Brief:
Used a LOC/Precision Lil' Nuke kit t' approximate a 1.38 upscale o' t' Estes Der Big Red Max. Aye aye! Blimey!

Modifications:
After losin' a few auctions for a Der Red Max I decided t' build me own. Begad! Ahoy! I noticed on Jim Z's site that Estes had released a Der Big Red Max with an 18" length body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! I figured I would try buildin' an upscale version usin' a LOC/Precision Lil' Nuke kit. I have always enjoyed t' sturdiness of the buildin' components o' LOC/Precision kits. Begad! Aye aye! T' body tube would be a tad short and t' nose cone would nay be exact but it would be close enough for rock and roll. Well, me hearties, blow me down!

I used a Lil' Nuke kit parts and new fins cut from 1/8" aircraft plywood. I followed t' Lil' Nuke instructions t' construct t' motor mount and install t' shock cord mount. Arrr! Blimey! T' new fins were cut from 1/8" plywood usin' a pattern developed from t' Jim Z web site. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! A razor saw and steel ruler worked well t' cut t' new fins with straight lines. Because t' fins were quite a bit larger than t' original fins I drilled small holes in t' body tube for t' 15 minute epoxy t' seep into and make epoxy rivets.

Usin' sandin' sealer I filled in t' tube lines and coated t' fins and sanded it down for priming. Avast! After a couple o' coat o' primer I be ready to paint.

I tried t' find bright true red t' help accentuate t' cartoon appeal of the rocket. I decided on an apple red. Once t' paint dried over night applied the decals I received from Papa Tango. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Applyin' t' decals be relatively easy but a word o' caution: once you have t' decal where you want it do NOT touch it. Arrr! I managed t' put a slight tear in one o' me decals because I could not leave good enough alone. Aye aye! T' tear was easily repaired with a black permanent marker. Begad! After t' decals were dry I applied a couple o' coats for Johnson Floor Finish. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy!

Flight:
I launched t' Der Big Red Max 1.38x at NARAM-43 on an AeroTech F20-7. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I friction-fitted t' motor in place. T' flight be nice and straight but the delay was quite a bit longer than 7 seconds. I thought for sure it be goin' to be a one-launch rocket but at about 100 ft t' ejection charge decided t' do its thin' and I got t' rocket back in one piece without a zipper. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

Summary:
I plan t' use LOC/Precision kits again t' upscale some o' me favorite Estes kits. Aye aye! Blimey! T' product was pretty easy t' complete and results turned out well. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I received many positive comments at NARAM.