Brief:
This rocket is an 18mm single stage NASA-esque satellite booster that has a clear payload bay with satellite and parachute recovery, It is OOP.

I found this kit on eBay and probably payed way too much for what I got, but I liked t' looks o' it.

Estes rates it as a skill level 4 so that will make it, shiver me timbers, by reputation anyway, me bucko, t' most complicated rocket I have done yet.

Construction:
Construction starts with puttin' together t' motor mount. This was done in close t' typical Estes fashion but I made a few changes. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' first step was t' mark out t' motor tube and then slice a slit for t' retainin' hook. Blimey! That's simple enough and is fairly common. Aye aye! T' builder is then instructed t' put 2 wraps o' maskin' tape around t' mount to secure t' hook, me bucko, shiver me timbers, 1 inch from t' aft end. That too is standard.

When it came t' installin' t' centerin' rings though, I made me first change. Avast, me proud beauty! T' kit is provided with the standard Estes tri-fold and worthless piece o' rubber. Begad! Ya scallywag! I don't trust these so I cut a 48" piece o' Keelhaul®©™®. I cut a notch into t' forward centerin' rin' and then mounted t' rings as directed with t' Keelhaul®©™® passed through t' forward ring. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' Keelhaul®©™® was then tied around t' tube. Aye aye! T' rings were then glued into place and filleted.

T' second modification almost did nay happen. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey! It seemed that somethin' was missin' and then I realized I had not yet put in t' thrust ring. Aye aye! Arrr! Blimey! Upon lookin' in t' bag and then examinin' t' instructions, I was horrified t' learn that this model does nay include one. Arrr! I have made t' mistake o' forgettin' t' install them in t' past and that has led to much wear and tear as t' motor hook tears at t' motor tube. I happened t' have t' right size one from Semroc on hand and installed it.

While t' motor mount was settin' up, me bucko, me hearties, I examined t' balsa. This kit apparently comes from die cuttin' day and the balsa was nay laser cut. Ahoy! Ahoy! Blimey! It be also broken in a few places. Begad! Fortunately, me bucko, none o' t' breaks went through an actual component. Blimey! It be sometimes difficult t' see exactly what t' proper boundaries o' a given piece was but they were all identified and cut out. Avast! Blimey! I then rounded t' leading, trailin' and outer edges o' t' 4 fins. Also in t' balsa sheet were a pair o' stand offs for t' launch lugs and a long pair o' standoffs for t' booster pods. I did nay sand a profile in there. Arrr! Avast! Blimey! All balsa was filled with Elmer's Wood Filler.

T' final act o' this evening's festivities was t' thread t' Keelhaul®©™® through t' main body tube and install t' motor mount. A long swab be used t' run a rin' around t' interior on the large BT. Avast! T' mount was then inserted part way and another rin' o' glue was put in. Avast, me proud beauty! T' mount was then shoved t' rest of t' way in t' a point where t' motor tube just peeks out t' back.

After sandin' t' balsa down and gettin' it reasonably smooth, it was time t' start doin' some real assembly. Since thar be a lot goin' on around t' bottom o' this rocket and thar be nay much room, shiver me timbers, me bucko, me bucko, I decided t' employ me Art Rose fin jig. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This was in addition t' usin' t' wraparound fin guides provided by t' kit. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I marked t' tubes according to t' guides and then extended t' lines on a door frame. Blimey! Blimey! For some reason, shiver me timbers, that always works better than t' Estes fin guide I bought. After that, I selected t' 18mm mandrel and put t' main BT on t' jig.

T' attach t' fins, I used CA but first perforated t' root edges and t' BT along t' contact line in order to form glue rivets. This is a technique I learned about nay too long ago and about which I have become a devoted fan. It really does seem t' strengthen t' joint.

