Designed by Greg K.

Poehlein
© 2005 Greg K. Poehlein
The Lemon Drop is a feather-weight recovery rocket
made mostly from cardstock and printed out on your D
inkjet or laser printer. You can also build the rocket and
paint it with spray or brush paints if you so choose.
The Lemon Drop is easy to build and quite durable. C
And if it should crash or get lost, you can just build
another to replace it for the price of a sheet of cardstock,
a little ink and a bit of cardboard.
A
Parts List
A 1 1.75" Body Tube
B 1 .325" Launch Lug
C 1 13mm Thrust Ring
D 1 1.5:1 Semi-ogive Nose Cone
E 3 Fins
E B
The parts listed above are best printed on 110#
cardstock. In addition to these parts, you will need one
sheet of heavy cardboard such as bristol board. You will
also need a hobby knife, cutting mat, metal ruler or E
E
straight edge, a scribing tool or empty ball point pen, soft
mouse pad, 1/4" dowel rod, white glue, masking tape and
clear enamel spray paint.

Section 1 - Building the Parts

A) B)
The Launch Lug is built nearly the same way as the
body tube. Cut out the launch lug and curl using the
dowel and mouse pad. Don't cut the glue tab off. Instead,
Cut the body tube out of the parts sheet. Note that the overlap the opposite edge of the launch lug over the glue
body tube has a colored part and a white glue tab tab. This is called a lap joint. Set aside to dry.
marked "G". Cut this off.
Turn the body tube upside down on the mouse pad. C)
Using the dowel like a rolling pin, roll over the body tube Masking Tape

while pressing down into the mouse pad. This will give
the body tube a smooth curl. Repeat with the glue tab (be
sure that you curl it long ways - it should have a bit of a The Thrust Ring serves dual duty - both keeping the
curve to match the body tube. engine in place as well as acting as a nose cone
Apply a thin coat of glue to one edge of the body tube shoulder. Cut out the four pieces of the Thrust Ring and
and glue the glue tab to this edge. You want to leave curl each as with the Launch Lug. Place a small piece of
about half the tab sticking out. Once this part has dried a masking tape inside the smallest length piece and form
bit, apply a thin layer of glue to the opposite edge and into a short tube, with the masking tape holding the tube
glue that edge to the glue tab. Burnish down the tab from in place. Apply a thin layer of glue to the inside of the
the inside. If done correctly, there will be no white next longest piece. Glue it in place around the outside of
showing, and the two edges of the body tube will form a the first tube, making sure that the seam is halfway
smooth seam. You can wrap the body tube around an around the tube from the inside seam. Add the other two
expended 13mm motor as you glue it to make this step layers, again alternating where the seam falls (see the
easier, and to guarantee that the motor will fit. This type illustration above). Be sure the printed side of the outside
of joint is called a butt joint, and will be used again on layer is showing. Make sure the Thrust Ring fits inside
other parts. Set Body Tube aside to dry. the body tube and set aside to dry.
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D) Section 2 - Assembling the Rocket
1)
Now that the parts are completed, you can build your
Lemon Drop just like any other rocket kit. Glue the thust
Cut the each of the nose cone segments. The first ring into the nose cone to form its shoulder. Note that the
segment, S1, is a simple cone. Do not cut the glue tab off short part goes into the nose, up to the dotted line.
S1 - we will use a lap joint this segment. Curl the cone
(face down) around the center point - this was indicated
on the cardstock sheet as the tip of the cone. Glue the 2)
edge of the cone over the glue tab so no white is showing Next, glue the nose cone onto the body tube. Make
and set aside for now. sure the thrust ring is completely inside and there is now
Segment 2 is a transition. Cut the glue tab and finger gap between the nose cone and the body bube. Also
tab strip from the section and curl it in a slightly curved make sure that the lines on the body tube are at the rear
direction. Make sure the ends will match up. Glue the two of the rocket.
ends together with a butt joint using the glue tab, and
burnish the glue tab from the inside. Cut each of the
fingers along the black lines so this piece forms a strip
3)
with fingers sticking up. Curl it in the same curved Now we glue each of the fins in place. Apply a bead of
fashion, and glue into the top (narrow end) of S2 so only glue to the root edge of each fin and glue on top of the fin
the fingers are projecting above the edge. Test fit this in glue mark on the body tube. The third fin (the green one)
place - you may have to cut one finger off to make it fit, or is glued over the seam of the body tube to match up with
you may have to add a finger from spare cardstock. the other two. Make sure the rear edge of the root is even
Burnish this strip down, and slightly flex the fingers with the base of the rocket.
inward. Apply a layer of glue to the inside of S1 and glue Once the fins are dry, apply a glue fillet to the base of
the fingers from S2 inside so no white is showing. both sides of each fin. Use white glue for this as it will try
Burnish the fingers down inside S1 and set aside. transparent. Be sure to pop any bubbles that form before
Segment Three is made just like the body tube with a they can dry.
butt joint, so cut the glue tab and finger tab strip from the
section, and curl so it makes a short, fat cylinder. Glue
the ends together with the glue tab. Curl the finger strip 4)
and glue into S3 with fingers exposed just as you did for Once the fillets are dry on the fins, we can glue the
S2. After burnishing down, glue the front section of the launch lug in place. Apply a bit of glue to the glue edge of
nose onto the fingers as before, making sure no white is the launch lug and glue to the base of one of the yellow
showing. Burnish the fingers inside and set the Nose fins, on the side opposite the logo.
Cone aside to dry.

5)
E) When all the glue is dry, you can give your Lemon Drop
two or three light coats of clear coat. This will protect your
rocket from moisture (inkjet ink will smear when wet) and
make it more durable.

Finally, cut out each of the fins, and score along the
center fold line. This will be the leading edge of each fin.
Cut a piece of cardboard a bit bigger than the fin and Section 3 - Prepping for Flight
spread a thin coat of glue on the inside of the fin. Place Because the Lemon Drop is a featherweight rocket,
the fold against a straight edge of the cardboard and little prep is needed for flight. Recommended motors for
smooth the fin down on both sides so the cardboard is the Lemon Drop are Estes 1/4A3-3T, 1/2A3-4T, and the
sandwiched inside with no space between the fold A3-4T. A bit of masking tape might be needed to keep the
(leading edge) and the cardboard. Place under a heavy motor from slipping out, but don't use so much that the
book or weight and let dry. This will keep it from warping. motor will stay stuck in the Lemon Drop at ejection.
After dry, carefully trim the excess cardboard from the
fin using a hobby knife and straight edge. Check both
sides and make sure there is no cardboard showing.

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Rocket Design © 2005 Greg K. Poehlein

tip of cone
S1 S2 S3

ng

Fi
G er
Ta
b
S1
G
S2
Glue this end inside Nose Cone
Finger Tab

G
Thrust Ring
S3 Nose Cone

Root Root Root

Body Tube

Launch Lug
Fins

Fold Fold Fold

Line Line Line