Brief:
This is a paper 13mm, NSL 2008 Commemorative rocket. Some months ago, matey, I found t' link t' t' plans o' Eric Truax's M.A.G.P.I.E.s in PDF form and downloaded them. A lull in me ability t' get t' me Main Rocket Lab has prompted me t' try and build a couple o' these interestin' lookin' rockets. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! There are 2 color schemes o' t' same plan. Both feature artwork in commemoration o' t' 2008 National Sport Launch.

Construction:
T' component consists o' a piece o' cardstock. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It is used t' print t' plans obtained here. Begad! Blimey! After that, matey, it is just a matter o' cuttin' out t' pieces and gluin' them together.

There are no instructions, arrr, per se. Only an exploded diagram. Anyone who has built a couple o' rockets should be able t' manage.

Since thar were no instructions, I decided t' deviate from standard practice and NOT work on t' motor mount first. Arrr! I cut out t' top o' t' rocket with a pair o' scissors, matey, applied a bit o' "bend" t' t' cardstock and glued t' tab.

Inexplicably, I next headed for t' motor mount. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It is nothin' more that a rectangle o' cardstock with a glue tab that is rolled into a tube and glued. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! A spent motor helps in makin' sure t' final product will be usable.

T' middle section o' t' body be t' most tedious part o' t' build. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' long rounded strip is cut out. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! One edge is curved, one is straight and one is practically straight but t' top edge is a pain because o' all t' little glue tabbies. Ahoy! T' radius o' t' inner curve is such that gettin' t' scissors lined up right is difficult without hittin' t' opposite edge. Ahoy! Begad! Patience pays off however, ya bilge rat, and t' actual assembly consists o' nothin' more than gluin' on t' edge tab t' form a ring. This is made slightly easier by precurvin' t' cardstock.

T' bottom rin' is essentially t' same as t' middle except that it is a bit larger. This made it easier t' cut out because t' radius is nay as tight. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' end tab was glued t' form a ring.

I started puttin' t' body together by gluin' t' top t' t' middle. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! At first, matey, it be madenin' tryin' t' get everythin' lined up but I hit upon a solution that worked out well and be repeated when I build t' other variant. Avast! I first glued just t' section where t' "S" o' t' "NSL" logo be matched on t' top and middle sections. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I held t' pieces together until they were sufficiently dry and then glued t' opposite side which conveniently had a rocket body t' act as a match line. Ya scallywag! Once these two pieces were glued, matey, it was fairly simple t' get t' rest lined up right and glued.

T' same procedure be used for gluin' t' previous assembly t' t' bottom ring. Arrr! Ya scallywag! I looked for match lines in t' artwork and then glued opposite sides first, me hearties, later gettin' t' rest o' it glued.

T' after bulkead is a simple affair that I managed t' get wrong t' first time. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I cut it out and glued it together with t' printed side bein' convex. Avast! It should have been concave. I figued this out after slippin' t' motor mount in and lookin' at t' spacing. Aye aye! Begad! Fortunately, matey, t' curve was gentle enough that I was able t' reverse it.

I did have some issues gettin' t' after bulkhead t' fit within t' body. Blimey! Blimey! I had t' do some sandin' around t' edge t' get it t' fit. Arrr! Then when I glued it, I pushed too hard in some places and got it too far in. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I finally decided that it would nay be visible and let it be. Ahoy! T' motor mount was slipped in and glued into place.

T' legs for t' MAGPIE are very simple. You cut them out, matey, fold them in half and glue. I set mine under a book t' dry flat. Begad! Once assembled, shiver me timbers, matey, They are glued t' t' motor mount along t' preprinted lines. Aye aye! I dabbed t' end in glue, pressed it on t' motor mount and then immediately removed it. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! It gave it a chance t' set up a bit and then pressed it on again. Blimey! T' seams were then filleted.

PROS: Looks good, unusual, free
CONS: Nay as easy as it looks and requires some patience.

Finishing:
There is no real finishin' for this rocket. Arrr! You print it with one o' t' available designs and that's what you have. Avast! I built both t' blue and t' black variants.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I apparently did nay fillet t' legs/fins well enough when building. Begad! When it be time t' launch both variants that built had a leg comin' loose. Ahoy! That means they both got scrubbed for t' museum launch and t' club launch happenin' t' next day.

It took a month t' get another launch window but when it came, matey, ya bilge rat, I was ready. Aye aye! I had heard that this is a good little performer but really did nay know what t' expect. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I chose t' fly t' Blue Magpie first because it be t' fist one t' come out o' t' box. I loaded it with an A10-PT, set it off and was amazed. Aye aye! It really screamed off t' pad. It flew straight and true and tumbled gently down.

T' Blue Maggie performed so well I wanted t' see how well t' Black Maggie would do with minimal thrust. Arrr! Accordingly, I loaded a 1/4A3-3. It too flew straight but seemed t' start t' curve over a bit as soon as t' thrust ended. Ahoy! It spit t' motor about 50 feet off t' ground but had a reasonable, if nay spectacular flight.

PROS: good performer on entire range o' 13mm options
CONS: Moves really fast.

Recovery:
It goes up and it tumbles down. Ya scallywag! Well, me hearties, blow me down! If t' motor has an ejection charge, it flutters down. Blimey! Begad! It can drift a bit on t' wind and is easily hidden by shrubs but thar be nothin' unexpected or bad.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a cool lookin' little rocket. Begad! Blimey! It takes a bit o' effort but that effort is well repaid. It is probably best done by somebody with a bit o' experiene and a little patience.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5