Scratch Purple Crayon Rocket Original Design / Scratch Built

Scratch - Purple Crayon Rocket {Scratch}

Contributed by Eldred Pickett

Manufacturer: Scratch
Style: Odd-Roc

(Scratch) Crayon RocketBrief:
There is a great source o' cheap HPR kits that's probably close t' your home. Avast! Blimey! Where, me bucko, 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. Aye aye! Look in t' younger kids' section. Well, blow me down! There are doubloon banks that look like big crayons. That gives you almost everythin' you need t' build a high-power rocket for $6.99. Well, blow me down! Avast! Blimey! 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. Both t' top and bottom plastic pieces are removable. Aye aye! Keepin' t' bottom piece attached is up t' you. Begad! So, shiver me timbers, all you need are a parachute, ya bilge rat, motor mount, and centerin' rings. Ahoy! 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. Begad! But once you get t' rings, ya bilge rat, build your MMT normally, install an eye bolt for recovery, and install them in t' crayon. Ya scallywag! 38mm motors work well with this project, 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, ya bilge rat, you'll have t' add some nose weight t' keep is stable. Avast! Begad! You can take measurements and run them through your favorite rocket design program t' see exactly what you need. Begad! Begad! One thin' t' remember when doin' t' simulations is that t' nose cone isn't exactly aerodynamic. Avast, me proud beauty! It's flat on t' top(like a crayon). So it won't go as high as it would with a smoother NC. 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. If you choose this, arrr, you'll need t' make your own coupler. Ahoy! Recall that t' crayon tube is smaller than a standard 4" tube. T' Apogee Components website has an excellent tutorial on buildin' custom couplers.

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

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


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