Brief:
This is an upscale o' t' classic Estes kit, ya bilge rat, t' USS Andromeda.

Construction:

• 4" Tubes: LOC Kraft
• 3" Tubes: PML Phenolic
• "Conduit Dowels": 74" 1/2" Oak Dowels
• "Conduit Stand-Offs": 3/8" 7 ply bud Nosen
• Main Fins: 1/2" 12 ply
• "Ram Tube" fins: 3/8" 7 ply Bud Nosen
• Ram Tubes: 4" LOC Kraft
• Small outboard fins: 1/4" 5 ply Bud Nosen

I didn't do a very good job documentin' t' construction. Arrr! I didn't think of it until I was deep into t' project. Ya scallywag! I downloaded t' original plans from Jim Z. Aye aye! There was a problem with t' scale when designin' t' parts. Avast, me proud beauty! T' 4" tubin' scaled out t' 4.16x while t' 3" tubin' scaled t' 4.10x. Avast, me proud beauty! Most of the rocket was designed usin' t' 4.16x scale. Some o' t' parts had t' be 4.10x while I compromised in some places usin' 4.13x. Avast, me proud beauty! This kept t' whole package as proportionally close t' t' original as possible. Ya scallywag!

I waited until t' last possible moment t' chose t' motor size. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I even painted most o' it before choosing. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' reason for this be weight. Avast, me proud beauty! I wanted to know t' exact weight o' t' finished rocket. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! T' large fins will experience a great deal o' torque durin' t' initial thrust. Avast! I wanted t' choose a motor that would have enough power for a safe flight, but nay so much that t' g force would tear it apart. Avast, me proud beauty! Each step o' t' way me thoughts were t' keep it as light as possible without sacrificin' strength. Ahoy!

It be a challenge makin' t' main fins. Ellipses can be hard t' upscale without pluggin' multiple coordinates into a CAD program. T' guys in the engineerin' department have been busy, arrr, me bucko, matey, so I opted for an easier way out. I printed t' plans from Jim Z onto clear overhead projector paper. Ahoy! I measured the root o' t' fin and placed that dimension on a piece o' draftin' paper. I then projected t' image onto t' draftin' paper so that it lined up with the upscale dimension on t' paper. Begad! T' projector was squared and leveled several times. Avast! I then simply traced t' projected image onto t' paper, me bucko, cut it out, and traced it onto t' wood. Ahoy! Ya scallywag!

T' three rings on t' fin can act like exterior centerin' rings. Countin' these, arrr, matey, t' main fins are mortised with 7 centerin' rings. T' 3" tube goes all t' way t' t' bottom so thar is only 1/2" o' fin "through t' wall". I tried t' compensate by ID fillets & epoxy rivets. Ahoy! T' entire ID o' t' 4" tube is coated with epoxy and t' CR/fin joints have 1/4" o' epoxy poured on them, all sides. All epoxy betwixt t' 4" and 3" tubes are 2 hour slow cure. Arrr! In all, the fins are attached with 9 oz o' 2 hour epoxy. Arrr! Begad! Another bit o' security was several (probably 30 or 40 in each fin) 1/4" deep 1/16" holes drilled into t' fin roots t' act as epoxy rivets. Begad! Well, blow me down!

T' small outboard fins are attached with four 2 1/2" long 1/8" diameter oak pins. Begad! Each pin goes through t' main fin and into each fin 1". Begad! 2 hour epoxy here too. Begad! Again, arrr, another bit o' security be several 1/8" deep 1/16 holes drilled into t' fin roots t' act as epoxy rivets. Begad!

T' conduit dowels were secured t' t' main fins with a kind o' mortise and tennon thing. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' depth o' t' mortise is about 1 /1/2". Avast, me proud beauty!

I just had t' throw this in for good measure: Nay countin' any internal fillets, me hearties, me bucko, matey, t' total length o' t' fillets on this puppy is 41.6 feet.

Finishing:
Finishin' t' rocket was one o' the more difficult tasks. Ya scallywag! T' majority o' t' "decals" were made form Super Monokote. Ya scallywag! Jim Z made some upscale "paint masks" for me. Avast! At first, I tried t' rubber cement/paint mask thing. What a disaster! T' paint bled like a stuck pig. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! So I 86'd t' paint mask idea and cut out t' decals with orange Monokote underneath. Ahoy! T' white was done t' same way but I used sticker material. Well, blow me down! T' paint be Rustoleum satin black. Well, blow me down!

T' three "coolin' rings" were painted white in t' '75 & '76 Estes catalogue. Begad! Begad! They were painted black in t' '77 through '82 catalogues. Well, blow me down! I opted t' paint them white t' add contrast in t' area.

Flight:
Well, ya bilge rat, I sent t' Andromeda up on a J350. Ahoy! It left t' pad with authority and flew perfect. Begad! It arched over at apogee and t' deployment came out perfectly timed. Aye aye!

Recovery:
Wait... Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Blimey! What's this? T' chute is tangled! Blimey! T' darn thin' backward slid all the way in at a pretty good clip. Begad! (That's what 16 pound rockets do ya know.) It hit the ground with a thud. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Nay pretty. Begad! Blimey! With me heart stopped, matey, and me stomach in my throat, I told me self "its only a rocket, me hearties, right?" I am in the process o' rebuildin' it right now and should have it ready t' fly again at the May 11 NEPRA launch. Avast!

Summary:
Wow! Blimey! this was much more work then I had anticipated.

Other:
Upscalin' old Estes kits is a great way t' build HPR and remember your youth at the same time. Here is a video. Begad! It's a bit big at 2.3 megabytes.