Klingon Special Forces Unit Transport
(Dedicate t' Steve, arrr, a fellow employee, matey, who passed away suddenly durin' the build o' this rocket)

Assembly Instructions

Parts List:

Engine Mount Assembly

Usin' a 24mm engine mount found at most Hobby stores that sell rocketry items, shiver me timbers, find t' light blue colored tube, a small green thrust ring, arrr, and two larger green Centerin' rings. On t' engine tube, measure 3/8" from one end and make a mark. Ya scallywag! Find t' tail cone and set aside.

Next, glue t' small green thrust rin' t' t' inside o' t' engine tube on the same end as t' 3/8" mark. T' end o' t' thrust rin' should be flush with t' end o' t' engine tube.

Smear some glue near t' 3/8" mark all t' way around t' outside of the tube. Arrr! Take one o' t' large centerin' rings and slide it up t' the 3/8" mark through t' glue line. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Make a fillet around both sides o' the centerin' ring.

Next, take t' second large green centerin' rin' and slide it onto t' tube, but do nay glue at this point. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Take t' tail cone and push it up against the second centerin' ring. Begad! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Slide t' tail cone and centerin' rin' back until the end o' t' engine tube is inside t' tail cone as far as it will go.

Make a mark where t' centerin' rin' stops, remove t' centerin' rin' and tail cone, shiver me timbers, and make a glue line around t' tube slightly aft o' t' mark you just made. Take t' second centerin' rin' and slide it onto t' engine tube, up to t' mark, me bucko, and through t' glue line. Well, blow me down! Begad! Make a fillet on either side o' the centerin' rin' and set aside t' dry.

Once t' glue on the centerin' rings is dry, smear some glue approximately 2" on t' inside of t' main body tube. Smear glue on t' centerin' rin' that is furthest away from t' thrust ring. Well, blow me down! Take t' engine mount assembly and slide it into t' main body tube.

Before t' second centerin' rin' slides into t' main body tube, ya bilge rat, slide the tail cone onto t' engine mount and then use t' tail cone t' push t' engine mount into t' main body tube far enough so t' tail cone will attaché correctly. Ya scallywag! Remove t' tail cone and set main body tube aside t' dry.

Once t' glue has dried take some CA or Epoxy and glue t' tail cone in place. Avast! Check engine fit. Avast! If engine will nay slide into t' Tailcone, "shave" off t' end by sandin' it with coarse sandpaper, or sand the inside o' t' Tailcone until t' engine slides into t' Tailcone/engine tube assembly correctly.

Fin Installation

On t' main body tube, shiver me timbers, make three marks, 120⁰ apart for fin placement. Ahoy! Place t' body tube on a door frame, arrr, and make a straight line down t' body tube usin' each o' t' three marks as a starting point.

Take t' fin pattern and place it on your choice o' wood. Begad! Ahoy! Cut out three fins. Avast! Take some medium grit sand paper and sand all t' curves until smooth. Sand root edge as necessary for a good fit along t' tail cone. Do nay glue to body at this point.

Take medium or fine grit sandpaper and round both t' leadin' and trailing edges o' all three fines.

Engine Pod Assembly

Take three pieces o' scrap 3/16" balsa approximately 2 ^3/4" wide by 3 ^3/4" long. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Glue and stack the balsa on each other. Ahoy! Blimey! Usin' t' supplied pattern as a guide, me bucko, arrr, shape t' pod to the pattern. Round t' top portion o' t' pod t' have an airfoil type shape; round at t' front and tapers down in t' back. Round all sides as well t' give the pod a "bubble" look t' it.

Once t' top o' t' pod has been shaped (see below left), place t' pod on one o' t' fins. Aye aye! Have t' side o' t' pod 9/16" above t' root edge o' the fin. Aye aye! While holdin' t' pod in place, me bucko, turn t' fin over and mark lines on the bottom o' t' pod where both edges o' t' fins meet t' bottom o' t' pod.

