Brief:
T' Hellion is a 'Goonified', shiver me timbers, squashed down version o' t' Hellfire anti-tank missile. It is almost nine inches long and flies on a recessed cluster o' four 13mm motors. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Recovery is via 9" parachute.

Construction:
T' components include:

• 1 6" x 1.6" body tube
• 1 1.6" elliptical nose cone
• 4 aft and 4 forward fins, ya bilge rat, made from 1/16" basswood
• Keelhaul®©™® thread
• 1/16" Presentation board material (1/16" cardboard would work too) for centerin' rings.
• 4 1.75" lengths o' BT-5 tube.
• 4 BT-5 size motor blocks
• 1 .615" piece o' BT-60 coupler tube
• Card stock paper
• Lead shot for nose weight
• 9" nylon parachute
• 2' o' 1/4" shock cord material

After designin' in RockSim and cuttin' parts out, everythin' be easy t' assemble. Ahoy! Blimey!

I made an alignment wrapper and guide usin' VCP. I created fin, centerin' ring, and shroud templates using RockSim. Avast! I printed t' centerin' rin' and alignment guides onto cardstock then attached it t' 1/16" Staples Presentation Board with spray adhesive. Avast, me proud beauty! I cut these out with a hobby knife. Begad!

I assembled t' motor mount usin' t' BT-5 tubes and centerin' rings. Ya scallywag! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Before installin' I made a hole in t' top rin' and tied a piece o' Keelhaul®©™® thread around t' motor tubes. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I installed t' motor mount, recessin' t' tubes 0.735" from t' bottom o' t' body tube. I created t' tail cone by printin' t' shroud onto cardstock paper and formin' together. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I pressed t' piece of BT-60 coupler into t' bottom and glued in place. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I then glued t' tail cone assembly into t' aft o' t' body tube so the top o' t' shroud touched t' bottom o' t' body tube.

I made a 1/8" hole in t' top centerin' ring, pushed kevlar thread through, and tied around t' motor tubes. T' other end o' t' kevlar was tied t' t' rubber shock cord.

I attached t' fins usin' a homemade fin guide that be generated with VCP and cut out on 1/16" presentation board.

Fin detail was created by re-tracin' 8 copies o' t' aft fin template onto cardstock paper. I then measured 3/16" from t' root edge o' each one and drew a straight line along it's length. Ahoy! Blimey! I cut these out and glued t' each side o' t' aft fins along t' root edge.

I used lead shot and 30 minute epoxy for nose weight. Ahoy! I let t' nose cone sit upside down in a cut o' water while the epoxy cured. This was done t' prevent t' nose cone from warpin' due t' t' heat given off by t' epoxy curing process.

I initially added only 2.3oz o' nose weight, ya bilge rat, but after flyin' a couple times I decided t' add another 1.5oz.

Since t' motors are recessed, ya bilge rat, I painted some 30 minute epoxy in t' exhaust tube.

Files and templates available for download:

• Bottom Fin Template
• Cluster MMT Template
• Fin Alignment Guide
• Fin Wrapper
• Tail Cone Template
• Top Fin Template

Finishing:
I used two coats o' Elmer's Wood Filler on t' fins and body tube. Blimey! Well, blow me down! I sprayed two coats o' white Krylon primer, sandin' betwixt coats. Well, blow me down! I used Krylon Italian Olive for t' green. Arrr! Blimey! Detailin' was done usin' 3/4" square pieces of yellow vinyl adhesive and 3/4" white lettering. Begad! After all t' paintin' and detail were done, ya bilge rat, I sprayed on a coat of Krylon Clear Coat. Ya scallywag!

Flight:
T' first two flights were unsuccessful. Aye aye! This rocket definitely needs a full caliper margin betwixt CP and CG. Avast! I went with about 1/2 margin and it flew sideways. Aye aye! I've since added additional nose weight and will try again. T' second two flights were also unsuccessful but that was due t' clusterin' issues. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Only two motors lit for t' third flight, ya bilge rat, arrr, and three for t' fourth flight.

Finally got a successful flight:

Recovery:
I have nay fully tested t' parachute, but t' rocket has had catastrophic landings with no damage so far.

Summary:
T' Hellion has questionable stability, me hearties, ya bilge rat, me hearties, but it can take t' o' abuse if a flight doesn't go well. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It requires lots of nose weight, ya bilge rat, but t' 40 newtons average thrust (assumin' motors all work) should provide enough thrust t' be stable. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! It could make a nice desk weight when/if retired.