Brief:
I've always been a fan o' t' mid-'70s Estes fleet. I cloned a Goblin a couple o' years ago and I was lookin' t' do somethin' that would compliment it well. Begad! Ahoy! Upon lookin' through me '77 Estes catalog I settled on t' Scamp. Aye aye! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! However, the spare parts I had weren't quite right. Avast, me proud beauty! What could I do with a BT-60 body tube and plastic nose cone? How about a Scamp upscale?! Thus, t' Maxi-Scamp was born.

Construction:
T' rocket uses a 15 inch long BT-60 body, me bucko, a standard BT-60 plastic Estes nose cone, matey, matey, 3/16 inch plywood fins, a 29mm motor mount, arrr, me hearties, two regular Estes launch lugs (one inch long each), one 5/16 x 5.5 inch launch lug (the one you really use), me hearties, three feet o' 1/4 inch sewin' elastic, me bucko, and an old nylon flare chute, and a positive motor retention device o' my own design.

T' rocket went together well. Well, blow me down! After all, it is pretty much a standard 3FNC model. Ya scallywag! T' fins were t' biggest part of t' project (other than t' finishing) and were shaped usin' me trusty Dremel tool. Ya scallywag! They were attached by makin' a series o' holes along t' body tube where t' root edge meets it and allowin' t' epoxy t' seep into t' holes as each fin is attached. Ahoy! Avast! It's nay quite as strong as through t' wall fins but it's still pretty strong. Begad! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' motor mount was glued in usin' far more epoxy than was probably needed, but I wasn't takin' any chances. T' shock cord was mounted usin' t' old Estes method but with a whole lot o' epoxy thar too. I wanted t' rocket t' have a "low power" look so I put on standard Estes launch lugs like were on t' original. However, me hearties, I then put on t' heavy duty lug on the other side so it could actually take off without whippin' t' rod like crazy. Begad! I wanted t' be real sure t' motor stayed in place, arrr, so I took two small plastic tubes and epoxied them on each side o' t' motor mount then threaded in two screws and rigged two wires t' run across t' bottom o' t' motor. Begad! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Changin' t' motor takes a little time, arrr, shiver me timbers, but it's not goin' anywhere.

I also added 2oz o' nose weight t' ensure I would nay have any stability issues.

Finishing:
T' model was painted usin' black and yellow H2O paint by Krylon, me bucko, shiver me timbers, which doesn't make me break out in hives. Avast! It was fairly easy t' mask off t' one black fin and top black part. Ahoy! On t' original, only t' nose cone is painted black. Since me parts are nay exactly scale, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I had t' extend t' black part down t' body 2.5 inches t' get it t' look right. I then scaled up t' decals that I downloaded from Jimz, ya bilge rat, matey, put them on, hit them with sealer, and that was it! Now I only had t' get up t' nerve t' fly it. Blimey! Ya scallywag!

Flight:
I decided t' fly t' Maxi-Scamp for t' first time at NSL 2006. Aye aye! I was thinkin' about usin' a small motor and then workin' me way up t' t' bigger ones, shiver me timbers, but I got a great deal on a Roadrunner G80-10. Well, blow me down! If you've never flown a Roadrunner, me hearties, you should. Begad! They're maxed out and quite frankly scream. Well, blow me down! I screwed in me motor and put t' Scamp on t' pad. T' simulation program that I had used said it should go over 3000 feet. Arrr! I was pretty sure I wasn't goin' t' see it again. Blimey!

When t' button be pushed thar be a mighty woosh from t' G and a plume o' black smoke that just kept goin' up and up and up... Ya scallywag! Begad! Soon I lost sight o' it completely. Begad! I felt a little stupid for puttin' that much motor in it for its first flight, me bucko, but everyone had gotten quite a show. Ya scallywag! I just hoped I had caught it with me camera. Arrr! Avast! As it turns out, about an hour later a guy came walkin' up t' me holdin' t' Scamp! She be drivin' back t' t' field after lunch and it drifted down right in front o' her car, shiver me timbers, about a mile from t' range head. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! It was especially cool because all I caught with me camera was a bunch o' smoke.

T' second flight was at a Hotroc event. This time I was a little saner and flew it on a Roadrunner F. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Blimey! Since there was no wind, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, it landed about 50 yards from t' pad straight up on its fins! Blimey! I haven't flown it since. I figure I've just about used up me luck. Avast, me proud beauty!

Summary:
I really like this model and may retire it now. Avast, me proud beauty! T' main pro is that it has t' lines and "flavor" o' the Estes original while havin' incredible mid-power performance. Blimey! Begad! It goes well with me Goblin and I've ordered a PD A-20 Demon t' complete t' trio. Aye aye! T' main con is that that incredible performance makes every launch a risk o' bein' the last time you'll ever see it. Begad! All in all, a winner I'd say!