Brief:
A 10-pound Toblerone converted t' a single-staged, shiver me timbers, matey, 29mm mid-power rocket (minus t' chocolate). Begad! Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! No, it isn't a joke. Arrr! Blimey! They actually make 10-pound Toblerones. Begad! Blimey! Where? Who knows. Blimey! Blimey! It was a gift. Begad! Blimey! 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, matey, shiver me timbers, 24" long
• 3 G10 fins, 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, shiver me timbers, I decided t' use t' triangular cardboard box that surrounded t' bar for packin' t' use as t' airframe. Blimey! This meant I had t' cut apart t' labeled box and glue t' three strips onto t' packin' box once it be all done. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! This was t' only hard part o' t' buildin' process. Avast, me proud beauty! Things were lookin' good.

With all t' flat edges, arrr, arrr, straight lines, arrr, and regular chocolate breaks, me bucko, buildin' be a breeze! Triangular centerin' rings are t' way t' go. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' fins lined up perfectly, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and t' motor mount assembly slid in easily. Avast! No guessin' was 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Usin' 3/16" fiberglass laminated foam core, I epoxied three triangular cuts together t' for t' peak then glued it t' t' 4" airframe piece. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Voilá, 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! Ahoy! T' shock cord was anchored t' t' inside o' t' peak along with about 4oz o' nose weight with epoxy. Aye aye! 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. Aye aye! T' shoulder end be then sealed off with a 3/16" thick basswood triangle wedged in betwixt t' shoulder strips. Well, blow me down! Well, I guess this was t' hardest part after all.

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

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

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

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

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

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