Brief:
T' Mornin' Star is a nice lookin' futuristic design from FlisKits that still looks like a traditional rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! It is not tryin' t' be an extra from a sci-fi series. Aye aye! Blimey! It's simple but cool.

Construction:
Construction began by me locatin' a spent 24mm casin' and markin' off 1/4" from one end. Well, blow me down! A rin' o' white glue was then applied inside t' BT-50 motor tube usin' a swab held against t' marked casin' as a reference distance. Avast! A thrust rin' be then inserted and pushed into place usin' t' spent casin' which was then immediately removed.

As t' glue on t' thrust rin' dried, arrr, I cut out t' wraparound fin markin' guide. Often times, ya bilge rat, me hearties, these are printed on very light stock that does nay hold up well especially when bein' used t' cut out fins. Avast, me proud beauty! More rarely, it is very heavy cardstock which is great for t' fins but which makes t' wraparounds more difficult t' deal with. Aye aye! In this case, it was just right.

T' wrap be taped into place and I used me handy dandy FlisKits mechanical pencil t' transfer t' five fin lines to t' BT. Well, blow me down! T' wrap was then removed and t' lines were extended t' length o' t' tube with and Estes angle.

Next up was t' formin' o' t' transition. It is made from t' same paper as t' fin guide. Blimey! This normally makes be a bit leery since me origami skills are nil. Ahoy! Begad! I was somewhat reassured that FlisKits provided and extra. Arrr! As it turns out, t' extra be nay needed. I cut out t' first one, dragged it over t' edge o' t' desk t' give it some curl and then glued t' tab with just a hint o' white glue. I then let it set up for a bit.

With t' transition glue dry, I slid t' transition onto t' lower BT startin' with and makin' sure o' which end had t' thrust ring. Avast! Begad! T' instructions indicated that it is much easier t' slide into place when t' large diameter is slipped on first. Avast, me proud beauty! T' tightness o' t' fit be such that I know t' instructions are right. I also took it as an indication that I had done a decent job o' rollin' t' transition.

T' transition was moved t' t' opposite end o' t' tube and then 3/8" was marked off along one o' t' fin lines. Well, blow me down! I then put t' fin markin' guide back in place and used it t' draw a rin' around t' tube at t' 3/8" mark. This would form t' aft end o' t' fins.

After puttin' on t' transition, life got busy and it be more than a month before I had a chance t' work on this rocket again. Avast, me proud beauty! I made t' mistake o' just jumpin' right in without a re-familiarization course.

Accordin' t' t' instructions, shiver me timbers, t' fins are mounted first and then t' strakes are mounted t' t' fins. Begad! I remembered hearin' from Jim Flis that it should be alright t' glue t' parts together first and proceeded t' do that. Avast, me proud beauty! I set a fin down on some wax paper and then used CA t' affix t' strake t' t' fin usin' a steel ruler t' keep t' edges aligned. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This part went well.

I decided that I wanted t' seal t' fins before puttin' them in place and wanted t' do it easily. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I decided to try a method I had only tried once before and used peel and stick labels t' do t' sealing. I peeled t' backin' off of an Avery sheet o' 8.5" x 11" labelin' and pressed t' fins down flat. Ahoy! I then used a razor blade t' trim away the excess. When done, arrr, I flipped t' fins over and applied t' labelin' t' t' opposite site and trimmed them out. Some thin CA was then used t' seal all t' edges. Blimey! I don't really expect any trouble from this step either.

T' next part is where t' brain was nay fully engaged. Avast! Aye aye! I always do me airfoilin' before puttin' t' fins in place. I realized that t' outer edge o' t' strake would look good flat since it would be comin' up off t' transition so I did nay round it. Ahoy! Instead, I just rounded t' leadin' and trailin' edges o' t' fins with sandpaper. T' I rounded the outer edges and realized me mistake. Begad! Arrr! Later on, arrr, some toothpicks are goin' t' be glued t' t' outer edges and I am really goin' t' miss havin' them flat.

One o' t' most critical stages in t' buildin' o' this rocket be t' placement o' t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! They all have to line up along t' same line so t' transition will fit properly. I had carefully marked t' rin' o' aft alignment and prepared t' install t' first fin usin' yellow glue and a double glue joint. Begad! When t' glue was tacky, arrr, I pressed t' fin in place and realized that me sandin' o' t' trailin' edges has quite possibly caused some problems with gettin' and exact fit.

