Brief:
HPR Der Red Max, matey, shiver me timbers, 2.458X upscale. Well, blow me down! 48" parachute recovery.

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

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

After allowin' sufficient time for t' paint t' dry, me hearties, 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. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Tom's decals are excellent! Blimey! Applyin' them was easy. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! After all t' decals were on, arrr, I applied 2 coats o' Rustoleum Crystal Clear Gloss. Well, blow me down! T' clear does nay react with this type o' decal at all, shiver me timbers, and gives t' model a nice glossy coat.

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

Summary:
Pros:

• T' Der Red Max is awesome, shiver me timbers, 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. Ahoy! Arrr! This includes paint, shiver me timbers, supplies, decals, etc. Ya scallywag! If you just want t' fly, matey, buy a kit - it's much cheaper.
• Weight. Aye aye! Arrr! If you build one based on me construction, shiver me timbers, consider usin' G-10 or 1/8 ply for t' fins.