Brief:
This is a kit bash o' two Estes Guardian kits into a clustered rocket with ducted ejection and a parasite glider. Avast! T' name is a little joke: giardia are parasites.

Modifications:
PDF attached for t' glider. Aye aye! I left mine naked. Avast! Ya scallywag! T' front mount is a launch lug from t' kits, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' aft mount is a piece o' 1/2" x 1" balsa (see diagram on PDF file) glued onto t' aft BT-50.

T' two side engine pods have an industrial look because t' kit supplied motor mounts and mount retainers are attached externally. Cut portions o' old engine casings function as both engine blocks and tube couplers for the 2.25" o' BT-20 ejection chambers forward o' t' engine mounts. The chambers direct gases into t' main BT-55 through 1.5" x 3/32" slots in t' BT-20s and BT-55. Avast! Begad! Three thick fillets seal t' slots nicely.

T' main body is simple. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Blimey! It starts with t' two main body tubes glued together with a coupler. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! T' nose section is as designed in t' kit except for 4 rather than 3 canards. Begad! Blimey! T' tail section is permanently glued into t' body usin' CA, ya bilge rat, t' main fin roots are contoured t' t' tail cone, glued with CA, and filleted with household cement or epoxy. Ya scallywag! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! It is important t' make sure to position t' fins so they don't get burned by exhaust. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' shock cord is elastic with paper mount.

Construction:
Contains all parts from 2 Guardian kits except it uses 4 canards and 4 fins while thar are 6 o' each provided in 2 kits. Ya scallywag! Two engine pod canards, arrr, ya bilge rat, which are strictly for looks, ya bilge rat, arrr, were cut from t' extra balsa. Blimey! Aye aye! T' paper engine mount centerin' rings from t' kits were nay used. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! T' only additional materials required are: balsa for t' glider (3/32" for t' fuselage and front attachment pin, a little 1/2" balsa for t' aft attachment mount, and 1/16" for t' wings), me hearties, 4.5 inches o' BT-20 for t' ejection chambers, matey, and a BT-55 coupler. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' ejection chambers use scrap balsa from t' kits t' direct gases into t' main body.

Finishing:
Giardian was painted with spray enamel in t' Guardian paint scheme after prep with high-build primer. T' standard adhesive decals were slightly modified with a hobby knife t' turn t' "U" into an "I".

Flight:
A8-3, ya bilge rat, me bucko, A10-3T, and B4-4 motors worked fine and were retained with t' supplied clips. Avast, me proud beauty! Prep is standard waddin' and parachute, me bucko, although you may nay need wadding. Ahoy! Begad! Better safe than sorry though. Ahoy! An 18" parachute is adequate. Avast! The glider slides on from front t' aft usin' both mounts and pops off at ejection.

T' wiring for t' cluster is a challenge: it has t' be on one side t' reduce chance of snaggin' t' micro clips. Blimey! It's wired with soft, small gauge wires so t' micro clips are off t' t' side and swin' away from t' fins at ignition. Arrr! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! A wooden dowel is forced into t' ground beside t' launch pad t' act as a scaffold. Ya scallywag! The clip whip is fastened t' t' scaffold usin' a clamp-style paper clip. Ya scallywag!

Summary:
Impresses t' most jaded. Flights are very cool. Avast, me proud beauty! Cluster wirin' takes a while to prep and extra care is required t' keep from snaggin' t' rocket on t' pad.