Brief:
T' old Estes standard: T' Alpha. For many o' us rocketeers, it be one o' our very first rockets. It was me second, after a very old E2X kit. Arrr! I command a small model rocketry club in me AFJROTC corps, me hearties, and this be t' rocket that I hand out t' all o' t' newcomers. Ahoy! Blimey! Frankly, after seein' fifteen or twenty basically identical Alphas, I got a little sick of them and simply wanted somethin' different, somethin' t' inspire new rocketeers or give them somethin' unique t' show off. Ahoy! After a few iterations on RockSim, me bucko, me bucko, this is what I came up with. Aye aye! T' only requirements I came up with for myself and t' incomin' cadets who wanted t' try a kit bash were: 1) They cannot use anythin' that wasn't in t' kit, matey, arrr, and 2) T' rocket couldn't use excessive nose weight (T' stability margin calculated with an Estes C6 motor loaded before nose weight must be greater than 0).

I made some very easy modifications t' this rocket that give it a truly non-kit look. Begad! Begad! T' two modifications were: 1)T' fins were sliced in two and made into two separate sets, shiver me timbers, matey, and 2)T' motor mount was moved out t' back and smoothed with a paper transition.

Modifications:
Experienced rocketeers beware: these instructions were written with t' novice rocketeer in mind.

Always as a first step, arrr, lay everythin' out and check t' make sure you have everything. I used this as a way to see what I had t' kit bash as well. Blimey! After this, me hearties, follow only t' shock cord mount assembly and tube markin' steps on the first page, me hearties, arrr, then set it aside for later.

Next cut out all o' t' fins from t' form. Ahoy! Blimey! Be careful nay t' snap anythin' as t' extra wood will come in handy later. Arrr! Blimey! Sand down t' little nubs left from t' laser cuttin' (or just set them aside if you have a older die-cut set). Aye aye! Blimey! Next, arrr, me bucko, mark t' fins for cuttin' by drawin' a line from t' root-trailin' corner t' the tip-leadin' corner o' t' fin. Ahoy! Blimey! Then cut along this line t' form two sets o' swept delta fins, matey, ya bilge rat, one with a 1.25" root and 1.75" sweep, and one with a 2.25" root and 2.75" sweep. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Both sets o' fins will be used swept rearward. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Sand t' sets even and round t' leadin' edges o' t' fins. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I decided t' leave t' trailin' edges square to maintain t' crisp shape o' t' fins.

Here be t' only step that uses some non-standard equipment. Avast, me proud beauty! If you don't have it, me bucko, ya bilge rat, download t' Template Widget from t' "Tools and Calcs" section o' t' EMRR site. Aye aye! Then, usin' t' Transition Template tab, me bucko, shiver me timbers, create a transition with t' followin' dimensions: Diam. Begad! #1=0.976", shiver me timbers, Diam. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! #2=0.736", arrr, shiver me timbers, Length=0.5". Aye aye! Because I didn't want t' use outside materials, I inserted t' first page o' directions into me printer and printed the transition on that. Avast! Cut out t' transition with a small tab on one end. Then carefully connect t' ends t' form the shroud, makin' sure nay t' put any creases in t' paper.

Remember I said that extra wood would come in handy? Here's t' first instance. Find the long parallel side o' t' fins sheet and cut out three 0.25" x 0.25" squares o' balsa. Ahoy! Cut from one side of the skinny section, t' rest will come in handy later. These will act as t' motor block, as t' supplied motor hook is not appropriate for this application. Begad! Save t' motor hook for another rocket. Aye aye! Find t' blue motor mount tube and glue each balsa square flush with one end o' inside t' tube, equally spaced around t' circumference. Begad! Aye aye! Then find t' green centerin' rin' and glue it flush with t' end o' t' motor mount containin' t' balsa motor blocks. Begad! Find your completed transition shroud and slide it over t' end o' t' blue motor mount tube until it covers t' end o' t' green centering ring. Avast! If you did it right, t' shroud should fit perfectly over t' tube without any (or at least very little) gap. If t' fit is correct, remove t' shroud, arrr, make a mark 0.5" below t' green centerin' ring, arrr, apply a light coat of white or wood glue t' bottom edge o' t' green centerin' rin' and around t' tube at t' mark you just made, and replace t' shroud, pressin' it gently into t' centerin' ring. Arrr! Blimey! Do nay fold over t' edges! They will later overlap t' end o' t' main body tube.

