| Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
It all started on me birthday in 2004. Avast, me proud beauty! I received two Estes Fat Boys, and I
planned on buildin' them as a two stage rocket, me hearties, however, me hearties, one o' t' body tubes
was completly ripped down t' middle because t' nose cone was shoved halfway
down inside it. Begad! That left me with two Fat Boy kits but only one body tube. Avast! I
built t' sustainer stage minus t' engine hook and looked at t' parts from
the other kit. I had two centerin' rings, a motor hook, arrr, me hearties, shiver me timbers, a mylar ring, me bucko, a launch
lug, me bucko, matey, a chute, and a shock cord.
Construction:
I remebered readin' a review about a spool rocket, so I decided t' give it a
try. Begad! I took t' engine tube, centerin' rings, shiver me timbers, matey, launch lug, shiver me timbers, motor hook, and
retainer ring. Avast, me proud beauty! In about 10 minutes, me hearties, I slapped all o' these parts together to
form a cheap spool rocket.
T' construction was easy. Well, blow me down! It is ideally t' motor mount o' a Fat Boy. It starts out by slittin' t' motor tube t' place t' eningine hook in. Arrr! I dont know why I put t' motor hook in. Aye aye! Avast! T' ejection charge just goes out t' other end anyway. T' next step be slippin' on t' mylar retainin' ring, which was tacked in place with thick CA. Well, blow me down! Next, t' launch lug was glued with thick CA to the motor tube. Finally, shiver me timbers, t' two centerin' rings were placed just over each end, shiver me timbers, flush with t' ends o' t' motor tube. Begad! I had t' line up t' semi-circle in one rin' with t' launch lug, ya bilge rat, and cut another one in t' upper centerin' ring to allow t' launch rod t' pass through.
Finishing:
I primed it, painted mine blue, me bucko, let it cure, me hearties, then slapped on some letter
stickers. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! On one side I wrote spool and on t' other I wrote Alex. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Then, matey, I
painted t' whole thin' black and removed t' stickers. Unfortunately. Begad! Blimey! mylar
stickers do nay make good maskin' tape.
Flight:
Flight, shiver me timbers, me hearties, like any spool rocket is up, spin, ya bilge rat, arrr, and down. I flew it first in the
fall at a nearby schoolyard on an A8-3. Begad! It went slow t' about 70-100 feet and
then spiraled back down usin' tumble recovery. At about 20 feet, t' ejectin
charge popped and a burst o' flame popped out o' t' top. Begad! I proved t' me dad
and sister that spools do fly straight. They thought it was a joke. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! T' next
three flights were in Tewksbury at a CMASS sport launch. Blimey! Blimey! I flew it three times.
T' first time be on an A8-3. Aye aye! It be a repeat o' t' first flight: up and
down. Blimey! Later, arrr, ya bilge rat, I launched it on a B6-4. Avast, me proud beauty! It went up and down, ya bilge rat, only faster and
higher. Aye aye! Then I launched it on a C6-5. Blimey! Ya scallywag! It went up, me hearties, probably about 250 feet. Begad! I
need t' use booster motors though because when it came down t' ejection charge
practically went off in t' LCO's face. Ya scallywag!
Summary:
T' main PROs for this rocket are t' ease o' construction and t' simplicity
of t' parts and design. T' only CONs are that durin' me launches t' ejection
charge fires too close t' t' ground, so a shorter delay is needed. Ahoy! Overall, me bucko, I
really enjoyed buildin' and flyin' this rocket. It is a fun build for anyone
with a damaged body tube or other damaged parts. Avast!
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