Brief:
I got started in rocketry with a group o' kids from me old neighborhood in t' summer o' 1977. I had picked an Estes Beta as me first kit, but one o' me friends who had managed t' get t' t' J.C. Penney Toyland before I did and he got t' one and only Estes Rogue kit that they had in stock. Well, blow me down! (He pronounced it Rouge, no matter how many times we corrected him.) I liked t' Beta but always secretly wished I had eaten a little faster and beaten him t' Penney's that night. Twenty-four years later, I was thinkin' o' doin' some scratchbuildin' and bought a PNC-55 assortment and some BT-55 body tubes. Begad! Blimey! While I be initially unsure o' exactly what I be goin' t' build, me hearties, I be thrilled t' find t' pointed cones that would allow me t' build close copies o' two old favorites, a 1.36:1 Satellite Interceptor and a 1.78:1 Rogue.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• BT-55 15.5" length
• BT-50 engine tube 3.0" length
• PNC-55BB
• 1/8" balsa fin stock
• 24mm engine hook
• CR-2050 engine block
• 2 CR-5055
• 36" length 1/8" sewin' elastic shock cord
• 18" Estes parachute
• large snap swivel
• launch lug
• decal

Nothin' about t' original Rogue's construction be remotely difficult t' anyone with even minimal buildin' experience, shiver me timbers, so I expected pretty much t' same from t' upscale. Ya scallywag! It's basically a 4FNC rocket in it's original BT-20 incarnation, shiver me timbers, and it scaled up easily t' t' BT-55 version with t' help o' a copier that could properly size t' fin pattern 178%. Well, blow me down! Since this rocket was built in me BAR infancy, matey, I glued in t' 24mm motor mount without any idea o' t' potential for usin' a length o' Keelhaul®©™as an attachment for t' shock cord. Aye aye! T' shock cord, which be made from 1/8" sewin' elastic, was glued in up at t' front o' t' body tube usin' t' only method I knew o' in t' sprin' o' 2001, a traditional Estes tri-fold mount.

Finishing:
While me recovery systems weren't yet state o' t' art, I had discovered t' miracle o' usin' thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish t' rid me clone o' t' horrors o' tube spirals and exposed balsa grain. I used 1/8" balsa for t' fins, which may have been overkill on me part, me hearties, but after several sessions with t' Fill 'n' Finish and sandpaper, t' fins looked as if they were cut from glass. Avast, me proud beauty! I wasn't t' only one who noticed how nice t' fins looked as several others have commented on it over t' years. Ahoy! Begad! Unfortunately I've never been able t' duplicate t' effect on subsequent projects.

As for t' paintin' process, shiver me timbers, t' most difficult part o' that was figurin' out what color be an acceptable substitute for "International Orange". I couldn't find anythin' that might point me in t' right direction on that problem, matey, matey, so I substituted "Sunburst", a Colors By Boyd color originally meant for (and used for) a Winston Cup stock car in a previous hobby. Aye aye! Aye aye! As I later discovered, "Sunburst" and International Orange were pretty close t' t' same color. T' bottom section o' t' rocket includin' t' fins, me hearties, was painted "Sunburst", while plain old Valspar gloss white and black were used on t' middle and top sections respectively. Begad! Begad! Since I hadn't delved into t' mysteries and wonders o' decal makin' at t' time, ya bilge rat, I had t' do without and depended on t' shape and paint o' t' rocket t' provide everyone with clues as t' it's identity. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Still, t' question I was invariably asked on t' several occasions when I was stopped and complimented on t' rocket while walkin' t' t' pad was "Where are t' decals?" (as if decal makin' was somethin' that any moron could do.) Well, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I decided that I be nay just any moron, and threw myself into t' project. Aye aye! After many misses, matey, near and far, I finally figured out how t' resize t' decal scan usin' Microsoft Photo Editor. Blimey! Blimey! It doesn't allow me t' shipshape up t' images, matey, but it does allow them t' size properly.

