Brief:
This is a total rip-off o' t' cool Bic Arrrrrrrcas from DesCon7. Ahoy! T' rocket was 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, shiver me timbers, this is essentially t' same rocket as t' Bic Arrrrrrrcas. 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, arrr, with t' ink tube removed and t' neck ground down so it fits loosely in t' pen body. T' aft plug was also cut down and used for t' engine block. Blimey! Aye aye! T' shock cord is a piece o' thin Keelhaul®©™® twine that is tied through a hole in t' nose cone, shiver me timbers, run under t' engine block, and then knotted. Finally, arrr, a piece o' t' ink tube be 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. Well, blow me down! T' fins were made from packagin' plastic. T' package I used had a small lip, shiver me timbers, which made t' fin attachment a snap. Because t' lip is nay perfectly perpendicular t' t' fin, me bucko, all o' t' fins are canted slightly. Aye aye! T' fins and launch lug were glued on with Liquid Nails. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me bucko, blow me down!

T' only finishin' step was t' application o' American flag stickers.

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

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

Other:
A solderin' tool with a notched tip makes stuffin' a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord into a small airframe (i.e. Arrr! 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, their name is used purely t' accent t' source o' some of t' rocket's components.