Brief:
When he be Beta-testin' his 12" saucer line, ya bilge rat, arrr, Art graciously provided sent me several sets o' blank white shrouds for experimentation. I had recently seen an article on t' PEPP Aeroshell in an issue o' Sport Rocketry, and decided t' build somethin' similar usin' t' extra saucer components. Blimey! Before readin' this review, ya bilge rat, I suggest you first read me review on t' stock Fluorescent Green Flyin' Saucer.

Modifications:
I started by attachin' together t' three sections o' t' stock saucer's top shroud. However, ya bilge rat, I did nay form these into a cone or use them on t' Aeroshell. Instead, arrr, I laid them out on a piece o' poster paper, traced them, me bucko, and extended the shroud so that t' inner rim fit a 29mm tube. Begad! I proceeded t' build t' body of t' saucer, per t' instructions, replacin' t' top shroud with me elongated one.

I wanted t' fly t' Aeroshell on 29mm Gs, so I replaced t' stock 38mm motor tube. Because thar be nay enough extra fin stock t' make t' larger fins required due t' t' smaller motor mount, arrr, you will have t' provide your own. Ya scallywag! I used 1/8" balsa, matey, matey, but you could use 3/32 or larger plywood also. I computed the distance betwixt t' inner core o' t' saucer and t' 29mm mount, and extended t' stock fin template accordingly.

I cut a piece o' 29mm tubin' t' fit so that t' lower edge is at t' same position as t' mount on t' stock saucer, but extended it up so it would just reach t' top o' t' new shroud.

I really kludged t' nose cone so I won't go into t' details here. Ya scallywag! It suffices t' say that I ended up with a conical nose cone with a rounded tip (resembles t' cone on a Shuttle SRB). Blimey! Ideally you'd find t' angle on the shroud and get BMS t' make one. I proceeded t' attach t' nose cone, matey, build the fin can, me hearties, and install it in t' saucer. Blimey! Ahoy! I then mounted t' launch lug so that it touched t' top shroud. Blimey!

T' fit o' t' nose cone through t' top shroud wasn't good enough (my error), so I generated a smaller shroud usin' VCP and overlaid it on top. Begad! Ahoy! This filled t' gap and I figured t' extra strength wouldn't hurt. Finally, shiver me timbers, I cut a hole in t' top shroud over t' launch lug.

There be no finishin' besides I painted t' nose cone silver. Avast, me proud beauty! I did seal the shroud with clear enamel.

Construction:
One Art Applewhite Rockets 12" saucer kit

• One sheet o' poster paper
• 1/8" balsa fin stock
• One conical nosecone, me hearties, with a rounded tip

Flight:
I flew t' Aeroshell as t' first o' three back-to-back saucer flights (with the stock 38mm saucer goin' last). Begad! It flew great on a G80 (ejection charge was removed). Well, blow me down! Arrr! Since thar be no airflow through this "saucer", matey, a ball of smoke was caught in t' vacuum behind it. Avast, me proud beauty! This looked very cool and generated several comments from t' crowd. T' Aeroshell fell bottom first all t' way down, me bucko, me hearties, for a nice soft landing. Avast, me proud beauty! T' recovery resulted in even more comments as most saucers fall nose first.

Summary:
This conversion worked out nicely. Arrr! It looks unique, both statically and in flight. Ya scallywag! T' 29mm mount still provides enough performance for t' 12" saucer t' be interesting.