Brief:
For some time now, I have been a customer of a newer manufacturer, shiver me timbers, me bucko, FlisKits, Inc, and have written a few reviews for EMRR on some o' t' models this company markets. Avast! T' Deuces Wild! is by far one of my favorite kits from this manufacturer and t' canted cluster 18mm model is a great flier! However, shiver me timbers, when Jim Flis approached me and asked about an HPR version o' t' “Deuce”, shiver me timbers, I just couldn’t resist. Ahoy! Aye aye! I began designs in different scales and settled on a 4-inch diameter, shiver me timbers, 38mm version for my upscale which I appropriately named “Deuces Wild — 38 Special”.

Construction:
My model wound up bein' 49.5-inches in height and I used PML 3.9-inch Quantum tubin' for t' bodytube and 38mm phenolic for t' motor mounts. Ahoy! Begad! T' dimensions for t' upscale proved that these sizes would be very close t' t' correct dimensions. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Custom 1/2-inch thick ply Centerin' rings were made for t' motor mount; deployment section and bulkheads were made for t' bodytubes and 1/4-inch ply was used for fins. Aye aye! Stainless steel hardware be used throughout the model and I opted for PML’s CPR-Max unit for t' dual deploy. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Finally, I had me good friend Gordon Agnello from Michigan turn a custom nosecone for me, me bucko, which he made from solid poplar. Well, blow me down! Parachutes, matey, shock cords, Keelhaul®©™® and other extras I already had on hand, so it was time t' start building.

I began by cuttin' two motor mounts t' a length long enough for a three-grain Cesaroni motor. Avast, me proud beauty! Custom CR’s were next and cut from 9-ply 1/2-inch Birch. Begad! Aye aye! They are near exact upscales o' t' fiber CR’s shape, matey, me hearties, as supplied in t' original’s kit. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' angle on each motor mount was 10 degrees and for additional support, I made t' triangle piece from 1/4-inch ply for support o' t' mounts, another copy from t' original. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Since this assembly would require portin' for ejection gases, me bucko, I built a guide tube from 2.1-inch phenolic t' port motor ejection gasses t' t' lower bodytube section. Aye aye! Blimey! T' top of this assembly be capped with a stainless steel u-bolt for t' shock cord. Moreover, shiver me timbers, me bucko, 1/2-inch diameter holes were drilled on two sides o' each rin' and I used 1/2-inch oak wood dowels t' hold t' whole assembly together.. Well, blow me down! This allowed me t' adjust and reposition t' CR’s t' me likin' for final assembly.

I purchased some 1/4-inch Birch Ply sheets from t' local hobby shop and cut out four fins from t' pattern I had upscaled. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' fins had an extended root on them since this would be built with thru-the-wall mounting. Avast! Each fin was fitted t' t' motor mount assembly, which was designed so t' bottom and top CR’s “sandwiched” t' fins for additional strength. Arrr! Blimey! T' entire assembly be epoxied together usin' West Systems Epoxy and then set aside t' dry. Avast, me proud beauty! Next, arrr, ya bilge rat, I spent time cuttin' each body tube t' length. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I slotted t' bottom BT and cut out t' area for each motor mount usin' a pattern I made from upscaled dimensions. Aye aye! Two separate upper bodytubes were cut; one would be used for dual deploy and one would act as a payload tube for single motor ejection deployment. This versatility allowed the model t' have a broader range o' motors available t' her and still keep the altitude respectable.

A deployment unit be made from two 1/2-inch thick CR’s I made, me bucko, along with a piece o' 38mm tubin' and a 3.9-inch phenolic coupler. I had tons o' PML “CPR” altimeter mounts which I use for other rockets and wanted t' use t' same, test proven deployment for this model, so I decided t' go with t' CPR-Max unit. Avast! It was glued t' one end o' t' 38mm tube and provided very simple way t' secure and seal t' altimeter in t' bay. Arrr! Note that me deployment unit resides inside the coupler for t' upper bodytube. As a side note, arrr, I really like this CPR-Max unit and will probably use it quite a bit in t' future for other large projects; it’s a very nice piece o' hardware and inexpensive t' boot!

