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, 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. Arrr! Blimey! His ship, ya bilge rat, matey, t' Star Duster, me hearties, was an impressive piece o' retro-looking space craft. Blimey! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Comin' up with t' design was a challenge, because as you can see from t' samples included, me bucko, matey, ya bilge rat, t' proportions were nay very consistent from one picture t' another. Begad! I had t' actually measure various zooms o' these pictures and come up with an estimated average proportion from among them.

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

T' fins were cut from 1/8" basswood. Blimey! They could have been lighter stock, me hearties, but I wanted good strength for flight and a hefty feel for display. Avast, me proud beauty! Each of t' three main fin has a 4" root and 4" span. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' win' fins are set with t' trailin' edge/root point at t' joint o' t' body tube and tail cone, but t' rudder fin is set back 1/2" from these and must be cut at the root t' fit over t' tail cone. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Avast! Well, blow me down! 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. 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! The others were 3/16" dowel sanded t' rounded ends, shiver me timbers, 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 be used t' glue them on along with t' win' pods and rudder pieces. Begad! Epoxy be 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. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, matey, so it looks good enough that I can pretend I meant it t' do this. Aye aye! T' ejection is a little before apogee at 4 seconds, but this is a slow flyer so it's safe enough a delay. Avast!

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

Summary:
I enjoyed t' challenege o' tryin' t' design, sculpt, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and build this bird from minimal background material and still make it true t' t' original. Avast! Or, me hearties, as true as possible since t' original looked different even on t' same episode. Frankly, ya bilge rat, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! But t' shape...that I remembered well.