Brief:
138% upscale o' t' Estes S.W.A.T. Well, blow me down! T' S.W.A.T. Blimey! Well, blow me down! is a low orbit interceptor-style kit Estes produced in t' early 1990s. Aye aye! Ahoy! When kids see me original S.W.A.T., they actually scream with delight, shiver me timbers, arrr, always askin' “how high?" The original kit was designed with an 18mm motor mount, but I converted it t' 24. It’s a beautiful kit and has flown many times.

T' last thin' I wanted t' do when buildin' me level 1 certification rocket be three fins and a nose cone, so the S.W.A.T. seemed like a natural upscale. Ya scallywag! Cool toy but bigger and badder. Aye aye! Blimey! What’s nay t' like? T' original rocket was 34” long and t' upscale is a little less than 47”. Begad! Blimey! T' optional electronics bay brings it up to 52”. Well, blow me down! Avast! Blimey! T' original paint scheme called for an orange and black camouflage scheme but was updated t' a current Digi-cam look. T' original fin patterns (Jimz) were printed out from Photoshop at 138%.

Construction:
Materials:

• 1 Body tube: 34” LOC 2.26” O.D., plus t' optional electronics bay
• LOC nose cone
• 5 sheets o' Lasertrans waterslide inkjet decal paper
• 4 sheets o' 1/8” aircraft grade hobby plywood
• 11.5 in o' LOC 38mm motor mount tube
• ¼" centerin' rings (2)
• #6 screws and T-nuts for t' motor mount
• 1 coupler and bulkhead
• 1 eyebolt
• 3ft 300lb Keelhaul®©™®
• 6ft ½" elastic
• 1ft ¼" dowels for missles
• Mylar for missle fins
• BT-50 for outboard fin tubes (two at 3.75”)

T' motor mount is a LOC tube with two centerin' rings with Keelhaul®©™® for t' shock cord system mounted t' t' forward ring. Avast! T' #6 T-nuts had t' be ground down t' fit into t' aft centerin' ring, and t' two tubes and T-nuts were fiberglassed in for a smooth, me hearties, finished, ya bilge rat, flush look. Ahoy!

T' fins were cut usin' a razor saw then epoxied through t' wall t' t' motor mount. Ahoy! The slots were cut with a Dremel. Aye aye! T' missile dowels were sharpened in a pencil sharpener then blunted and rounded. Well, blow me down! A tip (#5) from t' EMRR library was tried for t' fin fillets. Avast! Fillets areas were dammed at t' ends with kneaded eraser then t' eraser dam was taped on t' further reduce t' possibility o' leaking. Ya scallywag! T' rocket was leveled. Ya scallywag! Thinned epoxy was poured in and allowed t' set. Aye aye! Included in this process were t' fillets for t' outboard fin tubes and the missiles.

A razor saw was used t' cut an X-shaped slot in t' aft portions o' t' missile dowels then sheet mylar fins pressed in. Blimey!

Finishing:
T' fins and fillets were brushed with two coats o' thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish and sanded. Then t' entire rocket was sprayed with high-build automotive primer twice and sanded. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! Final paint was light gray enamel for t' belly and undersides o' fins and white enamel for t' upper surfaces o' body and fins with t' nose cone upper surface sprayed camouflage.

T' top half was finished with 5 sheets o' Lasertrans waterslide decal sheets. Ya scallywag! It's basically a body decal over all o' t' white surfaces. T' only upper surface that's nay decal be t' nose cone because o' t' compound curves. Lasertrans dries t' a nearly opaque white base material, but if you spray it with a petroleum-based clear coat, then it turns transparent. Catalyzed automotive urethane clear coat be used in this case.

T' nose cone was fastened t' t' electronics bay with hex cap screws, which adds some post-industrial grunge to the look.

[NOTE: You can download all 5 decal patterns by clickin' on t' followin' links: (1), arrr, me hearties, matey, (2), (3), me bucko, (4), and (5).]

Flight and Recovery:
Recommended motors: AT F39W-3, matey, AT G64W-6, and Pro38 H153-10. Arrr! Prep is standard wadding. Ahoy! Begad! 28-30” parachute. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! #6 T-nuts for motor retention.

Flight CONs: RockSim said it would get 3500 feet on an H153, matey, however, matey, me hearties, actual altitude was 2400. Ya scallywag! It doesn’t quite fly straight up, so it requires an extra-strong shock cord system and a long walk.

First flight be a level 1 certification attempt at Tripoli Colorado. Avast! Avast! T' Cesaroni H153's 13 second delay, arrr, shiver me timbers, which simmed fine, me bucko, was way too long for this rocket, me hearties, since it took off at an angle 6 degrees from vertical. Aye aye! Avast! T' tubular nylon parachute harness broke when t' 30” LOC chute snapped open, and t' rocket came down without laundry. It broke one fin and knocked another loose, which has been repaired. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' second attempt will be with a beefier shock cord system. Aye aye! Blimey! Amazingly, arrr, t' parachute was recovered by another rocketeer who went on a long walk for his rocket.

Summary:
PROs: Kids love it. Begad! Adults love it. Blimey! Wow, me hearties, ya bilge rat, me hearties, look at t' size o' t' motor mount in this thing. Blimey! Man, matey, it's heavy, too. Ahoy! The Digi-cam is awfully cool.

Build CONs: Lots o' fin cutting, ya bilge rat, slot cutting, me hearties, and fillet making. T' sheer amount o' fin material makes this a fairly heavy rocket for its diameter. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' BT-50s are flimsy compared t' t' rest o' t' construction. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' dorsal fin decal is 1/2” too short so t' dorsal fin was shortened t' match rather than printin' out another sheet of expensive Lasertrans decals. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! T' two long side fins (to which t' outboard tubes are attached) are too long for the hobby store material, so they have a butt joint in t' middle.