Brief:

Conversion o' Lansbergen Delta II t' fly on 18mm motors. Ahoy! T' particular Delta II that I chose t' model be Delta 7920-8 247, launcher o' t' solar observation satellite ACE. T' plans are available on t' Caltech web site.

Modifications:

T' model is a 10 page PDF file. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I printed t' 3 pages o' instructions on regular paper, matey, arrr, me hearties, t' 3 sheets o' boosters was printed on 65lb cardstock, and t' remainin' pages were printed on 110lb cardstock. Avast! For t' main tubes, matey, I used full width tabs so t' body be double thickness. It turned out that BT-50 body tube be perfect for t' couplers. I made an 18mm engine mount with CR2050P centerin' rings. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' rings were spaced t' exactly line up with t' booster mountin' holes. Begad! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' body sections were joined and t' motor mount be glued in. Begad! Holes were drilled through t' booster mountin' holes and almost through t' centerin' rings. 18 dowels made from round toothpicks were cut t' 5/8" each and glued into t' booster mountin' holes. Arrr! Arrr! T' booster tubes were rolled double thickness and t' holes on t' booster were opened up. Begad! I poked a pin through t' hole location and open them up with a round toothpick. Avast, me proud beauty! T' booster tubes were glued onto t' dowels with t' dowel goin' all t' way t' t' opposite inside wall and glued there. Blimey! Begad! T' booster nose cones and exhaust nozzles were rolled and attached. Ya scallywag! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Boosters 4, shiver me timbers, 5, ya bilge rat, and 6 have a larger exhaust nozzle so take care when attachin' them. Ya scallywag! T' main nose cone was rolled and a nose cone shoulder was rolled from double thickness 110lb stock. I made t' shoulder 1" long so thar would be plenty o' room for nose weight. Well, blow me down! Begad! I used a standard paper shock cord mount on each end o' t' 36" shock cord. Aye aye! I used a 12" chute made from a plastic table cloth. Begad! Arrr! I didn't know where t' CG should be so I took an educated guess and balanced it just forward o' t' boosters. I then did a swin' test and it turned out that it was stable at that balance point. I put a C6-5 into t' mount and added enough clay t' t' nose t' brin' t' balance point back t' t' previously determined location. It took .7oz o' clay t' balance which brought t' all up weight t' 2.0 oz. Blimey! A couple o' coats o' clear were sprayed on and it was done. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy!

Construction:

T' followin' is a list o' materials that I used in t' construction.

Finishing:

Everythin' be pre-printed and only a couple coats o' clear were required.

Flight:

Based on t' weight, I determined that an A8-3, arrr, B6-4, arrr, or C6-5 would be appropriate. Avast, me proud beauty! T' day o' t' first launch be as ideal a day as one could ask for: sunny blue skies, temperature in t' 70's, and almost a complete lack o' wind with occasional gusts t' 5mph or less. Ahoy! I chose a B6-4 for t' first flight. T' motor mount has an engine hook so no tape was needed. I used "dog barf" for wadding. Ahoy! Blimey! I was a little apprehensive because o' t' lack o' fins but t' flight was perfectly straight. Blimey! T' rocket be easy t' follow and ejection was just about at apogee.

Recovery:

T' recovery on t' 12" chute was slightly faster than I would have liked considerin' all t' boosters stickin' out. Well, blow me down! It was flown in a corn field and it happened t' hit a corn stalk upon landin' and knocked one o' t' boosters loose. T' damage was minor and was easily repaired. Avast, me proud beauty! I didn't fix it until I got home so I could inspect all t' booster attachments. T' rest were all solid. Avast! I think I will switch t' a 14" chute for t' next flight.

Summary:

I am really happy with t' end result. Well, blow me down! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' rocket was nay difficult t' build for anyone with a little cardstock modelin' experience. Arrr! Blimey! T' price was right (read: free), ya bilge rat, and when completed, you have a good representation o' a rocket that is nay often modeled.