Brief:
HPR Der Red Max, 2.458X upscale. Arrr! 48" parachute recovery.

Construction:
All materials are PML. Begad! I used 4" Quantum tubing, me bucko, cut and slotted for me by PML. Avast, me proud beauty! T' body tube was cut t' 20.8 inches, shiver me timbers, me hearties, while t' fin slots were 4.6 inches long, arrr, me hearties, 3/8" from t' end o' t' tube. Well, blow me down! T' fins and centerin' rings were made from 3/16" ply. Avast! T' fins were fiberglassed for extra strength. The rocket has a 29mm phenolic motor tube that be cut t' 12". Arrr! A PML motor retainer be also used. Ahoy! T' nosecone is a PML PNC 3.9. Recovery is via 12' of tubular nylon with a 48" PML parachute.

This was a fairly easy rocket t' build. Avast! Ahoy! It makes a good scratch project for a newbie. Ya scallywag! (like me!) Construction proceeded usin' standard HPR techniques. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! I built a special shish-ka-bob rack for construction and painting. Well, blow me down! Avast! This rack allowed me t' work t' fin fillets without havin' t' fuss about t' position of the rocket. Ahoy! Aye aye! I could rotate t' rocket anyway I needed t' have it. Internal and external fin fillets were both 30 min. epoxy. Avast! After about 10 days o' sanding and fillin' o' t' fins and fillets, it was finally ready for primer. I laid on 3 coats o' Rustoleum sandable auto primer, sandin' in betwixt each coat. Avast, me proud beauty! Next, I laid on 3 coats o' Krylon Banner Red Gloss. Well, blow me down! After dryin' for 24 hrs. I masked off and painted t' black stripe around t' top on t' body tube with Krylon Gloss Black.

After allowin' sufficient time for t' paint t' dry, arrr, me bucko, I applied t' decals. Avast, me proud beauty! I had Tom Prestia o' Tango Papa decals make t' 2.458X upscale decals for me in self-adhesive vinyl. Begad! Tom's decals are excellent! Blimey! Applyin' them be easy. Well, blow me down! Blimey! After all t' decals were on, shiver me timbers, I applied 2 coats o' Rustoleum Crystal Clear Gloss. T' clear does nay react with this type o' decal at all, and gives t' model a nice glossy coat.

Flight:
Well, shiver me timbers, I planned t' fly this model on G-40 and G-80 motors. Avast! Arrr! I smartly found out that "Big Red" was just too heavy for that. I believe that this "heavy weight" condition is due t' t' heavier PML airframe and the fact t' DRM has HUGE fins. Begad! I also used 3/16" ply for t' fins, ya bilge rat, so that did nay help either. Arrr! I have nay flown this rocket yet due t' motors being unavailable. I plan t' fly it on a H-128 with 4 sec delay.

Summary:
Pros:

• T' Der Red Max is awesome, no doubt about it!
• While upscalin' one o' these beauties is nay a terribly original idea, not everyone has one either!

Cons:

• Cost! I spent about $195.00 total buildin' this model. Begad! Blimey! This includes paint, matey, me bucko, supplies, decals, ya bilge rat, etc. Blimey! If you just want t' fly, buy a kit - it's much cheaper. Well, blow me down!
• Weight. Ahoy! Blimey! If you build one based on me construction, consider usin' G-10 or 1/8 ply for t' fins.