Brief:
This is a 159% upscale o' t' popular Estes kit Der Red Max. Begad! Avast! Blimey! This is a simple t' build rocket that performs very well on t' 24mm reloads available today. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! All t' parts are readily available as well includin' t' decals.

Construction:
High quality balsa nose cone, shiver me timbers, me bucko, plywood ring, matey, and eye bolt were supplied by Sandman. Begad! Estes BT-80, 24mm heavy duty motor tube, two lite-ply centerin' rings, me hearties, fins are 3/16" balsawood, Keelhaul®©™® shock card, and motor retainer hardware. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Excelsior provided t' awesome decals.

I constructed t' motor mount by usin' a BT-50H motor tube that was 4" in length. Aye aye! On t' bottom centering ring, ya bilge rat, I installed two #4-40 blind nuts for t' motor retention bracket. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! T' light-ply centerin' rings were mounted a 1/4" from t' top and bottom o' t' motor tube. Begad! I created a nice epoxy micro balloon fillet on both sides o' each centerin' rin' for strength. Ya scallywag! I drilled a 3/16" hole in t' top centerin' for me 1/8" Keelhaul®©™® shock cord t' go through. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord ties around t' motor tube betwixt t' upper and lower centerin' ring. Ya scallywag! Avast! I cut a BT-80 t' t' length of 13.5". Avast, me proud beauty! I hardened each end o' t' BT with thin CA for strength. Arrr! T' next step be t' I fill t' spirals. Avast, me proud beauty! After sandin' t' BT, me hearties, t' tube be marked for t' fin locations and t' launch lugs. T' bottom launch lug is flush with the bottom o' t' BT. Begad! T' upper lug is 4-3/8" from t' top o' t' BT. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Each launch lug be 3/16" diameter and 9/16" long. T' motor mount was glued into t' BT usin' wood glue that created a nice fillet around t' top centerin' ring. Avast! A wood glue fillet was also created around t' bottom centerin' ring. T' fins were cut from hard 3/16" balsa and shaped. Ya scallywag! T' fin and launch lugs were glued on with epoxy. Avast, me proud beauty! Once dry, epoxy micro balloon fillets were created around t' fins and launch lugs. Arrr!

Finishing:
T' fins and nose cone were sealed and hardened usin' two coats o' Minwax Polyurethane. Aye aye! Once dry they were sanded smooth and coated usin' thinned spackle that was brushed on t' fill t' wood grain. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' filler was sanded off and the rocket be primed with two coats o' Duplicote High Fill primer sandin' betwixt coats. Ya scallywag! T' nose cone was painted black usin' two coats o' old formula Krylon spray. T' body was painted metallic red usin' two coats o' Rustoleum spray. Avast, me proud beauty! Once dry t' body was smoothed usin' super fine steel wool. Once clean and dust free t' body was shot with two coats of Rustoleum clear. It was really cold durin' t' paintin' process for this rocket, but t' results were still acceptable. To finish t' model, t' decals were installed. Begad! Begad! Overall it looks fantastic.

Flight:
I designed this model t' fly on t' 24mm reloads such as t' E18, arrr, E28, matey, F24, matey, or F39. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' first flights I used a E28-4 and it worked perfectly. T' first boost was nice and straight with no stability issues. Blimey! T' E28 produced a very respectable altitude. Avast! T' 24" parachute worked good but a little too slow t' brin' it down. Avast, me proud beauty! A smaller chute or a spill hole would be required for windy or high thermal activity days. Arrr!

Recovery:
Since t' fins on this upscale start t' get large, shiver me timbers, I would use t' through t' wall method next go around. Blimey! Aye aye! Although I feel very good with me method t' attach fins and strengthen them with fillets, TTW is king.

Summary:
This is a very easy rocket t' upscale but is a rewardin' project. Avast, me proud beauty! T' Der Red Max is a classic that flies great up or downscaled. Blimey! In addition you can't find a cooler set o' decals on a rocket anywhere.