Immediately when I saw this contest, I started to think about entering, and what my entry could be. As with any "odd-rocket" (or odd rocketeer, often both), any light weight, hollow plastic, or rocket-shaped item in the house got a second look. Among the eccentric items that got this was a "pop-a-lot" ping-pong ball shooter. This fell into the category of "rocket shaped". With the addition of a rear-eject motor mount, it was time for a simple stability test (strangely often recommended with odd-rocs). During swing tests, the rocket seemed to want to point forwards, however (I think you could see this coming, and not just if you were reading ahead), it seemed to have somewhat marginal stability, but I thought it would be O.K.. So, on March 29, I went with my dad to the first MASA launch of the year to fly it. I First tested today's luck with the other two rockets I had brought, the first of which CATO'ed loudly, and the second ejected too late for the 'chute to deploy, causing some minor damage, so I decided to go ahead with this one. Because it was cold and windy, which does not facilitate the dexterous use of your fingers, I attached the igniter wires in between the fins (see picture). My dad, to his credit, noticed the danger in this, but I, to my credit (for what happened), ignored him (my thirteenth birthday was in two days, so I was getting a head start).

The rocket, ... (see the second picture and the video). Nobody was hurt, which is lucky, as I was about three feet from my dad, and it went in between us, sort of like in 'October Sky'.

Some modifications may be necessary.

As odd rocs go, monocopters have been around for a while but they've never really "taken off" (pun intended). I'm hoping to change that by making a high performance 13mm monocopter out to of common household items. Six popsicle sticks, two index cards, 18 inches of twine and white glue are all that is needed to build this one. It flies best on Estes A3-4Ts but it can also be flown on Estes 1/2A3-2T, A10-0T, A10-3T and A10-PT motors. It uses a very short, 1 inch long, 1/8 inch diameter launch rod and can be flown off a standard Estes Port-A-Pad using their Electron Beam Controller. It is well behaved even in windy conditions and the spiral smoke trail it leaves is dramatic. During descent it autorotates for a soft landing near the pad. It can be flown safely in most back yards and won't get stuck in trees.

I got a lot of bang for my buck with this one. Half of the parts were free and the rest cost just pennies. I've posted an EMRR review for this rocket with the main details. Complete instructions with lots of pictures are available here.

Los Alamos Chicken

A large plastic Easter egg with nuclear waste-colored legs bustin' out. Since it's from Los Alamos, it's a mutant with three legs.

There is a full scratch article and two videos here

ACME "Wile E. Coyote" styled rocket. Single Stage, parachute recovery.

Very happy with the rocket. Turned out exactly how I wanted. Nice big and bright. Got all the appropriate kudos on the flight field.

There is a full scratch article here