguin' rocket t' clone. Despite havin' printed out t' patterns I couldn't brin' myself t' start t' project. Well, arrr, blow me down! Somethin' about t' idea o' constructin' a rocket out o' pre-printed paper intimidated me t' no end, matey, so t' sheets sat untouched in me files for several years before I realized that if I screwed up, I could print more and try again! Amazin' how long it sometimes takes t' simplest things t' filter through, isn't it? (Or maybe it's just me...)

Construction:
T' instructions can be found here: http://www.dars.org/jimz/ka-10.htm and t' parts needed are:

• Two sheets o' heavy bond paper
• Semroc ST-8 body tube
• Semroc balsa nose cone
• 18mm engine hook
• 18mm engine block
• 24mm centerin' rin' for engine hook hold down
• 3/32" basswood bulkhead
• 30" Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
• 24" length o' 1/8" sewin' elastic

To start, let me say how pleasantly surprised I was with t' speed with which this project went once I got started. Aye aye! Although I had cut out all o' t' pieces several years earlier, matey, I hadn't folded or curled any o' them--the big reason bein' that I figured this would be t' most difficult part o' t' project. Begad! Nay even close. I began by curlin' t' large body section o' t' rocket by pullin' it out from under a metal ruler several times at an angle. Begad! Begad! This eventually gave somethin' o' a permanent curve t' t' paper, matey, which I made more pronounced by rollin' it inside another piece o' paper. Begad! When t' paper stayed curved almost into t' needed shape, I lined up t' tabs and began tapin' t' shroud on t' inside, ya bilge rat, always takin' care t' keep things as lined up as possible. Begad! Old-fashioned cellophane tape or thin maskin' tape is useful in this part o' t' project because it allows you t' reposition things more easily than "Magic" tape. Once I had t' shroud edges lined up satisfactorily, I laid down a line o' gel-type CA, then repeatedly worked me thumb over t' seam until t' CA grabbed with somethin' resemblin' permanence. Believe it or not, this was t' most difficult part o' t' project. Avast! Begad! Once this was done I began attachin' t' folded fins usin' t' gel CA. As shown in t' pictures, shiver me timbers, I only attached t' fins one tab at a time, arrr, which nay only gave t' glue time t' set up before t' fin had t' be touched t' attach t' next tab but also allowed me t' securely fasten t' launch lugs which provide strength t' t' fins as well as t' actual launch lug.

Once t' rocket's basic shape be defined with t' application o' t' fins, scoops and cockpit, I started on t' internals. Begad! I began this part o' t' project by cuttin' t' aft bulkhead out o' a scrap piece o' 3/32" basswood. Ahoy! When t' ragged edges were cleaned up and it was sanded t' shape, I glued t' printed bulkhead cover over t' assembly then began t' process o' cuttin' out t' hole for t' motor tube and engine hook. This was another step where a rough cut was made via t' knife then cleaned up with sandpaper later on. Avast! T' internals consisted o' a length o' Semroc ST-8 tubing, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, matey, an 18mm Estes engine hook, me hearties, a CR-520 centerin' rin' that acts as an engine block, shiver me timbers, and a CR-2050 that acts as a engine hook hold-down. Ahoy! This is assembled in t' traditional manner with t' added touch o' a 30" length o' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord glued in with t' engine block. Avast! Once this be together, arrr, shiver me timbers, I slid t' bulkhead into place around t' aft o' t' engine tube, shiver me timbers, arrr, me bucko, coated t' forward end o' t' tube with t' gel CA, and worked t' whole assembly into it's approximate place in t' paper shroud, while carefully keepin' t' engine hook oriented in t' correct position relative t' t' bulkhead. Avast, me proud beauty! When I was sure that t' glue at t' front end had set securely, I glued t' aft bulkhead into position with regular white glue and build fillets around both t' place where bulkhead and shroud met as well as t' place where t' bulkhead and t' engine tube met. Aye aye! With t' body o' t' rocket complete, I turned me attention t' t' nose cone.

