Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
I actually built a larger version o' this as me first scratchbuild back in 1977
usin' cardstock for t' fins, ya bilge rat, so when I needed a paper rocket for t' EMRR
Challenge, this design naturally came t' mind. Arrr! Heavily influenced by t' Estes
Condor which be me favorite rocket back in 1977, t' original Phantom Cruiser
met its demise against t' side o' a local church, me bucko, but it was always
entertainin' rocket.
Construction:
Parts list:
T' most difficult part o' this project was rollin' t' tube and keepin' it lookin' like a tube. Well, blow me down! I used a Papa John's Pizza mailer as a donor for t' parts and wrapped it as tightly as possible around a 13mm casin' t' get t' correct shape. Begad! After tapin' it in place with maskin' tape in t' middle o' the "tube", arrr, I began gluin' it together from t' ends with LocTite Gel CA. By t' time I reached t' maskin' tape I be easily able t' remove t' tape and finish t' job. Arrr! Arrr! I made an engine block usin' another piece o' t' same mailer, rolled thicker, matey, but just enough smaller t' fit into t' body tube. I tied the Keelhaul®©™® to t' rin' and coated t' knot with wood glue, me hearties, then I placed a dab o' glue onto a piece o' scrap balsa and spread it around inside t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! The engine block was then slid into place usin' an expended 13mm motor casin' to judge t' depth. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I had an anxious moment when t' motor stuck, but some quick work with me teeth kept it from bein' fatal. Begad! Barely.
T' two fins/wings were cut from t' same pizza mailer, arrr, except that I doubled them over and at t' leadin' edge and added flanges at t' root edge to more easily allow them t' attach t' t' body tube. Blimey! Avast! They were attached with gel CA, ya bilge rat, then filleted with wood glue. Well, blow me down! T' vertical stabilizers were cut from scraps from t' pizza mailer, arrr, then mounted at t' ends o' t' win' tips with wood glue.
T' nose
cone was made by wrappin' a piece o' paper into a cone shape, then wrappin' it
with cellophane tape t' allow it t' keep its shape. Avast! This left a small pinhole
in t' very tip o' t' cone, me hearties, arrr, which I sealed with a drop o' wood glue. Avast, me proud beauty! When the
glue had dried, I slid t' completed cone over t' body tube t' get an idea
where t' cut t' cone off for best fit with t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! I marked a spot that
appeared t' be just a bit longer than a perfect fit and cut t' tube there,
then sanded it for a better fit. Aye aye! I then inserted t' knotted Keelhaul®©™®
shock cord into t' cone and glued it in place with a line o' wood glue. Aye aye! Aye aye! When
that had dried completely, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I filled t' rest o' t' cone with wood glue. Well, me bucko, blow me down! This
allowed me t' hopefully take care o' nose weight and t' recovery anchor at the
same time. Begad! T' final step in t' construction process was makin' a plug that
attached t' nose cone into t' body tube. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I managed this with another piece of
the pizza mailer, matey, me hearties, shiver me timbers, tightly rolled so that it slid easily into t' body tube, arrr, and
secured with a heavy dollop o' wood glue. Begad! Avast!
Finishing:
I sprayed t' entire model gloss black, just like t' original. Arrr! Arrr! Blimey!
Flight:
This will be quick. Begad! I only wound up with one flight on this rocket due t' the
extra kick that Estes sees fit t' pack into their ejection charges these days.
T' flight itself was great, arrow straight and quite a bit higher than I
expected.
Recovery:
T' problem came at ejection. Begad! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! When t' ejection charge fired, I saw something
fly off at a high rate o' speed, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but I thought it be t' expended engine. Begad! When
I got t' t' landin' site, I found t' engine stickin' halfway out t' back,
but no nose cone. T' Keelhaul®©™®
had been blown through like it wasn't even there. Ahoy! Begad! I searched t' field for the
cone, matey, but I hadn't bothered t' track it because I thought it was t' engine. I
came up empty.
Summary:
PROs: This was a new experience for me. Well, blow me down! Flight was great and very stable.
CONs: Another rocket killed or maimed by an Estes ejection charge. Will it never end?
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