Brief:
This model is a HPR 1/35 scale model o' t' Vostok launcher used t' put t' first man, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, Yuri Gagarin, in orbit in 1961. T' model is powered by a H242 reloadable motor and recovers in two pieces via parachutes

Construction:
This kit is intended for t' craftsman builder. While each step is nay excessively difficult, me hearties, arrr, experience with various buildin' techniques is required t' achieve a good finished model.

I ordered this kit almost a year ago directly from Cosmodrome. Ahoy! There were some difficulties gettin' t' kit (Cosmodrome is a cottage type industry run out o' Mike Kruger's home) but eventually it arrived. Blimey! Everythin' be packed in a double plastic bag similar t' an Estes style kit. Arrr! There are a lot o' parts with this kit. Blimey! Almost 160 pcs. Begad! Avast! I opened t' bags up and did an inventory. Everythin' but t' shock cord was there. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I didn't sweat this too much since I have plenty o' elastic for other scratch build projects. And considerin' t' ordeal I went through t' get this kit I figured it was easier t' provide it myself than try t' call Mike and get him t' send some.

T' body tubes are typical kraft type tubes. They look exactly like LOC/Precision tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' nose cones were balsa and probably made by BMS. Centerin' rings are also included. Well, blow me down! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! They are 1/8" A/C ply and nicely cut. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! T' fins were pre-cut 1/8" A/C ply. Aye aye! Decals were minimal and self-stick clear label type material with t' letterin' on them. Begad! Well, blow me down! These were most likely done up on a computer then printed. Begad! T' wood for makin' t' various struts and details be o' good quality. Ahoy! (bass & balsa) There was also music wire (.040 dia) pre-cut for t' various antennae details. Two parachutes were provided (24" & 35") they are rip stop nylon. Ahoy! They are purple in color. I could nay tell who manufactured them since they did nay look familiar t' me. They were already assembled with shroud lines attached. There were posterboard pieces supplied as well for t' various shrouds and transition sections. Patterns t' make these were also included.

T' instructions were several pages long with computer drawn pictures for many o' t' steps. T' instructions were very basic. Ya scallywag! I had t' read them several times through and study t' pictures carefully t' make sure I understood what be intended. I would nay call them t' best but they were adequate. Avast! This is where havin' built a few scratch built rockets comes in handy.

There be also a 10oz lead fishin' weight provided t' glue in t' nose cone t' achieve t' proper CG. Blimey! This rocket is designed t' use scale fins only. Well, blow me down! There are no clear plastic fins or removable fins for flyin' only. Avast! Aye aye! T' model MUST have this nose weight installed t' fly stable.

I built this kit pretty much per t' instructions. Aye aye! I will hi-light some o' t' things t' keep in mind and some improvements I made.

Paper transitions are easy t' do but they have some drawbacks. Avast, me proud beauty! A few o' them for me are finishin' and durability. I decided t' 'glass' t' paper shrouds and transitions on this model. I used Z-poxy finishin' resin and 3/4oz glass cloth. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' weight gain is minimal and I fill t' weave o' t' cloth with lite-weight spackle and sand. Ready for paint then. With this model thar are six paper shrouds t' make. Avast! Needless t' say this is time consuming. Avast! Avast! Basically I did all t' steps where I needed t' make t' shrouds and assemble them. Ahoy! I got all me parts fit and gaps/mismatches filled and sanded smooth. T' secret t' a good glass jod is t' prepare t' surface underneath. Well, matey, blow me down! A bad prep will show through.

First, I built t' strap on boosters completely and glued on t' nose cones. Blimey! This deviates from t' instructions. Avast! They have you put t' cones on last after t' boosters are glued t' t' main body. Avast! This didn't seem right t' me and makes finishin' a lot harder. Avast! Once t' cones were glued on and t' boosters were ready I glassed them all at t' same time. Then I glassed t' shrouds on t' main body. Avast! With all t' glassin' done I could fill and sand everythin' at once. Plus I would only have t' make up one batch o' resin and have less waste. Somethin' else I did was make up details o' t' booster hold down devices on t' main body tube. Arrr! I had several scale resources and I made these pieces up from balsa and sheet styrene. Aye aye! They add a little bit more t' t' overall model and were nay hard t' make.

T' next interestin' area be t' interstage truss frame. Blimey! This is made up o' an octagon ply rin' and wood dowels. Begad! Aye aye! T' truss is nay load bearing, matey, however. Begad! Aye aye! At t' base o' t' upper payload section thar be a centerin' rin' epoxied into t' end o' t' body tube.

T' short bottom tube o' t' upper section, ya bilge rat, where t' coupler tube is, arrr, also has a ply centerin' rin' epoxied in place. A long shanked screw eye with a nylon spacer tube separates these two sections. This screw eye is what provides t' load bearin' capacity. Avast! T' truss work adds a little but nay much. Well, matey, blow me down! T' octagon rin' is spaced from t' upper body centerin' rin' usin' modeler shaped balsa pieces. Avast! There are two markin' guides included t' mark where t' truss pieces are supposed t' line up t' on both t' upper section and t' lower section. By takin' your time and makin' sure each piece fits will insure a good lookin' part o' t' model.

T' rest o' t' model assembles pretty straight forward after that. There are conduits that run t' length o' t' main body but they are rectangular in cross area and made from balsa. Avast! Avast! Very easy t' do. T' Cross support frames at t' base o' t' booster are made from bass wood pieces. Arrr! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! There is a diagram in t' instructions on t' size and shape t' make these. These should be finished separately since they will be installed after t' individual pieces are painted and then assembled. There are various antennae and other details on this model. Arrr! These are all made with wire and balsa. Begad! You will have t' cut and shape most o' these pieces yourself but thar are pictures provided and all t' cuts are straight with no tricky curves and such.

