Brief:
HPR Der Red Max, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, 2.458X upscale. Well, blow me down! 48" parachute recovery.

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

This was a fairly easy rocket t' build. Ya scallywag! It makes a good scratch project for a newbie. (like me!) Construction proceeded usin' standard HPR techniques. Blimey! I built a special shish-ka-bob rack for construction and painting. 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. Well, blow me down! Begad! Internal and external fin fillets were both 30 min. epoxy. Avast! After about 10 days o' sanding and fillin' o' t' fins and fillets, shiver me timbers, it was finally ready for primer. Avast, me proud beauty! I laid on 3 coats o' Rustoleum sandable auto primer, me bucko, sandin' in betwixt each coat. Next, I laid on 3 coats o' Krylon Banner Red Gloss. Arrr! Begad! After dryin' for 24 hrs. Well, blow me down! I masked off and painted t' black stripe around t' top on t' body tube with Krylon Gloss Black. Aye aye!

After allowin' sufficient time for t' paint t' dry, arrr, I applied t' decals. Ahoy! I had Tom Prestia o' Tango Papa decals make t' 2.458X upscale decals for me in self-adhesive vinyl. Arrr! Tom's decals are excellent! Applyin' them be easy. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! 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, ya bilge rat, and gives t' model a nice glossy coat. Blimey! Begad!

Flight:
Well, I planned t' fly this model on G-40 and G-80 motors. I smartly found out that "Big Red" be just too heavy for that. Begad! Arrr! I believe that this "heavy weight" condition is due t' t' heavier PML airframe and the fact t' DRM has HUGE fins. I also used 3/16" ply for t' fins, matey, so that did nay help either. I have nay flown this rocket yet due t' motors being unavailable. Avast! 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. Avast! This includes paint, supplies, decals, etc. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! If you just want t' fly, buy a kit - it's much cheaper. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty!
• Weight. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Blimey! If you build one based on me construction, consider usin' G-10 or 1/8 ply for t' fins.