Brief:
I have converted t' Peck Polymers Jetex-powered Rocketboy rocket glider t' an Estes-powered boost glider. 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. Aye aye! Since t' Rocketboy is also designed t' be launched by rubber band catapult as well as by t' anaemic Jetex, and t' motor placement was at t' CG, I decided this model be a good candidate for conversion t' Estes power for more fun.

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

Buildin' sequence:

1. 5-minute epoxy is used throughout, matey, although sparingly--this is a glider!
2. Glue t' balsa nose cone onto t' Twister body tube, and set aside. Avast! (You can use any 18mm tumble recovery rocket here, me bucko, me hearties, or make your own motor pod.)
3. Trim t' Rocketboy fuselage t' relocate t' horizontal stabilizer 5/16" lower on t' aft fuselage, and t' top o' t' motor cut-out 3/16" higher that shown on t' plans, ya bilge rat, and exactly parallel t' t' original location. Ahoy! (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. Aye aye! Avast! This stuff cuts with scissors. Ahoy! 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, fillin' t' gaps betwixt t' doublers with 3/16" balsa scrap. Well, blow me down!
8. Complete t' assembly per t' Rocketboy instructions. Ahoy! Avast! It is nay necessary to "airfoil" t' balsa wings, just smoothly round t' win' leading edges with fine sandpaper. Blimey! T' flyin' surfaces and motor pod are all exactly parallel t' one another, 0-0-0 degrees incidence relative t' one another. Begad! Note placement o' t' Twister launch lug on t' Rocketboy (see photo)--centered at 2/3 win' chord, ya bilge rat, arrr, matey, t' balance point.
9. Balance motorless Rocketboy Custom for a nice flat glide when hand-launched briskly straight ahead. Begad! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Expect t' use two pennies or two nickels taped t' the nose t' achieve this (see photos). Ahoy! Trim for a gentle turn if you know how t' do this (I don't bother). Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Ahoy! Only a few other minor modifications were required t' create a Rocketboy Custom. Begad! 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. With a little more fiddling, me bucko, Rocketboy Custom can probably fly every bit as good as these models. Ahoy! Construction is slower and more "classic" however, ya bilge rat, as are t' funky, shiver me timbers, 1930's Lockheed looks o' the twin-tailed Rocketboy, ya bilge rat, which resembles Amelia Earhart's Electra or t' obsolete Hudson bombers me Dad flew in WWII. Looks cool glidin' overhead.

T' Rocketboy kit itself is excellent although I have never flown one as it was intended by t' manufacturers. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! 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, 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, be certain that the ignition leads will nay snag t' rudders on blast-off, matey, or your glider will attain maximum spectator entertainment value and an altitude o' three inches. As with all aircraft, ya bilge rat, you should avoid take-off with a nasty cross wind. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Climb on a B6-2 is high and stable, with an archin' and rollin' moment. Avast! Ahoy! Do nay fly Rocketboy Custom on a C6 motor, shiver me timbers, me hearties, or you will overspeed t' airframe (the wing mount wood fails, nay t' glue). Begad! Peck-Polymer kits are nay that widely distributed, so if you're considerin' buildin' a Rocketboy Custom, you can contact them at P.O. Box 710399, Santee, CA 92072, or visit their website. Even though it is not on their website, matey, they still carry t' Rocketboy. Avast, me proud beauty! It's $16.49 direct from Peck-Polymers. Ya scallywag! Enjoy.

Recovery:T' glide is pretty good, although in me hands, I wouldn't say t' scuttle rate is contest quality. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I haven't got 30 seconds out o' it yet. Ahoy! Arrr! I noted a fallin' leaf stall tendency on t' first flight, me hearties, so I added another penny t' t' nose.

Summary:
PROs:

• A different kind o' fun-fly boost glider, me hearties, unusual looks. Avast! Blimey!
• Easy t' build.
• No separate pod or "mechanism" t' build--just insert motor and fly.

CONs:

• A little too heavy for boost rocket contest flyin' at present. Avast, me proud beauty!
• 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. Avast! Blimey! 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