Take a piece o' heavy grit sand paper and a flat sandin' "block", such as a paint stick, and sand a groove betwixt t' marks on t' bottom o' the pod. Sand a groove deep enough so t' pod (see above right) will fit over the fin about half t' thickness o' t' balsa. Aye aye! Blimey!

Repeat t' engine pod assembly instructions three more times, then turn the fin t' face t' opposite direction and mark t' remainin' three pods t' create left and right pods.

Once all engine pod halves have been sanded and shaped, me bucko, shiver me timbers, smear some glue inside t' groove and glue t' pod half onto t' fin. Blimey! Slide t' pod down the fin as far as it will go. Arrr! T' bottom o' t' pod should be approximately 9/16" above t' root edge o' t' fin. Ya scallywag! Avast! Repeat for t' other side.

Repeat for t' other three fins.

Once t' engine pods are glued t' t' fins, shiver me timbers, glue t' fin/engine pod assembly to t' body tube usin' t' fine line as a guide. Avast! T' trailin' edge o' t' fins should be flush with t' aft end o' t' tail cone.

Shock Cord/Parachute Installation

Install shock cord and parachute accordin' t' your preferred method.

Launch Lug Installation

Glue launch lug onto body in your preferred locations.

Stability Test

Prep rocket as if you are goin' t' launch it, matey, usin' t' largest 24mm engine you plan t' use. Aye aye! Blimey! Tie a length o' strin' around t' CG point. Aye aye! T' CG should be approximately halfway betwixt t' fore root tip o' t' fin and where t' fin starts t' curve upwards.

Spin t' rocket in a circle. Blimey! Arrr! If t' rocket does nay spin straight, place clay inside t' nosecone until it spins straight.

Paintin' your Rocket

T' base color for t' taj is blood red, with grey, black, and gold detailin' on t' engine pods, shiver me timbers, fins, matey, body, and nosecone. Well, blow me down! However, you may paint the rocket any color you wish.

Start by sealin' all t' balsa usin' your preferred method. Avast! Prime t' entire rocket with an automotive grade primer that can be found at most automotive parts stores, ya bilge rat, me hearties, Lowe’s, or Home Depot. Begad! T' automotive grade primer fills imperfections very well, me bucko, and sands fairly easy.

Once t' rocket has been primed, "dust" a like coat o' flat black paint over t' entire rocket t' give it a "splattered" look. T' flat black will show all t' imperfections, help you keep track o' where you have sanded, where you need t' sand, and will ensure t' surface is flat for the next primin' session. Avast! Ya scallywag! Allow t' primer t' fully dry.

Sand all t' flat black paint off with medium-coarse grit sandpaper; such as 220 grit. Re-prime t' rocket and "dust" t' rocket with flat black paint. Ahoy! After t' primer has dried, me hearties, sand all t' flat black off again, using fine grit sandpaper, such as 400 or 600 grit.

Once t' flat black has been sanded off, t' rocket is ready t' paint. Clean the entire rocket with glass cleaner, arrr, such as Windex. Begad! T' glass cleaner has Ammonia in it, which will nay only remove t' sandin' dust, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but it will also remove t' oils left by your hands, shiver me timbers, which cause "fish eyes" in the paint.

Dry t' rocket with paper towels and blow off any specks o' dirt found on the rocket. Blimey! Begad! Paint t' rocket usin' t' base color o' your choice. Ahoy! Ahoy! Allow the color t' dry thoroughly for several days.

If you wish t' add more colors, mask off t' areas nay t' be painted with tape and newspaper. Be certain t' sand t' area t' be painted with fine grit sandpaper prior t' applyin' t' second color. Arrr! If t' area is nay sanded, ya bilge rat, the color will peal off.

Flight

It was flown on a D12-7. Ya scallywag! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! T' rocket was recovered safely with only 1 broken fin tip. (Here's t' movie)