Brief:
A lilliputian scale-down o' one o' me favorite rockets, t' Spudnik. Ya scallywag! Begad! Or, in other words, me bucko, I've too much time on me hands.

Construction:
T' materials were all scrap, destined for t' dustbin. So, one rainy Saturday night with nothin' t' do, I decided t' build a replacement for me son's crippled space traveller, shiver me timbers, t' Spudnik. Blimey! Aye aye! All I used be a 1 inch styrofoam ball left over from a Christmas decoration project, me bucko, arrr, me bucko, 4 Q-tips, a length o' junk mail and some white glue.

Actually, me hearties, this be t' easiest rocket I've ever scaled up or down, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and all measurements were more-or-less SWAG'd. Arrr! I just hollowed out a styrofoam ball with a 6mm drill bit. After that, arrr, I cut t' cotton off each end o' a plastic handled Q-tip, then pushed them about 3mm into t' styrofoam, me hearties, me hearties, evenly spaced around t' hole. Ahoy! Aye aye! Blimey! Next I rolled some "junk mail" around a 6mm drill bit, applyin' glue as I wound it around twice. Once t' glue dried, I cut a circle out o' a Post-it note with t' hole puncher, and stuck this over one o' t' ends o' t' rolled junk mail (after removin' t' drill bit). Avast, me proud beauty! I coated this whole assembly with a liberal dose o' CA, and once it dried thoroughly, inserted it into t' styrofoam ball. Avast! Aye aye! Blimey! A short snippet o' Q-tip tube also serves as t' launch lug, arrr, and was unceremoniously shoved through t' styrofoam, parallel t' t' motor tube and was trimmed flush. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Simple, arrr, but effective. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! But here's t' gotcha- as an oversight, I didn't think about t' legs extendin' too far t' allow t' ignitor t' reach anywhere NEAR t' motor on t' Quest launcher. Time for Plan B. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! Build a new launcher. Ahoy! This was accomplished by takin' one o' me patio lights (that t' kid next door had destroyed), removin' t' light bulb, me bucko, shiver me timbers, trimmin' some plastic, me bucko, and meltin' a hole in t' top for a launch rod. T' Quest ignitor fits into t' socket designed for t' light bulb like it be originally designed for this purpose! Blimey! This makes it a true "back yard rocket" in every sense o' t' word! Blimey! And since t' light be 12 volts, thar's plenty o' power. Begad! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! Just turn on t' light switch inside t' doorway, ya bilge rat, and away she goes! Blimey! T' other patio lights make a nice runway effect. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Just can't forget t' replace t' light bulb afterward!

Flight:
There is only one motor for this rocket, arrr, t' Quest Micromax. Blimey! Prep couldn't be easier- just install t' motor, like its big brother t' Spudnik. Flight characteristics are almost t' same as for t' Spudnik on an A10-3T: Slow ascent, me bucko, decent altitude but nay really high, and a total cessation o' movement when t' thrust stops. It sort o' "wobbles" t' t' ground, unharmed. Ejection shoves t' motor out t' back. Aye aye! But, matey, ya bilge rat, it seems t' me that proportionally, me bucko, a Micromax motor has a better thrust-to-size factor than a 13mm motor. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Seems these little motors pack a good wallop for their minuscule size.

Summary:
Pros: ease o' construction, arrr, cheap flights, matey, great conversation starter at barbecues, and you won't lose it in t' clouds. Aye aye! Blimey! Cons: overall lack o' a plan from t' start led t' a design challenge in buildin' t' launcher, and t' styrofoam can't take too much abuse.

Other:
When buildin' a Micromax rocket, usin' a hollow Q-tip for a launch lug works great. Aye aye! Just cut off t' cotton.