Construction

I downloaded plans for t' Estes Maxi Brute Pershin' from t' JimZ website. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty!  My model is nay an exact clone or exact scale copy but t' plans gave me a good place t' start. Arrr! Ya scallywag!  To begin, matey, I stripped off t' metal ends from t' four peanut cans and removed t' inner foil linning. Aye aye!  I glued all t' cans together, reinforcin' t' seams with paper on t' inside.  I then sanded t' outside o' t' cans t' remove t' printed paper, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and filled t' seams with Elmer's wood filler.  Once t' tube be ready I cut it down t' 21.75" in length. Aye aye! Ahoy!  You could o' course avoid all this by just buyin' a new tube. Begad! Begad!  For t' engine mount I decided t' use a 24 mm double cluster. Ahoy! Avast!  I used two old tubes from me collection o' junk and reduced their diameter and length t' fit an Estes "E" engine. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye!  I made engine retainers by clippin' and bendin' a metal coat hanger t' length.  I made thrust rings by cuttin' them from a used 24 mm engine casing, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I glued these in t' ends o' t' engine tubes above t' end o' t' retainers in t' usual fashion.  I then glued t' two engine tubes together, and then glued this assembly t' a stuffer tube made from a paper towel tube which was about 9" long. Begad! Arrr!  Openings betwixt t' engine tubes and stuffer tube were sealed and reinforced with glue. Arrr!  Centerin' rings just under 4" in diameter were glued t' each end o' this assembly and t' engine mount was done. Ahoy! Well, blow me down!  Once dry this was glued into t' body tube. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty!  

T' nose cone was made by rollin' a piece o' typin' paper into a cone and sealin' it with super glue. Blimey! Blimey!  T' cone was then glued onto t' pointed end o' a styrofoam cone from Michael's, which had a base diamter o' 4". Arrr!  On t' wide end I glued a shoulder made from t' remains o' a peanut can, ya bilge rat, reduced in diameter t' fit inside t' body tube. Begad! Avast!  I sealed up t' styrofoam under a layer o' Elmer's wood filler. Blimey! Begad!  I glued an old shoe lace t' t' inside o' t' shoulder t' serve as a shock cord t' attach t' parachute to. Aye aye!  T' cone be sanded and primed several times t' smooth it out. Arrr!  I later ended up cuttin' t' cone at about 4" from t' tip so that I could add 3 oz. o' fishin' sinkers glued in with super glue. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad!  This was done t' balance t' rocket.  T' cone ended up about 1" too short and does nay have t' reduction at t' tip, but after final paintin' it does have t' Pershin' look. Begad! Begad!   

To make t' fins I outlined t' shapes on a cardboard file folder, me bucko, cut them out and folded them t' shape. Blimey!  I created fin frames from scrap balsa then glued t' paper shapes over t' frames. Avast, me proud beauty!  T' fins were all sealed with super glue t' strengthen them. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye!  I made t' fin pads from scraps o' 1/8" balsa, ya bilge rat, 2 layers thick. Ya scallywag!  T' pads are actually way too thick for scale but look like I recall t' Estes ones did. Well, blow me down! Begad!  I have since seen a real Pershin' and pads 1/8" or less would be more realistic.  I sanded t' bottoms o' t' pads over a BT-80 t' induce a curve on t' bottom. Aye aye!  T' pads were glued t' t' body tube in t' appropriate locations and then t' fins were glued t' t' pads.  I made 1/4" launch lugs from rolled paper sealed with super glue. Arrr! Ahoy!  T' lugs were glued t' balsa standoffs. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, matey, me proud beauty!  Two conduits were made from scrap 1/8" balsa and glued t' t' main tube as in t' JimZ plans. Aye aye! Arrr!  I glued another old shoe lace t' t' inside o' t' body tube in t' Estes fashion as a shock cord t' which t' parachute would be attached.

T' model ended up just over 40" tall and 1 lb. Avast, me proud beauty! 1.5 oz.