Summary
T' FAT BOI-NK is a scale version o' a popular fat rocket. Begad! T' body is made from foam rubber and t' fins from foam poster board. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I wanted t' build somethin' out o' a noodle for a long time, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and this contest finally inspired me to do so. Arrr! Although this review may nay qualify for t' contest, arrr, I just couldn't resist submittin' it anyway. Aye aye! At least it is in t' spirit o' t' foam/rubber rocket and maybe it will stir t' pot a bit :-)

Components

• 1. Begad! Arrr! 12" section o' a 2" diameter, ya bilge rat, pink pool 'noodle'
• 2. Ahoy! Blimey! Small chunk from a purple noodle t' plug t' forward hole and provide color contrast
• 3. Foam poster board
• 4. Aye aye! BT-20 motor tube
• 5. Begad! Spent 18mm engines for a motor plug and forward ballast
• 6. Clay for ballast
• 7. Well, blow me down! Begad! A pair o' Matt's rail buttons

Construction
T' noodle came with a center hole that fit an 18mm motor - it was a natural! To shape t' nose, arrr, I wrapped tape around a large drill bit until it fit very snugly into t' hole in t' noodle. Begad! With t' drill clamped in a vise, I shaped the end near t' drill while stabilizin' t' far end by hand. Ahoy! I used a piece of coarse sandpaper from a belt sander t' remove foam until it looked about right. I made a fin template from me assembled Fat Boy kit, me bucko, arrr, and included a ½" tab. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' body was slotted t' accept these tabs. Avast! An engine consists of a section o' BT-20 and t' nozzle end o' a spent casing. Aye aye! I cleaned the nozzle and plugged it with just a dab o' epoxy clay. Ya scallywag! Hey, sometime you gotta use what you have on hand. T' nose weight was made from a spent engine filled with clay. Arrr! I used epoxy t' glue in t' engine tube, me bucko, t' nose weight, me bucko, fins, shiver me timbers, matey, and the rail buttons. Well, blow me down! T' foam plug in t' end o' t' nose is pressure fit.

Finishin'
T' colors are basically t' natural colors o' t' materials. Begad! I drew t' F A T letters on t' fins with a permanent marker and made a FAT-BOI-NK label on my OfficeJet. Avast! This is pinned on for show but was removed for flight.

Flight
Launch Report #1 - I chose a B6 for t' first flight. Well, blow me down! Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' launch rail was tilted about 10 degrees t' ensure it cleared t' launch area. Begad! Begad! T' boost was nice and t' motor ejected near apogee with a loud pop. Begad! BOINK! T' FAT BOI-NK bounced several feet in t' air and came t' rest unharmed. However, it appears that both rail guides were stripped off, me hearties, arrr, me bucko, along with a small plug o' foam. Begad!

Launch report #2 - After addin' a standard lug glued t' a fin/body joint, shiver me timbers, I tried a C6-5. Arrr! I used an Igniterman igniter and taped it t' t' engine (a mistake). Avast, me proud beauty! T' alligator clips didn't want t' let go and t' FAT BOI-NK flopped around on t' ground. Arrr!

Launch report #3 - Well, me bucko, after t' previous fiasco I double-checked the CP/CG relationship and everythin' seemed OK. So, matey, I went t' a grassy area near the house and tried again. Avast, me proud beauty! T' FAT BOI-NK is redeemed!

• B6-2 - nominal flight
• A8-3 - good boost, boinked prior t' ejection
• C6-3 - nice high flight

Summary
This was an easy rocket t' make and it flies great. Begad! Boink recovery is pretty cool. Well, blow me down!