Brief:
T' Vulcan is an old Centuri design made t' look like an alien Man-O-War. I gets its unusual appearance by bein' formed from a paper shroud. It uses 18mm motors and recovers under a parachute.

When I was a kid, me favorite lookin' rockets were t' ones made from paper shrouds. Aye aye! Begad! That meant the "Bug" and t' "Vulcan". Arrr! Begad! T' "Point" be already OOP by t' time I got started in rocketry. Ahoy! Unfortunately, me clumsy fingers and impatience doomed me efforts and I never got a single one o' them to fly.

In me first incarnation as a BAR, I still found myself drawn t' t' "different" lookin' paper rockets. This time, shiver me timbers, Quest was me supplier instead o' Centuri. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' only one I got t' try was t' Space Clipper but it too never got finished. Arrr! Blimey! T' pressin' needs o' family and school saw t' it that all I did that time around was lose a few Mosquitoes (I still have never seen one actually take off; they just vanish) and a LOC Onyx. Arrr! Blimey!

Now, I am back and one o' t' first things I tried be a Semroc Point. Well, me bucko, blow me down! It worked! Then I found t' EMRR review and t' plans at JimZ for that old nemesis o' mine, t' Centuri Vulcan. Avast! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I had t' give it a go.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• BT-20
• heavy duty glossy card stock
• motor clip
• thrust ring
• 3/32" plywood
• launch lug
• nose cone
• washer
• heavy duty eye screw

  I ordered body tubes in various lengths o' size ST-8, arrr, a nosecone, and an engine mount for 18mm engines in an ST-8 and waited for t' parts t' come in. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! In t' meantime, I took me "T' Point" t' a local paper supply house and asked them t' match t' shroud for me. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! They came very close. Begad! Arrr! T' paper I got is just a tad heavier. Begad! I didn't want t' wait for them t' special order t' exact match. Then t' parts came in and...

  T' previous reviewer on EMRR gave t' body tube as a Semroc ST-8. Aye aye! Maybe he got it t' work but I sure didn't. Ya scallywag! T' body shroud be just nay large enough t' fit around t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! I checked t' print settings to make sure everythin' was printin' at 100% and it all checked out. Ahoy! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Somethin' be clearly wrong.

  I went back and took a closer look at t' Centuri instructions. After a while it hit me. Ahoy! Blimey! T' body tube is minimum diameter for an 18mm engine. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! That means an Estes BT-20. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! A quick check o' t' standards revealed that an ST-8 has an outer diameter o' 0.908" while a BT-20 has an OD o' 0.736". Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! When I found a scrap o' BT-20 it was just the right size. All t' stuff I ordered (nose cone, arrr, body tubes, shiver me timbers, me hearties, engine adapters, etc.) from Semroc, me bucko, who provides great and quick service, shiver me timbers, went into t' spare parts bin and t' search for t' real components began.

  T' Estes engine mount kit (303158) had t' thrust rings I wanted along with t' style o' engine hook I prefer so I purchased it figurin' t' other parts would come in handy some day. Aye aye! I bought some more BT-20 and assumed I be ready to go.

  My first step be t' take t' body shroud which had spent t' night tightly rolled and use a steel straightedge to apply creases at t' appropriate places. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' shroud be then cut out with a #11 X-Acto and test fitted around a long BT-20. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' fit seemed perfect so I cleaned up t' edges o' t' shroud with some 220 grit sandpaper. Blimey! Begad! I then used thick CA t' glue t' tab and prayed t' alignment was right. Begad! It worked.

  After I had t' body shroud in t' rough shape o' a cone, I creased and folded t' fins, matey, tail, air scoop, arrr, and cockpit. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Blimey! I cut them out and affixed them t' t' body shroud with CA. Well, blow me down! It was startin' t' look like t' pictures.

  My next step was t' set t' body shroud in its tail and push t' BT through t' nose openin' until it was resting on t' table. I marked t' spot on t' BT, removed it, matey, me bucko, used a prodigious amount o' maskin' tape t' make a guide and cut the tube t' length.

  My final step for this first round o' activity be t' cut out t' paper appliqué for t' aft bulkhead and glue it t' a piece o' 3/32" plywood. I set this aside t' dry and called it a night.

