Brief:
I have converted t' Peck Polymers Jetex-powered Rocketboy rocket glider t' an Estes-powered boost glider. Aye aye! One o' t' tricks in designin' boost gliders is assurin' good flyin' qualities both under rocket boost and while glidin' after ejection o' t' boost motor. Since t' Rocketboy is also designed t' be launched by rubber band catapult as well as by t' anaemic Jetex, ya bilge rat, and t' motor placement was at t' CG, ya bilge rat, I decided this model was a good candidate for conversion t' Estes power for more fun.

Modifications:
Materials needed: one Peck Polymers Rocketboy kit, arrr, shiver me timbers, one Custom Rockets Twister kit, me bucko, plus a sheet o' 1/64" plywood t' cut out fuselage doublers.

Buildin' sequence:

1. 5-minute epoxy is used throughout, although sparingly--this is a glider!
2. Glue t' balsa nose cone onto t' Twister body tube, shiver me timbers, and set aside. Well, blow me down! (You can use any 18mm tumble recovery rocket here, or make your own motor pod.)
3. Trim t' Rocketboy fuselage t' relocate t' horizontal stabilizer 5/16" lower on t' aft fuselage, me hearties, and t' top o' t' motor cut-out 3/16" higher that shown on t' plans, shiver me timbers, matey, and exactly parallel t' t' original location. Well, blow me down! (You are doin' this t' prevent t' rocket exhaust from incinerating the tails and stab.)
4. Add a stick o' hard 3/16" balsa t' raise t' win' mount area on top of the fuselage and fair in t' t' contours o' t' "cockpit".
5. Trace out t' forward 1/3 o' t' modified Rocketboy fuselage onto the 1/64" ply (from t' aft o' t' motor cut-out forward); make two. This stuff cuts with scissors. Glue in place on t' fuselage
6. Glue t' stock kit balsa fuselage doublers on top o' t' 1/64" doublers
7. Glue t' Twister motor pod into t' correspondin' space in t' Rocketboy fuselage, matey, shiver me timbers, fillin' t' gaps betwixt t' doublers with 3/16" balsa scrap. Well, blow me down! Begad!
8. Complete t' assembly per t' Rocketboy instructions. Aye aye! Begad! It is nay necessary to "airfoil" t' balsa wings, just smoothly round t' win' leading edges with fine sandpaper. Aye aye! Blimey! T' flyin' surfaces and motor pod are all exactly parallel t' one another, me bucko, matey, ya bilge rat, 0-0-0 degrees incidence relative t' one another. Avast! Note placement o' t' Twister launch lug on t' Rocketboy (see photo)--centered at 2/3 win' chord, t' balance point.
9. Balance motorless Rocketboy Custom for a nice flat glide when hand-launched briskly straight ahead. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Expect t' use two pennies or two nickels taped t' the nose t' achieve this (see photos). Avast! Trim for a gentle turn if you know how t' do this (I don't bother). I fly mine unpainted.

Construction:
A streamlined 18mm Estes motor mount was added t' Rocketboy by graftin' in the body and balsa nose cone o' a Custom Rockets Twister kit. Begad! Only a few other minor modifications were required t' create a Rocketboy Custom. Aye aye! I must say that I chose t' create this conversion in order t' have a rocket boost glider that required no "tricks" t' transition from boost t' glide; I have since discovered t' Edmonds TINEE and CiCi models, which do this superbly and are a blast t' fly. Ya scallywag! With a little more fiddling, matey, Rocketboy Custom can probably fly every bit as good as these models. Avast, me proud beauty! Construction is slower and more "classic" however, me hearties, as are t' funky, arrr, 1930's Lockheed looks o' the twin-tailed Rocketboy, which resembles Amelia Earhart's Electra or t' obsolete Hudson bombers me Dad flew in WWII. Aye aye! Looks cool glidin' overhead.

T' Rocketboy kit itself is excellent although I have never flown one as it was intended by t' manufacturers. Ahoy! T' fact that it is designed for rubber band catapult launch speaks t' t' fine balance o' this well-known design under "boost" as well as glide--why I think it has such good potential for conversion t' rocket boost.

Flight:
Use a B6-2 or B6-0 for this model, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, me bucko, with an A8-3 for t' first powered flight. Fit t' motor loosely into t' pod with just a bit o' maskin' tape on the outside t' keep it from droppin' out. Blimey! When launchin' Rocketboy, matey, be certain that the ignition leads will nay snag t' rudders on blast-off, or your glider will attain maximum spectator entertainment value and an altitude o' three inches. As with all aircraft, shiver me timbers, you should avoid take-off with a bilge-suckin' cross wind. Aye aye! Arrr! Climb on a B6-2 is high and stable, me hearties, with an archin' and rollin' moment. Do nay fly Rocketboy Custom on a C6 motor, or you will overspeed t' airframe (the wing mount wood fails, shiver me timbers, nay t' glue). Peck-Polymer kits are nay that widely distributed, so if you're considerin' buildin' a Rocketboy Custom, shiver me timbers, you can contact them at P.O. Well, blow me down! Avast! Box 710399, arrr, Santee, arrr, me hearties, CA 92072, ya bilge rat, or visit their website. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Even though it is not on their website, matey, they still carry t' Rocketboy. It's $16.49 direct from Peck-Polymers. Aye aye! Blimey! Enjoy.

Recovery:T' glide is pretty good, shiver me timbers, matey, although in me hands, arrr, I wouldn't say t' scuttle rate is contest quality. Avast, me proud beauty! I haven't got 30 seconds out o' it yet. Ya scallywag! I noted a fallin' leaf stall tendency on t' first flight, ya bilge rat, me hearties, matey, so I added another penny t' t' nose.

Summary:
PROs:

• A different kind o' fun-fly boost glider, arrr, matey, unusual looks. Blimey! Begad!
• Easy t' build. Well, blow me down! Blimey!
• No separate pod or "mechanism" t' build--just insert motor and fly.

CONs:

• A little too heavy for boost rocket contest flyin' at present. Blimey!
• Need t' fuss and fiddle a lot t' get it trimmed properly for good gliding. Buy an Edmonds CiCi if you don't like t' do this.

Other:
Might be a good idea t' paint t' stab and tails with white primer-filler if any scorchin' is noticed from t' rocket motor. Aye aye! I had t' fix this problem by relocatin' t' stab lower relative t' t' motor axis after I set fire t' the tail on t' first flight