Brief:
This is a 159% upscale o' t' popular Estes kit Der Red Max. Aye aye! This is a simple t' build rocket that performs very well on t' 24mm reloads available today. Ahoy! All t' parts are readily available as well includin' t' decals.

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

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

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

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

Recovery:
Since t' fins on this upscale start t' get large, I would use t' through t' wall method next go around. Avast! 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. In addition you can't find a cooler set o' decals on a rocket anywhere.