Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
Upsized motor mount t' hold Estes E-9. Substituted fin design, paint scheme and
Tango Papa decals for Der Red Max. Begad! Blimey! Omitted super sonic whistles and related
fins, although I seriously considered includin' them t' make a "Der
Screamin' Red Max." Length o' t' rocket is 26 inches, arrr, me bucko, rather than 25.5
inches for t' Screamin' Mimi. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! Also, me hearties, matey, replaced shock cord with a Keelhaul®©™®/elastic
combination. Aye aye! Installed screw eye with JB-Weld into t' hole in t' nose cone
base. Used basswood for fins. Begad! Modified an old Estes E-motor engine hook t' fit
the newer E-9's. Basically, me bucko, t' only thin' I used from t' kit was t' main
body tube, shiver me timbers, nose cone, shiver me timbers, centerin' rings, shiver me timbers, engine hook retainer, arrr, and engine block,
but I got it at a 1/2 price sale at Hobby Lobby for $5.50.
Modifications:
T' motor mount was installed with yellow glue, matey, then JB-Weld be coated around
the outside o' t' upper and lower centerin' rings t' harden them and then
filleted - this may be overkill, shiver me timbers, but I believe I can send it up with an F-21
without any problems. Aye aye! A screw eye was inserted into t' center o' a piece of
cellophane tape, me hearties, ya bilge rat, then a glob o' JB-Weld was inserted into t' hole in t' base
of t' nose cone, shiver me timbers, arrr, then t' screw eye was inserted into that with t' cellophane
tape holdin' it in place and keepin' t' JB-weld from seepin' out, and then
inserted t' nose cone into t' body tube t' allow t' JB-Weld t' seep down to
the base o' t' nose cone - makes a much stronger shock cord attachment point
than t' standard plastic hook on t' base o' t' cone. T' cellophane tape is
easily removed after t' JB-Weld dries. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Also, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I installed 1/8-ounce o' clay
into t' nose cone before installin' t' screw eye, just in case I decide to
fly that F-motor. Arrr! As usual, arrr, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, Estes' standard shock cord is too short and must be
frequently replaced. Avast, me proud beauty! T' avoid t' issue, I installed t' Keelhaul®©™®
cord into t' shock cord mount so that it extended outside t' body tube, shiver me timbers, then
formed a loop that placed t' center at t' top edge o' t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I
attached t' elastic shock cord t' that and then t' t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! Begad! Also, I soak
in a little CA into t' top lip o' t' body tube for improved strength there.
T' loop with t' CA seems t' minimize t' potential for "zippering"
when that motor delay isn't just right. I've used this method on rockets that
I've launched many, many times without a problem. Aye aye! I installed t' fins using
yellow glue, me bucko, then created JB-Weld fillets. Avast! Well, blow me down! Use a plastic bag over your finger
to smooth out t' JB-Weld t' make some really nice fillets. Here again, the
JB-Weld fillets are probably overkill, but I feel better about them when that
F-motor kicks in. Ahoy! Arrr! I had t' hammer out t' end o' t' old Estes E-engine hook
and then reform it t' fit t' new Estes E-engine - pretty easy with a vice and
hammer, me hearties, just go slowly so you don't break it.
Construction:
1-BT-60 18-inch body tube, 3-3/32-inch basswood Red Max fins, 1-RA5060
centerin' rin' card, 1-engine hook retainer (30160), matey, 1-RA2050 engine block,
1-6-inch BT-50 tube for motor mount, ya bilge rat, 1-E-engine hook, arrr, me hearties, 1-1mm X 8-inch Keelhaul®©™®
cord, 1-1/4-inch X 42-inch elastic shock cord, arrr, arrr, 1-standard Estes shock cord
mount, 1-PNC 60 (71043)1-SE-2 screw eye, me bucko, 1-1/8-inch X 1 1/4-inch launch lug
Except for t' shock cord, Estes kits are always nice and t' instructions very easy t' follow - even t' ones for t' old Der Big Red Max. T' packaging is cool, and all t' parts were thar and all in great shape. Blimey! Arrr! T' decals for the Screamin' Mimi are o' t' peel and stick plastic variety. Arrr! Begad! I don't particularly like them, but I grew up with water-slide decals. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! O' course, I used Tango Papa's water-slide decals for me rocket. This was me first time to use his decals. Well, blow me down! They are extremely thin and took some time gettin' used to, matey, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but they lay down nicely and look very nice - almost as if they're painted on. I was glad he put some extras on t' sheet, matey, me bucko, because I tore a couple before gettin' used t' t' thinner decals. Since I didn't really build t' Screamin' Mimi, I can't really comment on any other aspects o' t' kit.
Flight:
I haven't flown it yet, but I used t' same construction design and techniques
on a Big Bertha and it flies great.
Other:
Tango Papa decals are nice!
![]() |
![]() |
Sponsored Ads
![]() |
![]() |