Brief:
An easy to build, semi-scale model of the Viking sounding rocket for MMX-II motors.

Construction:
While waiting for my Nano Rocketry kits and tubes, I decided to rummage around my junk pile to see what I could use to make my own nano-sized rocket. I quickly found one of the tubes that the Aerotech First Fire igniters come in. A little too big for a Micro Maxx engine and maybe a little too heavy, but what the hey? I then started thinking about nose cone material, and discovered that a 3/8" dowel is exactly the right diameter. Next, I had to decide what to build. I wanted a simple 3/4FNC rocket and after thumbing through "Rockets of the World", I soon settled on the Viking. When I checked the length of tubing required, I found that the tube was less than a tenth of an inch off. No cutting required! I put my drill in the vise, a chunk of dowel in the chuck, and within a few minutes had a nice nose cone. I drilled a hole in the back end and glued in a piece of 100lb. tubular Kevlar®. I made the fins from 1/16" balsa and soaked them in CA for added strength. For the launch lug, I split a standard Estes lug in half and CA'd it on.

The whole rocket is painted white and the nose cone silver. I had no brush-on black paint and this rocket is too small to try to mask (for me), so I substituted my favorite color, metallic purple, for the black trim.

Flight:
A couple of wraps of masking tape and the Micro Maxx engine fit nicely. I also cut a thin strip of tape and made a thrust ring. A neighbor's son was watching so I let him do the honors (maybe the next generation rocketeer?). My make-shift launch lug worked great and the rocket rose straight and to an impressive altitude, much higher than the stock Tomahawk or my converted micro (10.5mm) rockets. Wanting to save some engines until I could make a run to an out-of-town Wal-Mart, I only made two flights. My Micro Maxx field is soft grass so I just separated the nose cone and let the rocket tumble. No problem here.

Summary:
The tubing used to package the new Aerotech igniters makes a good airframe for Micro Maxx rockets. Coupled with the ease of making nose cones from 3/8" dowel, you end up with a nice, easy-to-build model. The resulting rockets may not be the best performers due to their weight, but they still fly well and look nice.