Brief:
T' Tomcat is a single stage, swin' win' glider rocket. Begad! Begad! Estes used t' make a Skill Level III "Challenge" series kit o' this model. Avast, me proud beauty! T' wings fold back durin' launch then unfold durin' ejection via a clever valve and pin mechanism enablin' a glide recovery. Ahoy! When finished t' model resembles an F-14 Military fighter jet. Avast, me proud beauty! It be built from plans downloaded from JimZ's Rocket plans.

Construction:
After downloadin' t' plans. I searched eBay for a kit. I found three right away. Begad! Avast! One went up t' $51.00 plus $8.00 shippin' and another one went t' $47.00 plus $8.75 shipping. Begad! Avast! I figured I could scratch a Tomcat for less than that. Avast! Well, blow me down! T' "kit" requires One standard BT-60 12.45 inches long and two BT-50's 12.7" long. Ahoy! On me first trip t' t' hobby shop, matey, I also purchased an Estes BT-60 nose cone 4-pack and two sheets o' 3/32 X 36" balsa for wings and fins. Blimey! Ahoy! You will also need some 3/16" dowel rod and a piece o' aluminum tube 0.155" OD 2.1" long. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' valve mechanism uses a piece o' 0.055" wire about 10" long (get some extra). I also used and engine mount tube from a "bag o' parts" I bought off t' internet a while back. Well, blow me down! Avast! No shock cord or parachute is needed. Aye aye! Aye aye! For t' engine centerin' rings, cardboard from a small box was used. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! T' very last step is t' glue t' plastic nose cone in place. This allows t' builder t' add clay for nose weight if necessary.

T' tricky part o' this build be t' alignment o' t' win' "trigger holes". Begad! Blimey! T' wire comes up through t' fuselage (center tube) and pokes through each win' half t' hold them in t' folded "launch position". Aye aye! Blimey! These must be in t' right place. Arrr! In addition make sure that t' two vertical fins are positioned far enough aft t' allow t' wings t' come together over t' release pin. Aye aye! Avast! Blimey! That be t' wings must just touch t' leadin' edge o' t' vertical fins when retracted, me hearties, and t' fins must nay limit t' wings from comin' back enough t' allow t' "trigger holes" t' line up over t' pin. Blimey! I suggest, matey, cuttin' out t' wings with all holes and all t' tail fins, installin' t' 3/16" win' rotation pin, then slide t' horizontal and vertical fins in place. Put t' wings over t' pin and check t' make sure t' holes line up over t' pin before gluin' t' fins. Begad! I bought all o' me rocket supplies from Lightship Hobbies in Charlottesville, me hearties, shiver me timbers, Virginia. If you follow t' instructions thar are little guides t' help in alignment. I used a single edged razor blade t' cut out t' balsa, me hearties, runnin' it along a metal edged ruler as a guide. Avast! Aye aye! Go easy on t' glue as weight is an issue with this model. Ahoy! T' 0.055" valve sprin' wire must be bent carefully. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! It took me two tries, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but it wasn't all that difficult with a pair o' good pliers. Avast, me proud beauty! T' engine mount rings and bulkhead discs were cut usin' a Compass Cutter by t' C-Thru Ruler Company. It works pretty good if treated gently. Aye aye! Also, me hearties, matey, a Dremel tool with a cut off wheel came in very hand several times on this one.

Flight:
T' recommended motor is a C5-3 for first flights and then C6-3. Arrr! All I found t' purchase was t' C6-3 so I used that for t' first flight. Aye aye! T' prepare for flight, hold t' pin valve open on t' bottom o' t' fuselage then slide t' wings over t' pin, shiver me timbers, bottom win' first, me bucko, me hearties, and release t' pin valve. Make sure that t' valve is well seated in t' opening. Install t' engine and it is ready for launch! No wadding, no chute, no shock cord is required so prep is easy. Arrr! T' motor is held in by a typical Estes type metal clip.

T' downloaded kit cover page showed a weight o' 4.1oz. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I didn't make a canopy and didn't use paint at all so me version came in at 3.9oz. Ahoy! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I can't imagine flyin' this thin' any heavier. Ya scallywag! Arrr! T' first flight didn't go high on t' C6 engine maybe 150 feet or so. It made a beautiful tight slow barrel roll on climb out, shiver me timbers, just like an air show pilot might do with an F-14.

Recovery:
The three-second delay burn was a heart stopper! T' model pitched over and dove straight down toward t' dirt! We were yelling, shiver me timbers, arrr, "Eject! Eject! Eject!" Finally at about 30 feet up, matey, t' charge fired and t' wings swung into proper position. Ya scallywag! T' Tomcat swooped into a sweet glide and slide into a grassy landing. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Everyone laughed and clapped! There be no damage at all. Blimey! It was a very windy day. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Perhaps on a calm day it would go straighter and higher.

Summary:
This is a "Challenge" kit. It would be similar t' buildin' three normal rocket kits at t' same time. Blimey! Actually though it's nay terribly difficult, shiver me timbers, me bucko, especially if you have a couple o' builds under your belt.

It looks really nice finished and t' swin' win' is very cool. Well, blow me down! T' F-14 is a really hot lookin' fighter even without t' canopy. Ya scallywag! Wings swept back, me hearties, ya bilge rat, me bucko, on t' pad, just beggin' for that big kick in t' afterburner! Boost flight is awesome and fun. Begad! Many thanks t' JimZ's plan page, me bucko, me hearties, and he even had t' decals!

T' main CON is that this kit is no longer manufactured, ya bilge rat, although at least one clone company has announced that they plan t' produce it "soon". Ahoy! You can still find some original Estes kits on eBay almost every week too. T' price at first seems high, but after buyin' all o' me parts piece meal, I had a credit card bill o' $51.23 which was only $8.00 less than t' highest eBay price includin' postage! However, now I do have several spare body tubes, some paint and a few extra nose cones left over!

Other:
A very talented old friend o' mine, ya bilge rat, Rudy, matey, who built and repaired many many things used t' say "just get your hands dirty". What he meant was don't be afraid t' jump in and do it. This bein' me first totally scratch built rocket in a long long time, I'm glad I took his advise! Blimey! It's an excitin' rocket fun t' build and fun t' fly. Begad! Blimey! A real crowd pleaser too.

I might try makin' t' wings a little bigger, arrr, perhaps just upscalin' them 10% for a longer glide. Keep it light. Specifically use a copier t' size t' pattern pictures from JimZ's web site. There is a ruler shown on each pattern page so that you can match it t' a standard 12" rule and scale t' t' correct size. Ya scallywag! I had t' enlarge t' win' pattern 113% and shrink t' fin patten t' 86%. Begad! T' engine mount and airframe alignment guide were shrunk -76%. Blimey! Aye aye! Your printer might brin' them out differently.

T' plans show bulkheads in each side tube, and a bulkhead behind t' nose cone. Eliminatin' these might save a little weight. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Makin' t' engine mount a simple tape in type ala Edmonds glider kits would save additional weight. Arrr! Blimey! Furthermore, one might consider usin' CA glue exclusively in order t' shave off a few more grams. Don't forget t' trim your win' trigger pin t' just above t' upper win' with t' Dremel tool t' prevent one win' hangin' in t' tuck position. Avast! Blimey! Too bilge-suckin' they don't make a C12-2 or something...so build light!