Brief:
This is a kit bash o' an Estes Bullpup plus a few parts t' build a model o' the futuristic Star Duster from t' 1960s cartoon "Scott McCloud, Space Angel".

Modifications:
"Scott McCloud, me hearties, me hearties, me hearties, Space Angel" be a cartoon produced from 1962 through 1964. Aye aye! It used t' "synchro-vox" technique, where stills were used in the cartoon, but close-ups o' t' characters had t' actors mouths pasted in as they spoke. His ship, arrr, t' Star Duster, shiver me timbers, was an impressive piece o' retro-looking space craft. Begad! Comin' up with t' design was a challenge, ya bilge rat, because as you can see from t' samples included, t' proportions were nay very consistent from one picture t' another. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I had t' actually measure various zooms o' these pictures and come up with an estimated average proportion from among them.

T' body, nose, arrr, tail cone, matey, launch lug, matey, arrr, ya bilge rat, recovery gear and motor mount are all right from t' Bullpup kit and are put together just as t' directions show. Blimey! What makes this model be t' fins, ya bilge rat, includin' pods on t' "wing" fins, t' rather art deco lookin' aditions t' t' "rudder" fin, matey, ya bilge rat, and the canard fins. Aye aye! T' body construction be done with normal LPR materials but epoxy be used on t' fins and fillets.

T' fins were cut from 1/8" basswood. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! They could have been lighter stock, arrr, but I wanted good strength for flight and a hefty feel for display. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Each of t' three main fin has a 4" root and 4" span. Arrr! Begad! T' win' fins are set with t' trailin' edge/root point at t' joint o' t' body tube and tail cone, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but t' rudder fin is set back 1/2" from these and must be cut at the root t' fit over t' tail cone. Begad! T' fins were glued on 120 degrees apart. T' two canards were glued on 180 degrees apart on t' sides o' t' rocket about 1" aft o' t' forward end o' t' body tube. T' launch lug was placed on t' "bottom" o' t' body.

T' win' pods are made by gluin' one o' each o' t' PNC5 nose cones into t' tube and cutting a 1/8" x 1.25" slot in t' tube t' fit over t' win' pod with the ogive nose forward and pushed on until t' win' tip stopped it from going further. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! T' top addition t' t' rudder be 1" o' 1/4" styrene tube with a piece o' 3/16" dowel sanded t' an ogive and glued in t' front. Well, me hearties, blow me down! The others were 3/16" dowel sanded t' rounded ends, matey, cut in half lengthwise and the two pieces glued t' either side o' t' rudder across from each other.

Since t' fins were so heavy and thick, epoxy was used t' glue them on along with t' win' pods and rudder pieces. Aye aye! Epoxy was used as well for the fillets.

Construction:
1 Estes Bullpup kit, matey, plus:

• 1/8" basswood stock
• 1/4" styrene tubing
• 3/16" wooden dowel
• two 3" pieces o' BT-5 tube
• two 2" long tangent ogive PNC5 nose cones
• two 3/4" long parabolic PNC5 nose cones
• Pactra stripin' tape

Finishing:
Finishin' be two coats o' Deft spray lacquer sandin' sealer over everything, sanded after each (400 and 600 grit), shiver me timbers, then two coats o' Rustoleum white primer, followed by two coats o' Rustoleum white satin finish. Aye aye! T' black window hatches were hand cut from Pactra stripin' tape.

Flight:
All three flights t' date have been on B6-4s. It arcs over slightly with the rudder up because o' t' imbalance o' t' two win' pods, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, so it looks good enough that I can pretend I meant it t' do this. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' ejection is a little before apogee at 4 seconds, ya bilge rat, but this is a slow flyer so it's safe enough a delay. Begad! Blimey!

Recovery:
I use a 12" "sport chute" from Aerospace Specialty Products on this bird. It comes down a little fast but it's built like a rock. Ya scallywag! If I ever fly it where it runs t' risk o' landin' on pavement, I'll try a larger chute.

Summary:
I enjoyed t' challenege o' tryin' t' design, me hearties, sculpt, matey, ya bilge rat, and build this bird from minimal background material and still make it true t' t' original. Begad! Begad! Or, arrr, as true as possible since t' original looked different even on t' same episode. Frankly, me bucko, what I had t' work with wasn't quite enough--I did a lot from memory. In fact, when I started I didn't even remember t' name o' t' rocket. I asked on TRF and someone knew. Ahoy! Blimey! But t' shape...that I remembered well.