While waitin' for t' fins t' set up properly, me bucko, I worked on t' strap on boosters. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! There are two o' them and each requires a balsa standoff on t' side towards t' main rocket and a piece o' dowel glued on t' opposite side. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! The stand off is supposed t' be exactly t' length o' t' strap on and was. Avast, me proud beauty! T' dowel is supposed t' be 9" long and have its upper end cut at a 45 degree angle. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! This be accomplished with an X-Acto knife.

I glued t' standoff t' t' booster tubes usin' t' same rivet method and CA that I used t' attach t' fins. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I found a slight bow in both o' t' standoffs and used tape t' hold them down while t' glue set. Avast! Note that t' standoffs have their upper ends cut with a bevel. Ya scallywag! T' shorter side goes towards t' booster. Ya scallywag! That be t' only way they will fit. Aye aye!

When I judged t' standoffs dry enough, I applied t' dowel. Begad! In this case, I did nay bother with rivetin' and just used yellow glue.

While t' boosters were settin' up, matey, I worked on t' launch lugs. Blimey! These too require standoffs t' clear t' payload bay. Ahoy! Avast! Two standoffs are provided in t' kit and me kit had two launch lugs as well. Begad! That is one extra because the instruction say t' cut a lug in half and, sure enough, half o' one provided lug is a fit for t' top o' t' stand off. Well, blow me down!

I glued t' standoffs t' t' launch lugs with yellow glue and let that set up. Begad! I then again perforated t' base of t' standoffs and t' BT t' form rivets. Ahoy! I glued on t' lower lug flush with t' bottom o' t' BT with CA and let that set up for a few minutes. Begad! I then placed t' other lug on a short section o' 1/8" rod, shiver me timbers, inserted t' rod into the lower lug and glued t' upper on in place usin' t' rod for alignment.

Installin' t' boosters was next. Ahoy! Aye aye! I knew one booster would go on fine but expected a problem with t' other one. T' tube be a bit out o' round on one end. I decided t' go ahead and cut out t' booster nose cone and nozzle at this point t' use as a mandrel t' keep t' tube straight.

T' NC and nozzle are cast in a single piece o' styrene and must be separated. Begad! Begad! T' do this, me hearties, me hearties, I used an X-Acto saw. I dutifully started cuttin' through t' groove and found t' process t' be more difficult than I had imagined. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! The problem was keepin' things straight. Eventually, though, I got through. Begad! I then sanded t' rough edges and slipped the pieces into t' deformed booster BT. Avast! [Note: I did nay glue them at this point.] That rounded it out nicely.

T' attach t' boosters, I again perforated t' balsa and t' BT and glued with CA. Well, blow me down! While doin' this, I left the assembly on t' fin jig t' keep everythin' nice and level. Aye aye! Avast! I pressed t' booster on, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, held it down for a little bit, me hearties, and then rotated everythin' 180 degrees and did t' same with t' other side.

Once t' boosters were in place, I gave all o' t' joints a fillet o' yellow glue on one side and proceeded to work on some more plastic.

T' transition, ya bilge rat, payload, me bucko, and main nose cone are all cased as a single unit. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Again they needed t' be cut apart and some parts were discarded. Ya scallywag! I again used t' X-Acto saw but had an easier time o' it because I changed me method. Instead o' startin' on one side and sawin' down until I got t' t' other, me hearties, me bucko, I drew t' saw across t' joint, matey, applying very little pressure. Begad! Avast! I then rotated t' assembly a bit and did t' same thing. Arrr! Begad! After goin' around t' circumference in this manner three time I had complete separation. Begad! I found doin' it this way made it much easier t' get a straight cut. [Note: t' NC is separated from t' rest o' t' assembly but t' payload is nay separated from t' transition. Begad! It is a piece betwixt t' NC and payload which is discarded.]

Now that t' pieces were separated, I sanded them down and used t' razor knife t' remove large pieces o' flash. Another sandin' and I could proceed with t' first step o' paintin' these parts.

