Brief:
I have become a big fan o' upscale rockets lately. Aye aye! Begad! There are some great kits available from Semroc and QModeling. I have built upscale kits from both companies and highly recommend them but wanted t' complete an upscale from scratch. After lookin' at numerous plans and catalogs, I decided t' stay simple and decided on t' OOP Estes Courier #1911 ('83-'87). Avast, me proud beauty! T' original kit used a BT-20 body tube and me plan was t' build t' rocket usin' a BT-60 body tube. Avast! This means that me upscale would be approximately 222% larger than t' original. Arrr! I grabbed a copy o' t' plans from Ye Olde Rocket Plans and started t' project.

Construction:
T' first thin' I did was t' get all t' measurements t' t' best o' me ability t' model t' rocket usin' RockSim. I created a spreadsheet for convertin' all measurements t' the required size. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! For t' fins, I measured t' X and Y coordinates usin' graph paper t' be able t' upscale them usin' the Plan Points option in t' software. Arrr! I could nay locate an exact match for an upscaled nose cone, so I used something that I thought was close and adjusted t' body tube length t' get t' rocket t' t' desired overall length (I actually started with a PNC-60AH then switched t' a PNC-60NA as you can see in t' photos). Aye aye!

Parts:

• 2 18" BT-60 body tubes
• 1 PNC-60NA nose cone
• 1 4" BT-50 motor tube
• 1 Engine thrust ring
• 1 Engine hook
• 2 50/60 centerin' rings
• 2 1 1/2" x 3/16" launch lugs
• 1 Sheet o' balsa
• 1 18" Nylon chute
• 1 Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• 1 Sheet o' blank decal paper
• 1 Sunward BT-60 baffle kit

I started by buildin' t' Sunward baffle kit and tied some Keelhaul®©™® cord t' it through some small holes I drilled. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! I then used epoxy t' make sure it was secure. Avast! From thar I built the motor mount. Avast! My plans required t' use through-the-wall tabs on t' lower fins so I created a fin template (printed from RockSim) from a filin' folder t' ensure that t' centerin' rings were located at t' proper positions on t' motor tube. Avast! Begad! I then used t' templates t' mark and cut me fins from t' balsa sheet. For this rocket, I choose t' paper the fins t' increase t' strength and reduce t' sandin' process durin' finishing. Once t' fins were completed, arrr, I needed to cut t' slots in t' body tube for t' tabs. Well, arrr, blow me down! I tried devise some quick way t' do this but ended up just cuttin' the slots by hand with a hobby knife. Aye aye! I then glued all t' parts together t' get t' unpainted rocket.

Finishing:
I choose t' finish t' rocket with t' same colors shown in the 1987 Estes Catalog. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! So after filling and sanding, t' rocket was painted orange except for t' nose cone which be painted black. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! For t' decals, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I ordered some sheets o' Clear Laser Decal Paper from Aerospace Specialty Products. I converted the Courier decal sheet t' t' proper size for t' upscale and used image editin' software t' sharpen t' image. T' decal paper be very easy t' work with and I recommend it for anyone interested in creatin' their own decals.

Flight:
For t' first flight I decided t' use a D12-5. Blimey! Begad! T' rocket launched nearly straight up with almost no wind present. While it was nay a very high flight, it was a nice flight and t' rocket was still in one piece after t' flight. I almost immediately re-launched t' with an E9-6. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Once again it was a pretty flight with much more altitude.

Recovery:
I was worried about nay usin' any dog barf and that t' chute would get charred through t' baffle. Ya scallywag! This be nay the case and t' baffle protected t' chute. T' parachute deployed at near apogee and carried t' rocket t' a safe landing.

Summary:
I really enjoyed buildin' this upscale. Begad! Well, blow me down! I am proud o' how it turned out and that it actually flies great. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, matey, blow me down! T' design of t' rocket gives t' illusion o' bein' a staged rocket so I plan t' build another and make it as such. Arrr! Thanks to RockSim I already have t' plans t' do so. I hope this review inspires you t' do an upscale o' your choosing.