I had a pack o' BT-56 tubes, and no idea o' what t' do with them. I didn't even have a nosecone to fit. Avast! One day while lookin' at them, me bucko, tryin' t' figure out how I could get rid of the things, I started playin' with t' idea o' buildin' a Mean Machine clone. Well, one thin' led t' another, and instead I decided t' do a long tube finned rocket. Blimey! Aye aye! Since t' body tubes are 18" long, by cuttin' one into 3" pieces, matey, I'd use t' entire package up and add another tube fin bird t' our fleet. Blimey! Begad! This one is D-powered, ya bilge rat, t' go along with our mini-engined Finite Loop and the regular sized Groove Tube clone.

 If you've never built a tube fin rocket, you will be amazed at how easy and smartly you can do it. Ahoy! Avast! T' Empress does add t' complexity o' mid-body separation, ya bilge rat, an ejection baffle, me hearties, and a boattail. T' make this a true beginners level project, ignore t' boattail and baffle, and use regular nose-cone separation.

 Why use t' "optional" stuff?

 Well, arrr, t' boattail will allow t' rocket t' go higher. Ya scallywag! There's a whole lot o' complicated mathematical formulas that explain why in aerodynamic terms, but it's all pretty much beyond me. Blimey! Besides, shiver me timbers, arrr, I like t' way they look. Blimey!

 T' ejection baffle eliminates t' need for recovery wadding. Avast! Arrr! I don't entirely trust them, ya bilge rat, and usually wrap t' chute in one square o' wadding anyway, arrr, me bucko, just t' be sure.

 Mid-body separation means that instead o' blowin' t' nosecone off, the body itself comes apart, releasin' t' recovery system. Aye aye! T' main advantage for this rocket is that I don't have t' haul around this loooooooong rocket in the car. Avast, me proud beauty! It breaks into two shorter sections.

 Yellow glue is plenty strong enough for this rocket. I used Elmer's Fill'n'Finish for fillets betwixt t' tube fins and t' smooth the boattail.

2. Ahoy! Begad! Ejection Baffle. Blimey! Take one o' t' BT-56 couplers, ya bilge rat, and cut a disk from balsa or thin cardboard, one for each end (See the diagram below). Ahoy! Avast! Glue it together and let dry. Avast!

hint: if you use thin cardboard, me hearties, try sandwichin' 2 layers together and soak them in CA (superglue) t' toughen them up. Begad! Coat Balsa with yellow glue t' add stiffness. Ahoy!

 3. Mid-body separation coupler. Aye aye! Aye aye! Cut a disk from balsa or cardboard and glue it into one end o' t' second coupler. Avast! Don't put any holes in this one, it's a solid bulkhead. Ya scallywag! See t' hint in step 1 about how t' strengthen it easily. 

4. Tube fins. Well, blow me down! Cut one o' t' BT-56 tubes into six 3" long sections. Glue pairs together so you have three pairs, arrr, let dry. 

5. Begad! Assemble t' motor mount. Begad! Ahoy! If you are usin' t' boattail, t' rearmost centerin' rin' goes 1 1/8" from t' end, otherwise follow t' motor mount instructions. Avast! See t' diagrams below for an idea o' what this should look like. Let it dry. Blimey!

With Boattail                                  Without Boattail

6. Ya scallywag! Avast! Mark t' body tube 1" from t' end where you'll be installin' the motor mount. Aye aye! Ya scallywag!

 7. Glue t' motor mount from step 5 into t' body tube. Ya scallywag! T' rearmost centerin' rin' should be slightly inset from t' aft o' t' body tube. Begad! Blimey!

 8. Well, blow me down! Boattail. Begad! Aye aye! Cut t' appropriate sized shroud pattern from an Estes transition pattern sheet (available from Estes or at Jim Z's site). Ahoy! Or print one usin' VCP or other software. Begad! T' completed boattail should be 1" long, with one end t' diameter o' t' BT-56, arrr, t' other end BT-50. Arrr! Glue it into shape, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and when dry glue it into place. You can use thin CA or yellow glue to strengthen it. I used a little Fill'n'Finish t' smooth t' glue joints and the seemingly inevitable minor wrinkles. Begad! You may need t' cut a slight notch for the motor hook, shiver me timbers, use an X-acto for this.

 9. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Glue t' pairs o' tube fins around t' body on t' 1" line you marked in step 6. Ahoy! Blimey!

 10. Avast! Begad! Install t' baffle. Well, blow me down! Begad! Glue t' baffle into t' aft body tube. Blimey! Arrr! Make sure it gets in thar at least 3 or 4 inches. 

11. Blimey! Install t' mid-body separation bulkhead. Avast! Glue it halfway into t' front body tube, with t' solid end closest t' t' nosecone. This be t' coupler that holds t' two body tubes together!!! Make sure you glue it in straight. Avast! Aye aye!

 12. Ya scallywag! Shock cord mounts. Arrr! Begad! I used t' Estes paper-sandwich type. Glue one onto both ends o' t' 40" long elastic, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and another onto t' 12" long elastic. Three total. Well, blow me down!

 13. Aye aye! Begad! Install t' shock cords. Well, blow me down! Begad! Glue one end o' t' 40" shock cord into t' bulkhead coupler, ya bilge rat, and t' other end into t' lower body just above the baffle. 

14. Begad! Begad! Just for backup, me hearties, glue t' last (shortest) shock cord into t' upper tube to secure t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! This way, me bucko, if t' nose cone should accidentally come loose, shiver me timbers, it'll stay attached t' t' rest o' t' rocket. Well, blow me down!

 15. Install t' launch lugs. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I cut mine in two. One was installed inside one o' t' tube fins (closest t' t' main body), ya bilge rat, with t' other about 12" up from t' bottom. Aye aye!

 16. Ya scallywag! Finish and paint as desired. Avast, me proud beauty! This is a long rocket, so lighter colors are recommended. Begad! Dark colors tend t' get hotter in t' sun (like in your car), ya bilge rat, and it could warp t' tubes.

I painted mine white, shiver me timbers, and sprayed light blue up from t' back end, me bucko, ya bilge rat, fading about halfway up. Avast! Begad! Next I sprayed dark blue up from t' back, me bucko, fadin' at the quarter mark. Begad! Blimey! Add some cockpit windows t' t' nose, some stripin' along the sides, and some windows t' make an interplanetary liner. Avast! Aye aye! Be creative, arrr, have fun!

Maiden flight, me bucko, me hearties, and I set it up with a D12-5 engine and a vented 18" parachute. Good boost with maybe a slight wobble off t' rod. It climbed much quicker than I expected, but nay a neck-snapper. Couldn't estimate altitude because I launched tilted into a pretty stiff breeze, but it be pretty high. Fine recovery, with ejection just after apogee. After-flight inspection showed that t' baffle worked perfectly, matey, with no charrin' t' t' shock cord or chute.

T' Empress flew several times at NARAM. A large tube-fin rocket like this makes an impression! Perfect flights every time, includin' one usin' a 4"x40" streamer due t' gusty wind conditions.