I had a pack o' BT-56 tubes, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and no idea o' what t' do with them. Avast! Well, blow me down! I didn't even have a nosecone to fit. Ahoy! Avast! One day while lookin' at them, ya bilge rat, 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, me bucko, one thin' led t' another, arrr, and instead I decided t' do a long tube finned rocket. Arrr! Since t' body tubes are 18" long, by cuttin' one into 3" pieces, I'd use t' entire package up and add another tube fin bird t' our fleet. Begad! Avast! This one is D-powered, t' go along with our mini-engined Finite Loop and the regular sized Groove Tube clone.

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

 Why use t' "optional" stuff?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5. Well, blow me down! Assemble t' motor mount. Blimey! If you are usin' t' boattail, ya bilge rat, matey, t' rearmost centerin' rin' goes 1 1/8" from t' end, shiver me timbers, me hearties, otherwise follow t' motor mount instructions. Aye aye! Ahoy! See t' diagrams below for an idea o' what this should look like. Let it dry. Begad!

With Boattail                                  Without Boattail

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

 7. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Glue t' motor mount from step 5 into t' body tube. Blimey! Blimey! T' rearmost centerin' rin' should be slightly inset from t' aft o' t' body tube. Aye aye! Blimey!

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

 9. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Glue t' pairs o' tube fins around t' body on t' 1" line you marked in step 6. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey!

 10. Install t' baffle. Begad! Glue t' baffle into t' aft body tube. Make sure it gets in thar at least 3 or 4 inches. 

11. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Install t' mid-body separation bulkhead. Glue it halfway into t' front body tube, matey, with t' solid end closest t' t' nosecone. This be t' coupler that holds t' two body tubes together!!! Blimey! Make sure you glue it in straight.

 12. Shock cord mounts. Avast! I used t' Estes paper-sandwich type. Ya scallywag! Glue one onto both ends o' t' 40" long elastic, matey, and another onto t' 12" long elastic. Ahoy! Three total. Ya scallywag!

 13. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Install t' shock cords. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Glue one end o' t' 40" shock cord into t' bulkhead coupler, shiver me timbers, and t' other end into t' lower body just above the baffle. 

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

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

 16. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Finish and paint as desired. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! This is a long rocket, so lighter colors are recommended. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! Dark colors tend t' get hotter in t' sun (like in your car), and it could warp t' tubes. Blimey! Avast! Blimey!

I painted mine white, and sprayed light blue up from t' back end, fading about halfway up. Ya scallywag! Next I sprayed dark blue up from t' back, fadin' at the quarter mark. Ya scallywag! Add some cockpit windows t' t' nose, some stripin' along the sides, matey, arrr, and some windows t' make an interplanetary liner. Be creative, me hearties, have fun!

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

T' Empress flew several times at NARAM. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! 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.