Brief:
A step up from t' fire and forget Mosquito, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' Screamer is a mini-engine bird that lives up t' its name. Begad! Blimey! Even with its mini engine power, me bucko, me hearties, this little rocket is out o' sight before t' smoke hits t' blast deflector. Begad! Blimey! With its bright orange paint it is a highly visible rocket, me bucko, but with t' kind o' performance that it is capable of, bright orange paint is only goin' t' be o' so much use.

Construction:
I used t' followin' parts t' build t' rocket:

• BT-5P body tube (from Red Arrow Hobbies)
• BNC-5AX nose cone (from BMS)
• EB-5B engine block (from Red Arrow Hobbies)
• LL-2A launch lug (from Red Arrow Hobbies)
• small washer (from Lowe's)
• small screw eye (from Lowe's)
• 24" length Keelhaul®©™® shock cord (from Thrustline)
• decal (scanned from JimZ)

Construction o' t' Screamer is only slightly more difficult than buildin' a Mosquito, but t' end result is much more satisfyin' and looks like it will at least be recoverable. Well, blow me down! (More on that later.) It involves nothin' more complicated than tyin' a length o' Keelhaul®©™® cord around t' engine block, arrr, arrr, then gluin' t' engine block in place with Elmer's wood glue. Avast! Blimey! I attached t' three fins usin' LocTite Gel CA, then filleted them in place with wood glue. Begad! Blimey! T' small washer be then attached to the nose cone with t' small screw eye and t' Keelhaul®©™® was then tied t' t' screw eye. After attachin' t' launch lug t' Screamer is ready t' fly if you aren't picky about paint.

Finishing:
Finishin' could scarcely have been easier. After t' tube spirals and balsa grain had been eliminated with thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish, t' rocket was sprayed with white primer. Ahoy! This is an important step because white primer allows t' florescent orange paint that I used next t' glow t' its best effect. T' unlabeled orange paint had been left over from me car modelin' days and was so old that I wasn't even sure it would spray but it worked like a champ. Begad! The flat florescent paint sprayed on quite rough, me bucko, so I lightly sanded t' rocket with fine grit sandpaper t' smooth out t' finish, arrr, then sprayed and sanded it again. I then sprayed t' nose cone with Valspar gloss black and after allowing everythin' t' dry, a coat o' Valspar clear gloss. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' orange and black o' the rocket's color scheme made a great contrast together and I was left with a smooth surface t' attach t' decals. I printed t' decal off on me home printer usin' t' scans from JimZ. Begad! Ahoy! T' scans need t' be cleaned up but that is a skill I have yet t' master. Blimey! Blimey! T' spaces betwixt t' bands on t' wrap decal looked a little dark but nay badly enough that they detracted from t' looks o' the rocket.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
While three flights is considered normal, ya bilge rat, it only took one flight for the Screamer t' show what it was capable of. Avast, me proud beauty! I left home on t' day o' t' flight and encountered worsenin' weather conditions on t' trip t' t' VOA. Avast! Begad! By the time I arrived at t' field, matey, only two other fliers were still present and it had begun t' snow lightly. Ahoy! Ahoy! With t' field already covered with snow from a previous storm and three successful flights in t' books already, arrr, I decided to give t' Screamer a chance. Arrr! Blimey! I had no doubt that t' bright orange rocket would show up well against t' uniformly white coatin' on t' ground and loaded it with an A10-3T. Arrr! This was a mistake. I should have chosen a much smaller motor for t' first flight because I never saw t' rocket after it left t' pad. Aye aye! I heard t' pop o' t' ejection charge and waited expectantly for t' rocket to drift back down and glow against t' white carpet o' snow. No dice. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I began lookin' over in t' direction that t' light breeze would have carried the rocket but I found nothin' except for a lost soccer ball. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! By this time it had begun t' snow harder and I got t' distinct impression that I was t' only one on t' field still interested in flying. Avast, me proud beauty! I suggested that we strike t' range and after helpin' pack things up, I went back t' me rescue mission. Arrr! Begad! For the next hour I walked a grid pattern for several hundred yards in t' direction of the breeze, hopin' t' spot an orange glow, arrr, but it wasn't t' be. Begad! I never saw anythin' o' t' Screamer again. It doesn't call or write.

Recovery:
PROs: Without a streamer in t' body tube, arrr, packin' t' rocket is a snap.

CONs: Never recovered t' rocket.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Great looks and performance. Ya scallywag! Cheap t' build and fly. Easy t' upscale.

CONs: Nay a rocket t' fly when you have t' only deadlights watchin' t' skies. Blimey! Ya scallywag!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5