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

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

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

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

Flight:
Well, matey, I planned t' fly this model on G-40 and G-80 motors. Aye aye! Well, arrr, blow me down! I smartly found out that "Big Red" be just too heavy for that. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! 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, me hearties, so that did nay help either. Begad! I have nay flown this rocket yet due t' motors being unavailable. Begad! Ahoy! I plan t' fly it on a H-128 with 4 sec delay.

Summary:
Pros:

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

Cons:

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