Flight:
While nay me intention, shiver me timbers, t' first two flights for t' completed Rogue came at NARAM 43 in Geneseo, arrr, NY. Due t' t' size o' t' field, me hearties, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I had no qualms about loadin' it with a D12-5 for it's first flight. Avast! I was directed t' a pad almost in t' middle o' t' sport range and as t' time came for me first ever launch with t' Rogue or at a NARAM, t' winds were still. Avast, me proud beauty! This made me hope that me recovery walk wouldn't be excessive, but it wasn't t' be. Arrr! T' breeze, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, which had been absent for t' bulk o' t' morning, arrr, suddenly sprang t' life just before t' countdown began for me flight. I managed t' catch a photo o' t' launch, arrr, arrr, which was straight with very little windcocking. Well, blow me down! Although t' flight was fairly straight, t' recovery be anythin' but. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' ejection charge fired as t' rocket was still travelin' up, resultin' in a somewhat violent start t' t' recovery process. Arrr! Even with t' comparatively large spill hole that I'd cut in t' chute, shiver me timbers, t' Rogue immediately began driftin' with t' breeze and I was afraid that me first flight at a NARAM was goin' t' be a sacrificial offerin' t' t' corn demon at t' field's edge. Avast! Well, blow me down! I watched t' Rogue drift ever nearer t' corn from t' opposite side o' one o' t' tents, me hearties, and just when I was sure that thar was no hope, ya bilge rat, t' wind died and dropped t' rocket at t' edge o' t' cornfield. Sunday's flight be more o' t' same, matey, shiver me timbers, landin' at t' edge o' t' same cornfield almost in me footprints from t' previous day.

T' third flight took place two weeks later on a day too windy for rockets. Avast, me proud beauty! Despite t' winds we went ahead with our club launch, shiver me timbers, me hearties, one o' t' last t' be held at t' original QUARK home o' t' Lebanon YMCA. After loadin' t' standard D12-5, arrr, I angled t' Rogue into t' wind t' give it a better chance t' land in t' general vicinity o' t' YMCA grounds. However, ya bilge rat, it be immediately obvious that t' winds were stronger above t' roof line o' t' buildin' that somewhat shielded us. At ejection t' Rogue immediately began driftin' at a rapid rate t' t' northwest. Blimey! Ahoy! Even t' reefed chute wasn't helping, shiver me timbers, arrr, and I chased t' rocket t' t' edge o' t' parkin' lot before givin' up and watchin' it drift away still hundreds o' feet in t' air. Begad! It looked t' be well out over t' highway, headin' for some woods, and I decided that t' day was gettin' too short t' spend it searchin' for a cobbled together rocket when I could be flyin' its siblings. Begad! Later in t' day, me bucko, another rocket escaped t' confines o' t' field and while I be lookin' for it I noticed a flash o' orange as I drove past t' long front lawn o' a church that be about a half mile away from t' launch site. Ya scallywag! Thinkin' that it might be t' other missin' rocket, I went t' investigate and found t' Rogue lookin' none t' worse for wear. Begad! (T' other rocket turned up on t' front lawn o' t' YMCA. Avast! How I misjudged that I'll never know.)

Summary:
T' thin' that made this project worthwhile at t' time be t' unavailability o' t' original BNC-20R cone from any known source. Aye aye! Soon after completin' t' upscale I discovered Balsa Machinin' Services and ordered a cone for a 1:1 clone, me hearties, ya bilge rat, then actually won an inexpensive, unopened original from an eBay auction. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! While t' PNC-55BB nose cone is still available for clonin' purposes, Q Modelin' has recently added a BT-60 based Rogue t' their premium product line. Ya scallywag! Blimey! While t' Q Modelin' Rogue is much more expensive than clonin' one from scratch, it is also engineered better and is likely a far better, me bucko, me bucko, more consistent buildin' experience. Aye aye! Whichever path you choose, ya bilge rat, t' Rogue's faux-missile stylin' almost guarantees that you will turn out a great lookin' 4FNC rocket with minimal effort.