  Life intruded for several days before I had a chance t' work on t' Vulcan again. Ahoy! When I finally had a few spare moments, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I used a razor saw t' remove as much o' t' excess material around t' after bulkhead as possible, however, I cut it a bit too close. Aye aye! A hasty swipe with t' saw scratched t' appliqué, shiver me timbers, arrr, which will have t' be replaced. Before doin' that, however, I wanted t' finish gettin' it t' t' right shape and size. Blimey!

  I used #60 sandpaper t' finish gettin' it into t' rough shape and test fitted t' bulkhead into t' shroud. Well, blow me down! Avast! It was a bit tight but I knew that before. Ahoy! Before sandin' t' t' final outer shape, matey, I used a 9/16" spade bit on the drill t' pierce t' central hole in t' bulkhead for t' BT. Avast! At this point, ya bilge rat, I had t' make a choice.

  All o' t' logs I looked at report that this model has some poor flyin' characteristics. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! These characteristics seem t' be blamed on two separate issues. T' first is weight forward so that t' CG is sufficiently far forward o' the CP. Aye aye! Blimey! Even after this is supposedly taken care o' though, me hearties, ya bilge rat, t' problem seems t' persist in many cases and is attributed to the location o' t' launch lug in one o' t' fins, givin' it an angled ride up t' launch rod. One suggestion on EMRR is t' place t' lug on t' body tube itself. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I decided t' follow this advice and that called for a couple of modifications.

  T' aft bulkhead appliqué has a 1/8" x 1/8" notch on t' ventral "down" side in order to accommodate t' engine hook. Arrr! Avast! I decided that I would cut an identical notch for that purpose on t' dorsal (top) side and use t' one on t' ventral side for t' launch lug. Arrr! Aye aye! I figured it would look better on t' rod that way. T' notches were cut from t' basswood by usin' an 1/8" Dremel bit t' punch t' holes and then an X-Acto cutlass t' clean them up. I used a piece o' 1/8" rod t' make sure it would slide through t' gap just fine.

  Another issue was t' recovery system. Arrr! Begad! As a kid, I liked t' shock cord sticker that Centuri used t' provide. Now, ya bilge rat, I wouldn't use one for any reason. Blimey! I feel much t' same way about t' Estes style tri-fold. I decided t' use Keelhaul®©™® tied t' an elastic cord fixed t' t' motor mount a la Quest. Avast! T' problem is, this is a minimum diameter BT t' begin with so thar are no centerin' rings. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I had t' get t' cord into t' BT somehow and make sure it be firmly in place. Well, blow me down! I took a motor thrust rin' and cut a small notch in t' outside t' accommodate t' thickness o' t' Keelhaul®©™®. I then tied t' Keelhaul®©™® to t' rin' and used a long stick t' place a rin' o' glue deep in t' BT. Begad! Ahoy! Next, usin' a spent motor glued t' a dowel as a pusher, me bucko, I pushed t' shock cord mount as deep as I could get it. This was almost, but nay quite t' where t' top of the motor would be.

  Fashionin' t' motor mount was easy. Begad! A slit be cut for t' hook, shiver me timbers, a thrust rin' was glued in place just before the hook, t' hook was inserted, and a band was glued around it.

  Gettin' t' launch lug right be anythin' but easy. Aye aye! I had a vision o' mountin' t' lug on t' BT just forward of the aft bulkhead and then usin' a rod t' mark where t' cut. Begad! Aye aye! It turns out that was nay such a good idea by itself. The angle o' t' cone formed by t' shroud is such that t' rod would bind on exitin' no matter what unless t' cut in the shroud be taken all t' way t' t' forward tip o' t' BT. Well, blow me down! So I cut t' shroud all t' way t' t' forward tip o' the BT. It still was nay right.

  Part o' t' problem was in threadin' t' rod through t' aft bulkhead and t' lug and then gettin' it t' come out the hole in t' front. Aye aye! Another part o' t' problem was that cuttin' t' front hole/slit was ugly! In order to tame t' alignment problem, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I glued on two more launch lugs so that I had, me hearties, in effect, shiver me timbers, on long lug that extended from the aft bulkhead all t' way t' t' nose cone. Well, blow me down! Arrr! That made thin' slide easier but it be still ugly. Avast! I also had worries about gettin' everythin' t' align again when I actually tried t' glue these assemblies together.