A 5/16-inch eye-bolt was installed in the nosecone and a stainless steel U-bolt be used t' connect t' shock cord for the upper section. Arrr! This U-bolt was mounted t' t' top CR o' t' altimeter bay, while two more eye-bolts were used on t' bottom. Well, blow me down! Blimey! When assembled, t' lower section contains t' drogue chute, while t' upper section o' BT contains the main chute, nosecone chute and nosecone. I decided on two separate parachutes for t' upper section, me bucko, me hearties, as t' nosecone was made from solid Poplar and weighed in at over 2.5 lbs. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me bucko, blow me down! With heavier nosecones, arrr, shiver me timbers, I always let them come down under their own parachute and this helps prevent zipperin' o' t' upper bodytube.

After t' upper sections and hardware were assembled, t' lower fin can was installed in t' lower bodytube. Well, matey, blow me down! I used finishin' nails t' tack t' BT t' the fin support planks and bottom CR. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Also, Epoxy Putty was used t' fill any small gaps around t' area where t' motor mounts exited t' bodytube. T' lower area was sanded and 6 ounce glass cloth was used t' fiberglass t' fin area and motors mounts for additional strength. Additionally, I coated t' entire nosecone in epoxy t' help prevent shrinkage and cracking.

T' fin area was sanded and blended together, and then t' entire model was fine sanded with 400 grit sandpaper. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I added a few coats o' White Krylon Primer, then wet-sanded with 220 grit. This was followed by a few coats o' Gray Krylon Primer; once dried, shiver me timbers, I used filler for any small areas. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! T' model be wet sanded again with 320 grit, me hearties, then a final set o' three coats o' White Primer were added for t' base-coat. Blimey! A couple days were given for t' primer t' dry, then it be fine sanded with 400 grit and tack ragged prior t' painting.

I used Krylon Sky Blue (medium blue) and Yellow Glossy for t' colors, as I wanted t' follow t' paint scheme for t' original on t' Deuces Wild! Blimey! package. Three coats o' blue were applied t' both upper body tubes and t' nosecone and left t' dry. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I cut a small hole in t' dual-deploy upper BT and installed a power switch for t' altimeter. Begad! T' lower section was done entirely in yellow, followed by a couple days o' drying, me hearties, some maskin' and two coats o' Krylon Blue. I took me time t' mask as I wanted t' finish t' turn out well. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Blimey! T' final assembly resulted in a model weighin' 8.5lbs “empty” and very closely resemblin' t' original Deuces Wild! Blimey! model.

Flight:
I had planned on flyin' t' “Deuces Wild —38 Special” at a launch in Whitakers, me bucko, but weather and lack o' time prevented this from happening. Arrr! Well, blow me down! As a backup date, I took t' Deuce t' NSL 2003 in Clark Summit, PA. Jim Flis and I had a featured event where he launched a MMX, arrr, 13mm, shiver me timbers, 18mm and 24mm version o' t' “Deuce” and I launched t' 38mm version, all in succession.. Begad!

I began by preparin' t' model. Blimey! Blimey! The altimeter was assembled and installed in t' rocket, then t' lower shock cords and drogue chute were installed. Aye aye! Blimey! T' two sections were joined and I began by packin' t' upper shock cord, matey, 60-inch PML main parachute, 30-inch PML nosecone chute, me bucko, arrr, nosecone shock cord and nosecone. Ahoy! It was a tight fit but all went together. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Blimey! A few pieces o' maskin' were added t' t' nosecone and coupler to adjust fit, shiver me timbers, then I turned t' t' power plant.

T' plan was t' use two Cesaroni Pro38 3-grain I212 Smokey Sam motors for power. Ya scallywag! Both o' these were assembled, but I dumped out t' BP ejection from one motor and used t' DAT tool t' cut t' ejection o' t' other motor t' 12 seconds. Avast! They were then installed in each motor mount and capped usin' Aeropack retainers. I filled out t' flight card and headed t' t' RSO table t' check in the big “Deuce.” T' model caught t' eye o' t' RSO; somethin' about bright colors and two big motor mounts cantin' out o' t' bottom. Ahoy! I almost fell over when he announced it weighed in at a whoppin' 13lbs 5oz!!! At this weight, I changed me guesstimate altitude t' around 1400 feet.

