Brief:
T' old Estes standard: T' Alpha. For many o' us rocketeers, matey, it be one o' our very first rockets. It was me second, after a very old E2X kit. Avast! I command a small model rocketry club in me AFJROTC corps, and this be t' rocket that I hand out t' all o' t' newcomers. Begad! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Frankly, after seein' fifteen or twenty basically identical Alphas, I got a little sick of them and simply wanted somethin' different, shiver me timbers, somethin' t' inspire new rocketeers or give them somethin' unique t' show off. After a few iterations on RockSim, arrr, ya bilge rat, this is what I came up with. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! 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, 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. Arrr! T' two modifications were: 1)T' fins were sliced in two and made into two separate sets, 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, 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. After this, follow only t' shock cord mount assembly and tube markin' steps on the first page, shiver me timbers, then set it aside for later.

Next cut out all o' t' fins from t' form. Ahoy! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Be careful nay t' snap anythin' as t' extra wood will come in handy later. Sand down t' little nubs left from t' laser cuttin' (or just set them aside if you have a older die-cut set). Next, mark t' fins for cuttin' by drawin' a line from t' root-trailin' corner t' the tip-leadin' corner o' t' fin. Aye aye! Blimey! Then cut along this line t' form two sets o' swept delta fins, shiver me timbers, one with a 1.25" root and 1.75" sweep, and one with a 2.25" root and 2.75" sweep. Avast! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Both sets o' fins will be used swept rearward. Aye aye! Blimey! Sand t' sets even and round t' leadin' edges o' t' fins. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! 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. If you don't have it, download t' Template Widget from t' "Tools and Calcs" section o' t' EMRR site. Aye aye! Then, ya bilge rat, usin' t' Transition Template tab, create a transition with t' followin' dimensions: Diam. #1=0.976", me hearties, Diam. Aye aye! #2=0.736", shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, Length=0.5". Aye aye! Ahoy! 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. Begad! Ahoy! 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. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Find the long parallel side o' t' fins sheet and cut out three 0.25" x 0.25" squares o' balsa. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! Cut from one side of the skinny section, me bucko, me hearties, t' rest will come in handy later. Well, blow me down! These will act as t' motor block, as t' supplied motor hook is not appropriate for this application. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Save t' motor hook for another rocket. Arrr! Blimey! Find t' blue motor mount tube and glue each balsa square flush with one end o' inside t' tube, equally spaced around t' circumference. Well, blow me down! Then find t' green centerin' rin' and glue it flush with t' end o' t' motor mount containin' t' balsa motor blocks. 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. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Blimey! If you did it right, t' shroud should fit perfectly over t' tube without any (or at least very little) gap. Arrr! If t' fit is correct, remove t' shroud, shiver me timbers, me bucko, make a mark 0.5" below t' green centerin' ring, 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, me bucko, and replace t' shroud, arrr, 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, me bucko, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, final assembly. Arrr! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Push t' motor mount/shroud assembly into t' tube until shroud overlaps t' end o' t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Usin' t' back o' your fingernail, ya bilge rat, matey, me hearties, gently work the edge o' t' shroud into t' glue. Ya scallywag! Once this is completed set t' model aside and let t' glue cure.

Once t' glue has dried, me hearties, matey, me hearties, follow t' procedures in t' second page o' instructions for affixin' t' larger set o' fins t' t' model. 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. Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' fin root should be t' same length as the length o' t' motor tube protrudin' from t' transition. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' make sure t' two fin sets line up, shiver me timbers, you will need a small clip o' some sort. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I used a potato chip bag clip, but a binder clip or somethin' similar will work too. Again, find the leftover balsa from t' fins and break off two strips about 3" long. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Apply glue per instructions, ya bilge rat, but use t' two balsa strips and t' clip t' hold t' fin in place on t' lower tube. 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, arrr, I would suggest tuckin' t' launch lug into t' corner o' one o' t' upper fin joints, but it isn't necessary. Arrr! It can also be applied per t' instructions.

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

Congratulations! Blimey! You are finished with all o' t' major modifications! Blimey! Follow t' instructions t' install shock cord, ya bilge rat, parachute, and nose cone, and voilà! You're done! Add some paint, 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. Aye aye! Begad! 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. Aye aye! Aye aye! Also, matey, don't sand t' shroud too much because if you sand t' paper, it becomes frizzy and impossible t' get a smooth paint job on.

Also, matey, t' two sets o' fins make finishin' a little more difficult than normal, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but nay much.

I painted me first one a dark blue, ya bilge rat, 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. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! A8-3s will give an altitude o' about 300', B6s will give 600', ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and C6s will give about 1200'. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! 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. This rocket's true match, however, be t' Estes B6. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' B6 gives a nice straight boost in even gusty conditions and gets t' rocket to an impressive altitude. Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! C6s take it even higher, me hearties, but if you want it back, arrr, use a B6.

T' next two flights were on calm days and were straight up boosts and nice recovery, shiver me timbers, landin' nay far from the pad. Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I was always o' t' opinion that Alphas should come with streamers not parachutes anyway. Avast! Arrr! A streamer is a perfect match for t' rocket. Ya scallywag! 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. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Blimey! I've only lost a fin once when it hit a power line, arrr, but t' streamer lands t' rocket a little hard so watch t' fins for cracks or stress points. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Blimey! 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. Begad! It flies great and gets t' attention of everyone at t' launch. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! So next time you find yourself with that complementary Alpha, shiver me timbers, you'll have somethin' a little different t' do with it.