Beldar t' Conehead

I will be t' first t' admit that I spent far too much time watchin' TV as a kid. Avast, me proud beauty! Especially far too much SNL. When I found a collectable(?) figurine o' Beldar, t' Conehead parental unit from t' planet Remulak, ya bilge rat, matey, arrr, in a clearance bin at a local store I realized it was goin' t' be me mission t' return him t' his home planet regardless o' how many mass quantities o' Newtons it would take!

T' model flies well on an 18mm two motor cluster. Blimey! Blimey! At apogee twin parachutes are deployed.

While t' plan presented here applies specifically t' t' Beldar figurine, matey, arrr, t' design can be adapted t' fit most figurines o' similar size and construction. Cap'n Picard, shiver me timbers, arrr, for example, me bucko, should work well with his smooth boundary layer control head. Begad! A Klingon might suffer performance troubles due t' t' decidedly non-laminar flow over t' forehead.

T' figurine used should ideally be around 11" tall, me bucko, have a partin' line at t' waist, and have legs that can accommodate a BT-20 sized tube. Begad! Avast! It should be made o' a vinyl compound that is easily cut with an X-acto cutlass.

T' "Beldar" I used is made by t' Hamilton Gift company.

Construction begins with separatin' t' Conehead at t' waist. Ahoy! Just follow t' glue line with a very sharp cutlass. Ahoy! Once separated, measure t' length and spacin' o' t' legs and determine if t' plan dimensions need t' be adjusted t' fit your figure.

Next cut BT-20 sized holes in t' feet o' t' lower section and, me bucko, if required t' fit t' body tube in t' legs, cut a slit in both t' inseam and outseam o' Beldar's pants. Avast, me proud beauty! Once you are satisfied with t' fit you can start t' construct t' booster.

T' business end o' Beldar's booster.

T' booster section (or Remulakian Trans-Spatial Insertion Device if you prefer) is built in its entirety before attachin' t' legs. Avast, me proud beauty! T' rin' fin is made o' 1/32" plywood, me bucko, bent on t' inside o' a 4" PVC pipe coupling. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I cut t' strip o' ply 1 3/8" wide and a full length 24" long. Arrr! Don't cut t' strip t' t' final length until after it has been bent.

Glue a PVC endcap on one end o' a section o' scrap PVC pipe that has an inside diameter big enough for t' strip t' fit into. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! This will be used t' steam t' plywood in prior t' bendin' it. Ya scallywag! Begad! Place t' strip inside t' pipe and then fill t' pipe with boilin' water. Blimey! Ahoy! Remember t' be careful, matey, have adult supervision, me bucko, and all appropriate safety gear. Begad! Let t' wood soak for 5 minutes or so and then carefully pull t' wood out o' t' tube. Well, blow me down! Form t' strip into a rin' by curlin' it and by placin' it inside t' 4" couplin' inside diameter. Arrr! Let t' strip overlap itself. Aye aye! With any luck at all t' springiness o' t' wood will make it conform t' t' couplin' without additional clamping. Allow t' strip t' completely dry before removin' it. Aye aye! Avast! If it isn't completely dry it will unroll.

T' ends o' t' strip never get perfectly curved so trim them off. Begad! Adjust t' diameter o' t' rin' t' match t' plan (5" inside diameter on me model), me hearties, arrr, mark, and cut t' strip t' size. Avast! Avast! Blimey! Leave 1" o' overlap for t' glue joint. Begad! T' ply will nay absorb "white" glue well. Arrr! I roughened up t' surface and used epoxy. Well, blow me down! Once t' glue has dried, sand, me bucko, fill, and sand t' joint on t' outside o' t' ring. Begad! Blimey! T' inside edge can be left square.

Photo by Alan Estenson, President o' MASA

T' fins were cut from 1/8" hard balsa. Well, matey, blow me down! Adjust t' size as necessary t' match your figurine. Arrr! T' larger fin goes betwixt Beldar's legs. Ahoy! Glue a spacer block on each side o' t' fin at t' centerline. Aye aye! Next glue t' two BT-20 tubes t' t' spacers. Avast, me proud beauty! Insure t' tubes are correctly lined up! T' ends o' t' tubes should be flush with t' trailin' edge o' t' fin. Avast, me proud beauty! T' shorter fins are then glued t' t' tubes. Finally glue t' rin' t' t' fin tips. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I used epoxy for this. Align one fin up against t' inside edge o' t' rin' joint overlap. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Install motor blocks or hooks into each o' t' tubes. If you use hooks then glue on a doubler cut from scrap body tube over t' top half o' t' hook. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This helps t' keep t' hook in place.I used a motor overhang o' 3/8". Avast! Well, blow me down! Glue t' launch lug t' t' large fin on what will become t' "butt" side o' t' model. Ya scallywag! Position t' lug as close t' center as practical without t' launch rod hittin' Beldar's back when t' torso is in place. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Fillet everything.

