Brief:
This is a 159% upscale o' t' popular Estes kit Der Red Max. Ahoy! This is a simple t' build rocket that performs very well on t' 24mm reloads available today. All t' parts are readily available as well includin' t' decals.

Construction:
High quality balsa nose cone, plywood ring, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and eye bolt were supplied by Sandman. Ya scallywag! Estes BT-80, 24mm heavy duty motor tube, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, two lite-ply centerin' rings, matey, fins are 3/16" balsawood, me bucko, Keelhaul®©™® shock card, ya bilge rat, and motor retainer hardware. Ahoy! Excelsior provided t' awesome decals.

I constructed t' motor mount by usin' a BT-50H motor tube that be 4" in length. On t' bottom centering ring, me bucko, I installed two #4-40 blind nuts for t' motor retention bracket. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' light-ply centerin' rings were mounted a 1/4" from t' top and bottom o' t' motor tube. Avast! Blimey! I created a nice epoxy micro balloon fillet on both sides o' each centerin' rin' for strength. Arrr! I drilled a 3/16" hole in t' top centerin' for me 1/8" Keelhaul®©™® shock cord t' go through. Arrr! Blimey! T' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord ties around t' motor tube betwixt t' upper and lower centerin' ring. I cut a BT-80 t' t' length of 13.5". Begad! I hardened each end o' t' BT with thin CA for strength. Blimey! T' next step be t' I fill t' spirals. Aye aye! After sandin' t' BT, t' tube be marked for t' fin locations and t' launch lugs. Blimey! T' bottom launch lug is flush with the bottom o' t' BT. Well, blow me down! T' upper lug is 4-3/8" from t' top o' t' BT. Each launch lug be 3/16" diameter and 9/16" long. Ya scallywag! T' motor mount was glued into t' BT usin' wood glue that created a nice fillet around t' top centerin' ring. A wood glue fillet be also created around t' bottom centerin' ring. Begad! Arrr! T' fins were cut from hard 3/16" balsa and shaped. Avast! Begad! T' fin and launch lugs were glued on with epoxy. Blimey! Begad! Once dry, me bucko, epoxy micro balloon fillets were created around t' fins and launch lugs. Avast, me proud beauty!

Finishing:
T' fins and nose cone were sealed and hardened usin' two coats o' Minwax Polyurethane. Avast! Once dry they were sanded smooth and coated usin' thinned spackle that was brushed on t' fill t' wood grain. T' filler was sanded off and the rocket be primed with two coats o' Duplicote High Fill primer sandin' betwixt coats. Aye aye! T' nose cone was painted black usin' two coats o' old formula Krylon spray. Avast, me proud beauty! T' body be painted metallic red usin' two coats o' Rustoleum spray. Ya scallywag! Once dry t' body was smoothed usin' super fine steel wool. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Once clean and dust free t' body was shot with two coats of Rustoleum clear. Avast, me proud beauty! It was really cold durin' t' paintin' process for this rocket, shiver me timbers, arrr, but t' results were still acceptable. To finish t' model, arrr, t' decals were installed. Overall it looks fantastic.

Flight:
I designed this model t' fly on t' 24mm reloads such as t' E18, E28, matey, F24, shiver me timbers, or F39. Begad! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' first flights I used a E28-4 and it worked perfectly. T' first boost be nice and straight with no stability issues. Begad! Arrr! T' E28 produced a very respectable altitude. Ahoy! T' 24" parachute worked good but a little too slow t' brin' it down. Avast, me proud beauty! A smaller chute or a spill hole would be required for windy or high thermal activity days.

Recovery:
Since t' fins on this upscale start t' get large, I would use t' through t' wall method next go around. Although I feel very good with me method t' attach fins and strengthen them with fillets, me hearties, TTW is king.

Summary:
This is a very easy rocket t' upscale but is a rewardin' project. Avast! Ahoy! T' Der Red Max is a classic that flies great up or downscaled. In addition you can't find a cooler set o' decals on a rocket anywhere.