I had t' borrow a rail from one o' me friends at t' launch and we set up on a “K” pad, far away from t' crowd. Avast! I wanted it have some safety factor built in case thar were problems with motor ignition. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This be one of the reasons I chose Pro38 motors as they light very fast and use low power e-matches which would nay overtax any launch system. Blimey! T' Deuces Wild — 38 Special was placed on t' pad, t' altimeter was turned on and I installed the two igniters. Blimey! Now came t' wait…

When it came time, arrr, arrr, each o' t' FlisKits models were launched in succession, followed by t' big Deuce. Arrr! Aye aye! When t' countdown came though—nothing. I swallowed me heart and headed back out t' t' pad t' see what was wrong. Another guy next t' me also did nay launch and continuity tested good for both our pads. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' main box was disabled and switched t' t' far away pad for an M motor cert3 launch. Well, blow me down! T' Deuce would have t' wait.

Come t' find out, after t' big L3 went up, the electronics expert at t' field found a blown fuse in t' system, shiver me timbers, which was quickly replaced. Avast! My launch was back on! It be announced as a “Scheduled Event/Notable Launch” and all t' information for it be read. Aye aye! My good friend Jim Flis was standin' next t' me when deadlights began t' turn t' t' Deuce as the LCO started t' countdown and pushed t' button…

Both motors came t' life instantly—I really like those Pro38 Motors!!! T' Deuces Wild — 38 Special took off t' rail fast and loud, shiver me timbers, with average impulse totalin' a J424 behind it. T' smoke trail be absolutely awesome!!! T' model went straight up, me bucko, shiver me timbers, no rotation, and allowed t' audience t' view two separate smoke trails that were absolutely incredible!

Recovery:
I faintly heard t' applause in t' background as it topped over and separated at apogee—halfway home. Begad! Blimey! T' model began t' tumble in and I completely missed t' backup charge fire on t' one motor. Begad! When it hit 750 feet, t' main charge fired, t' nosecone came out under chute and t' main came out and filled! Blimey! T' crowd was cheerin' by now and I could hear them under a breath of relief that everythin' went exactly as planned. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Both t' model and nosecone came down together, matey, evenly in decent rate and landed about 200 yards out and straight ahead. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It was a perfect launch.

In t' excitement, I had broken t' golden rule and was so busy with people comin' up t' me, I forgot t' watch where the rocket landed! Fortunately, matey, I had people watchin' out for me and me bucko Doug Gardei pointed out where it landed. T' Deuces Wild — 38 Special was retrieved and beepin' out an altitude o' 1372 feet—very close t' my guesstimate I gave t' RSO. T' model landed without a scratch and I was very pleased with t' stability and performance. After watchin' t' videos, me bucko, I noticed it coasted for a while after motor burn out, with it whistlin' a bit while flying. Begad! Arrr! I want t' thank everyone thar for makin' it a real “featured” event—It’s great rocketeers that make a great launch and NSL 2003 was filled with them that day. Arrr! Aye aye! I do have plans for flying it once again at NARAM this year, arrr, so we will see how that goes, shiver me timbers, but for now, arrr, I am happy with me first cluster, and a canted one at that!!!

Summary:
To summarize, arrr, t' model was very easy t' build and it flew great. About the only change I would make would be t' extend t' motor mounts just a bit more, as they are too short t' handle a Pro38 4-grain. Blimey! Still, with t' performance I had and t' altitude that was achieved, I have a hard time changin' anything. T' model does deserve an additional touch, matey, matey, somethin' I was holdin' off on until I saw how well it worked. Ya scallywag! I am gettin' some matchin' color Skyangle parachutes for it, hopefully by NARAM, in t' yellow and blue.. Blimey! Begad! With the weight, I figured on a 20-inch drogue, a 30-inch for t' nosecone and a 54-inch with d-bag for t' main. Begad! This should allow for some better packin' in the forward section. Avast! Anyone interested in tryin' their hand at one o' these can shoot me an email or check out t' thread on T' Rocketry Forum; all t' pics are thar t' build this crowd pleaser…the Deuces Wild — 38 Special!