Camp Lazarus has lots of these

---

Estes Alpha III

	Construction Tips Always build and fly one or more models before  you try to work with an audience -- particularly if it includes cubbies.  The biggest challenge with the Alpha is that some of the construction steps require glue and the glue needs time to set before you can proceed to the next step.
Engine Mount Click for larger image	The Engine Mount: If you want to build the Alpha within  a 1-2 hour pack meeting, you might consider pre-building the engine mount -- this is highly recommended for younger scouts.   Although the engine mount is simple to build, parents/scouts are very creative at messing it up.  Common mistakes include placing the slot for the engine hook too near the front of the engine tube. installing the engine mount in the plastic fin unit before the glue has set. gluing the second spacer ring to the engine mount before the mount is installed in the plastic fin unit. Prebuilding this component allows the glue to dry and ensures that critical components are located in the proper position.  See the diagram at left.
What you get with the kit Click for larger image Detail of Shock Cord Mount Click for larger image	The Shock Cord Mount -- DANGER! DANGER!  Will Robinson! The Shock Cord  is a 12 inch length of rubber band.  One end is tied or taped to the nose code and parachute/streamer.  The other end is secured inside the engine tube using a Shock Cord Mount.  The shock code mount is a strip of paper folded three times around the end of the rubber band and glued to the inside of the body tube (see sketch left).   The shock cord mount is probably the weakest aspect of the Estes design.  Installation of the  shock cord mount requires the builder to glue a gluey folded strip of paper about 1 inch down a tube that's 1 inch in diameter.  Fine motor skills are important here. Inexperienced builders will mess up the installation of the shock cord mount-- consistently. Problems include: Too much glue, not enough glue Placing the mount to close to the end of the tube (prevents the nose cone from seating). Not getting the mount flat against the inside of the tube (keeps the parachute/streamer from ejecting) Shock cord mount sticks to your finger instead of the inside of the tube. If you insist on using the shock cord mount, do yourself a favor and preinstall it before you give the kits to your scouts.  See the next panel for an alternative to the Shock Cord Mount
Click for larger image	Mounting a Shock Cord -- Quest Variation Quest is the company that manufactures the Viper model rocket that is also reviewed on this site.  The Viper also has a shock cord, but it's attached to the rocket by a Kevlar string that's attached the engine mount.  This arrangment may not hold up for dozens of flights, but the typical cubscout rocket is flown at most 3-4 times before it's stepped on or eaten by the family dog -- so the Quest design should be adequate for flights and it's easier to install. The slide at left is from the Viper plans and shows the installation of the shock cord using a fire-resistant kevlar string.  The kevlar string is anchored to the engine mount by the centering ring at the top of the engine tube.  If you want, the string can be tied to the engine tube or temporarily held in place with a bit of tape. Kevlar string can be purchased for about 15 cents per foot, see the Rocketry Forum for further discussion and sources.
Crepe Paper Attaching a Streamer Streamer packed inside rocket	Parachute or Streamer?  For full details see an article at Apogee.com The Alpha comes with a 12" plastic parachute.  Consider giving the parachute to the scout for his/her bulletin board and using a paper streamer instead.   Streamer material is a 12" to 18" inch strip of crepe paper (purchased by the roll in the birthday party section at Target).  Attach it to the shock cord with a 1"x2" square of mailing label or just tie it on as illustrated in the sketch at left. The advantage of the streamer is that it tends to drop the rocket straight down.  Rockets with parachutes tend to drift in the wind and often encounter the dreaded Rocket Eating Tree.  Rockets make excellent tree decorations, but your scouts might not see it that way. Rocket descending using a streamer instead of a parachute
	Variation -- Use a transparent body tube The 1" plastic tubes used as downtubes in aquarium gravel filters are roughly the same inside diameter as the body tubes used for the Alpha.   If you substitute the transparent tube for the paper tube, you can show your scouts the inside details of the rocket after it's prepped and ready to fly.  Models built with the plastic tubing fly just fine, although the inside of the tube tends to get dirty after the model has been flown.