Brief:
This is an upscale o' t' classic Estes kit, me hearties, t' USS Andromeda.

Construction:

• 4" Tubes: LOC Kraft
• 3" Tubes: PML Phenolic
• "Conduit Dowels": 74" 1/2" Oak Dowels
• "Conduit Stand-Offs": 3/8" 7 ply bud Nosen
• Main Fins: 1/2" 12 ply
• "Ram Tube" fins: 3/8" 7 ply Bud Nosen
• Ram Tubes: 4" LOC Kraft
• Small outboard fins: 1/4" 5 ply Bud Nosen

I didn't do a very good job documentin' t' construction. Avast, me proud beauty! I didn't think of it until I was deep into t' project. Ahoy! I downloaded t' original plans from Jim Z. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! There be a problem with t' scale when designin' t' parts. T' 4" tubin' scaled out t' 4.16x while t' 3" tubin' scaled t' 4.10x. Begad! Ahoy! Most of the rocket was designed usin' t' 4.16x scale. Some o' t' parts had t' be 4.10x while I compromised in some places usin' 4.13x. Ahoy! This kept t' whole package as proportionally close t' t' original as possible. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag!

I waited until t' last possible moment t' chose t' motor size. I even painted most o' it before choosing. Avast! T' reason for this was weight. Well, blow me down! I wanted to know t' exact weight o' t' finished rocket. Ahoy! Begad! T' large fins will experience a great deal o' torque durin' t' initial thrust. Well, blow me down! I wanted t' choose a motor that would have enough power for a safe flight, ya bilge rat, but nay so much that t' g force would tear it apart. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Each step o' t' way me thoughts were t' keep it as light as possible without sacrificin' strength. Ahoy!

It be a challenge makin' t' main fins. Ahoy! Ellipses can be hard t' upscale without pluggin' multiple coordinates into a CAD program. Blimey! T' guys in the engineerin' department have been busy, so I opted for an easier way out. Arrr! Blimey! I printed t' plans from Jim Z onto clear overhead projector paper. Aye aye! I measured the root o' t' fin and placed that dimension on a piece o' draftin' paper. Well, blow me down! I then projected t' image onto t' draftin' paper so that it lined up with the upscale dimension on t' paper. Aye aye! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' projector was squared and leveled several times. Well, blow me down! I then simply traced t' projected image onto t' paper, shiver me timbers, cut it out, and traced it onto t' wood. Ahoy! Ya scallywag!

T' three rings on t' fin can act like exterior centerin' rings. Begad! Countin' these, shiver me timbers, matey, shiver me timbers, t' main fins are mortised with 7 centerin' rings. Aye aye! T' 3" tube goes all t' way t' t' bottom so thar is only 1/2" o' fin "through t' wall". Aye aye! I tried t' compensate by ID fillets & epoxy rivets. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' entire ID o' t' 4" tube is coated with epoxy and t' CR/fin joints have 1/4" o' epoxy poured on them, all sides. All epoxy betwixt t' 4" and 3" tubes are 2 hour slow cure. Avast, me proud beauty! In all, the fins are attached with 9 oz o' 2 hour epoxy. Well, blow me down! Another bit o' security was several (probably 30 or 40 in each fin) 1/4" deep 1/16" holes drilled into t' fin roots t' act as epoxy rivets. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' small outboard fins are attached with four 2 1/2" long 1/8" diameter oak pins. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Each pin goes through t' main fin and into each fin 1". Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 2 hour epoxy here too. Begad! Again, me hearties, another bit o' security be several 1/8" deep 1/16 holes drilled into t' fin roots t' act as epoxy rivets. Blimey!

T' conduit dowels were secured t' t' main fins with a kind o' mortise and tennon thing. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' depth o' t' mortise is about 1 /1/2". Avast!

I just had t' throw this in for good measure: Nay countin' any internal fillets, t' total length o' t' fillets on this puppy is 41.6 feet. Arrr! Well, blow me down!

Finishing:
Finishin' t' rocket be one o' the more difficult tasks. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' majority o' t' "decals" were made form Super Monokote. Begad! Blimey! Jim Z made some upscale "paint masks" for me. Aye aye! Blimey! At first, ya bilge rat, I tried t' rubber cement/paint mask thing. Begad! Blimey! What a disaster! Blimey! T' paint bled like a stuck pig. So I 86'd t' paint mask idea and cut out t' decals with orange Monokote underneath. T' white be done t' same way but I used sticker material. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' paint be Rustoleum satin black. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey!

T' three "coolin' rings" were painted white in t' '75 & '76 Estes catalogue. Aye aye! They were painted black in t' '77 through '82 catalogues. Begad! I opted t' paint them white t' add contrast in t' area. Arrr! Ya scallywag!

Flight:
Well, I sent t' Andromeda up on a J350. Begad! Blimey! It left t' pad with authority and flew perfect. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! It arched over at apogee and t' deployment came out perfectly timed.

Recovery:
Wait... Blimey! Blimey! What's this? T' chute is tangled! Blimey! T' darn thin' backward slid all the way in at a pretty good clip. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! (That's what 16 pound rockets do ya know.) It hit the ground with a thud. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! Nay pretty. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! With me heart stopped, shiver me timbers, and me stomach in my throat, ya bilge rat, I told me self "its only a rocket, matey, right?" I am in the process o' rebuildin' it right now and should have it ready t' fly again at the May 11 NEPRA launch.

Summary:
Wow! this was much more work then I had anticipated.

Other:
Upscalin' old Estes kits is a great way t' build HPR and remember your youth at the same time. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! Here is a video. It's a bit big at 2.3 megabytes.