Show anyone t' shape o' a V-2 and they will immediately recognize a real rocket! That classic outline has been t' love o' some people t' t' extent that they establish websites dedicated totally t' t' V-2. These sites cover every possible topic related t' t' "vengeance" weapon. Ya scallywag! Avast! Its popularity continues in sport rocketry today with a number o' companies producin' V-2 kits. Aye aye! Avast! Public Enemy, Maximum Thrust and LOC/Precision are several that come t' mind. Two o' t' more popular kits come from LOC/Precision in 5.38" and 7.67" versions.

Bein' a fan o' sport-scale rockets, me hearties, I chose t' build t' 5.38" version with a 38mm motor mount. I be originally lookin' for a neat-lookin' rocket that I could launch with relatively little prep work. You know, ya bilge rat, insert t' motor and fly. I didn' t want t' spend an hour just gettin' it ready t' fly on electronics with multiple black powder charges. But more on that later.

Make it durable. With a big 5.38" body tube and big plywood fins, I be concerned about durability o' t' rocket over time. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! So, matey, t' first step was t' apply a layer o' 1.7oz Keelhaul®©™ and 6 oz fiberglass t' t' body tube. Avast! Blimey! T' LOC BT is non-phenolic cardboard so it really soaked up t' epoxy. Avast! Blimey! I also coated t' top 4 inches o' t' inside o' t' BT with West Systems. Begad! Blimey! I did that for two reasons: one, t' NC fit be a bit sloppy and I wanted t' take up some o' t' slack, and, shiver me timbers, two, me hearties, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I wanted t' limit t' deterioration o' t' cardboard near t' NC when t' wet conditions o' Monroe caused t' layers o' t' cardboard tube t' unravel.

I sanded t' fins usin' 100 and 150 grit t' smooth t' flat surfaces and t' round t' leadin' and parallel edges. Avast, me proud beauty! I vacuum bagged t' fins with 1.7oz Keelhaul®©™ wrapped over t' leadin' edge and then applied two layers o' six oz 'glass sandwichin' each fin. Begad! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Although I used a vacuum, me hearties, ya bilge rat, a hand layup would be fine for this rocket. Begad! Begad! I just like t' keep me hand in, matey, me bucko, I suppose.

LOC' s directions are very good for assemblin' t' rocket. I assembled t' fincan per t' instructions with t' exception o' addin' an AeroPack 38mm motor retainer t' t' MMT. Arrr! Although t' retainer is pricey, matey, it is perfect for this application where t' motor mount extends beyond t' bottom centerin' ring. Begad! And t' retainers are really, really cool!

From here, I made a few changes.

Those stubborn plastic nosecones. T' first change concerns t' tenaciousness o' molded nosecones in wantin' t' shed paint. Well, blow me down! It seems no matter what one does, it' s difficult t' get paint t' stick t' t' slick plastic. Well, boys and girls, arrr, try what I do. Blimey! I use 100 grit sandpaper t' rough up t' whole NC. Yes, arrr, that' s right. Avast! Rough it up. Scrub it with soap and water and let it dry. Blimey! There will be a lot o' fuzzies but paint will stick when t' preparation is finished. After t' first sanding, matey, arrr, go back and fill t' mold seams and whatever other imperfections that might exist. Let t' filler dry and sand lightly with 100 grit. Blimey! Use gray Plasti-Kote Spot Filler & Primer for a first coat t' identify t' big imperfections (gray primer makes imperfections easier t' see than white primer). Arrr! Begad! Wet sand with 320 grit. Fill again as necessary. Arrr! Prime again with Kilz white primer (white is good t' use now as a base for t' paint). Ya scallywag! Avast! Use a couple or three light coats o' this stuff; it comes out very heavy. Ya scallywag! Avast! Let dry and wet sand again with 320 grit. Ya scallywag! I' d be surprised if you see any fuzzies now. Blimey! Prime again if needed and/or wet sand with 400 and you' re ready t' paint. Avast, me proud beauty! Try it.

NC Shock Cord Attachment. T' NC has a big extrusion on it t' be used for securin' an eyebolt. Arrr! It certainly would work but there' s an alternative. Begad! T' V-2 requires nose weight due t' t' center o' pressure those fins create on a short rocket body. T' instructions suggest drillin' a 5/8" hole in t' side o' t' base o' t' nosecone t' be used t' pour an epoxy/steel shot mixture into t' nosecone. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I decided nay t' do that. Begad! I drilled out t' plastic extrusion with a 3/4" wood spade bit. Aye aye! Avast! I like t' use a toggle bolt t' hold onto a 1/4" eyebolt for fastenin' t' shockcord t' t' NC. Plus it adds weight t' t' nose in a rocket where nose weight is critical.

