Brief:
This is a plastic model conversion o' t' Soviet SS-6 Sapwood Heavy Strategic Missile manufactured by t' Russian company, Maquette. T' scale is 1:144. Blimey! I picked this model up at War & Pieces in West Hartford, CT. Arrr! This store carries a lot o' Eastern European kits, and I really liked t' looks o' t' rocket. Blimey! Blimey! I had no idea if I could convert it t' fly until I got it home and be able t' look inside t' box.

Modifications:
Interestingly, t' instructions for t' model have some English on them, me bucko, me hearties, but most o' t' writin' is in Russian. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! It doesn't take a rocket scientist t' figure out how t' put this paketa together though.

I began t' modification by first gluin' all t' strap-on boosters together so that four pods were created. Avast! T' fins are already a detailed part o' t' boosters, matey, me hearties, so this was an easy step. Well, blow me down! I simply glued two halves together and I be complete. All parts were in halves and were vertical pieces.

T' central body tube is almost wide enough t' contain a central 13mm motor mount. Ya scallywag! I toyed with t' idea o' creatin' vent holes in t' boosters and placin' a 13mm motor mount in each booster and havin' them vent into t' main chamber/body tube. Well, blow me down! I then decided that this be too much hassle and would create too many chances for failure. I decided after much thought that t' way t' achieve what I needed be t' remove some o' t' body tube and replace it with a slightly larger internal diameter BT-5 body tube. I began by gluin' t' main body tube together. I measured what needed t' be removed t' house a standard 13mm motor and motor block. Begad! I then cut off 1 5/8" off t' bottom o' t' plastic body tube. I replaced this with BT-5 tubin' o' t' same length plus a small shoulder that I be able t' epoxy into t' plastic body tube. Ahoy! I tied some Keelhaul®©™ around a motor block and glued t' motor block into t' rocket as well, feedin' t' Keelhaul®©™ up through t' body tube.

Next, matey, I glued t' four boosters onto t' main body tube. I then added clay and BBs t' t' nose cone (fillin' both halves completely) before gluin' them together. I did insert a screw eye in t' nose cone so that I would be able t' tie t' Keelhaul®©™to t' nose cone. Blimey! I also glued a launch lug on t' upper portion o' t' body tube.

Last but nay least, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I glued each nozzle onto a plate (4 nozzles per plate) which then fit on t' bottom o' each strap-on booster. Aye aye! There was another nozzle plate for t' central motor, but this is only for looks since it has t' be removed for t' 13mm motor. Blimey! Begad! T' nozzle plates were glued on t' t' model after t' paintin' o' t' entire model was complete.

Construction:

T' plastic model parts used in this conversion consist o' t' following:

• 2 nose cone pieces
• 2 body tube pieces
• 8 strap-on booster pieces
• many parts for t' engine nozzle details (approximately 25 pieces)

What I needed t' add t' make t' conversion:

• short length o' 13mm tubing
• motor block
• Keelhaul®©™
• launch lug
• screw eye
• nose weight (clay, matey, me bucko, BB's, epoxy)
• streamer or small parachute

Finishing:
There were no decals included with t' model. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' suggested color for t' model is "Soviet Green overall" with silver for t' nozzles. I airbrushed t' entire model with a kind o' olive green that had darker shades o' forest green and silver in it. Ya scallywag! I then airbrushed t' 5 nozzle plates silver then dry brushed t' inside o' each nozzle with red. Begad! Aye aye! All paints I used were acrylics. Blimey! This is actually a pretty easy paint scheme and was fun t' put together.

Flight:
Motor prep is simple. Avast! T' A10 is friction fit. Aye aye! I used waddin' and then prepped t' chute. T' nose cone is also friction fit (see below for more detail).

T' only motor I would recommend would be t' A10-3T. Avast, me proud beauty! I flew t' Sapwood three times usin' this motor selection. Ya scallywag! Blimey! In these initial flights, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I used a small parachute. Ya scallywag! Given t' size o' t' body tube, arrr, shiver me timbers, I would recommend usin' a streamer instead. T' parachute remained clumped durin' every launch, probably due t' it bein' crammed inside a small space.

There is one distinct CON with this model: t' nose cone has a shoulder o' about 2mm, me bucko, so it does nay sit very well on t' top o' t' rocket. Ya scallywag! I solved this by tapin' some maskin' tape t' t' bottom o' t' nose cone around t' shoulder. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! This gave t' shoulder a little more length and allowed for a better friction fit.

T' first and third flights were almost identical. Begad! T' boost was surprisingly good considerin' t' weight o' t' rocket. T' altitude, while nay astounding, matey, was respectable. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' three second delay worked fine, and t' rocket landed fine. Arrr! Begad! By t' third launch, ya bilge rat, me hearties, t' body tube was showin' signs o' stress and was beginnin' t' come apart at t' seams. Begad! A little CA glue would cure this little problem.

T' second flight was very strange. Well, blow me down! It did nay boost as high as t' first flight and t' ejection be very late. Nonetheless, ya bilge rat, me bucko, t' rocket was unharmed. Well, blow me down! I wonder if I actually had a A10 in thar or if t' motor was mislabeled or malfunctioned.

Recovery:
As stated before, t' rocket could probably use a good streamer rather than a parachute. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Also, after a few landings, t' rocket be beginnin' t' come apart at t' glue joints. With careful flyin' and maintenance, this rocket should last.

Summary:
As far as plastic model conversions (PMC) go, ya bilge rat, I thought this was a pretty easy project (this is only me fourth or fifth PMC). Aye aye! T' rocket is unique. Begad! I have nay heard o' anyone else convertin' this model. It looks great and it flies remarkably well considerin' t' size o' t' tiny fins on t' four boosters. Aye aye! T' price was pretty good, too. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! As I recall, I paid probably less than $10 for t' model.

There is little room for a recovery device. T' nose cone does nay fit well and t' flyer does nay have much motor choice, but overall, I think it is a fun project.