Since I had built t' Vulcan usin' Semroc tubing, me bucko, it stood t' reason that I'd need a Semroc nose cone t' fit t' tube. Luckily Carl had thrown one in when I ordered a couple o' each o' their body tubes a few months earlier, me bucko, and even luckier for me, it was pretty much an exact match for t' cone I needed. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Since I needed a fairly hefty amount o' nose weight, matey, I searched t' tool box for several short, ya bilge rat, me hearties, heavy screws. I found two that fit t' perfectly and added an equally hefty screw eye for even more weight. Aye aye! With little t' compare it to, shiver me timbers, this would have t' do. Ya scallywag! Finally, after sealin' t' nose cone, paintin' it gloss black, ya bilge rat, matey, and addin' a Semroc parachute along with two additional feet o' sewin' elastic shock cord, I felt that t' Vulcan was ready t' fly.

Finishing:
Since everythin' was already printed on t' shroud, finishin' it was a snap. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! After printing, me bucko, I sprayed t' paper with a coat o' Krylon Acrylic Clear. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' only actual paintin' that needed t' be done was o' t' nose cone, matey, me hearties, me bucko, as I described in t' previous step. That's me kind o' project!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' day I chose t' first fly t' Vulcan was a hot, sticky Sunday before Labor Day when everyone else in town was hangin' around on t' riverfront awaitin' t' fireworks. Avast, me proud beauty! Anticipatin' some fireworks o' me own, matey, matey, I lugged several newly cloned rockets and some old favorites t' a local baseball complex where I had played Little League a few years earlier. (Okay, more like 35 years earlier, arrr, but who's counting?) One o' me fellow Quarkers and I had recently adopted it as an off-week-at-VOA flyin' field because o' it's fairly expansive landin' area and it's relatively centralized location t' our respective homes. Well, blow me down! We located our prep areas in t' shade o' two small trees near t' playground, which did wonders for our ability t' log over twenty flights betwixt us despite t' heat. Blimey! Ahoy! T' Vulcan was t' second o' me rockets on t' pad that day, matey, and I conservatively chose a 1/2A6-2 for t' flight. Aye aye! (Okay, maybe I was a little TOO conservative.) T' Vulcan cleared t' rod, ya bilge rat, but just barely. Arrr! T' flight topped out well short o' 100 feet, but t' 2 second ejection charge easily deployed t' parachute before things could get tense. Aye aye! Begad! T' flight had been short from t' altitude standpoint, me hearties, me bucko, arrr, but t' fact that it was stable was what I was most interested in. Avast! Avast! I decided that baby steps were t' way t' go and for t' second flight decided on an A8-3. Unfortunately, me hearties, flight #2 be a whole different experience compared t' flight #1. T' Vulcan began wobblin' badly as soon as it left t' rod, matey, and t' wobble rapidly became more pronounced as t' engine continued t' burn. Blimey! Ahoy! Things didn't get any better durin' t' coast phase as burnout had left t' rocket in a nose down position and t' hard dirt o' t' ball field was comin' up fast. Arrr! Impact and ejection arrived far too close together, me bucko, me bucko, but t' Vulcan survived with only a bent fin in t' way o' damage.

A week later I tried again, only with bigger engines. Arrr! T' B6-4 flight wobbled somewhat but boosted t' a respectable height and recovered without damage. T' C6-5 flight wobbled a lot--to t' point that t' smoke trail had a distinct coil shape t' it but never reached t' point where it looked out o' control. Avast! (Well, me hearties, shiver me timbers, nay COMPLETELY!) I'll try t' wedge some more nose weight into t' cone, me hearties, but based on what some o' t' other fliers said that day, these flights were pretty much t' norm for this bird. Arrr! Blimey! I'll keep trying.

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs:

• EASY build. Arrr! It's possible t' build and fly t' Vulcan overnight.
• Big attention getter at t' pads.
• NO PAINTING! Blimey! NO SEALING!! Blimey! NO SANDING!!!

CONs:

• Erratic flights (?)
• Difficult t' determine t' thickness o' t' paper stock t' be used.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5