This model is very similar in construction technique t' T' Vostok in Peter Alway's 'T' Art o' Scale Model Rocketry'

Finishing:
This model needs t' be painted in pieces before assembly. Arrr! T' four strap on boosters are painted individually as be t' main body and payload section. Avast! Ya scallywag! Once everythin' be prepped I sprayed a white primer coat and check for blemishes. Begad! Ya scallywag! When I be satisfied with that I gave all t' pieces a coat o' gloss white. Avast, me proud beauty! After t' white was dry I masked off for t' green. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I used a leaf green made by krylon. Well, blow me down! Olive drab seemed too dark. In reality t' whole rocket be a green color. T' white you see in pictures is actually frost from t' liquid oxygen in a fully fueled rocket. After t' green dried I painted t' lower portion o' t' booster silver per t' instructions.

Around t' base o' each booster is a silver area as well. Ahoy! Aye aye! This area on t' real rocket was stainless steel t' protect it from heat from t' central body motors. Ahoy! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! It is actually shiny and most silver paints are dull in finish. For this area I used self adhesive mylar I purchased from a local craft store. T' kit includes a paintin' template for this area and I used this t' make me mylar pieces. Well, blow me down! They really add a nice touch.

Once everythin' is painted it is time for final assembly. Begad! Blimey! T' main body has some ply supports for t' booster motors. They fit thru slots you cut in t' boosters and provide good support. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Also keep in mind t' aft truss supports for t' boosters. Blimey! Blimey! This truss surrounds t' main body tube and needs t' be assembled around it before you attach t' boosters. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Do nay glue this trusswork at this time. Blimey! Blimey! It will hold together via friction fit durin' assembly. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This will allow you ti get everythin' lined up. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I epoxied each booster individually. I only put epoxy on t' inside o' t' booster tubes and did nay surface glue then t' t' main body. Begad! Blimey! This is nay necessary. Avast! Blimey! I aligned everythin' carefully as I went and ended up with a straight assembly.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
This model needs a high power motor. Avast! You need t' be Level 1 certified. Avast! Begad! T' only motor recommended is an Aerotech H242-S This motor will give this rocket a quick shot off t' pad and get it flyin' right away t' keep it stable. Ya scallywag! Remember this is a heavy rocket and it has a lot o' cross sectional area t' push through t' air. Avast, me proud beauty! In order t' run a simulation I needed t' find t' total cross sectional area. Arrr! I summed up all t' sections and found t' area for a single diameter (about 6.375") I ran this on WinRoc and it gave me a projected altitude o' 800' with a recommended delay o' 6 seconds. Well, blow me down! T' H242 is perfect for this bird.

Per t' plans, motor retention on this model used a threaded rod epoxied t' t' side o' t' motor tube. Ya scallywag! Begad! After motor installation place a washer and nut on and you are done. This method is adequate and works well. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! However, I prefer another set up usin' API's motor retainer. Ahoy! I admit they are pricey but they are slick and easy t' install and use. Blimey! Just bond t' threaded base t' t' exposed part o' t' motor tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Install your motor, screw on t' cap and you are done.

I also ran this model through a descent rate calculator. T' 24" 'chute provided for t' payload section was fine. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! However, shiver me timbers, t' 35" 'chute for t' booster was marginal at best. T' descent rate was much higher than I liked t' insure a damage free recovery. Aye aye! I opted instead t' use a 54" TopFlite parachute for t' booster. Begad! Avast! Stuffin' this 'chute though would require creative packing. Begad! T' body tube for t' parachutes is nay all that big. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! You really need t' know how t' pack your chutes right t' insure a good recovery with this rocket. Ahoy! For waddin' I used shredded paper insulation. Avast, me proud beauty! No problems her. Ahoy! I just got some Nomex® cloth 'chute protectors and will be usin' these in t' future.

First flight day was overcast but no wind. Ahoy! Nay ideal but nay bad either. T' no wind was perfect. Well, blow me down! At motor ignition t' rocket leapt off t' pad like a shot. Begad! No slow lift off here. I boosted straight with no spin or wobble. Begad! Aye aye! I arced over and was at a flat trajectory when t' ejection charge went off and both chutes deployed perfectly. Aye aye! T' two pieces drifted down gently and recovered with no damage.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary :
I have flown this rocket several times now. It is always a crowd pleaser. Aye aye! I get many questions and good comments about t' rocket.

Some PROs for this kit:

• Level o' detail
• Impressive size on or off t' pad
• Good flight characteristics
• Quality materials in kit

Some CONs:

• Weight
• Main parachute too small
• Lack o' detail in instructions

Overall I be very pleased with this kit. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! It is a nice sized model with just t' right amount o' detail. Well, blow me down! Granted I did a few extra things but this kit really is intended for those who have some experience beyond even an Estes level 4 kit. Arrr! Aye aye! If you are a HPR modeler and would like t' challenge o' a scale kit, this might be t' one for you.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Great review! I really like bein' able t' point people t' places that give help with this kit. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Two clarifications: 1) t' nose cones were nay made by BMS, I make all me cones myself. Well, blow me down! 2) t' parachutes were also made by myself (or me wife). As with me other kits, t' instructions are bein' updated for clarity and simplification (and in t' case o' t' Vostok, me hearties, shiver me timbers, some corrections). - Mike Kruger (Cosmodrome Rocketry)