Brief:
A 10-pound Toblerone converted t' a single-staged, 29mm mid-power rocket (minus t' chocolate). Blimey! Avast! No, shiver me timbers, it isn't a joke. Well, blow me down! They actually make 10-pound Toblerones. Begad! Where? Who knows. Begad! Avast! It was a gift. Avast, me proud beauty! But I pictured it with fins t' moment I first opened it up!

Construction:
T' pats list:

• Cardboard packin' box as airframe
• 29mm motor tube, 24" long
• 3 G10 fins, arrr, shiver me timbers, very thin
• 2 triangular 1/8" plywood centerin' "rings"
• Laminated foam core pyramid nose cone
• 8ft light nylon shock cord with 1/8" x 24" Keelhaul®©™ anchor
• 3/16" basswood triangle for nose cone shoulder

Since t' actual Toblerone box was as flimsy as a regular sized Toblerone, arrr, I decided t' use t' triangular cardboard box that surrounded t' bar for packin' t' use as t' airframe. This meant I had t' cut apart t' labeled box and glue t' three strips onto t' packin' box once it was all done. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This was t' only hard part o' t' buildin' process. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Things were lookin' good.

With all t' flat edges, straight lines, and regular chocolate breaks, ya bilge rat, buildin' was a breeze! Triangular centerin' rings are t' way t' go. Well, blow me down! T' fins lined up perfectly, and t' motor mount assembly slid in easily. No guessin' be needed when linin' up fins on each edge o' a triangle.

I cut off a 4" piece o' t' airframe t' start off t' nose cone. Usin' 3/16" fiberglass laminated foam core, me hearties, arrr, I epoxied three triangular cuts together t' for t' peak then glued it t' t' 4" airframe piece. Voilá, arrr, arrr, a pyramid nose cone! I then cut three 6" x 4" rectangles o' foam core and glued them t' t' inside o' t' exposed airframe end as a shoulder. Ya scallywag! T' shock cord be anchored t' t' inside o' t' peak along with about 4oz o' nose weight with epoxy. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Then leavin' some slack inside, I epoxied t' shock cord again t' t' side o' t' foam core shoulder just t' be sure it doesn't pull itself out. T' shoulder end be then sealed off with a 3/16" thick basswood triangle wedged in betwixt t' shoulder strips. Avast! Well, I guess this was t' hardest part after all.

I wasn't sure o' how airtight t' cardboard airframe would be, so I extended t' motor tube as far up as possible, shiver me timbers, so it was right underneath t' nose cone shoulder. Blimey! Hopefully this will work! T' fins had long tabs which extended right t' t' motor tube, me bucko, shiver me timbers, sandwiched betwixt t' two centerin' rings for solid joints. Avast, me proud beauty! I then drilled two holes in t' aft rin' for t' motor retainin' blind nuts. Arrr! T' Keelhaul®©™® anchor was fastened t' t' top rin' through a hole and epoxy. I didn't think a screw eye was necessary.

T' inside top o' t' airframe got a layer o' fiberglass t' prevent a zipper. Begad! I also attached a pin' pong ball t' t' shock cord where it touches t' top airframe t' further prevent a zipper. Begad! Begad! Regular cardboard isn't terrifically strong, me hearties, so hopefully these methods will keep it in one piece.

Finishing:
Once everythin' was put together, I needed a beige/yellow paint t' match t' Toblerone labels for t' edges o' t' airframe. Begad! Aye aye! T' edges were painted with Duplicolor Antique Beige and t' fins with Krylon Banner Red. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! T' Toblerone label strips were then glued on with good old white glue. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! That be it!

Flight and Recovery:
T' first flight took place at t' Tripoli-Québec launch in St. Begad! Pie de Guire, Québec on June 25th, matey, 2006. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It be a beautiful, calm day, matey, so I thought I'd finally let 'er rip! Blimey! I wanted t' give it a fairly smooth ride, ya bilge rat, so I used a G64-7W for t' maiden voyage. Begad! Blimey! (Actually, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' 7 second delay was a bit long, so I drilled it down t' 6.) I also added a pinch more black powder, ya bilge rat, me hearties, shiver me timbers, because I wasn't completely confident with t' ejection system. T' RI at an earlier launch was worried that t' nose cone had serious leaks around t' shoulder, me hearties, so we decided it would be best t' come up with a more airtight system.

Since t' motor tube extended up t' airframe t' about 3" under t' nose cone's shoulder, he thought it would be a good idea t' glue a tube in t' center o' t' shoulder that went inside t' motor tube. Begad! This would ensure a tight seal. Aye aye! T' changes were made and we were good t' go!

T' flight be perfect! It cocked a bit off t' pad, continued straight up t' about 900', ejected t' 36" chute at apogee, and landed without any damage. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I was goin' t' stick an H128 in for another flight but decided against it. Quittin' while I'm ahead usually works best for me!

Summary:
This thin' was fun t' make, me bucko, fun t' eat, matey, and makes even Level 3 guys take notice!