Art Applewhite MMX Bic Pen Rocket Build, Part 6, Streamer and Finished

A simple 1/2" wide streamer was taped to the Kevlar cord.
Use tweezers to stuff the cord and streamer into the small tube.

As Micromaxx goes, this will be a high performance model.
Well designed, cheap and easy. It doesn't get much better than that!

Art Applewhite MMX Bic Pen Rocket Build, Part 5, Upper and Lower Assembly

While the instructions say you can use "lawn dart" recovery, you are encouraged to add a recovery system. A small streamer will be fine.

I'll cut off an upper section and make and adapter from a dowel.
My 1/4" dowel diameter was a little loose in the tube so it got a wrap of copy paper.

The end of the Kevlar got a double knot.
The upper picture shows how the Kevlar will sit, wedged between the dowel and tube.

The inset picture shows the finished section with the dowel glued in.

The fin can is slid over from the top down.
It was glued in place with a few small drops of CA at the joint edges.
The instructions show the fin can even with the end of the tube. I set mine up about 1/8" from the rear.

The launch lug was set in place with tweezers.
Set down a drop of CA. Pick up the lug with tweezers.
Run the back of the lug through the CA drop. Set the lug into a fin root edge.
The instructions show two smaller lugs. I went with a single longer lug at the rear.

Art Applewhite MMX Bic Pen Rocket Build, Part 4, Engine Block

Work the blue end plug out with a knife blade.
Save it, part of it will be the engine block.

Cut off the smaller tapered end (see inset).
the small end will end up being the right inside diameter after the Kevlar is tied on.

Tie on a length of Kevlar. There won't be any elastic on this one so use about a 18" length for now.
Feed the Kevlar line through and press it into position with a MMX engine casing. I left the engine protruding about 1/8" out the back.

Pull out the casing and apply some medium CA to the block and tube with a toothpick.

Art Applewhite MMX Bic Pen Rocket Build, Part 3, Ink Tube Prep

The tip and ink tube pull out of the pen body.

I was expecting the worst, but the tube pulled out of the tip without any ink mess! Play it safe though, pull the ink tube out over a trash bag and have paper towels close by.

Save the ink tube - see the third picture below.

I tried to get rid of the remaining ink in the tip.

After the ink was pretty much gone, I realized I should have kept it as is. At a club launch, I could have filled out my flight card with the rocket!










At the rear of the ink tube, cut off the clear end.
This will end up being the launch lug.

Art Applewhite MMX Bic Pen Rocket Build, Part 2, Fin Can

You might find it easier to prep the fin can before cutting it off the instruction page.
I coated the print side of the fin pattern with medium CA applied with a Q-tip. Go lightly, you don't want to smear the ink. The CA coat will gray up the white card stock slightly.

Pre-score the fold lines. It's easier to do now before the fin can is cut off the instructions.
I used a straightedge and the back side of a razor blade. Tape over the sharp side with a few layers of masking tape. You can also use the tip of a dull butter knife, not a serated knife.

Cut the outside and center squares then cut and remove the fin can piece.

The inset shows how the fin can folds in.
Art Applewhite must have done a bit of Origami in the past. 

Art Applewhite MMX Bic Pen Rocket Build, Part 1, Parts

Here's a quick freebie. 
A high performance, MicroMaxx rocket made from a Bic pen.
Art Applewhite has designed some great saucers, spools and monocopters

First stop by:

http://www.artapplewhite.com/
Check out all the spools, saucers and monocopters
Look to the upper left, click on "Free Stuff"
Read the Limitation of Liability,
Click on "I Agree"
Go to the Free Stuff page - Click on "MicroMaxx Rockets"
Click on the "Bic StiC"

Print out the instructions (with fin can) on 110 lb. card stock.

You'll need a Bic StiC pen and hobby tools.
Add a 1/4" dowel if you want make an coupler, Kevlar and a streamer for recovery.