Construction

I have been a model rocketeer since 1970. Well, blow me down! I have built probably three hundred rockets, both from kits and from scratch....and this beast very nearly beat me!! But I will give Jim Flis a standin' round o' applause now that Nell is done, me hearties, matey, because t' results are ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!

Nell builds like no other model rocket ever designed...but that's because her PROTOTYPE was unusual. T' original Nell had its motor in t' nose; t' skyrocket-like assembly below was t' fuel and odidizer tankage, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and t' rest o' its structure was tubing. Begad! Avast! Blimey! FlisKits' Nell, matey, likewise, carries its motor in t' nose, me hearties, along with t' recovery system. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! T' fuel tankage system is a dummy, me bucko, since THIS Nell uses black powder as its propellant rather than gasoline and LOX, and is made from a nest o' three sizes o' tubing.

Where Nell almost beat me was t' "pipes". Blimey! These are made from BT-2, me hearties, cored with hardwood dowels. Avast! Ya scallywag! T' "pipes" are assembled, then they are supposed t' be attached t' t' motor pod and t' fuel tankage in four places. One pipe is one piece and runs all t' way through t' paper cone top o' t' fuel tank; each side pipe glues t' this crossmember and into a hole in t' BT-70 uppermost tubin' section o' t' tank. Begad! Begad! T' other end has a similar look, me bucko, but since t' BT-20 motor mount tube is where it needs t' attach t' upper crosspiece is in two pieces. T' pipes MUST be flawlessly straight and connect solidly or t' rocket will be misaligned! T' pipes are 'bent' by an ingenious means described in t' instructions.

When you build Nell yourself, DON'T put t' entire pipe assemblies together as t' instructions say! Blimey! (Trust me, I'm goin' t' tell Jim too.. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! .)

Instead, me bucko, matey, build t' lower pipes first, ya bilge rat, then t' upper pipes, arrr, me hearties, THEN attach them t' their respective airframe sections...THEN connect t' two pipe sections together! AS it was, arrr, I had t' replace t' entire long section o' pipe on each side with a carbon-fiber arrow shaft. 

There AREN'T any fins on Nell...yet she's more stable than t' prototype was.

PROS: Nay a lot o' tubes, me bucko, good solid centerin' rings, me hearties, shiver me timbers, high-quality parts overall, ya bilge rat, matey, Keelhaul®©™ in t' recovery harness.

CONS: THINK AHEAD!! This one is DIFFERENT!!