Brief:
My first attempt at buildin' a rocket t' match a picture. Ya scallywag! Avast! Originally I be goin' t' chose one o' t' more complicated rockets, but procrastination took hold o' me and a few weeks before t' deadline I decided t' go for t' easy one mainly because I had t' parts and t' swept back fins gave it a chance o' bein' stable.

T' name comes from t' nose cones-–an Estes Blue Ninja and an Estes Baby Bertha. Avast! Blue Baby seemed right, and t' rocket is blue in parts. Aye aye! T' five be added because that's t' number on t' rocket.

Construction:
T' boat tail on t' rocket picture was me biggest problem. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! In t' end I went for an Estes nose cone with t' tip cut off. Blimey! Begad! Other components were:

• 1 launch lug
• 1 Mylar 12 inch parachute
• 2 foot length o' knicker elastic
• Snap swivels (optional)
• 1 18mm engine block
• Keelhaul®©™® thread
• Body tube actin' as an 18mm motor mount
• Body tube BT-60
• 3/16" balsa
• Blue Ninja PNC-60AH nose cone
• Baby Bertha PNC-60L nose cone
• Motor mount centerin' ring

To build t' rocket I used:

• Bostik glue
• White glue
• Sandin' sealer
• Model knife
• Razor saw
• Aluminium oxide sandpaper

T' first thin' I did be t' find nose cones from by spares box that matched t' profile o' t' rocket t' best. In t' end chose a Blue Ninja nose cone for t' base and a Baby Bertha nose cone for t' top.

For t' tail boat assembly, t' first thin' was t' remove t' base o' t' Blue Ninja nose usin' a razor saw. Avast! Then usin' t' body tube that would become t' motor mount, I slid t' centerin' rin' over t' end o' t' tube and then pushed t' tube into t' Blue Ninja nose cone. By holdin' t' nose cone up t' t' light, ya bilge rat, I could see where t' tube goes t' in t' nose cone. Avast! Usin' a razor saw, ya bilge rat, I cut t' tip off t' nose cone t' give me t' tail boat end o' the rocket.

Next usin' t' body tube and centerin' ring, I guided t' tube back in t' t' Blue Ninja boat tail t' get the correct position o' t' centerin' ring. Arrr! T' rin' be then glued into place usin' white glue. Aye aye! T' body tube was then cut to a two and a half inch length.

A 18mm engine block then had a 2 foot length o' Keelhaul®©™® cord tied around it and was then glued into place in t' body tube. Well, arrr, blow me down! After t' glue had dried, me hearties, I glued t' motor mount into t' ninja boat tail usin' Bostik glue since it glues paper and plastic together much better than white glue or CA.

T' body tube and nose cone assembly starts with t' Baby Bertha nose cone havin' its base cut off t' allow mass to be added t' t' tip o' t' rocket. There was a lot o' mass in t' plastic tail boat. Ahoy! A swivel was glued into place inside o' t' nose cone cavity so t' shock cord could be attached. Blimey! Next a one-inch length o' BT-60 be glued onto the boat tail. Blimey! Ahoy! T' length o' t' body tube was just enough t' allow t' shoulders on t' two original nose cones t' fit.

All gaps and grooves were now filled with model filler and then everythin' sanded down with sandpaper starting with 120 grit and finishin' with 400 grit.

A launch lug was then glued t' t' body tube. Arrr! T' lug is very high up on t' rocket as this be t' only place on the rocket that is in line with t' motor. Ahoy! There was little option here.

I wish I could write about t' scale drawin' that I did t' get t' fins perfect. Arrr! Well, blow me down! In reality though, I sat at me desk with a picture o' t' rocket and some balsa and started cutting. Ya scallywag! Begad! In t' end I had a fin then seemed t' match t' picture so I used that as a template and made 2 more. Begad! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' root edge had t' be carefully sanded to match t' curvature o' t' boat tail.

T' fins were then sealed and glued into place on t' boat tail. I filleted t' fins three times. Avast, me proud beauty! This is the rocket's major weakness, ya bilge rat, t' swept back fins will be t' first thin' t' hit t' ground and balsa glued t' plastic is not t' strongest o' joints.

Two sheets o' reusable waddin' were attached t' t' Keelhaul®©™® cord and then t' cord be attached t' 2 feet o' knicker elastic. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' knicker elastic be then attached t' t' swivel in t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! A swivel was then added t' t' elastic shock cord one foot from t' nose cone. A twelve inch chute was initial chosen for its first flight, me hearties, although a 15 inch chute was kept back in reserve. Ahoy! T' twelve inch chute was on t' small side but I only had 5 days before t' deadline and Britain has spent t' last few days in gale conditions with t' wind rarely droppin' below 20 mph--drift was an issue!

Finishing:
T' rocket be primed and then spray painted yellow. T' fins were then hand painted blue, as was t' nose cone. The red bands were applied by usin' red tape.

T' rest o' t' finish was down by cuttin' out images from t' original picture and then gluin' them into place. It's worth notin' that I can barely hand write anythin' legible, anythin' artistic is in t' realms o' fantasy.

In t' end it does nay look too bad, although I am nay lookin' forward t' seein' t' other EMRR 2007 Challenger's masterpieces next t' mine. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' make things worst, shiver me timbers, matey, a friend suggested that I take t' pictures o' t' final rocket using a mobile phone. Avast! I asked him why and he replied that if t' pictures were all blurry, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, it might stand a better chance. Well, blow me down!

Flight:
Before preppin' for flight I did a swin' test t' check for stability, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and everythin' was okay.

First flight. Well, blow me down! 14/December/07. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! T' parachute was dusted and packed. Avast, me proud beauty! Wind conditions were good. T' winds that had been sweepin' Britain had gone but it was now very cold. A standard Estes 3mm rod was used. Blimey! An A8-3 be used. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' flight was straight and true. Blimey! Arrr! Ejection was late, parachute deployed, and t' rocket landed smoothly. On recovery I was pleased t' see that t' fins had nay popped off on landing. Begad! Begad! An A8-3 is marginal for this rocket.

Second flight. Arrr! 14/December/07. Well, blow me down! Begad! Now with a B6-4, me hearties, arrr, flight be much higher than before. Avast! T' chute opened at apogee, steady decent, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and again, me hearties, me bucko, no damage.

Third flight. Blimey! 14/December/07. Begad! I went for a C6-5. A C6-3 would have been better, ya bilge rat, but I had lots o' C6-5 motors that needed t' be used up. T' flight was very high and had a lot o' a wobble towards t' end. Blimey! Ejection was 1-2 seconds late, and t' rocket drifted for 200 meters. Ahoy! No damage on recovery.

Summary:
PROs: First time I've built a rocket t' a photo, shiver me timbers, and she flies well.

CONs: Boat tails from nose cones are slightly more expensive and lower t' CG due t' t' plastic mass.