Brief:
18mm Sport-scale model of Canadian research rocket.

Construction:

• BT-55, 15.25"
• TC-55 PNC-55, 4:1 ogive
• 18mm MMT
• 12" chute
• Kevlar ®
• Elastic shock cords
• LL-1/8 x 1"
• (2) Basswood for fins

Pete Alway's book "Scale Bash" provides several scale rocket plans that can be built starting with a 4:1 ogive nose cone, including the Black Brant Vb. The BBVb was an improved version of the famous Black Brant II sounding rocket. I think it is a particularly good-looking rocket, which is why I chose to build it. The plans are quite simple and straight-forward as the rocket is a fairly simple TFNC design. The only exception being that there is a body diameter transition about 1-3/4" from the aft end of the airframe. For this model the transition can be accomplished easily by using a BT-55 tube coupler inserted into the end of the 15.25" BT-55 airframe tube. With about 1.75" of the coupler exposed the total tube length will be 17". One must sand down the aft centering ring of the motor mount in order to fit the motor mount into the narrower diameter coupler section. Remember that the mount will have to be inserted from the forward end of the airframe. I also chose to attach a Kevlar ® shock cord to the motor mount before gluing the mount in place. I think this makes a more reliable anchor than gluing a mount to the inside of the body tube. Fin templates for this model (and for other variations of body tube size) are included in the book as well.

Finishing:
For painting, the book includes a color guide for each rocket to facilitate finishing. In the case of the BBVb, the paint scheme is not too complicated. I started with a base coat of white. After the base coat I masked a single fin, removed the nose cone, and masked a white stripe on two opposite sides of the airframe relative to the single, white fin. I found a red krylon gloss paint that looked ideal. For the finishing touch, the author includes the rocket's markings which can be scanned, and printed on decal paper. For this I used SuperCal waterslide decal paper in my deskjet printer which worked quite well, and the color matched my paint exactly (quite by accident, to be honest). In the end this was my best finishing job to date. I give it a high rating because it is a relatively simple paint/masking job that results in a beautiful rocket.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
For the first flight I chose to use an Aerotech C6-5 18mm RMS motor. The flight was excellent and I recovered the rocket without even a scratch.

Recovery:
I used RockSim prior to the first flight and was pleased that the flight matched the simulation almost perfectly. A clear, windless day didn't hurt things either...

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
If you're looking for simple plans that make a simple, stunning-looking, high-performance model rocket then this is the place to look. This model also makes a nice companion to the Estes BBII kit.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5