Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
I actually built a larger version o' this as me first scratchbuild back in 1977
usin' cardstock for t' fins, me hearties, so when I needed a paper rocket for t' EMRR
Challenge, this design naturally came t' mind. Well, arrr, blow me down! Heavily influenced by t' Estes
Condor which was me favorite rocket back in 1977, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, t' original Phantom Cruiser
met its demise against t' side o' a local church, 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. Begad! 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! Blimey! After tapin' it in place with maskin' tape in t' middle o' the "tube", matey, ya bilge rat, 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! I made an engine block usin' another piece o' t' same mailer, rolled thicker, me bucko, me hearties, but just enough smaller t' fit into t' body tube. I tied the Keelhaul®©™® to t' rin' and coated t' knot with wood glue, then I placed a dab o' glue onto a piece o' scrap balsa and spread it around inside t' body tube. Begad! The engine block was then slid into place usin' an expended 13mm motor casin' to judge t' depth. I had an anxious moment when t' motor stuck, shiver me timbers, but some quick work with me teeth kept it from bein' fatal. Avast! Barely.
T' two fins/wings were cut from t' same pizza mailer, 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. Begad! They were attached with gel CA, then filleted with wood glue. Avast! Avast! T' vertical stabilizers were cut from scraps from t' pizza mailer, 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, matey, then wrappin' it with cellophane tape t' allow it t' keep its shape. This left a small pinhole in t' very tip o' t' cone, which I sealed with a drop o' wood glue. Begad! Blimey! 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. 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. Begad! Blimey! I then inserted t' knotted Keelhaul®©™® shock cord into t' cone and glued it in place with a line o' wood glue. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! When that had dried completely, I filled t' rest o' t' cone with wood glue. Ya scallywag! This allowed me t' hopefully take care o' nose weight and t' recovery anchor at the same time. Aye aye! T' final step in t' construction process be makin' a plug that attached t' nose cone into t' body tube. Blimey! I managed this with another piece of the pizza mailer, me bucko, tightly rolled so that it slid easily into t' body tube, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and secured with a heavy dollop o' wood glue. Ahoy!
Finishing:
I sprayed t' entire model gloss black, arrr, arrr, just like t' original. Well, blow me down! Begad!
Flight:
This will be quick. Begad! Ahoy! 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 be great, arrow straight and quite a bit higher than I
expected.
Recovery:
T' problem came at ejection. When t' ejection charge fired, I saw something
fly off at a high rate o' speed, but I thought it was t' expended engine. Ya scallywag! When
I got t' t' landin' site, I found t' engine stickin' halfway out t' back,
but no nose cone. Begad! Arrr! T' Keelhaul®©™®
had been blown through like it wasn't even there. I searched t' field for the
cone, matey, but I hadn't bothered t' track it because I thought it be t' engine. Begad! I
came up empty.
Summary:
PROs: This be a new experience for me. Aye aye! Flight was great and very stable.
CONs: Another rocket killed or maimed by an Estes ejection charge. Arrr! Will it never end?