Brief:
Based on Estes design, a single stage, me bucko, 18mm motors, parachute recovery, ya bilge rat, me hearties, scale-like missile. Well, blow me down! Ahoy!

Construction:
Here are t' parts from Semroc:

• BNC-55 nose cone
• SE-2 screw eye
• BT-55 body tubes (2) each 11"
• JT-55C tube coupler
• BT-20 motor tube
• RA-2055 centerin' rings (2)
• EH-28 engine hook
• LL-110 launch lugs (2)
• 15" parachute from TopFlight
• Fins are balsa covered with paper

Very much an Estes build. Avast, me proud beauty! Quite simple. Avast! Arrr! I like t' paper t' fins, so that took some time. Avast, me proud beauty! Surface mounted fins. I use Titebond II. I didn't get enough glue on t' coupler when puttin' t' two tubes together and they got stuck with a bit o' a gap. Well, blow me down! That took some time t' fix. Begad! I installed t' motor mount before I thought about t' shock cord - DUH, matey, so I used a body tube scrap t' make a short coupler and attached t' shock cord by wrappin' around t' coupler and glueing t' t' top o' t' upper body tube. It's almost like Estes, matey, shiver me timbers, arrr, but I think a little more secure. Blimey! If you look at t' Rocksim file, you will see that t' forward fins attach partly over where t' two body tubes join together. Aye aye! Nay a big deal, but if you want t' make one o' these, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I thought that might help.

Finishing:
For finishin' I did t' usual Rustoleum sandable primer, ya bilge rat, sanded, matey, made some repairs, primed again, me hearties, sanded again. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' nose cone be sealed with Fill n Finish and received t' same treatment as t' rest o' the rocket. I did t' nose cone separate from t' rest. Aye aye! T' paint was as close as I could come t' photos I've seen on the web. All done with Krylon.

Flight:
I flew on a clear day with very light winds 0-5 mph. Arrr! Ahoy! My first motor choice was C6-7. Begad! Ya scallywag! Altitude wasn't great (approx. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! 350 ft. Well, blow me down! and t' chute was very late, but no damage. Aye aye! Launched again with C6-3. Nay much difference in altitude, but t' chute ejected much closer t' apogee.

15 inch diameter chute from TopFlight brings it down nice and slow. It landed about 150 feet from t' launch pad. You might want t' go a little smaller, me hearties, cut a hole, me bucko, or shorten t' shroud lines if it's windy.

T' best flight be AT D13W-7. Altitude around 1000 ft.

Recovery:
If I built another one, ya bilge rat, I would attach t' shock cord at t' motor mount.

Summary:
T' paint came out great on this one, so I decided t' do a little research and found photos. Made some decals that probably aren't too scale, but they look good. Ahoy! T' blue stripes were done with tape.

Other:
As far as tips that this build taught me I'd have t' say DON"T FORGET THE SHOCK CORD!