Brief:
What do you get when you combine an Aveeno lotion bottle and an Estes Interceptor rocket kit? Well, shiver me timbers, you get me entry for t' "Design this Spaceship" contest. Ya scallywag! T' name I am givin' me design is "Interceptor L" with the "L" bein' for lotion.

Construction:
T' materials include:

• Aveeno 18 fl. Ahoy! oz. Well, blow me down! lotion bottle
• Estes Interceptor rocket kit #1250
• 1/16" Balsa for fin set
• 1/8" Balsa for fin set
• ¼" Balsa for body feature
• Estes BT-50 Nosecone

Additional supplies:

• Two part epoxy
• Hobby knife
• White glue

I first took an Aveeno lotion bottle and cut off t' top and opened it up large enough t' accept t' Interceptor body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I then cut a hole in t' bottom o' t' lotion bottle so that it could fit t' 18mm motor mount assembly that came with t' Interceptor. I then inserted t' body tube assembly into t' lotion bottle and cut t' body tube so that it was flush with t' lotion bottle, shiver me timbers, approximately 7-1/8". Begad!

Next, arrr, I took t' Interceptor nosecone and cut down t' forward part t' just in front o' where t' canopy meets the fuselage. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I then found a small BT-50 nosecone and modified it so that it more closely resembled t' featured design. Ya scallywag! I attached it t' t' Interceptor nosecone usin' 5-minute epoxy.

Now, on t' t' fins! This was t' most challengin' part o' t' project. Avast! I created t' fins usin' 1/16" and 1/8" balsa. Begad! I have provided a template of my design which shows how many o' each part and t' correspondin' thickness. Since t' plastic bottle doesn't lend itself very well t' stickin' t' glue I decided t' have t' fins go through t' wall t' t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! I made slots in the sides o' t' lotion bottle and t' alignment o' these slots was made easy due t' t' mold seams that were already in t' lotion bottle. Well, blow me down! Begad! I used t' ¼" thick balsa pattern for t' aft body feature. Begad! Begad! This needed t' be sanded down and formed t' resemble t' photo. Begad! I attached t' fins as well as t' body feature usin' 5-minute epoxy.

T' assembly o' t' fins was pretty much straightforward but required a bunch o' gluin' t' make sure that the fins were properly secured t' t' lotion bottle and t' themselves.

Finishing:
T' entire rocket was first primed usin' Rustoleum "Painter's Touch" gray primer (1980830). Well, blow me down! It was then sanded with 400 grit sandpaper and then painted in Rustoleum "Painter's Touch" Winter Gray (1982830). Aye aye! After the paint be completely dry, ya bilge rat, I applied various decals from t' Estes Interceptor kit t' give it a military fighter look.

Flight:
Recommended motors: Estes B6-2, B4-4, B6-2, ya bilge rat, B6-4, C6-3, me hearties, me hearties, C6-5

T' first flight was on a C6-3. Ahoy! This be a great motor for this kit. Begad! T' rocket did a little bit o' twirl but then straightened out and flew great. Well, blow me down! T' parachute deployed a little after apogee and t' Interceptor 18" parachute proved t' be a good size. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' next motor will be either a B4-2 or B6-2. I did nay capture t' rocket taking off since t' motor took longer than expected t' come t' life.

T' second flight was on a B4-2. Avast! T' rocket flew great but as expected didn't go very high. Arrr! Avast! This rocket is made for t' larger C motors.

T' third flight be once again on a C6-3 and once again performed great.

Recovery:
Recovery is by an Estes 18" parachute and used t' elastic strap and paper template that came with t' Estes Interceptor kit.

Summary:
This be a fun rocket t' build and fly. An experienced builder can complete this project over a couple o' weekends. Arrr!