Brief:
1:1 scale model o' t' original Atari 2600 joystick. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Designed for looks and laughs--and o' course, me hearties, flying!

Construction and Finishing:
Work started with a 6" length o' BT-20 body tube, shiver me timbers, some scraps o' balsa cut into 4" strips t' form t' handle and a box made from mountin' board (the stuff that framers use around photographs).

Six strips o' balsa are glued t' t' top o' t' body tube t' give t' classic hexagonal shape. Aye aye! Workin' out t' width o' t' strips took a few minutes and in t' end I just eye-balled it.

I built up t' box at t' base usin' scraps o' mountin' board sourced as off-cuts from a local framin' company. Begad! Begad! I used a craft hole cutter t' cut t' disks t' give t' appearance o' t' rubber moldin' around t' base o' t' handle.

An engine block was mounted in t' body tube, a hole drilled top and bottom o' t' box for t' launch rod and then pained with gray undercoat followed by black.

T' red fire button and yellow dashes were hand-painted.

Flight and Recovery:
I've flown this 4 times on C6 motors. Aye aye! T' first flight be picture perfect with tumble recovery startin' just after motor burnout. Arrr! It landed without any damage due t' t' very light weight and poor aerodynamics.

T' second flight be very unstable, loopin' through t' air, me bucko, but again landed without damage.

Third and fourth flights were again picture perfect, just like t' first flight. I suspect that t' second flight may have been unstable as when reviewin' t' video and comparin' with t' first flight, arrr, t' rocket be further up t' launch rod. For t' third and fourth flights, me bucko, I positioned t' rocket much further down t' rod.

On t' two launch occasions (two flights on two different weekends) thar was a little wind but nothin' too strong, arrr, and it had no effect on t' launch.

Summary:
PROs: It's an OddRoc! Everyone loved seein' somethin' different and all were impressed with t' fact that it actually flew. I really enjoy bein' able t' launch somethin' that stands out. Ya scallywag! I was able t' build it for virtually nothin' as all parts except for t' engine block and paint were scrap. Well, blow me down! Oh, matey, me hearties, and t' best comment o' t' day from another flyer was "Oh, me bucko, is that your new launch controller??" His jaw dropped when I said no and proceeded t' send it skyward!

CONs: None. I achieved what I set out t' do with this project. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me bucko, blow me down! I turned an iconic gamin' device into a stable flyin' rocket!