Brief:
I got started in rocketry with a group o' kids from me old neighborhood in t' summer o' 1977. Begad! I had picked an Estes Beta as me first kit, matey, but one o' me friends who had managed t' get t' t' J.C. Penney Toyland before I did and he got t' one and only Estes Rogue kit that they had in stock. Begad! Blimey! (He pronounced it Rouge, no matter how many times we corrected him.) I liked t' Beta but always secretly wished I had eaten a little faster and beaten him t' Penney's that night. Blimey! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Twenty-four years later, I was thinkin' o' doin' some scratchbuildin' and bought a PNC-55 assortment and some BT-55 body tubes. Arrr! Blimey! While I was initially unsure o' exactly what I be goin' t' build, I be thrilled t' find t' pointed cones that would allow me t' build close copies o' two old favorites, a 1.36:1 Satellite Interceptor and a 1.78:1 Rogue.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• BT-55 15.5" length
• BT-50 engine tube 3.0" length
• PNC-55BB
• 1/8" balsa fin stock
• 24mm engine hook
• CR-2050 engine block
• 2 CR-5055
• 36" length 1/8" sewin' elastic shock cord
• 18" Estes parachute
• large snap swivel
• launch lug
• decal

Nothin' about t' original Rogue's construction be remotely difficult t' anyone with even minimal buildin' experience, shiver me timbers, so I expected pretty much t' same from t' upscale. Ahoy! Begad! It's basically a 4FNC rocket in it's original BT-20 incarnation, me hearties, matey, and it scaled up easily t' t' BT-55 version with t' help o' a copier that could properly size t' fin pattern 178%. Ya scallywag! Since this rocket was built in me BAR infancy, I glued in t' 24mm motor mount without any idea o' t' potential for usin' a length o' Keelhaul®©™as an attachment for t' shock cord. T' shock cord, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, which was made from 1/8" sewin' elastic, me bucko, shiver me timbers, was glued in up at t' front o' t' body tube usin' t' only method I knew o' in t' sprin' o' 2001, a traditional Estes tri-fold mount.

Finishing:
While me recovery systems weren't yet state o' t' art, ya bilge rat, arrr, I had discovered t' miracle o' usin' thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish t' rid me clone o' t' horrors o' tube spirals and exposed balsa grain. Avast, me proud beauty! I used 1/8" balsa for t' fins, which may have been overkill on me part, but after several sessions with t' Fill 'n' Finish and sandpaper, ya bilge rat, t' fins looked as if they were cut from glass. Aye aye! I wasn't t' only one who noticed how nice t' fins looked as several others have commented on it over t' years. Unfortunately I've never been able t' duplicate t' effect on subsequent projects.

As for t' paintin' process, ya bilge rat, t' most difficult part o' that was figurin' out what color be an acceptable substitute for "International Orange". Avast, me proud beauty! I couldn't find anythin' that might point me in t' right direction on that problem, shiver me timbers, me bucko, so I substituted "Sunburst", a Colors By Boyd color originally meant for (and used for) a Winston Cup stock car in a previous hobby. Arrr! As I later discovered, shiver me timbers, me bucko, "Sunburst" and International Orange were pretty close t' t' same color. T' bottom section o' t' rocket includin' t' fins, ya bilge rat, was painted "Sunburst", while plain old Valspar gloss white and black were used on t' middle and top sections respectively. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Since I hadn't delved into t' mysteries and wonders o' decal makin' at t' time, I had t' do without and depended on t' shape and paint o' t' rocket t' provide everyone with clues as t' it's identity. Well, blow me down! Still, ya bilge rat, matey, matey, t' question I was invariably asked on t' several occasions when I was stopped and complimented on t' rocket while walkin' t' t' pad was "Where are t' decals?" (as if decal makin' was somethin' that any moron could do.) Well, I decided that I be nay just any moron, and threw myself into t' project. Arrr! After many misses, near and far, me bucko, I finally figured out how t' resize t' decal scan usin' Microsoft Photo Editor. Arrr! It doesn't allow me t' clean up t' images, but it does allow them t' size properly.

