Brief:
This science fiction/fantasy rocket is a "Global Defense System" missile intended to protect the Earth from alien attack vessels. My son fell in love with the decals (a rather irreverent reference to E.T.), so I downloaded the free plans and built this fairly simple rocket from spare parts in an afternoon.

Construction:

• 24mm nose cone
• BT-50 tubing 12" length
• 18mm motor mount (2.75")
• (2) 18-24mm centering rings
• 13-18mm centering ring (engine block)
• 2 x 36 plastic or Mylar streamer
• 12-18" shock cord (1/8 elastic, though I used 1/4")
• 3/32 balsa or basswood fin stock
• 1/8" launch lug
• Optional-decal sheet (jpeg file can be downloaded from Apogee Ezine archives #76)

There were no instructions for this plan (it's FREE), but if you've built at least a couple skill level 2 kits, you should be able to figure this one out (RockSim is also available here on EMRR). Start by assembling the motor mount, centering rings, and engine block. Install the motor mount assembly into the body tube. Cut the fins (the pattern can be printed out using the full version of Rocksim, or you can get the dimensions using the demo version and sketch them yourself). There are two sets of fins on this, with the forward set actually mounted with a flat/square leading edge, and angled trailing edge. There are (3) forward fins and (4) aft fins, so mark the tube carefully and pay close attention to which lines you're using as you tack the fins to the tube.

Install the streamer, and you're ready for finishing.

Finishing:
After applying (2) coats of primer, I applied a single coat of white to the whole rocket. I then followed the paint scheme shown in the E-zine newsletter, with one gray coat applied to the aft end, and a red stripe just forward of the first fins.

I downloaded the decals and printed them on an inkjet printer on Avery clear decal sheets. They looked reasonably good, but are nowhere near as good a finish as water-slide decals. The decal designs, are excellent. In addition to basic lettering, you also get an extra-terrestrial face that trims the fins, and a scrawled "Eat this E.T." towards the front of the rocket. This "attitude" was very appealing to my 12-year-old son, and that alone has placed this at the top of his list of favorite rockets.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
There were no recommendations for motors (the Rocksim file includes simulations of several Apogee motors no longer available), so using Rocksim I decided to try a B6-4. The flight conditions were somewhat windy (10mph). The rocket weathercocked slightly, but not too badly. Ejection was a little bit early, and a 5 or 6 second delay might be better. Overall, though, the rocket was recovered without any damage, and has flown several times since on C6-5's which suit it very well.

Recovery:
Pros

• Decal design, low cost (free plan)

Cons

• No fin pattern unless you own the full version of Rocksim (which I bought after building this kit)

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
Very cool appearance, combined with 4-and-3 fin sets make this an interesting rocket, a far cry from the basic modrocs available in hobby stores.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5