  After a breather, I finally did somethin' smart. Begad! Ya scallywag! I changed t' X-Acto blade and went back t' work trimmin' the forward hole. Well, blow me down! I gave everythin' a test fit and, matey, t' me utter amazement, me hearties, me bucko, everythin' fit together nicely. Avast! Arrr! A little thick CA be used t' secure t' BT t' t' front o' t' shroud and then t' close t' slot cut for t' lugs. Aye aye! Begad! T' same CA was also used t' glue t' after bulkhead into t' shroud. Care needs t' be taken at this point t' ensure that t' hole in the bulkhead lines up with t' launch lugs and that thar be no binding. Aye aye! Aye aye! I accomplished this by usin' a short section of 1/8" rod t' ensure everythin' moved freely before and durin' t' gluin' process.

  T' original nosecone I ordered from Semroc did nay fit t' BT-20 so I ordered another one and patiently waited. When it arrived, arrr, ya bilge rat, it be in good condition but I knew I could remedy that in short order. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I filled it with Elmer's Fill ‘n' Seal and sanded it. Ahoy! It was then in a little less good condition than when it arrived (normal for me) and I painted it black.

  I connected t' Keelhaul®©™® to 14" o' 1/8" thick elastic t' complete t' shock cord and then put a snap swivel in line a few inches from the nose cone. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I understand that this rocket needs nose weight but I don't really have a feel for that. Altitude is not my concern since I usually fly from a small field. Ahoy! I decided t' go heavy rather than light because I want this rocket to stick around for a while. Ahoy! I glued a ¼" washer t' t' nosecone and then screwed in an extra heavy duty eye screw. It was t' biggest one that would fit both in terms o' screw diameter and in terms o' t' shank length.

  PROs: nay too dificult, a venerable rocket

  CONs: shroud subject t' gettin' messy from glue

  Finishing:
  T' Vulcan is mostly finished by virtue o' havin' a preprinted shroud. Ya scallywag! T' nosecone be t' only thin' that needs work. I think t' original had a plastic nosecone but I used balsa, which had t' be filled and painted.

  Pros: looks very cool

  Cons: easy t' mess up shroud

  Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

  

  Flight:
  T' first flight be on an Estes B6-4. I loaded t' motor and igniter and t' put a bit o' dog barf in t' BT. Begad! I had planned on usin' a 9" nylon chute but that be unworkable. Arrr! I could nay get it, me bucko, t' shock cord, and t' nosecone into t' space I had left. Since a 12" plastic chute is smaller, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I tried that. Ya scallywag! Begad! It barely fit.

  With great anticipation, matey, I hooked up t' leads and pushed t' button. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey! It took off into t' sky with a lazy corkscrew motion at t' tail. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It seemed that me idea o' mountin' a lug directly against t' BT be nay workin' out. Avast, me proud beauty! To make matters a bit more hairy, t' chute ejected but did nay open. I watch t' entire thin' come crashin' t' the ground. Fortunately, thar was no real damage.

  T' second flight was on an Estes C6-3. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Again, I had problems loadin' t' chute and this time could nay get it all in. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I snipped out about 10" o' Keelhaul®©™® and 8" o' elastic and then managed t' get everythin' stuffed.

  T' rocket went up about 30 feet, and from that point, me hearties, things get rather vague. Begad! It went all over t' sky but mostly stayed horizontal. Aye aye! It then crashed t' earth with a deployed but unopened chute. Avast! Upon inspection, matey, I found that the main body shroud had torn too badly t' be worth repair.

  PROs: It flies

  CONs: It does nay fly very well

  

  Recovery:
  My chute failed t' deploy on both flights. Begad! It ejected each time but never opened. Ya scallywag! I think this is because it was packed so tightly.

  PROs: bounces well when chute fails

  CONs: needs t' bounce well because chute fails

  Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

  Summary:
  I still like this rocket and will probably eventually build another one. Avast! When I do, I guess I will need t' add even more weight up front. Blimey! I also need t' rethink t' BT. Blimey! T' little bit o' difference with t' Semroc BT might have made stuffin' t' chute a bit easier.

  It flies like a dog but is still a cool lookin' rocket

  Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5