Now comes t' fun part, final assembly. Well, blow me down! Apply a 7/8" rin' o' glue t' t' inside o' t' one end o' t' body tube and t' about a very thin 1/16" long rin' o' glue on t' outside o' t' same end. Push t' motor mount/shroud assembly into t' tube until shroud overlaps t' end o' t' tube. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Usin' t' back o' your fingernail, me bucko, ya bilge rat, gently work the edge o' t' shroud into t' glue. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Once this is completed set t' model aside and let t' glue cure.

Once t' glue has dried, arrr, follow t' procedures in t' second page o' instructions for affixin' t' larger set o' fins t' t' model. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Blimey! They should be flush with t' end o' t' transition and swept rearward. T' smaller set o' fins will be affixed t' t' blue motor mount tube. T' fin root should be t' same length as the length o' t' motor tube protrudin' from t' transition. T' make sure t' two fin sets line up, you will need a small clip o' some sort. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! I used a potato chip bag clip, ya bilge rat, but a binder clip or somethin' similar will work too. Avast! Blimey! Again, find the leftover balsa from t' fins and break off two strips about 3" long. Arrr! Apply glue per instructions, matey, but use t' two balsa strips and t' clip t' hold t' fin in place on t' lower tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Be patient with t' step! Blimey! This is crucial to makin' sure t' rocket comes out lookin' good! Blimey! Repeat this for t' other two smaller fins.

As a final minor modification, matey, I would suggest tuckin' t' launch lug into t' corner o' one o' t' upper fin joints, shiver me timbers, but it isn't necessary. Blimey! It can also be applied per t' instructions.

As a final step, mark a line 2.75" from t' base o' t' nose cone. Add nose weight until t' CG is at or ahead o' this point t' get t' proper stability margin. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! This will allow t' rocket t' use all o' t' motors recommended for t' Alpha.

Congratulations! You are finished with all o' t' major modifications! Follow t' instructions t' install shock cord, me bucko, parachute, and nose cone, me hearties, and voilà! You're done! Add some paint, shiver me timbers, and you've got yourself a good lookin' model!

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 7" BT-50 Tube
• 2.75" BT-20 Motor Mount Tube
• PNC-50K Plastic Nose Cone
• 1 Sheet Laser Cut Fins
• 1.25" Long 1/8" Launch Lug
• Standard Size Estes Motor Hook
• 12" Hexagonal Plastic Parachute
• 1" Long CR2050 Centerin' Ring
• 18" Long 1/8" Rubber Shock Cord
• 2 11"x17" Instruction Sheets
• A sheet o' peel and stick decals

Finishing:
Finishin' is fairly straightforward as with any small rocket. T' only problem I encountered is that t' transition can cause problems with finishing; I suggest usin' some Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish t' even out t' transitions betwixt the tubes and t' shroud. Avast! Also, don't sand t' shroud too much because if you sand t' paper, ya bilge rat, it becomes frizzy and impossible t' get a smooth paint job on.

Also, arrr, t' two sets o' fins make finishin' a little more difficult than normal, but nay much.

I painted me first one a dark blue, me hearties, but this rocket leaves t' stage wide open for a shark paint scheme.

Flight:
T' Great White can use all o' t' motors recommended for t' Alpha. Begad! Blimey! A8-3s will give an altitude o' about 300', B6s will give 600', shiver me timbers, and C6s will give about 1200'. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' Great White is incredibly stable even with t' large forward fins. It's first flight on an A8-3 was fairly nice although t' high winds caused it t' weathercock like crazy. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! This rocket's true match, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, however, matey, me hearties, be t' Estes B6. T' B6 gives a nice straight boost in even gusty conditions and gets t' rocket to an impressive altitude. Begad! Blimey! C6s take it even higher, ya bilge rat, but if you want it back, me hearties, use a B6.

T' next two flights were on calm days and were straight up boosts and nice recovery, landin' nay far from the pad. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' Great White is a great flier and flies great in low t' medium wind conditions.

Recovery:
I swapped t' parachute with a 1.75" x 36" bright red crepe paper streamer for t' first flight because the Great White's first launch be on a gusty day. Blimey! Ahoy! I was always o' t' opinion that Alphas should come with streamers not parachutes anyway. A streamer is a perfect match for t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I suggest makin' this change unless you like walking to find your rocket.

T' only problem with streamer recovery on this rocket be t' somewhat fragile lower fins. Blimey! I've only lost a fin once when it hit a power line, but t' streamer lands t' rocket a little hard so watch t' fins for cracks or stress points. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! This problem could probably be somewhat alleviated with a slightly wider streamer.

Summary:
This is a great build for anyone wantin' somethin' a little different. Aye aye! It flies great and gets t' attention of everyone at t' launch. Blimey! So next time you find yourself with that complementary Alpha, arrr, you'll have somethin' a little different t' do with it.