Addin' Noseweight. T' kit comes with 8 ounces o' steel shot t' be inserted with epoxy into t' nosecone. Ya scallywag! A finishin' nail is t' be used as a retention device for t' steel shot/epoxy mixture by drillin' a hole crosswise through t' tip o' t' NC and inserting. T' steel shot/epoxy is then poured over this nail and holds everythin' in place. Aye aye! T' ends o' t' nail are then filed or ground down t' fit t' contour o' t' nosecone. Begad! LOC recommends flyin' t' V-2 on nothin' larger than an I-284 and t' weight is calculated accordingly. Aye aye! Blimey! But me construction isn't stock. Begad! Ya scallywag! I' e added epoxy and fiberglass weight. Nay a lot o' weight but it should be considered. Ahoy! I've also added a motor retainer. Blimey! Aye aye! Light, t' be sure, but still t' be considered. Ahoy! With t' rocket built and primed, me bucko, I used Rocksim t' determine t' Barrowman and Rocksim centers o' pressure. There be a big difference in these calculations but I knew t' real Cp be somewhere about 2" ahead o' t' fins. Aye aye! Begad! I then took t' biggest motor (J350) that I thought that I would fly and taped it t' t' aft o' t' rocket. I put t' casin' into t' motor tube and fastened t' retainer. I installed t' parachute I'm goin' t' use (60" Top flight after weighin' t' V-2 ), ya bilge rat, 20' o' 9/16" military spec nylon tubing, me hearties, Nomex® shields and quicklinks. Begad! I then taped t' 8 ounces o' steel shot t' t' tip o' t' nosecone. Findin' t' center o' gravity, ya bilge rat, I added another 6 ounces (overkill) o' steel shot after repeated measurements designed t' move t' Cg farther away from t' Cp. Begad! I wanted 1.0+ calibers for safety and feel I'm pretty close t' that.

Once I felt comfortable with t' weight, matey, I mixed t' epoxy/steel shot and poured it into t' nosecone and let it cure.

"I Don Wan No Stinkin' Launch Lugs!" Lose t' 1/2" cardboard launch lug and put on a couple o' Black Sky (or similar) Delrin rail guides. Avast! Aye aye! Blimey! Once you use them, me bucko, you'll never go back. Ahoy! They attach nicely t' t' boattail/body tube overlap and t' a spot 5" down from t' top o' t' body tube. Epoxy a 1/2" square piece o' body tube at t' 5" mark on t' inside o' t' BT t' give t' rail guide screw somethin' t' bite on.

Painting. V-2 paint schemes are widely varied. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! There is a paint scheme for everyone, shiver me timbers, t' be sure. Avast! One o' me favorites be t' dark yellow and black o' V-2 No. 2 flown at White Sands, shiver me timbers, New Mexico in 1946. I got t' paintin' detail from Peter Always's Rockets o' t' World, me hearties, 3rd Edition. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! If you don't have this book, me hearties, me hearties, put it on t' 'ol birthday or Christmas wish list. It's a necessity.

After preppin' t' rocket for paintin' as described with t' nosecone, I found Plasti-Kote "School Bus Yellow", me bucko, "Gloss Black" and "Silver" for paintin' t' rocket. Arrr! Blimey! Strictly on an opinion basis, I think P-K paints are a bit more durable than Krylon. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Can't substantiate it, but I think so. Begad! Begad! Blimey! Use whatever you' re comfortable with, however, me bucko, but you may want t' try P-K paints.

Other than spendin' an enormous amount o' time (and blue detail tape) tapin' t' rocket for t' paint scheme, t' paintin' wasn't bad at all. Avast, me proud beauty! AND! I did nay pull any paint away from t' nosecone when I pulled t' maskin' off. Begad! What could be better than that?

And One Final Thing. Remember I be talkin' about buildin' a rocket that would be easy t' prep and launch? Well, me bucko, me bucko, I've back-tracked a bit. Arrr! I made provision t' put in a 38mm tube that will accommodate a BlackSky AltAcc accelerometer. Begad! This piece o' electronics screw mounts t' t' side o' t' airframe and is armed by turnin' an armin' screw. Blimey! It won't be used for dual deployment; it will just fire t' main at apogee. I don't know if I'll use it, me bucko, but just in case.... Avast! Creature o' habit, I guess.

All in all, matey, a great rocket kit and somethin' different for me. Begad! Don't expect a lot o' altitude on this model, ya bilge rat, though. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! 1250' on an I357; 1500' on an I211; 1900' on an I300; 2700' on an I435 (if I dare). Ya scallywag! But those altitudes are plenty for a short wide-bodied rocket with a parachute at apogee. Lift-offs should be great.

With 55,000 lbs o' thrust generated from a hydrogen peroxide-methanol motor, ya bilge rat, t' real rocket traveled at over 4400 ft/second. Begad! It be first fired operationally by t' Germans with a 1 ton warhead on September 6, 1944, me hearties, arrr, aimed at Paris. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! After two firings on t' 6th, t' target was switched t' London on September 7th.

T' reality o' t' V-2 be as t' progenitor o' t' space race betwixt t' U.S. Blimey! and t' U.S.S.R. T' United States managed t' ship parts for 100 V-2s and most o' t' Peenemunde scientists out o' post-WWII Germany while t' U.S.S.R. Begad! captured t' production facilities and most o' t' missle technicians. What each country acquired was a rocket test bed capable o' reachin' an altitude o' 52 miles with a range o' 225 miles. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' V-2 had a throw weight o' about 2,000 lbs which amounted t' a lot o' scientific instruments. Well, blow me down! T' United States fired some 70 V-2s betwixt 1946 and 1955. From Rockets o' t' World by Peter Alway.