Brief:
T' Marauder was me re-introduction t' scratch buildin' after gettin' back into the hobby in early 2001. Avast! In me early days in rocketry 20+ years ago I had enjoyed scratch buildin' t' t' point that no paper tube in t' house be safe from me “creative” eye. (Luckily no pictures exist o' any o' these early creations, although I do have t' fins from one o' them.) While garbage pickin' was me method o' procurin' materials in 1977 (and served me quite well,) in 2001 I mistakenly thought that t' best way t' get back into scratch buildin' was by buyin' an Estes Designer’s Special. Avast! Unfortunately, me hearties, me bucko, me hearties, the Designer’s Special that I had always lusted for as a kid and bought as an adult turned out t' be little more than Estes way o' gettin' rid o' some of their more hideous mistakes. One o' these mistakes be t' brick-like “nose cone” from t' SDI Satellite, ya bilge rat, me hearties, one o' t' least attractive, albeit most unique looking, rockets ever t' disgrace t' skies. Another was the almost equally hideous cockpit style nose cone that had once been part o' the Greyhawk kit as well as several others. It was out o' t' necessity t' use this cone that t' Marauder be born.

Construction:

• 1 - 15" length BT-55
• 2 - 3" lengths BT-20
• 1 - PNC-55? from Estes Greyhawk or AstroSat LSX
• 18" length o' 1/4" sewin' elastic
• 3/32" basswood for fins
• standard launch lug
• 18" parachute
• 18mm engine mount kit
• snap swivel

At a loss t' come up with a fin pattern distinctive enough for t' monstrous nose cone, I scanned the JimZ site and found t' Intruder in t' Model Rocket News plan section. Since t' Intruder was originally planned as a BT-20 rocket, I had t' enlarge everythin' by 180%. Avast, me proud beauty! I found a moron-friendly copier that managed this for me, so it wasn’t a problem. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Blimey! While I liked t' Intruder’s original design, I wasn’t crazy about t' chevron-shaped wingtip fins, matey, (especially after enlargin' them,) so I replaced them with t' 3" lengths o' BT-20. The futuristic lookin' fighter that resulted after matin' on t' nose cone just goes t' show what a great design t' original Intruder was.

As I mentioned earlier, I used basswood in place o' balsa when buildin' the fins. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! This nay only allows for an extra measure o' sturdiness, but also makes finishin' much less o' a headache. Blimey! T' further increase t' chances that it would survive past one flight I poked holes in t' body tubes around each fin with a pin drill after they had been attached, then allowed t' Elmer’s White Glue t' seep into t' holes durin' t' fin fillet process. Arrr! Avast! This makes small glue rivets that are supposed t' greatly strengthen t' fin t' body tube joint. Begad! Blimey! Elmer’s Wood Glue was used in all other areas o' construction. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I experimented with several different colors before settlin' on t' battleship grey that I had originally planned on. Arrr! Begad! Various military decals from old plastic model kits finished off t' construction and from that point, all that be left was t' come up with a name. Aye aye! Avast! I plucked Marauder from an old Mercury that a neighbor had when I be a kid. Avast! Well, blow me down! It seemed like t' perfect name for a rocket. (Turns out that both Estes and Centuri thought so also.)

Flight:
T' first flight o' t' Marauder came at a family launch on Good Friday (known now as t' Good Fly Day Launch — no one else laughed either.) Since I had so recently gotten restarted in t' hobby and didn’t have a lot of confidence in me scratch buildin' skills, I conservatively chose a B6-4 for the first flight. Arrr! I needn’t have worried. T' rocket rolled slightly as it left t' pad, arcin' gently into t' wind and toppin' out at a respectable height. Avast! Recovery be trouble-free until it touched t' ground. Then it almost became a one flight wonder under t' stampedin' hooves o' t' accumulated nieces and nephews. Begad! T' field we flew on that day be huge and after the performance o' t' rocket on it’s first flight I was kickin' myself for not havin' loaded it with a C6-5. Aye aye! Flight #2 took place at a local soccer field, also on a B6-4, but this time because o' t' small field size. Arrr! Ahoy! T' Marauder drifted badly on this flight, even with a reefed chute, matey, and managed t' badly damage a fin on a hard landin' into a curb. Arrr! Once t' damaged fin was fixed several weeks later, arrr, we returned t' t' same field on a calm evenin' for what would be flight #3. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Since it was a calm night at ground level and also because the Marauder recovered smartly on it’s reefed chute, I decided t' go with the C6-5 that t' first two flights seemed t' have begged for. Arrr! T' flight was as impressive as I had expected, but recovery be a different matter entirely. T' extra punch that t' C6-5 provided apparently allowed t' rocket t' get into t' area above t' field where thar was a breeze. Ahoy! Begad! Upon ejection the rocket began driftin' rapidly t' t' west toward a subdivision that bordered the field. Arrr! I knew I be in trouble when t' Marauder cleared t' tall hill and taller trees at t' edge o' t' field by 50 feet or more. Begad! I jumped into t' van and tried t' chase it down, arrr, even goin' so far as t' recruit some o' my son’s football teammates t' join in t' search. All t' no avail. Ahoy! I never saw t' original Marauder again and we now call t' field B6-4 field for reasons obvious. Aye aye! Blimey!

Summary:
Considerin' how disappointed I had been when I found what be t' become the Marauder nose cone in me Estes Designer’s Special, t' fact that I went and bought an AstroSat LSX just for t' nose cone within a few days o' the Marauder’s final flight goes a long way toward demonstratin' how impressed I was with t' rocket’s performance. Aye aye! Begad! T' Marauder that replaced it has exhibited t' same flight characteristics as t' original, matey, havin' been flown regularly when nay bein' repaired after one o' it’s frequent hard landings. It’s a fairly heavy rocket with an unfortunate taste for asphalt and concrete, and anythin' other than a pillow soft landin' seems t' cause some sort o' serious fin damage. Avast, me proud beauty! Since it is creepin' stealthily up on its first full year o' service and seems t' be becomin' more obviously brittle in its old age, I’m beginnin' t' think it might be time t' retire #2, shiver me timbers, or at t' very least, ya bilge rat, rebuild it. Blimey! A stouter build with epoxy? D engine power? A Centuri Super Kit-style dual chute recovery? This could be fun.