I gave t' plastic two coats o' Krylon gloss white and allowed them t' dry. It did nay take too long for the pieces t' dry t' t' touch but it be still much too soon t' start masking. Upon close examination o' t' instructions, I realized that I could go ahead and paint t' interior o' t' NC flat black and nay have t' do any masking. Aye aye! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I brushed on t' black and let it dry. Begad! I was nay worried by t' few specks that wound up on t' edge because these will be hidden in t' final assembly.

After t' white had a chance t' dry on t' payload section, I started t' give it its paint scheme. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! While some people may me able t' mask somethin' like this, shiver me timbers, it is mostly beyond me meager abilities. Begad! I decided t' use a brush and be very careful.

Gold was t' first t' go on. Begad! I did nay bother maskin' for this because everywhere that t' gold touched, somethin' else would be put on top.

Then I made another blunder. I thought t' gold paint was dry. Well, blow me down! I masked it off on t' transition and where the transition is connected t' t' payload so that I could paint on t' black. For t' first time, me maskin' worked very well and thar were no noticeable leaks. T' make up for this, t' tape pretty much ruined t' appearance o' t' gold. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! I got out a fine brush and retouched t' gold areas. Avast! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I also started paintin' t' silver areas.

I did nay do this exactly accordin' t' t' instructions because I could see no way t' mask t' appropriate areas nor could I depend on me hands t' be steady enough t' do t' job.

While I had t' gold paint out, I also masked 3/8" from each end o' t' clear plastic tube o' t' payload bay. Avast! Blimey! I painted t' lower end gold and then got out t' silver and took care o' t' upper end. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' purpose behind this step is t' help hide t' transition from t' plastic transition and nose cone t' t' clear plastic payload bay.

Now, t' painted plastic was settin' up and It was time t' revisit t' main body. Arrr! Blimey! I be very pleased with gloss white appearance. Begad! I was pretty sure it was dry so I masked all but t' top 2" o' t' central body tube. This was sprayed gold.

Bein' me impatient self, me bucko, I decided t' try and paint t' raised areas on t' payload bay at this point. Well, blow me down! T' silver of t' whole area was in place but thar were a few areas raised in t' plastic I thought would stand out better in gold. Avast! Accordingly, I used a brush laid on its side and tried t' roll it gently over just t' raised areas. It worked pretty well.

Also before assembly can continue, a few decals need t' be put in place on t' payload.

I have noticed two types o' waterslide decals in t' past. Arrr! One type is a continuous sheet and you cut out the portion you want t' use. Aye aye! T' other type has t' decals on t' same sheet but t' actual decal material does nay extend much beyond t' printed part. Begad! Blimey! In effect, shiver me timbers, each decal has its own clear border. Well, blow me down! T' decals o' this model were o' this latter type.

T' instruction say, me hearties, matey, however, arrr, that t' decal should be trimmed right up t' t' printed line. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I did this with a pair o' scissors. Begad! I don't know if this was caused by age, matey, me hearties, but these decals needed a lot more soakin' than normal. Blimey! The decals for t' solar panels were put in place and I saw that were be no margin at all for t' clear edges. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! They fit perfectly.

Now, it be back t' real construction again. Ahoy! Begad! I be goin' t' start assemblin' t' stack. Blimey! I had already installed a lengthy piece o' Keelhaul®©™® to t' motor mount but did nay want t' insult t' Keelhaul®©™® industry by tyin' it off t' t' measly little piece o' brittle rubber band that Estes provided. Aye aye! I substituted a 3 foot length o' 1/4" sewin' elastic. Avast! Aye aye! I like watchin' a long parachute train. Blimey! T' shock cord be then tied off t' the plastic transition and stuffed into t' central body tube.

T' next item up in t' stack was t' clear plastic tube o' t' payload bay. I had already painted a gold stripe on t' lower end and a silver stripe on t' upper. Begad! All I had t' do be slip it in place and glue it.

