Brief:

Conversion o' Lansbergen Delta II t' fly on 18mm motors. T' particular Delta II that I chose t' model was Delta 7920-8 247, launcher o' t' solar observation satellite ACE. Arrr! T' plans are available on t' Caltech web site.

Modifications:

T' model is a 10 page PDF file. Ahoy! Begad! I printed t' 3 pages o' instructions on regular paper, shiver me timbers, matey, ya bilge rat, t' 3 sheets o' boosters was printed on 65lb cardstock, and t' remainin' pages were printed on 110lb cardstock. Avast, me proud beauty! For t' main tubes, ya bilge rat, I used full width tabs so t' body be double thickness. Avast! It turned out that BT-50 body tube was perfect for t' couplers. I made an 18mm engine mount with CR2050P centerin' rings. Begad! T' rings were spaced t' exactly line up with t' booster mountin' holes. Begad! Arrr! T' body sections were joined and t' motor mount be glued in. Well, blow me down! Holes were drilled through t' booster mountin' holes and almost through t' centerin' rings. Avast! 18 dowels made from round toothpicks were cut t' 5/8" each and glued into t' booster mountin' holes. Blimey! T' booster tubes were rolled double thickness and t' holes on t' booster were opened up. Begad! I poked a pin through t' hole location and open them up with a round toothpick. Aye aye! Avast! T' booster tubes were glued onto t' dowels with t' dowel goin' all t' way t' t' opposite inside wall and glued there. T' booster nose cones and exhaust nozzles were rolled and attached. Aye aye! Boosters 4, 5, shiver me timbers, and 6 have a larger exhaust nozzle so take care when attachin' them. Begad! T' main nose cone was rolled and a nose cone shoulder was rolled from double thickness 110lb stock. Avast, me proud beauty! I made t' shoulder 1" long so thar would be plenty o' room for nose weight. I used a standard paper shock cord mount on each end o' t' 36" shock cord. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! I used a 12" chute made from a plastic table cloth. Arrr! I didn't know where t' CG should be so I took an educated guess and balanced it just forward o' t' boosters. I then did a swin' test and it turned out that it was stable at that balance point. Arrr! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I put a C6-5 into t' mount and added enough clay t' t' nose t' brin' t' balance point back t' t' previously determined location. Ahoy! It took .7oz o' clay t' balance which brought t' all up weight t' 2.0 oz. Avast! Ya scallywag! A couple o' coats o' clear were sprayed on and it be done. Ya scallywag!

Construction:

T' followin' is a list o' materials that I used in t' construction.

Finishing:

Everythin' was pre-printed and only a couple coats o' clear were required.

Flight:

Based on t' weight, I determined that an A8-3, B6-4, or C6-5 would be appropriate. Well, blow me down! T' day o' t' first launch was as ideal a day as one could ask for: sunny blue skies, temperature in t' 70's, and almost a complete lack o' wind with occasional gusts t' 5mph or less. Begad! I chose a B6-4 for t' first flight. Begad! T' motor mount has an engine hook so no tape was needed. Ya scallywag! I used "dog barf" for wadding. Aye aye! Aye aye! I be a little apprehensive because o' t' lack o' fins but t' flight be perfectly straight. Arrr! T' rocket be easy t' follow and ejection be just about at apogee.

Recovery:

T' recovery on t' 12" chute was slightly faster than I would have liked considerin' all t' boosters stickin' out. It was flown in a corn field and it happened t' hit a corn stalk upon landin' and knocked one o' t' boosters loose. Blimey! T' damage be minor and was easily repaired. Ahoy! I didn't fix it until I got home so I could inspect all t' booster attachments. Aye aye! T' rest were all solid. Arrr! Arrr! I think I will switch t' a 14" chute for t' next flight.

Summary:

I am really happy with t' end result. Arrr! T' rocket was nay difficult t' build for anyone with a little cardstock modelin' experience. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' price was right (read: free), and when completed, shiver me timbers, you have a good representation o' a rocket that is nay often modeled.