Brief:
This is a 159% upscale o' t' popular Estes kit Der Red Max. Well, blow me down! 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, and eye bolt were supplied by Sandman. Arrr! Arrr! Estes BT-80, me bucko, 24mm heavy duty motor tube, two lite-ply centerin' rings, me bucko, fins are 3/16" balsawood, Keelhaul®©™® shock card, shiver me timbers, and motor retainer hardware. Begad! Begad! Excelsior provided t' awesome decals.

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

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

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

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

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