Brief:
This rocket is a downscale of the Model Minutes Space Racer. Since I have the "kit" on CD-ROM, all I had to do was print up the files on the computer. Since I was interested in created a MicroMaxx rocket, I reduced the rocket to 25% of the original size and also selected the non-colored version of the rocket so that I could paint my own design. This is a cool rocket made entirely out of paper and features a rear-ejection system.

Construction:
Necessary building components:

• Cardstock (I use bristol board)
• Kevlar® for recovery
• Plumber's Teflon tape for streamer recovery.
• Clay for the nose cone
• Small coffee straw for launch lug

I simply printed up the "kit" and cut out all the parts. The original plans call for using foamboard to create the centering rings for the motor mount. Also, the original plans call for an engine hook. I used neither.

I folded the main body tube, which is actually a cone, and then folded and glued the 3 fins to shape. I glued the fins on to the body cone and then added extra yellow glue fillets to the fin area. One thing I did differently in the construction of the fins is to glue the flaps of the fins inward and simply glue the root of the fin on to the rocket without having structural flaps extending on either side of the fins. Why I did this, I don't know, but in the end it worked out fine.

I created centering rings by cutting out the centering ring template out of the bristol board, pasting this on additional bristol board, and then cutting them out. This gave me strong but thin centering rings for the motor mount. I then glued the motor mount to the centering rings.

After everything was dry, I added the necessary amount of clay to the nose cone (about a good marble sized chunk so that the CG of the rocket is just ahead of the main fin with the rocket prepped minus the motor). I then tied the Kevlar® around the motor mount, added a 3-fold shock cord attachment to the other end and glued the Kevlar® into the nose/body cone of the rocket. Next, I simply used some Teflon tape as a streamer and attached it around the engine mount between the two centering rings. This would keep it free from the ejection charges, thus eliminating any need for wadding.

One other change from the original kit: the instructions indicate that there is a hole that goes through one of the fins that can be used as a launch lug. I did not like the idea of drilling a small hole through an already small fin, so I added a tiny plastic launch lug to the body seam of the nose/body cone.

Finishing:
Since the version I used is plain white paper, it allowed me to paint my own design. I finished the rocket by hand painting with acrylic paint. The nose area was painted black with the rest of the rocket painted silver and red. One fin was painted red and two were painted metallic green. I also painted a cockpit area using blue and silver. Next, after the paint was dry, I used a black sharpie to create lines between the red and silver, add detail to the cockpit, and add rivets for a cool retro look. I did not want to spray paint it and add lots of weight, so I just used acrylic paint and gave everything just one coat. The paint adheres nicely to the bristol board.

I have thought about clearcoating the rocket with either an acrylic spray or perhaps Future Floor polish, but I wanted to test fly the rocket first before doing this.

Flight:
I flew this rocket twice. I simply folded up the streamer, shoved the motor mount inside the rocket, placed an MMX motor inside with nichrome wire as igniter. On the first flight, the rocket took off with the launch rod. It flew maybe 10 feet in the air and raced down the hill, landing about 20 feet away in a pile of snow. At first I thought the rocket was unstable and that I needed to add more nose weight. Once I saw that the launch rod took flight with the rocket, I decided to try one more launch before making any types of changes.

The second flight was picture perfect. This time, it really zipped off the pad, probably going more than 50 feet in the air. The ejection charge fired and the motor mount ejected with the streamer. It was tumbling to earth nicely when a darn tree simply got in the way and kept the rocket from touching the ground.

This was unfortunate, because the rocket performed very well. I thought the rocket might be too bulky and wide for an MMX conversion but I was wrong. It was a great flight.

Recovery:
This is a great design and downscales very well. I wouldn't change a thing about the way I used the centering rings, shock cord mount and streamer recovery.

Summary:
PROs: If you have the Space Racer kit on CD-ROM, you can make upscales and downscales until the cows come home. I thought the 25% version might be too big for MMX but it was perfect. I could make an even smaller version but the size I made was just fine.

CONs: It is a little difficult to make the small folds on the bristol board for the two sided fins. Since this rocket is for MMX, it probably doesn't need that strong of a paper. Lighter paper could make construction easier.