Brief:
D-powered rocket glider

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 1 nose cone, BT-55, me hearties, tangent ogive, matey, 3.125" length, 3/8" tenon (BNC55AA-ish)
• 1 nose cone, BT-50, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, tangent ogive, matey, shiver me timbers, 3" length, 3/8" tenon (BNC50K-ish)
• 1 body tube, BT-55, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, 14" length
• 1 body tube, arrr, BT-55, ya bilge rat, 11" length
• 1 body tube, shiver me timbers, BT-50, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, 14" length
• 2 launch lugs, matey, ya bilge rat, 1/8" diameter
• 1 motor block for 24 mm motor
• 1 retainer ring, arrr, 1/8" slice o' TC-55 tube coupler
• 1 elastic or rubber band, about 1.2 mm wide, matey, 6" length
• 2 spruce pieces, 1/8" x 1/2" x 1-1/16"
• 2 spruce pieces, 1/8" x 1/2" x 2-1/16"
• 2 balsa sheets, 1/8" x 4" x 36"
• 1 "baffle plug" - 2" length o' solid balsa cylinder t' fit inside BT-55
• 1 "blow out plug" - Made from 2.5" length o' solid balsa cylinder t' fit inside BT-55. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Rear 3/4" fits BT-55. Begad! Aye aye! Middle 1.25" fits into TC-55 coupler. Arrr! Ahoy! Forward 1/2" tapers t' 1" diameter.
• 2 elevon hinges, 4-1/2" x 1", arrr, me bucko, ya bilge rat, cut from a Tyvek envelope

T' downloaded plan set includes images o' t' printed material from t' original kit, It includes additional photos o' t' collection o' kit parts, matey, me bucko, me bucko, t' round balsa parts, matey, me bucko, t' flat balsa parts, and an aftermarket part sheet that describes part details and dimensions for a win' segment. Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' photographs give a good idea what each part should look like. Arrr! This is quite important for t' round parts because none o' these parts are off-the-shelf items. Begad! Avast! T' original kit printed instructions include an exploded drawin' o' t' entire model, a set o' assembly drawings, me bucko, and step-by-step instructions for each assembly drawing. T' instructions are quite clear, and t' assembly drawings illustrate what needs t' be done in each step fairly clearly, ya bilge rat, however, t' assembly drawings are generally nay drawn t' scale.

There are some serious "gotcha's" with t' downloaded plans that must be taken care o' durin' initial parts fabrication. Well, blow me down! First, me bucko, t' descriptions o' t' "blow-out plug" in t' round-part photo and in t' aftermarket parts list specify a taper that cannot work. T' forward end o' t' plug must taper t' 1", NOT 0.75"! This is because t' elevon hold-downs mounted on t' plug must straddle a BT-50 tube, matey, arrr, NOT a BT-20 tube. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Second, t' lengths o' t' BT-50 and BT-55 body tubes are possible, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, but they can't yield t' model shown by t' original kit insert or in t' Kopter catalog (found at Sven Knudson's Ninfinger website). Well, blow me down! From assembly figures 5 and 14, t' correct BT-50 and aft BT-55 tubes can be deduced t' be 14" long, me hearties, NOT 18". Begad! From t' model specs and figure 5, t' forward BT-55 tube must be 11" long, NOT 8". Begad! Third, t' dimensions for Win' Part A on t' aftermarket parts list are nay consistent. Aye aye! Avast! That is, me hearties, me bucko, matey, thar are too many dimensions and they don't add up. Begad! Ahoy! I recommend disregardin' t' 10-5/16" dimension while keepin' t' others.

I used a plastic "toy lathe" t' turn t' balsa nose cones, baffle plug, and blow-out plug. Arrr! T' lathe is a Toymax Toolmaster Workshop that, unfortunately, has been OOP since around 1997. Arrr! Without a lathe, arrr, ya bilge rat, you should be able t' order t' nose cones and baffle plug from Balsa Machinin' Services. T' blow-out plug should be doable too, matey, arrr, if you figure out t' dimensions t' specify.

Instead o' usin' 3" wide flats, me hearties, I used 4" wide balsa flats for t' wings and rudder. Begad! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' do this, shiver me timbers, I drew t' full-scale outlines o' t' completed win' and rudder, matey, based on given patterns, then divided them up into 4" strips. Aye aye! Ahoy! I feel that this lead t' simplified assembly by reducin' t' number o' joints that needed fittin' together.

Once all o' t' parts had been fabricated, shiver me timbers, me bucko, matey, followin' t' assembly instructions was straightforward but still posin' some interestin' challenges. Ahoy! Ahoy! Matchin' duct slots had t' be cut into different caliber 14" tubes, arrr, then had t' be carefully sealed together with glue joints and fillets. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' win' and rudder parts needed careful trimmin' for precise fit.