Brief:
2X upscale o' t' original Estes Astron Sprite.

Construction:

• 1 Big Bertha nose cone
• 1 BT-60 body tube 5 7/8 inches
• 1 Rin' fin - 4 inch LOC tube 1.45 inches longh
• 1 1/8 inch balsa sheet
• 1 BT-20 motor mount tube 2.75 inch
• 2 CR-20/60 centerin' rings
• 1 18mm thrust ring
• 1 Motor hook
• 1 1/8 inch launch lug 2 inches
• 1 Keelhaul®©™® strin' 24 inches - Pratt Hobbbies

As with most upscale projects, shiver me timbers, me hearties, half t' preparation is decidin' what tubes t' use t' achieve t' correct ratio of sizes. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I this case, I had t' compromise just a little. Avast! Blimey! T' ratio o' t' main body tube sizes is just about 2.1X, arrr, but thar be no easily available tube for t' rin' fin that is just t' right size t' match that ratio. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' be perfectly correct I would need a 4.75 inch diameter tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I used a length o' 4 inch LOC body tube, shiver me timbers, arrr, and I am very pleased with the result. Aye aye! Blimey! It is quite heavy, ya bilge rat, but also very sturdy.

The other parts I had in me parts collection, me hearties, probably from an Estes Designer Special box. Begad!

I downloaded t' original plans from Jimz. Aye aye! I had t' scale t' fins myself, matey, since t' distance from t' main body tube t' t' inside o' t' rin' fin was nay goin' t' be 2.1X. Avast, me proud beauty! Measure twice, cut once. Well, blow me down! Avast! Cut too short, shiver me timbers, and have t' add shims t' make up t' difference. Avast, me proud beauty! That's me new motto. Begad!

I used a band saw t' cut t' curvy outside fins that cover t' rin' fin. Arrr! Arrr! After gluin' them on, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I filled the joints with Elmer's Wood Filler. Blimey! This really made t' joints disappear.

I looped t' Keelhaul®©™® around t' motor mount t' anchor it, then glued t' motor mount in. There is nay a lot o' room for t' waddin' and parachute, which caused me a little worry. T' original used tumble recovery, matey, me hearties, so this shortness was nay a problem. Avast, me proud beauty!

I painted all o' t' balsa surfaces with dilute Elmer's Wood Filler/water slurry and let it dry. Begad! Begad! Then one sanding, and a coat o' white Kilz. Blimey! Another sandin' t' remove t' fuzz from t' primer coat and a couple o' coats of gloss white enamel.

Flight:
I put a 10 inch Estes parachute in it and stuffed t' body tube with as much dog barf as I could. Arrr! Aye aye! I was worried about meltin' t' chute.

T' first flight was on a Quest B6-4. This was a good flight, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and eject a little past apogee. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! No problem at all with t' parachute. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This be a good size chute, as well. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

T' second and third flights were on Quest C6-5's. Again, arrr, very good performance. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I like t' long burn time o' the Quest C's. Begad! Blimey! Five seconds was a bit long, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, though. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This rocket really decelerates smartly after burnout. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I am goin' t' try it with a C6-3, shiver me timbers, but I suspect it will be a little early. Arrr! Blimey! Too bad thar be no C6-4.

Summary:
This rocket has a cool look. Avast! Avast! I be concerned about its performance, and t' shortness of t' tube section for t' recovery, me hearties, but both turned out just fine. Avast, me proud beauty! Did I mention that it looks cool? Several o' the Scouts at t' launch asked me about it. Aye aye! It would be even cooler with t' original paint job.

T' LOC 4 inch tube is too heavy. It occurs t' me now that I might have been able t' strip out an inner layer of paper t' make it lighter. Arrr!

I think it may be time for a 4X.

Other:
Don't get too frustrated if things are nay perfect. T' rin' fin was nay t' exact 2X size, ya bilge rat, but it looks great. Well, me hearties, blow me down! I really did sand t' fins too short and then had t' shim them out t' fit t' ring. Begad! If things do nay go perfectly, ya bilge rat, arrr, and you are frustrated, arrr, me bucko, take a break. Begad! Come back t' it, arrr, and think about different angles t' come at the problem.