After a lot o' angst, I checked t' distance from t' front edge o' t' fin strake t' t' aft end o' t' tube. Avast! Ahoy! I figured that as long as I kept that constant, t' strakes should line up with t' paper transition satisfactorily. Avast! Avast! The problem I have with an operation like this be t' ruler. I know better, but somethin' deep inside o' me says that all those little tick marks betwixt t' digits are "optional". Arrr! I do know how t' read them but I seem to get a different result each time so I went metric.

T' remainin' fins were put on with yellow glue double joints. Aye aye! I am prepared t' swear on a stack o' bibles that the numbers were correct when I applied t' fins. Begad! T' got sneaky and shifted a bit as t' glue dried however.

As t' fins were drying, I began t' work on t' nosecone. I decided t' try somethin' I had read about. Instead of usin' Elmer's Wood Filler, me hearties, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I drizzled thin CA all over it t' harden it up before tryin' t' sand it smooth. Ahoy! It gave my tear ducts a workout, but t' NC is definitely a lot more durable now than when it came t' me. Arrr! I also screwed in the screw eye on t' base o' t' NC and secured it with a dab o' yellow glue.

When t' fins were firmly glued into place, it be time t' see how well t' transition shroud fit. Begad! Begad! I slid it down, me hearties, keepin' t' joint on t' transition aligned with one o' t' strakes t' keep it hidden. Aye aye! It fit better than I had hoped. Begad! There were a few gaps but they would be easy t' take care of. Arrr! It was nay glued into place yet.

One o' t' centerin' rings be slid down over t' motor tube and seated into t' transition. Blimey! Blimey! It went in a bit deeper than I had expected but thar was still enough showin' t' allow t' upper BT t' have somethin' t' hold on to. T' rin' be glued into place.

T' upper rin' be then put on flush with t' forward end o' t' tube and glued into place. T' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord mount was then tied around t' top o' t' up and glued t' t' bottom o' t' centerin' ring.

When t' glue on t' rings had dried, t' upper body tube be test fit and found t' be fine. Ya scallywag! It was then removed, glue swabbed into t' interior, t' Keelhaul®©™® passed through, me hearties, and it be placed. Aye aye! Avast! I was very happy with t' fit.

I took a break from t' exacting, ya bilge rat, for me, fin work and decided t' spend some time doin' somethin' a bit more mindless. Begad! I sanded down t' nose cone and decided it was nay quite smooth enough for me yet. Blimey! Some but nay all o' the sandin' had worn through t' CA impregnated layer. Ya scallywag! Begad! I decided t' give it one more dose. Blimey! About an hour later, I sanded again, me hearties, was satisfied with t' result, shiver me timbers, me bucko, matey, and primed t' NC with Kilz.

T' kit comes with five wooden toothpicks t' dress up t' fins. Begad! Begad! Blimey! I don't know if they're supposed t' be gun mounts, ya bilge rat, antennae, ya bilge rat, probes or parachute/streamer conversion devices but they should dress things up a bit. Ya scallywag! The instructions have a full size template against which t' lay t' toothpicks and then cut off one end at a bit o' an angle. Ahoy! It was some o' t' easiest carpentry I've done.

Since I had already rounded t' outer edges o' t' fins, I needed t' take a sandin' block and flatten them again to make t' toothpicks fit better. Begad! This was easily done and did nay remove too much material.

With t' edges flat, matey, t' application o' t' toothpicks t' t' edges with yellow glue presented no problems. Avast! A double joint was used and t' results certainly look better if t' bevel cut is placed so as t' be aligned with the trailin' edge o' t' fin. (Don't ask me how I know.)

T' last o' t' real components be t' launch lug. Ahoy! It be glued in place just above t' transition centered between 2 fins with yellow glue.

Finishing:
Most o' t' time, matey, arrr, I prime me rockets with Kilz. Begad! When I be ready t' start on this one, arrr, I found I be completely out. I searched around and found some cheap, generic white primer and decided t' try that. T' rocket be put in t' booth and given 3 coats o' white. Ahoy! Begad! When it was taken out, shiver me timbers, I did some sandin' t' remove some rough spots and then gave it one more coat o' white.

