Brief:
T' BSD Diablo is a short, matey, arrr, fat, arrr, me hearties, shiver me timbers, 3 finned rocket with a wicked look. Arrr! Well, me bucko, blow me down! With its 38mm motor mount, it definitely is designed for HPR. Arrr! However, with a 29mm adapter this rocket can be flown on some G motors without any problems due to its relatively low weight.

Construction:
T' kit has relatively few parts. They include: a 17" LOC style body tube, a 20" nose cone (4" is shoulder), shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, three 3/16" plywood fins, two 1/8 plywood centerin' rings, one 1/2" paper launch lug, ya bilge rat, one 8" long 38mm motor mount tube, one 1/4" eye bolt with washers and nut, ya bilge rat, one 3/16" quick link, one 30" parachute, me bucko, one 4' long, 1" wide, grommeted nylon strap, ya bilge rat, one 10' long, ya bilge rat, 1" wide elastic shock cord, and a motor retention system that consists o' two T-nuts, two 6-32 hex head bolts, and two metal clips. I also purchased BSD's 29mm adapter with me kit.

This is a fantastic, shiver me timbers, easy kit t' build. Ya scallywag! In fact, I had t' consciously slow myself down because it is so easy t' follow the excellent instructions and assemble t' excellent components that I found myself gettin' too far ahead o' where I should have been. Begad! Begad! All o' t' components fit together well with only a little sandin' o' t' centerin' rings. Aye aye! When I received me kit, t' body tube was nay marked with t' fin alignment lines or the launch lug line. Begad! However, ya bilge rat, arrr, a quick email t' Scott Binder at BSD and the problem was resolved. Arrr! Scott sent me a new body tube that had been marked and threw in a 4" bulkhead assembly in addition. Now that's great customer service! Havin' t' cut t' fin slots yourself is a little tedious but, matey, nay a big deal.

I deviated from t' instructions in a few ways. First, when buildin' t' motor mount, shiver me timbers, matey, I didn't secure t' aft centering ring. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! I did this because instead o' creatin' internal fillets with epoxy I used 2-part expandin' foam t' fill t' fin can. Avast! Second, ya bilge rat, after epoxyin' t' forward centerin' rin' and motor mount tube in, I dry fitted t' fins. Arrr! With t' fins in place, arrr, I drew a pencil line on t' fins along t' outside body tube joint. Thus, when I removed t' fins, ya bilge rat, I had how much o' t' fin would be inside the body tube. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I then drilled a 5/8" hole in t' center o' t' fin root. Begad! This hole is t' allow t' expandin' foam t' flow through t' fin root and lock it into t' fin can. I then epoxied t' fins t' t' motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Three 1 ounce applications o' 2-part foam filled t' fin can. Begad! Well, blow me down! After cleaning/shapin' t' foam on t' aft o' t' fin can, arrr, t' aft centerin' rin' was attached with epoxy.

My only complaint about t' construction is that t' motor retention comes with a separate set o' instructions. Arrr! If you don't read those instructions first, you won't notice t' bold warnin' that you should install t' retention hardware before assembly! Luckily, I was able t' still attach t' hardware after assembly.

Finishing:
Since I was plannin' on usin' this rocket for me Tripoli Level 1 certification, I glassed t' entire airframe usin' 2 ounce fiberglass cloth and 30 minute slow-cure epoxy. Ya scallywag! After glassing, me hearties, fillets were added t' t' fin/body joints and along t' launch lug usin' 30 minute epoxy and micro-balloon filler. Some sandin' with 80 grit sandpaper and it be ready for some primer. I used Rustoleum gray automotive sandable primer. Ya scallywag! Avast! This primer is nice because it fills a lot o' t' imperfections. Begad! Sand, me bucko, prime, me bucko, sand, me hearties, prime. Begad! Ya scallywag! You know t' drill. I also used some Elmer's sandable wood filler putty t' fill some o' t' larger imperfections. Avast! Eight coats o' primer later, me hearties, shiver me timbers, ready for color coat. Begad! Aye aye! I chose Rustoleum Safety Red. Begad! Two coats o' color and then t' decals. Begad! T' decals were definitely t' hardest part. T' decals are beautiful but, they're long, skinny, and very sticky. A friend o' mine suggested that I dip them in water with dishwashin' liquid t' allow me t' slide t' decals in place. Arrr! I was too chicken t' try though. Avast! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' decals turned out OK but it takes a lot o' patience. After decals, me bucko, I shot it with 2 coats o' Rustoleum clear enamel.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' Diablo's first flight was t' be me Level 1 certification flight. I had an H128W lined up for me 29/180 casing. Avast! T' clips provided with t' motor retention kit wouldn't fit with t' 29mm adapter so, shiver me timbers, I had t' fashion some new clips out o' some flat brass stock. Arrr! When I arrived at t' launch site t' pick up me motor, thar be no H128 t' be found! Thankfully, t' vendor had some H165 Redline motors that would do just fine. Begad! Aye aye! I used a Top Flight Keelhaul®©™® chute protector and shock cord protector instead o' wadding. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' H165 was prepped with a 10 second delay and placed on a 3/8" launch rod. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! That Redline will move fast! Blimey! It boosted straight up t' probably just over 2000 feet. It was a beautiful launch.!

Recovery:
I tied loops into both ends o' t' elastic shock cord and one loop about 1/4 from one end. Well, blow me down! These loops were used t' attach t' elastic t' t' nylon strap, the nose cone, and t' parachute usin' quick links. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I also included a swivel to keep t' chute shroud lines from tangling. T' recovery system worked great. T' descent was a bit fast but, that's probably because me rocket is towards the upper end o' BSD's expected weight. Arrr! A bit larger chute could solve this but, I'm happy with t' faster descent. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' glassin' that I did makes it able to withstand a rougher landin' and I get less wind drift this way.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I love this rocket. Blimey! Begad! T' main pro's are it's ease o' building, t' clear instructions, and t' tremendous customer support that you get from BSD. The main con's are t' separate instructions for motor retention and t' retention system's inability t' accommodate t' 29mm adapter.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5