Brief:
2.6x upscale of the ever classic Estes C6-5 motor. Three fins and a noseflat with parachute recovery.

Construction:
Body is 9.5 inch of 60mm postage tube. Three balsa fins with a noseflat made with a 60mm diameter disk of 3mm plywood weighted with 1oz of polyurethane resin with a paper clip embedded for shock cord and parachute attachment. Standard 18mm motor mount with custom cut centering rings (using matte board scraps from a framing place).

18" of Kevlar cord attaches to another 24" of elastic. A 12" parachute will be used for recovery.

Straightforward build using easily accessible parts (balsa, cardboard tube, plywood), yellow glue and epoxy for fillets.

Finishing:
The body of the rocket was painted using a light tan spray paint on top of undercoat and white base coat. The noseflat has a gray circle spray painted on top to replicate the clay plug in the original motor.

The decal was designed in Photoshop using graphics sourced off the internet (Estes, NAR and California Fire logos) with text coming from a standard Estes C6-5 motor. The decal was printed as a single image onto laser decal paper and applied in the standard way.

Two coats of clear spray was applied over the entire rocket to protect the decal and paint.

Flight and Recovery:
Flying on a C6-5, it was a slow, majestic launch and had a nice straight boost to perhaps 200 or 300 feet. Parachute deployment a little after apogee. A C6-3 would probably be a better choice for this rocket. It was a crowd-pleaser and will now form part of my regular flying fleet.

Summary:
PROs: Another scratch-build to add to my collection, and it's just plan cool! I'm sure that this will attract attention on the flight field.

CONs: None.