Brief:
Another classic Estes rocket form t' 70's that I upscaled 168%. I had the original plans from when I built this kit over 25 years ago but nay t' fin patterns. I downloaded those from JimZ's web site and started scaling.

Construction:
T' model is built pretty much like any other large model rocket. Arrr! All t' body tubes are Estes BT-60 size with t' motor mount tube a BT-50 for 24mm motors. Fins are made from 1/8" balsa sheet stock and cut from t' enlarged patterns. Avast! Centerin' rings are standard Estes heavy duty rings. Blimey! Avast!

T' nose cone be t' most unique feature and probably t' most time consumin' t' make. Avast! I started out by havin' BMS make a semi-custom cone o' an upscaled BNC-50Y. Avast! Arrr! T' side bulges were made usin' 2" blue foam insulation that you can get at any Lowes or Home Depot. Avast! Arrr! T' basic shape be rough cut on the bandsaw. Arrr! I then roughed out t' concave portion that would fit against the nose cone. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I wrapped a sheet o' 80 grit sandpaper around t' cone then started sandin' t' pods t' fit. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! This is a messy process with lots o' foam dust everywhere. Arrr! Once I had t' fit t' t' nose cone set I worked on shapin' the outer moldline. Avast! Well, arrr, blow me down! When I had t' shapes finished t' way I liked I glued them to the nose cone then filled in t' joints with light weight spackle compound. Everythin' be filled and faired in. T' final step was t' glass t' entire nose cone assembly.

I used standard finishin' resin and 3/4oz glass cloth. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! When t' resin was fully cured I filled t' weave on t' cloth with lightweight spackle and sanded it smooth. It was then ready for prime and paint.

T' model be painted usin' regular Krylon paints. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Gloss black and lemon yellow. Begad! Blimey! You need t' mask t' upper portion where t' decal goes for t' yellow. I used an enlarged printout o' t' decal from t' .jpg file on JimZ's site. Well, blow me down! Blimey! The actual decals were made by Tom Prestia at Tango Papa. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' strange looking pattern on t' nose section o' t' rocket is one big decal and you need t' use a lot o' care when applyin' it. Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! It's very easy for things t' get away from you so take your time and have plenty o' water on hand. Begad! Blimey! I painted t' inside o' the 'plasma tubes' fluorescent orange first after primin' then masked them off and painted t' rest o' t' rocket. After t' decals were applied and allowed to dry I shot t' entire model with Krylon clear. Arrr! Blimey!

Flight:
T' model is intended t' fly on Estes D12-5's. Avast! With a D12-5 it will go plenty high (around 675') and is just right for t' park we fly at. Well, blow me down! T' parachute is a standard Estes 24" 'chute with a 48" long, 1/4" wide, me bucko, ribbed fabric elastic shock cord. T' shock cord is mounted usin' a typical Estes type SCM. Ahoy! Prep for launch is no different than any other modroc. Well, blow me down! I use 'dog barf' type waddin' and since thar be no need for a stuffer tube on this rocket I pack it right down t' t' motor mount. Aye aye!

First flight was on a nice, me bucko, calm Sunday morning. T' rocket was prepped, placed on t' pad and t' obligatory pictures taken. Arrr! Arrr! T' boost be very straight and thar was no spin at all. Arrr! Avast! T' ejection went off at just past apogee; perfect. T' 24" 'chute gently lowered t' Alien Invader t' the ground with no damage at all. Arrr! Begad! me bucko was worried t' dowels that extend aft of t' 'plasma tubes' might get damaged but t' nice descent rate proved no need t' worry about that. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Subsequent flight were repeats o' t' first.

Summary:
This rocket makes a nice addition t' me upscale fleet o' Estes classics which include t' Mars Snooper, Mars Lander, Orbital Transport, USS Atlantis and even t' Super Vega. With t' exception o' t' nose cone it's a very straightforward and easy rocket t' build. I think after upscalin' it flies even better then t' original.