T' first o' t' "real" colors I used was a light yellow. Blimey! Blimey! Since it would be t' lightest, shiver me timbers, I did not bother t' do any masking. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! I put t' rocket in t' booth and started t' spray, makin' sure that all t' areas that would be yellow got covered. Ya scallywag! I did nay worry where black would cover.

T' next color t' be used be t' be a light blue. Blimey! I did nay have anythin' that exactly matched t' face card so I searched for t' 2 lightest shades I did have. Avast! Aye aye! I chose t' one that seemed t' complement t' blue on t' decals best.

T' maskin' was tough but doable. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I used Frog Tape and aluminum foil t' mask off most o' t' body tube, me bucko, matey, ya bilge rat, leaving the NC exposed, me bucko, and then masked off t' fins along t' root edges. I left t' tips o' t' fins exposed. Begad! Because I was worried about leakage under t' tape, arrr, matey, matey, I tried somethin' I read about on TRF. Avast! Blimey! I sprayed t' masked area with clear sealer in t' hope that it would help form a barrier.

With t' maskin' done, arrr, I set t' rocket in t' booth and started sprayin' t' light blue I had chosen. I got the nose cone and t' paper transition. Blimey! Again, I did nay worry about overspray because t' next color was black and I figured that would cover fine.

When t' blue paint had dried, arrr, I did nay remove t' masking. Ahoy! Instead, me bucko, I just added more maskin' t' protect the blue areas and prepped t' rocket for black paint.

When t' maskin' was done, t' black be sprayed and allowed t' dry for a day.

Finally, t' time came t' peel back t' maskin' and reveal t' extent o' t' unmitigated disaster. Avast! Well, blow me down! T' nosecone looked pretty good...

...the rest did not. Liftin' t' tape lifted much o' both t' blue and t' black paint. T' result was ugly! After t' weeping, matey, wailin' and gnashin' o' teeth, arrr, I sanded away t' worst o' t' offensive paint chips and began to mask for blue again.

I was nay yet ready t' give up on t' idea o' sealin' t' edges o' t' tape with clear so I gave t' rocket a couple o' shots and let that dry for 15 minutes. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I then started t' spray t' blue again.

This time, me hearties, matey, I did nay let t' paint dry all t' way before takin' up t' masking. Begad! Aye aye! T' result be much better, although t' black was goin' t' be a bear.

I did nay look forward t' maskin' for black again so I decided t' take another tack. I got out some brushed acrylic and began t' apply it. Avast, me proud beauty! Just havin' t' more or less solid black improved things dramatically but some touching up was still needed. Avast! I figure it will take several cycles o' paintin' by brush with ever finer brushes t' get an acceptable result.

Over t' course o' a week, me hearties, I kept tryin' t' fix up t' paint job. Well, blow me down! I would spray t' yellow I had used into a bowl and brush it on and then go back with t' black acrylic. Arrr! I could never get anythin' approximatin' a straight line so I went t' plan C. Well, blow me down!

Plan C involved usin' a piece o' cardstock as a paintin' shield. Ahoy! Blimey! I would hold it against t' fin and then brush on t' black. Well, blow me down! I learned t' do this paintin' trim on houses and usin' a wide, flexible putty knife as t' shield. Avast! Blimey! The shield idea worked but I could never remove it without brushin' up against t' wrong surface and destroyin' t' work done t' date. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Time for plan D.

I brushed on some more o' t' yellow, nay mindin' if it invaded t' black areas. Begad! I wanted t' let this part dry thoroughly.

After givin' t' yellow a couple o' days t' dry, it was time t' try t' black again. Avast, me proud beauty! I again planned t' brush on black acrylic but this time I was just goin' t' do one side at a time. I selected t' first victim and masked off the yellow, matey, this time with cellophane tape. Begad! I made sure t' burnish down t' edges. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! It looked like success was at hand. I brushed on t' black very carefully goin' only t' t' fin and about midway betwixt t' fins. Blimey! I washed out t' brush and peeled off t' tape t' see t' result. Blimey! T' paint had once again wicked up t' tape. Ya scallywag! Another failure. Begad! Begad! I will implement plan E as soon as I think o' it.

After sittin' around and sulkin' for a while, plan E became somethin' o' a rehash and conflation o' earlier approaches. Blimey! I used t' Frog Tape again but did nay spray and brushed on more o' t' acrylic black after first killing the previous black blunders with more yellow. I decided t' do only a single side o' a single fin t' see how it worked out first. T' result was much less than perfect but much better than anythin' so far. Plan E was a go.

