Brief:
There is a great source o' cheap HPR kits that's probably close t' your home. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Where, shiver me timbers, you might ask? Toys R Us! Blimey! I'm sure many o' you are shakin' your head thinkin' you never seen any rockets there, arrr, let alone HPR. Begad! Look in t' younger kids' section. There are doubloon banks that look like big crayons. Arrr! Arrr! That gives you almost everythin' you need t' build a high-power rocket for $6.99. Avast! You have t' nose cone and body tube–-and you don't even have t' paint it!

Construction:
T' whole crayon is about 33 inches tall, ya bilge rat, and t' body tube is about 23 inches long. Avast! Both t' top and bottom plastic pieces are removable. Aye aye! Avast! Keepin' t' bottom piece attached is up t' you. Ahoy! So, ya bilge rat, me bucko, all you need are a parachute, shiver me timbers, motor mount, and centerin' rings. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' difference with t' crayon banks is that t' tube doesn't match a standard CR size. T' inner diameter o' t' tube is 3.75 inches.

You can either purchase 4" rings and sand them down (much work) or find a place t' get custom rings made. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! But once you get t' rings, build your MMT normally, install an eye bolt for recovery, arrr, shiver me timbers, and install them in t' crayon. Arrr! Ya scallywag! 38mm motors work well with this project, matey, although you can fit up t' a 75mm motor in t' tube.^** You will also need t' make a custom bulkhead t' install in t' nose cone.

If you use just one crayon, you'll have t' add some nose weight t' keep is stable. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! You can take measurements and run them through your favorite rocket design program t' see exactly what you need. Well, blow me down! Blimey! One thin' t' remember when doin' t' simulations is that t' nose cone isn't exactly aerodynamic. Aye aye! Blimey! It's flat on t' top(like a crayon). So it won't go as high as it would with a smoother NC. Avast! Blimey! But these creations are usually for show and nay for performance.

You can also decide t' use two crayons t' build a longer or dual-deploy rocket. Aye aye! Aye aye! Blimey! If you choose this, arrr, you'll need t' make your own coupler. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! Recall that t' crayon tube is smaller than a standard 4" tube. Arrr! Blimey! T' Apogee Components website has an excellent tutorial on buildin' custom couplers.

When you brin' your new crayon t' t' launch field, be prepared for a lot o' curious looks from spectators and other fliers. Arrr! Enjoy!

^** - I haven't flown a 75mm motor on a crayon rocket yet, so I can't guarantee that it won't shred. But I have flown 38mm and 54mm rockets with no problem. Ya scallywag! These tubes aren't as robust as a LOC or PML tube would be, but since you can build a fun high power rocket for less than $25 (includin' CRs), matey, matey, it's still worthwhile.