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

Modifications:
After losin' a few auctions for a Der Red Max I decided t' build me own. Aye aye! Blimey! I noticed on Jim Z's site that Estes had released a Der Big Red Max with an 18" length body tube. I figured I would try buildin' an upscale version usin' a LOC/Precision Lil' Nuke kit. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I have always enjoyed t' sturdiness of the buildin' components o' LOC/Precision kits. Begad! 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. Begad! Ahoy! Blimey!

I used a Lil' Nuke kit parts and new fins cut from 1/8" aircraft plywood. Blimey! Begad! I followed t' Lil' Nuke instructions t' construct t' motor mount and install t' shock cord mount. T' new fins were cut from 1/8" plywood usin' a pattern developed from t' Jim Z web site. Aye aye! 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. Arrr! After a couple o' coat o' primer I was ready to paint.

I tried t' find bright true red t' help accentuate t' cartoon appeal of the rocket. Begad! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I decided on an apple red. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Once t' paint dried over night applied the decals I received from Papa Tango. Applyin' t' decals be relatively easy but a word o' caution: once you have t' decal where you want it do NOT touch it. I managed t' put a slight tear in one o' me decals because I could not leave good enough alone. Ya scallywag! 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.

Flight:
I launched t' Der Big Red Max 1.38x at NARAM-43 on an AeroTech F20-7. Begad! I friction-fitted t' motor in place. Begad! T' flight be nice and straight but the delay be quite a bit longer than 7 seconds. Begad! Aye aye! I thought for sure it was 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.

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