It's a lot easier t' paint t' booster section now. Mask off t' tubes were t' legs will glue t' them and then spray away usin' your favorite paint. Begad! I chose Rustoleum metallic silver since it matched t' color o' Beldar's cape well, and because I am attracted t' shiny things.

Slide t' leg half o' Beldar over t' two body tubes and glue them into position. Avast, me proud beauty! T' soles o' his boots should be even with t' top o' t' rin' fin.

Super glue bonds t' vinyl t' t' tube quite well. Avast, me proud beauty! For a better appearance enlarge t' slit on t' outside o' t' legs t' fit a 1/8" wide strip o' balsa. Blimey! Begad! When painted this makes t' ugly slot look like a feature o' t' pants. Install a card stock bulkhead at t' waistline. Begad! This stops ejection gas and debris from shootin' down t' pants and givin' our Conehead a hot foot. Install a ¾" long piece o' balsa betwixt t' tubes where they project out o' t' pants. Well, blow me down! Place it about ½" up from t' waistline bulkhead. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Adjust t' thickness t' hold t' tubes parallel t' each other. Begad! Use lots o' glue here, as this will also be where t' torso shock cord will attach.

Cut any vinyl on t' underside o' t' torso waist joint away, leavin' a 1/8" or so wide flange. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Test fit t' torso over t' body tubes and on t' t' waist. He should slide on smoothly without much drag. Ahoy! Cut a bulkhead out o' 3/16" heavy balsa or 1/8" ply. Begad! Leave extra material on t' edge so you can custom fit it t' your figure. Begad! Make two balsa couplers (plugs) that fit nicely into t' BT-20 tubes. Begad! Ya scallywag! These plugs perform t' same function as t' shoulder on a normal nosecone. T' correctly space t' plugs, first insert them halfway into each tube. Arrr! Then smear glue on t' ends and set t' bulkhead on top o' them. Begad! Avast! You will find it easier t' fit t' bulkhead t' t' torso if you first make a pattern out o' cardboard first and then transfer this shape t' t' wood.

Drill a small hole in t' area indicated. Tie a knot on one end o' t' shock cord and pull t' cord through t' bulkhead from t' far side, shiver me timbers, me bucko, apply a dab o' glue.

Set t' bulkhead assembly into t' body tubes, me hearties, put glue on t' outside edge and push t' torso over t' bulkhead and down t' t' waist. Well, blow me down! Begad! Be careful nay t' glue t' waist and torso back together. Aye aye! Tie t' free end o' t' shock cord around t' body tube spacer block and glue in place.

Detail shot with t' torso separated.

For t' recovery system make up two Estes style 12" parachutes. Well, blow me down! Use a folded paper mount t' attach t' elastic shock cord t' t' inside o' each tube. Ahoy! Remember t' mount must nay interfere with t' bulkhead plugs. Begad! Tie a parachute t' each o' t' free ends o' t' elastic cords.

Prepare Beldar for his homeward trip by placin' adequate waddin' into t' body tubes. Ya scallywag! Fold and insert t' parachutes and elastic cords. Aye aye! Fold t' torso shock cord and place it betwixt t' two tubes and then slide t' torso into pace until t' plugs (couplers) are in t' tubes. Begad! T' torso should have enough o' a friction fit that t' model doesn't separate when lifted by t' head (cone), but will pull apart with a slight tug.

Insert t' motors into t' legs. Prior t' t' first flight you will want t' perform a swin' test t' ensure Beldar is stable. Begad! Add cone weight as necessary. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Install and wire t' igniters in t' normal cluster fashion.

My model had a finished empty weight o' 5.75 ounces. Begad! Beldar has flown well on two C6-5's. B motors could be used, arrr, but I would use a 4' launch rod just t' be safe.

Twin flames accelerate our intrepid Conehead skyward at a recent MASA launch. Aye aye! Photo courtesy o' Dave Fergus.

Upon ignition o' t' dual tree derived cellulose pressure cased chemical decomposition thermal Newtonian thruster pods Beldar will leap off o' t' pad and streak skyward. Avast, me proud beauty! If he reaches trans-space insertion velocity he will pop through a wormhole and be home in time for lunch. Aye aye! Otherwise he activates his ground return safety devices and floats back t' earth. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Remulak technology is notoriously unreliable.

Should only one o' t' two motors ignite, poor parental unit Beldar will take a sharp left and head t' France, no doubt t' drown his sorrows by consumin' mass quantities o' cylindrically packaged carbonated beverages. Arrr! Begad!

In conclusion, me hearties, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, Mr. Well, blow me down! Avast! Lithgow you are no Dan Aykroyd, Sir. Aye aye! Jane Curtin, how could you.

Click here for t' plans.

 
Photo by Meg Gerdes WHEEHAAAAAAA!