This is a cluster rocket based on a Crayon bank, which will help eat up me stash o' D12-0s. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! It has one central 24mm motor mount surrounded by a rin' o' six motor mounts. Arrr! On three sides, thar be an additional 24mm mount, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, for a total o' 10. Arrr! Arrr! T' name o' this rocket just popped into me head one day. Aye aye! Begad! I hadn't heard or thought o' this phrase for years. My thanks t' T' Greaseman!

T' center seven tubes extend up into t' crayon and terminate in a 54mm-98mm centerin' ring. This rin' supports t' 6 tubes that surround t' central mount. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' outer three motor tubes end at t' body tube. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' followin' photo shows t' business-end with motors loaded.

T' fins are made o' Luan plywood. Begad! They are glued in t' motor mount joints, ya bilge rat, and are slotted so they slide over t' body tube. Ahoy! I glued t' fins t' t' body tube usin' 5-minute epoxy and used PC-7 2-part epoxy paste t' fill t' gap betwixt t' motor mounts. I was nay impressed with t' latter. It was hard t' work with and took a long time t' dry. Once it was fully set, me bucko, matey, I added epoxy fillets.

I painted t' fins with t' new Krylon H₂O latex paint. Well, blow me down! Blimey! This paint is almost completely odorless and cleans with water. You still need t' use it in a ventilated area due t' t' propellants used. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! It goes on thick, and evens out for a smooth finish. I painted in some wind and laid it on too thick (so what else is new?). T' runs were easy t' deal with and, me bucko, unlike regular spray paint, me hearties, matey, t' blotted runs evened back out. Avast! Blimey! T' real test will be t' durability o' t' paint. Ahoy! Blimey! If it holds up well, matey, I will be usin' more o' it.

Based on t' RockSim model, I added 8 oz. Aye aye! Blimey! o' lead shot held in place with two-part foam from Giant Leap. Ten D12s should be t' equivalent o' small H120 and should be pretty cool.

T' rocket flew on 4/22/2005 at t' 3rd Annual TRF Reunion. I used a central D12-5 with an augmented charge, and 9 D12-P motors. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down! I lit all ten with quickmatch and one igniter.

T' boost was fantastic up until burn-out when t' cone drag separated, arrr, causin' a massive zipper in t' Massive Gassive. Well, blow me down! T' followin' photos show t' flight sequence.

Courtesy o' Rocketmaniac:

I normally would have replaced t' entire upper portion o' t' tube, but since t' crayon is a non-standard size I had t' fix it. Begad! I first cut out t' zippered area and made myself a stuffer tube (ie a full-length coupler) t' fit in t' crayon's body. Once t' stuffer was in, I then matched t' missin' areas and cut out sections o' scrap tubin' t' fill t' gaps. Begad! Blimey! If these had been as thick as t' crayon tube, me hearties, shiver me timbers, arrr, then I would have been a lot closer t' complete. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Blimey! Since they weren't, I both filled t' cracks betwixt these pieces and built t' area up with fill'n'finish. An epoxy based filler would have been better, matey, but t' f'n'f was easier and I had it on hand. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Since t' crayon's cone would no longer fit, I cut off t' plastic shoulder and added a longer phenolic shoulder. Begad! It is glued into t' cone and will also be held in by 4 screws. Ya scallywag! This photo shows t' filled tube and t' shoulder while t' glue sets. Aye aye! Blimey! T' shoulder is hollow t' allow for more chute room, arrr, and t' cone will now come down o n a separate chute.

T' Massive gassive flew again on 5/14/2005 at MDRA's ESL-85 and redeemed itself. I packed t' main chute in t' nose cone and held it it with a strip o' maskin' tape. Ahoy! T' nose cone's chute was wrapped in a chute protector and was loaded in t' body. Avast, me proud beauty! I added tape until t' cone was quite snug. I'd have no drag separation today! T' ten D12s lifted it t' a nice altitude and it ejected near apogee, shiver me timbers, maybe a skosh early. Ahoy! Deployment was perfect. Ahoy! Missed t' launch but here's t' aftermath.