Introduction:
Always wanted a Mean Machine when I was a kid, but never got around t' gettin' one. When I raided t' house recyclin' bin in January, I discovered five identical wrappin' paper tubes. Avast! Blimey! Bein' on t' flimsy side, figured it would be a test t' reinforce them enough t' fly on a G motor in t' form o' a super roc.

Nose Cone:
Shaped out o' a styrofoam ball used for a Christmas decoration that had seen better days. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Hmm, have t' say t' same thin' about t' nose cone.

Recovery System:
A parachute that I had created for Little Guy that was way too big for that model and a bit small for this one was pressed into service. It then dawned on me that long body-tubed rockets have airframes that try t' pretend they are gliders on t' way down.

Body Tubes:
I first wrapped the tubes with a layer o' craft paper and wood glue. Avast! Once that set-up, I then applied one layer o' copy paper and wood glue. When everythin' dried, I was amazed with t' amount o' strength added t' t' tubes. Begad! They went from being easily bent with slight pressure t' bein' at least twice as strong as Estes tubing. Begad! I be also pleased with t' fact that t' tubes remained fairly lightweight, certainly lighter than some heavy-duty tubes o' similar size used in fabric rolls. Arrr! Overall, a worthy compromise in strength-to-weight ratio, and you can't beat t' price.

Motor Mount Tube:
Nothin' all that excitin' t' report on, basic two centerin' rings o' 1/8 balsa with a slightly oversized motor mount tube of thick cardboard tubin' from what I believe was t' core o' a fax machine paper roll.

Fins:
Again, nothin' all that excitin' t' report. Well, blow me down! I moved t' fins 3" away from t' bottom since t' super roc design in inherently over stable, me hearties, and I wanted t' give them some protection from fast landings.

Couplers
I heard it time and time again from others more wise than I that couplers makes or breaks (literally) a super roc. Blimey! 13" coupler for t' mid-body separation point, with 6" couplers used in t' three other joints. Arrr! Since I used a tube of the same diameter as t' rest, I needed t' somehow reduce t' circumference of it. Ya scallywag! Instead o' doin' it t' right way, I just overlapped t' material and filled in t' rest with a scrap piece and sanded a bit. Begad! It worked, me hearties, and I didn't have t' risk t' chance o' ruinin' a coupler.

Launch Lugs:
I tried me old 1/4" screw eye-in-balsa method, which can be seen on the VSOS2 page. Arrr! Blimey! One o' them promptly ripped out when t' rocket was on t' pad. Well, blow me down! Blimey! A larger set o' lugs were needed. Blimey! Blimey! I ended up usin' 1/2" peg-board thingies. Tough to explain without a picture (it is coming). Blimey! Blimey! Two 1/2" circles o' the atypical metal used for peg board hooks, attached via a vertical piece o' metal of t' same diameter. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Spannin' horizontally across this piece is a crossbar with a hook on either side that attaches t' t' peg board. Aye aye! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! With a little work, I be able t' scuttle t' connective material flush with t' surface o' t' balsa blocks on t' rocket, me hearties, matey, with t' peg board hooks restin' on t' surface o' the rocket itself. A little 5 minute epoxy in t' appropriate places, ya bilge rat, and I had me an impressive set o' launch lugs. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! They worked great!

Painting:
Grabbed what I had on t' shelf and went t' work, just one layer o' each. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! If I were t' do it over again, me bucko, I wouldn't have used black. Aye aye! Didn't think such a small area would be affected so much by t' sun, but it is.

First Flight:
After t' launch lug issue at t' first CMASS launch o' t' season, shiver me timbers, I be able to finally get this bird into t' air on 07/23/00. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Takin' advantage o' a calm spell, me hearties, arrr, Star Scraper rose without incident up a G38-4. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Unfortunately, me hearties, at about 2 seconds after burn-out ejection occurred. Well, me bucko, blow me down! No damage t' report, but I'd say the rocket was only 400' off t' ground, me bucko, matey, tough t' say since it is so tall. Begad! All of the kids were pointin' and commentin' on it, me hearties, and some o' t' adults had some snide comments about it, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, tehehe. Begad! It certainly is a looker, and it towered above the Mean Machine that was also flyin' that day.

Conclusion:
It took a long time t' finish from beginnin' to end, matey, me bucko, but it was worth it. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Certainly an attention-getter (134"x2.25"), and it proves that paper and wood glue can significantly add strength with little weight t' body tubes.