Brief:
Back in 1977, t' Condor was t' second rocket I ever owned and t' first "big" rocket I ever flew. (T' Beta be me first.) This was me most prolific flier, and bore t' battle scars on both booster and glider t' prove it.

Construction:
Materials: (accordin' t' original plans. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I used t' closest thin' available.)

• 1 - BT-50
• 1 - PNC-50 3/32" balsa stock for fins and glider body
• 1/16" balsa stock for glider wings and canard
• 18mm Engine mount from Estes Regular Engine Mount kit
• A too short length o' shock cord

I had been plannin' t' build this from memory, but back in February me brother-in-law and I discovered JimZ's OOP Estes plan site on a Friday night, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and on Saturday I hit a local hobby shop and by late afternoon, had all o' t' parts needed t' recreate t' Condor. One change that I made was t' upgrade t' kit from t' original 13mm engine t' an 18mm. Arrr! Blimey! This be somethin' that had always puzzled me about t' original. Ahoy! It always seemed a bit big for a mini-motor, but I guess Estes had their reasons. Begad! Ahoy! Back then it made sense for me from an economical standpoint, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, (I got an extra flight per package,) but now that loot is no object, I decided t' power it up a bit.

Back when I built t' original I just slapped it together with glue, me bucko, painted it, matey, decal'd it and got it in t' air as smartly as possible. Arrr! It flew great! This time I was determined t' take me time and employ some o' t' techniques I had learned about over t' 24 years since I built t' original. Blimey! I carefully shaped t' fins on t' booster, ya bilge rat, determined t' make it as aerodynamic as possible. Arrr! I also used several coats o' thinned Elmer's Fill'n'Finish as a sealer, sandin' betwixt coats. Arrr! Elmer's glue was used both t' attach t' fins and t' create t' glue fillets t' keep them in place.

T' glider was lightly sanded, shiver me timbers, then sprayed with a coat o' Walmart white paint, t' same as t' booster. I then masked off t' front portions o' both t' glider and booster and sprayed them with Walmart red. Ya scallywag! It never occurred t' me t' use t' Fill'n'Finish t' fill in t' body tube spirals or use primer. Arrr! Arrr! (Then again, neglectin' t' do this made it look a lot more like me 1977 original.) JimZ decals completed me retro project.

Flight:
T' Condor originally flew on 13mm motors, ya bilge rat, matey, so I had no benchmark t' go on in determinin' motor selection. Begad! Because o' this I chose t' reliable old Estes B6-4 for t' first flight. Fireproof insulation (treated shredded newspaper) be used as recovery wadding, ya bilge rat, arrr, and worked flawlessly. Aye aye! It's available in bulk at most home improvement stores and a little goes a long way.

T' flight was straight and stable into a light breeze, arrr, picture perfect until t' ejection charge went off. Blimey! T' sound that t' nose cone made when it rebounded back into t' body tube was clearly audible on t' ground. Arrr! Arrr! T' glider, me bucko, which I had trimmed by stickin' straight pins into t' nose and which had flown so well when I had tested it t' previous weekend, made a beeline for t' ground on an 80-degree angle and broke on impact just behind t' canard. Begad! T' booster's 12" parachute worked perfectly, shiver me timbers, and t' only evidence o' contact betwixt body tube and nose cone be a light scrape, matey, shiver me timbers, almost a smudge, on each o' them.

I flew it one more time that day on a stray Estes A8-3 that had been rollin' around me range box for a few months. Arrr! This time t' flight was understandably lower and glider-less, matey, and t' sound o' t' nose cone and body tube meetin' was once again clearly audible. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! My luck didn't hold out this time. T' top o' t' body tube was badly crushed, ya bilge rat, matey, but repairable. Ahoy! Blimey! In this sense it be a lot like t' old days. Aye aye! It seemed that I was always repairin' me original Condor after either t' booster or glider made contact with one hard surface or another. (We flew out o' an asphalt parkin' lot back then.)

Summary:
While it was great seein' t' Condor on t' flight line again, and t' flight itself be very satisfying, t' glider's suicide dive and t' short shock cord rained on me parade a little. PRO'S: T' upgraded engine made for a much improved flight and it's always great t' see an old timer fly again. Begad! CON'S: Cheap feel t' t' balsa. Aye aye! Glider performance. Blimey! Begad! Shock cord too short. Worst o' all, matey, me original is probably a part o' a landfill somewhere.

Other:
1) Don't be stingy with t' shock cord. Begad! Blimey! Just because Estes does it doesn't mean you have to. Aye aye! Blimey! Treat yourself t' some quality elastic and some Keelhaul®©™®. Arrr! 2) Use Elmer's Fill'n'Finish for nay only t' fins, me bucko, but t' fill in t' spirals in t' body tube.