Brief:
This is a semi-clone o' t' OOP Estes Eclipse made from cardstock, arrr, me bucko, an elastic shock cord, and a flag tape streamer. Avast, me proud beauty! Creatin' a model rocket made from paper isn't too much different from what you're used t' with standard materials. Avast! You still have fins, arrr, arrr, a body, arrr, engine mount, me bucko, and nosecone, along with a recovery system. Ahoy! What does differ though, matey, matey, is that you have t' create these parts from a two dimensional sheet o' cardstock. Blimey! Hence t' name, "carded" rocket.

Construction:
T' whole kit is fashioned from three 8.5" x 11" sheets o' 67lb cardstock. Well, blow me down! Blimey! There are 3 fins, ya bilge rat, made from cardstock laminated light cardboard. Begad! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! The shockcord length is 18-20", me hearties, arrr, and t' streamer length is 24".

I used t' 67lb cardstock available at almost any office supply store and I like t' use this weight paper because it easily is handled by almost all printers. Begad! Begad! Sources I use for t' light cardboard are cereal boxes, toaster pastry boxes, shoe boxes, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, cracker boxes, shiver me timbers, me bucko, etc. I'm sure you have more than one source layin' around t' house. Begad! Check that trash you forgot t' take out last night if you're nay sure--and it's better than cuttin' out a section o' a puffed rice cereal box then havin' someone accidentally dump t' contents all over t' kitchen!

I get modelin' clay from t' local dollar store. Blimey! Blimey! You can also find it at arts and craft stores. Begad! Make sure it's t' non-dryin' type. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! One box will last you a long time and help make dozens o' rockets. Begad! I like t' use flag tape for streamers because it's very light and you can get a lot at t' local hardware store for less than $2.00. Aye aye! It also comes in very bright colors (I prefer pink). Elastic shock cord material can be had at fabric stores for less than $1.00. T' whole thin' is put together with a $1.00 large size bottle o' white glue, except for wood glue used t' hold t' fins on and secure t' shock cord into the nose cone. Begad! Aye aye! I also made 2 types o' nose cones for t' 13mm version: the plain ordinary cone and another I just call t' Nasty Nose. Aye aye! Both types work fine and SpaceCad says that t' plain cone has a 5ft advantage in height over the Nasty Nose. Ahoy! Arrr! You can't use t' plain cone with t' 18mm version because you can't get enough clay in it far enough forward t' balance t' rocket properly.

Finishing:
Rather than usin' up me ink cartridges t' make t' rockets black, me bucko, which would also saturated t' cardstock with ink and possibly weaken it, matey, matey, shiver me timbers, I just bought a can o' dollar store flat black. T' decals are made from plain copy paper. Begad! I tried usin' a spray adhesive at first, but I just couldn't stop them from peelin' off. Arrr! Arrr! They seem t' stick well enough just usin' t' white glue.

Flight:
I have flown both versions. T' 13mm with t' A10T motors and t' 18mm with a B6's. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I used 2 sheets o' recovery waddin' and t' motor is held in place by the friction fit method. Blimey! Both rockets few very straight and high!

Recovery:
T' length and material o' streamer allowed both versions t' come down nice and easy with no damage or wear.

Summary:
T' great thin' about paper rockets is that you can create more whenever you like and for almost no cost! This means that if you mess up on a part--even the whole rocket--or lose it in a tree or other mishap, me bucko, you can have a replacement ready in no time. Also, a whole ream o' 67lb cardstock can cost less than one kit today, me bucko, so you can make several for less than t' cost o' replacin' an ordinary kit.

If you know how t' do any graphic design work, even just t' basics with Paint or another program, you can decorate your rocket anyway you like before you even get started. Avast! No more paint fumes, ya bilge rat, mess, ya bilge rat, or decals needed! Just a little computer skill, and your imagination.