Brief:
This is a 159% upscale o' t' popular Estes kit Der Red Max. Aye aye! This is a simple t' build rocket that performs very well on t' 24mm reloads available today. All t' parts are readily available as well includin' t' decals.

Construction:
High quality balsa nose cone, plywood ring, ya bilge rat, and eye bolt were supplied by Sandman. Estes BT-80, shiver me timbers, 24mm heavy duty motor tube, two lite-ply centerin' rings, fins are 3/16" balsawood, Keelhaul®©™® shock card, arrr, and motor retainer hardware. Avast! Begad! Excelsior provided t' awesome decals.

I constructed t' motor mount by usin' a BT-50H motor tube that was 4" in length. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! On t' bottom centering ring, I installed two #4-40 blind nuts for t' motor retention bracket. T' light-ply centerin' rings were mounted a 1/4" from t' top and bottom o' t' motor tube. Blimey! I created a nice epoxy micro balloon fillet on both sides o' each centerin' rin' for strength. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! I drilled a 3/16" hole in t' top centerin' for me 1/8" Keelhaul®©™® shock cord t' go through. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord ties around t' motor tube betwixt t' upper and lower centerin' ring. I cut a BT-80 t' t' length of 13.5". Begad! Blimey! I hardened each end o' t' BT with thin CA for strength. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' next step be t' I fill t' spirals. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! After sandin' t' BT, me bucko, t' tube be marked for t' fin locations and t' launch lugs. T' bottom launch lug is flush with the bottom o' t' BT. Blimey! Blimey! T' upper lug is 4-3/8" from t' top o' t' BT. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Each launch lug was 3/16" diameter and 9/16" long. Blimey! Blimey! T' motor mount be glued into t' BT usin' wood glue that created a nice fillet around t' top centerin' ring. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! A wood glue fillet was also created around t' bottom centerin' ring. T' fins were cut from hard 3/16" balsa and shaped. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' fin and launch lugs were glued on with epoxy. Ahoy! Blimey! Once dry, epoxy micro balloon fillets were created around t' fins and launch lugs. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey!

Finishing:
T' fins and nose cone were sealed and hardened usin' two coats o' Minwax Polyurethane. Ya scallywag! Begad! Once dry they were sanded smooth and coated usin' thinned spackle that was brushed on t' fill t' wood grain. Well, blow me down! T' filler was sanded off and the rocket was primed with two coats o' Duplicote High Fill primer sandin' betwixt coats. Ya scallywag! Avast! T' nose cone was painted black usin' two coats o' old formula Krylon spray. Begad! T' body be painted metallic red usin' two coats o' Rustoleum spray. Once dry t' body was smoothed usin' super fine steel wool. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Once clean and dust free t' body be shot with two coats of Rustoleum clear. Arrr! Arrr! It was really cold durin' t' paintin' process for this rocket, ya bilge rat, but t' results were still acceptable. To finish t' model, arrr, t' decals were installed. Avast, me proud beauty! Overall it looks fantastic.

Flight:
I designed this model t' fly on t' 24mm reloads such as t' E18, E28, F24, me hearties, or F39. Ahoy! T' first flights I used a E28-4 and it worked perfectly. Arrr! T' first boost be nice and straight with no stability issues. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' E28 produced a very respectable altitude. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' 24" parachute worked good but a little too slow t' brin' it down. A smaller chute or a spill hole would be required for windy or high thermal activity days.

Recovery:
Since t' fins on this upscale start t' get large, I would use t' through t' wall method next go around. Begad! Although I feel very good with me method t' attach fins and strengthen them with fillets, TTW is king.

Summary:
This is a very easy rocket t' upscale but is a rewardin' project. Begad! T' Der Red Max is a classic that flies great up or downscaled. Begad! In addition you can't find a cooler set o' decals on a rocket anywhere.