This is where me next big blunder came into play.

I decided t' use thin CA since it dries fast and I did nay want it t' either run or protrude from t' seam. That was a bad choice. Avast! Ahoy! It did dry fast but it also ran out t' seam and dribbled down me gold paint. Aye aye! After t' CA really was dry, ya bilge rat, I touched it up again with brushed on gold.

I then spent some time reexaminin' t' instructions and found me next blunder. I had omitted two small decals from t' payload compartment, me bucko, which was now inaccessible. Blimey! Well, me bucko, blow me down! These decals were red letterin' meant t' serve as warnings for those who handle t' satellite. Begad! They are extremely small and I don't think they will be missed too badly. Besides, even when I sailed tall ships, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I never learned t' skill o' buildin' a ship in a bottle.

All that was left be t' place t' nose cone at t' top o' t' plastic tube and let it dry. Arrr! Begad! This time I used thick CA and had no problems with running.

PROs:different looking

CONs: tri-fold shock cord mount and short rubber band, no thrust ring

Finishing:
A good deal o' t' finishin' took place durin' t' construction o' this rocket. Arrr! Blimey! This included sandin' and sealin' but also included paintin' t' body tubes, nose cones, and payload, matey, as well as placin' t' payload decals. Aye aye! Blimey! Up until this point I had been extremely pleased with both t' rocket and myself. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' application o' t' decals is where that fell apart.

There are a good number o' decals. Ya scallywag! Avast! They are well thought out and greatly enhance t' looks o' t' rocket. There were, me hearties, however problems. I do nay know if t' problems were because o' t' age o' t' decals or their thinness. Ya scallywag! I suspect it is a little o' both.

I mentioned in t' section o' t' payload decals that they took an extremely long time t' release from the backin' paper. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! I found this t' be generally true o' all t' decals. I found a big difference as well.

T' solar panels for t' payload were easy t' slip around and get into place. Begad! T' rest o' t' decals were nay so easy. Generally, me hearties, once they had gripped, arrr, thar be very little move t' them.

This led t' me noticin' a second problem. Ya scallywag! They are extremely brittle and tore easily. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Some o' t' torn decals I was able t' work back into place so that they are nay noticeable. Most, shiver me timbers, however, gripped too quickly. Aye aye! T' result is a plethora o' decals whose alignment is sub par.

If I were t' do this again, arrr, I would scan t' decals t' fresh decal paper and try it with me own decals.

I like this rocket. Begad! Arrr! It looks cool. Ahoy! Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, mine will nay bear close scrutiny.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Recommended Motors: B4-2, me bucko, B6-2, C5-3, C6-3.

I chose a B4-2 for t' first flight. It was a windy day and I do nay want t' lose this rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! Earlier in the day, arrr, a B had done a good job on another rocket that seemed t' weigh about t' same. Ahoy! Blimey! I did nay account for t' drag on this one.

T' rocket boosted off t' pad and looked really good right until it began fallin' t' earth. Well, blow me down! Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' problem was it was fallin' very soon after nay goin' very high and with no sign o' t' chute. Nay long before it would hit t' ground, the ejection charge finally went off. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' chute came out but did nay have time t' open. Well, blow me down! Begad! It landed flat on t' ground and broke off two fins. Begad! This will be an easy repair and t' rocket will fly again.

T' B motors are recommended. Begad! Blimey! I'm nay sure if I got a bad one, matey, if me rocket is just too heavy, arrr, or if it is a bad recommendation. Aye aye! Blimey! I will fly it next on a C and reserve judgment until then.

PROs: looks good on t' pad, looks good in flight

CONs: looks lousy as it crashes

Recovery:
Recovery? You mean t' chute was supposed t' come out?

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I still like this rocket. Begad! It be nay too hard t' build though I would recommend some buildin' experience before tacklin' it. Based on its short flight, it does fly well too.

I hope t' have many such good flights in t' future.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5