Flight:
While nay me intention, ya bilge rat, t' first two flights for t' completed Rogue came at NARAM 43 in Geneseo, arrr, NY. Due t' t' size o' t' field, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I had no qualms about loadin' it with a D12-5 for it's first flight. Avast! I was directed t' a pad almost in t' middle o' t' sport range and as t' time came for me first ever launch with t' Rogue or at a NARAM, matey, matey, t' winds were still. This made me hope that me recovery walk wouldn't be excessive, but it wasn't t' be. Aye aye! T' breeze, arrr, which had been absent for t' bulk o' t' morning, suddenly sprang t' life just before t' countdown began for me flight. Blimey! I managed t' catch a photo o' t' launch, matey, which was straight with very little windcocking. Ya scallywag! Although t' flight be fairly straight, t' recovery be anythin' but. Ahoy! Begad! T' ejection charge fired as t' rocket was still travelin' up, resultin' in a somewhat violent start t' t' recovery process. Begad! Even with t' comparatively large spill hole that I'd cut in t' chute, me bucko, shiver me timbers, t' Rogue immediately began driftin' with t' breeze and I was afraid that me first flight at a NARAM be goin' t' be a sacrificial offerin' t' t' corn demon at t' field's edge. Avast! I watched t' Rogue drift ever nearer t' corn from t' opposite side o' one o' t' tents, and just when I be sure that thar be no hope, matey, t' wind died and dropped t' rocket at t' edge o' t' cornfield. Sunday's flight was more o' t' same, matey, landin' at t' edge o' t' same cornfield almost in me footprints from t' previous day.

T' third flight took place two weeks later on a day too windy for rockets. Avast! Despite t' winds we went ahead with our club launch, ya bilge rat, me hearties, one o' t' last t' be held at t' original QUARK home o' t' Lebanon YMCA. Blimey! After loadin' t' standard D12-5, I angled t' Rogue into t' wind t' give it a better chance t' land in t' general vicinity o' t' YMCA grounds. However, ya bilge rat, it was immediately obvious that t' winds were stronger above t' roof line o' t' buildin' that somewhat shielded us. Well, blow me down! At ejection t' Rogue immediately began driftin' at a rapid rate t' t' northwest. Even t' reefed chute wasn't helping, and I chased t' rocket t' t' edge o' t' parkin' lot before givin' up and watchin' it drift away still hundreds o' feet in t' air. Begad! It looked t' be well out over t' highway, matey, matey, headin' for some woods, me bucko, and I decided that t' day be gettin' too short t' spend it searchin' for a cobbled together rocket when I could be flyin' its siblings. Ya scallywag! Later in t' day, me hearties, another rocket escaped t' confines o' t' field and while I was lookin' for it I noticed a flash o' orange as I drove past t' long front lawn o' a church that be about a half mile away from t' launch site. Thinkin' that it might be t' other missin' rocket, matey, I went t' investigate and found t' Rogue lookin' none t' worse for wear. Avast, me proud beauty! (T' other rocket turned up on t' front lawn o' t' YMCA. Ya scallywag! How I misjudged that I'll never know.)

Summary:
T' thin' that made this project worthwhile at t' time was t' unavailability o' t' original BNC-20R cone from any known source. Begad! Arrr! Soon after completin' t' upscale I discovered Balsa Machinin' Services and ordered a cone for a 1:1 clone, then actually won an inexpensive, unopened original from an eBay auction. While t' PNC-55BB nose cone is still available for clonin' purposes, matey, Q Modelin' has recently added a BT-60 based Rogue t' their premium product line. While t' Q Modelin' Rogue is much more expensive than clonin' one from scratch, me bucko, it is also engineered better and is likely a far better, matey, shiver me timbers, more consistent buildin' experience. Whichever path you choose, t' Rogue's faux-missile stylin' almost guarantees that you will turn out a great lookin' 4FNC rocket with minimal effort.