I had a pack o' BT-56 tubes, matey, and no idea o' what t' do with them. Aye aye! I didn't even have a nosecone to fit. One day while lookin' at them, arrr, tryin' t' figure out how I could get rid of the things, I started playin' with t' idea o' buildin' a Mean Machine clone. Well, shiver me timbers, arrr, me bucko, one thin' led t' another, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and instead I decided t' do a long tube finned rocket. Begad! Well, blow me down! Since t' body tubes are 18" long, by cuttin' one into 3" pieces, arrr, I'd use t' entire package up and add another tube fin bird t' our fleet. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! This one is D-powered, me hearties, t' go along with our mini-engined Finite Loop and the regular sized Groove Tube clone. Well, blow me down!

 If you've never built a tube fin rocket, you will be amazed at how easy and smartly you can do it. T' Empress does add t' complexity o' mid-body separation, an ejection baffle, and a boattail. Avast, me proud beauty! T' make this a true beginners level project, ignore t' boattail and baffle, shiver me timbers, and use regular nose-cone separation. Aye aye! Well, blow me down!

 Why use t' "optional" stuff?

 Well, t' boattail will allow t' rocket t' go higher. Begad! There's a whole lot o' complicated mathematical formulas that explain why in aerodynamic terms, but it's all pretty much beyond me. Begad! Ya scallywag! Besides, arrr, I like t' way they look. Ahoy! Avast!

 T' ejection baffle eliminates t' need for recovery wadding. I don't entirely trust them, and usually wrap t' chute in one square o' wadding anyway, me hearties, just t' be sure. Avast, me proud beauty!

 Mid-body separation means that instead o' blowin' t' nosecone off, the body itself comes apart, matey, releasin' t' recovery system. Ahoy! T' main advantage for this rocket is that I don't have t' haul around this loooooooong rocket in the car. Blimey! It breaks into two shorter sections. Well, blow me down!

 Yellow glue is plenty strong enough for this rocket. I used Elmer's Fill'n'Finish for fillets betwixt t' tube fins and t' smooth the boattail. Well, blow me down!

2. Avast! Blimey! Ejection Baffle. Begad! Blimey! Take one o' t' BT-56 couplers, and cut a disk from balsa or thin cardboard, one for each end (See the diagram below). Ahoy! Blimey! Glue it together and let dry.

hint: if you use thin cardboard, try sandwichin' 2 layers together and soak them in CA (superglue) t' toughen them up. Avast, me proud beauty! Coat Balsa with yellow glue t' add stiffness. Avast!

 3. Ahoy! Aye aye! Mid-body separation coupler. Ya scallywag! Cut a disk from balsa or cardboard and glue it into one end o' t' second coupler. Don't put any holes in this one, it's a solid bulkhead. Begad! See t' hint in step 1 about how t' strengthen it easily. 

4. Aye aye! Blimey! Tube fins. Cut one o' t' BT-56 tubes into six 3" long sections. Glue pairs together so you have three pairs, arrr, let dry. 

5. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Assemble t' motor mount. Well, blow me down! Blimey! If you are usin' t' boattail, t' rearmost centerin' rin' goes 1 1/8" from t' end, shiver me timbers, otherwise follow t' motor mount instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! See t' diagrams below for an idea o' what this should look like. Let it dry. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

With Boattail                                  Without Boattail

6. Begad! Ya scallywag! Mark t' body tube 1" from t' end where you'll be installin' the motor mount. Ahoy! Avast!

 7. Arrr! Glue t' motor mount from step 5 into t' body tube. Ya scallywag! Arrr! T' rearmost centerin' rin' should be slightly inset from t' aft o' t' body tube.

 8. Boattail. Cut t' appropriate sized shroud pattern from an Estes transition pattern sheet (available from Estes or at Jim Z's site). Avast, me proud beauty! Or print one usin' VCP or other software. Arrr! T' completed boattail should be 1" long, with one end t' diameter o' t' BT-56, t' other end BT-50. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Glue it into shape, matey, and when dry glue it into place. Ahoy! You can use thin CA or yellow glue to strengthen it. Blimey! I used a little Fill'n'Finish t' smooth t' glue joints and the seemingly inevitable minor wrinkles. Ahoy! Ahoy! You may need t' cut a slight notch for the motor hook, me bucko, use an X-acto for this. Begad! Arrr!

 9. Aye aye! Glue t' pairs o' tube fins around t' body on t' 1" line you marked in step 6. Blimey!

 10. Avast, me proud beauty! Install t' baffle. Avast! Glue t' baffle into t' aft body tube. Well, blow me down! Make sure it gets in thar at least 3 or 4 inches. 

11. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Install t' mid-body separation bulkhead. Arrr! Avast! Glue it halfway into t' front body tube, me bucko, arrr, me bucko, with t' solid end closest t' t' nosecone. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! This be t' coupler that holds t' two body tubes together!!! Make sure you glue it in straight. Well, blow me down!

 12. Shock cord mounts. Avast, me proud beauty! I used t' Estes paper-sandwich type. Begad! Glue one onto both ends o' t' 40" long elastic, ya bilge rat, and another onto t' 12" long elastic. Ya scallywag! Three total.

 13. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Install t' shock cords. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Glue one end o' t' 40" shock cord into t' bulkhead coupler, and t' other end into t' lower body just above the baffle. 

14. Avast! Blimey! Just for backup, shiver me timbers, glue t' last (shortest) shock cord into t' upper tube to secure t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This way, if t' nose cone should accidentally come loose, me hearties, it'll stay attached t' t' rest o' t' rocket. Avast! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

 15. Install t' launch lugs. I cut mine in two. Blimey! One was installed inside one o' t' tube fins (closest t' t' main body), with t' other about 12" up from t' bottom.

 16. Ahoy! Finish and paint as desired. This is a long rocket, matey, me bucko, so lighter colors are recommended. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Dark colors tend t' get hotter in t' sun (like in your car), me hearties, and it could warp t' tubes. Ahoy! Aye aye!

I painted mine white, matey, me hearties, and sprayed light blue up from t' back end, fading about halfway up. Blimey! Ahoy! Next I sprayed dark blue up from t' back, me bucko, fadin' at the quarter mark. Well, blow me down! Avast! Add some cockpit windows t' t' nose, some stripin' along the sides, matey, and some windows t' make an interplanetary liner. Avast! Be creative, ya bilge rat, have fun!

Maiden flight, and I set it up with a D12-5 engine and a vented 18" parachute. Avast! Avast! Good boost with maybe a slight wobble off t' rod. It climbed much quicker than I expected, arrr, but nay a neck-snapper. Begad! Well, blow me down! Couldn't estimate altitude because I launched tilted into a pretty stiff breeze, but it was pretty high. Fine recovery, with ejection just after apogee. After-flight inspection showed that t' baffle worked perfectly, with no charrin' t' t' shock cord or chute. Begad!

T' Empress flew several times at NARAM. Blimey! Begad! A large tube-fin rocket like this makes an impression! Perfect flights every time, includin' one usin' a 4"x40" streamer due t' gusty wind conditions.