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

I constructed t' motor mount by usin' a BT-50H motor tube that was 4" in length. Ya scallywag! On t' bottom centering ring, I installed two #4-40 blind nuts for t' motor retention bracket. Arrr! Aye aye! T' light-ply centerin' rings were mounted a 1/4" from t' top and bottom o' t' motor tube. Ya scallywag! I created a nice epoxy micro balloon fillet on both sides o' each centerin' rin' for strength. I drilled a 3/16" hole in t' top centerin' for me 1/8" Keelhaul®©™® shock cord t' go through. Avast! 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". Ya scallywag! I hardened each end o' t' BT with thin CA for strength. T' next step be t' I fill t' spirals. Blimey! After sandin' t' BT, matey, arrr, t' tube was marked for t' fin locations and t' launch lugs. Ya scallywag! 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! Each launch lug was 3/16" diameter and 9/16" long. Avast, me proud beauty! T' motor mount be glued into t' BT usin' wood glue that created a nice fillet around t' top centerin' ring. A wood glue fillet was also created around t' bottom centerin' ring. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' fins were cut from hard 3/16" balsa and shaped. Ahoy! Blimey! T' fin and launch lugs were glued on with epoxy. Ahoy! Once dry, 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. Aye aye! Once dry they were sanded smooth and coated usin' thinned spackle that be brushed on t' fill t' wood grain. T' filler be sanded off and the rocket be primed with two coats o' Duplicote High Fill primer sandin' betwixt coats. T' nose cone was painted black usin' two coats o' old formula Krylon spray. Avast! T' body be painted metallic red usin' two coats o' Rustoleum spray. Well, blow me down! Once dry t' body be smoothed usin' super fine steel wool. Begad! Once clean and dust free t' body was shot with two coats of Rustoleum clear. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! It was really cold durin' t' paintin' process for this rocket, ya bilge rat, arrr, but t' results were still acceptable. To finish t' model, arrr, me hearties, t' decals were installed. Begad! Overall it looks fantastic.

Flight:
I designed this model t' fly on t' 24mm reloads such as t' E18, shiver me timbers, E28, F24, me bucko, or F39. T' first flights I used a E28-4 and it worked perfectly. Avast, me proud beauty! T' first boost was nice and straight with no stability issues. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! T' E28 produced a very respectable altitude. Ahoy! Blimey! T' 24" parachute worked good but a little too slow t' brin' it down. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! 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, TTW is king.

Summary:
This is a very easy rocket t' upscale but is a rewardin' project. Well, blow me down! Blimey! 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.