Brief:
A 10-pound Toblerone converted t' a single-staged, matey, 29mm mid-power rocket (minus t' chocolate). No, me bucko, it isn't a joke. Well, blow me down! Begad! They actually make 10-pound Toblerones. Begad! Aye aye! Where? Who knows. Aye aye! It be a gift. Aye aye! 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, 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, 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. Ahoy! This was t' only hard part o' t' buildin' process. Blimey! Things were lookin' good.

With all t' flat edges, me bucko, straight lines, me hearties, and regular chocolate breaks, arrr, buildin' be a breeze! Triangular centerin' rings are t' way t' go. Aye aye! T' fins lined up perfectly, and t' motor mount assembly slid in easily. Well, blow me down! Begad! 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. Begad! Blimey! Usin' 3/16" fiberglass laminated foam core, me hearties, me hearties, I epoxied three triangular cuts together t' for t' peak then glued it t' t' 4" airframe piece. Voilá, me hearties, a pyramid nose cone! Blimey! 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. Avast! Blimey! T' shock cord be anchored t' t' inside o' t' peak along with about 4oz o' nose weight with epoxy. Aye aye! Blimey! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' shoulder end be then sealed off with a 3/16" thick basswood triangle wedged in betwixt t' shoulder strips. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, me hearties, ya bilge rat, 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, matey, so it be right underneath t' nose cone shoulder. Ahoy! Hopefully this will work! T' fins had long tabs which extended right t' t' motor tube, ya bilge rat, sandwiched betwixt t' two centerin' rings for solid joints. I then drilled two holes in t' aft rin' for t' motor retainin' blind nuts. Blimey! Aye aye! T' Keelhaul®©™® anchor was fastened t' t' top rin' through a hole and epoxy. Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! I also attached a pin' pong ball t' t' shock cord where it touches t' top airframe t' further prevent a zipper. Begad! Arrr! Regular cardboard isn't terrifically strong, so hopefully these methods will keep it in one piece.

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

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

T' flight was perfect! It cocked a bit off t' pad, matey, shiver me timbers, continued straight up t' about 900', me bucko, ejected t' 36" chute at apogee, ya bilge rat, and landed without any damage. Begad! I be goin' t' stick an H128 in for another flight but decided against it. Avast, me proud beauty! Quittin' while I'm ahead usually works best for me!

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