Brief:
This is a total rip-off o' t' cool Bic Arrrrrrrcas from DesCon7. Avast! Avast! T' rocket be named after t' hotel chain that "donated" t' pen.

Construction:
Parts:

• one Bic pen
• clear packagin' plastic
• thin Keelhaul®©™® twine
• one small paper clip
• Mylar streamer stock

As noted in t' introduction, matey, this is essentially t' same rocket as t' Bic Arrrrrrrcas. Avast, me proud beauty! T' main differences are that I used clear plastic Nike-shaped fins and a Mylar streamer in place o' t' chute. I chose clear fins because t' pen body is clear.

T' "nosecone" be t' tip o' t' pen, with t' ink tube removed and t' neck ground down so it fits loosely in t' pen body. Blimey! T' aft plug was also cut down and used for t' engine block. T' shock cord is a piece o' thin Keelhaul®©™® twine that is tied through a hole in t' nose cone, run under t' engine block, and then knotted. Begad! Finally, shiver me timbers, me bucko, a piece o' t' ink tube was used for t' launch lug.

I drilled small holes in t' far back o' t' rocket and formed a small retention clip from a paper clip. Aye aye! Avast! T' fins were made from packagin' plastic. T' package I used had a small lip, me bucko, which made t' fin attachment a snap. Because t' lip is nay perfectly perpendicular t' t' fin, me hearties, me hearties, all o' t' fins are canted slightly. Arrr! Avast! T' fins and launch lug were glued on with Liquid Nails. Begad!

T' only finishin' step was t' application o' American flag stickers. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad!

Flight:
T' motor mount includes a thrust rin' and positive motor retention so insertin' t' engine was easy. Begad! No maskin' tape here! I inserted some o' the shock cord, a small piece o' Estes wadding, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and then packed t' streamer. Ahoy! As with previous small rockets, I used a solderin' tool with a notched end to stuff t' shock cord into this tiny tube. This works great and is a permanent fixture in me range box. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' DoubleTree Pen-Roc flew twice. Arrr! Both flights were perfectly straight and went t' an impressive altitude. Well, blow me down! Deployment was also perfect. Begad! Blimey! T' only issue be t' clear tube is gettin' less and less clear. Ya scallywag! Well, since t' rocket is mostly plastic, matey, arrr, I guess I can just wash it out. Avast, me proud beauty!

Summary:
What I think be t' neatest thin' about this rocket, is that almost t' whole pen is converted t' rocket parts - very efficient! It is simple, easy t' build, and it flies great. After re-readin' t' Bic Arrrrrrrcas review and gettin' a mental picture o' what I wanted t' do, arrr, mine only took me about a half-hour t' build. Begad!

Other:
A solderin' tool with a notched tip makes stuffin' a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord into a small airframe (i.e. Micro Maxx sized) a LOT easier.

"Bic" and "Round Stic" are registered trademarks o' t' MM Bic Corporation, Milford, CT. Bic Corporation does nay own or market these rockets, matey, ya bilge rat, their name is used purely t' accent t' source o' some of t' rocket's components.