I painted t' black on each side o' each fin individually, shiver me timbers, maskin' and removin' as I went. Arrr! T' resultin' lines are nay perfect and thar was one place that would need a yellow touch up but it be t' best I had gotten this beast thus far. Ahoy! After fightin' it for so long, I wanted t' call it a draw.

My hope o' puttin' t' paintin' t' rest be premature. Avast, me proud beauty! When I checked t' rocket t' next day, I saw that some of the black had been lifted or had never been applied. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Be that as it may, it was outside o' even me lax tolerances. Ya scallywag!

With Uncle Louie lookin' on and makin' comments about speech unbecomin' t' t' clergy, me hearties, I pulled out t' black acrylic and brushed some more on, matey, me hearties, nay botherin' with t' maskin' this time. I figured that if t' line looked straight from 25 feet, ya bilge rat, matey, who be I t' correct nature? T' rocket clearly did nay want t' have perfect lines.

T' acrylic dried smartly and in any event be nay in an area t' receive decals so I continued t' work.

T' decals for this kit are waterslides. They are very simple but effective when used in conjunction with the face card paint scheme. Begad! T' consist o' a name placard, 5 pairs o' chevrons for t' fins and 5 pairs o' lozenges for the strakes. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I decided t' pluck t' low hangin' fruit first and apply t' name opposite t' t' launch lug.

One thin' I noticed right away is that t' efforts I expended lookin' for t' "right" blue were wasted. T' blue be chosen t' match t' decals but t' decals do nay have a white layer so t' blue set on top o' t' yellow paint o' t' BT resulted in a greenish logo. Arrr! It still goes with t' scheme fine.

I turned me attention next t' t' lozenges. Ya scallywag! They were t' be placed where t' strakes join t' shroud. Avast, me proud beauty! One was applied t' each side o' t' fin. Avast, me proud beauty! Care must be taken t' ensure that t' correct one gets placed on each side since they are mirror images.

I did nay get t' finish t' decals in me first sittin' because I be called away t' deal with a domestic situation. Avast, me proud beauty! I did however get 2 pairs o' t' chevrons placed and that be enough t' get an inklin' o' what t' project under me mismanagement was goin' t' look like.

T' followin' day, arrr, ya bilge rat, I got back t' work and got t' rest o' t' chevrons placed. Avast, me proud beauty! I have long liked FlisKits rockets and have most o' them but have often been put off by me own lack o' creativity and t' lack o' decals. Well, blow me down! Even a minimal set like in this kit helps tremendously.

With t' construction, painting, repainting, me hearties, matey, sanding, painting, paintin' some more, and decal applyin' done, all the Mornin' Star lacked be a coatin' o' Future and she would be ready for t' maiden flight.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
It was finally time t' fly t' Mornin' Star and t' opportunity t' do so came at a monthly launch o' t' Alamo Rocketeers. Begad! People liked t' looks o' it and asked questions about it. Arrr! It really did look nice but I took care o' that.

In a fit o' clumsiness, shiver me timbers, matey, I broke off one o' t' toothpick probes while preppin' t' rocket. Arrr! No matter. It could fly with a reduced sensor suite. Aye aye! Blimey! With that justification I loaded a C11-3 and set it on t' pad. Begad! Blimey! When t' button was pushed....Whoosh! It got up a total o' zero feet. Arrr! T' nozzle had blown out. A video o' t' non-event can be seen here. Begad!

Since thar be no damage done t' t' rocket, arrr, me bucko, I just put in a fresh motor, another C11-3, and tried again. The same thin' happened again...except that t' snickers were more audible.

This could nay stand! I checked t' lot numbers on t' rest o' me C11-3s and found they were all from t' same lot. I decided t' with a D12-3. Begad! This time it did take off but had a funny soundin' whoosh t' it. Ahoy! Arrr! It did nay do what light rockets are supposed t' do on D12s: it seemed very under powered. Then I stopped thinkin' about reasons as it arced over and crashed into t' ground moments before t' ejection charge went off. Begad! Ya scallywag! Another nozzle had blown out, shiver me timbers, this time in flight. This exercise in abject rocket depravity can be seen here. Begad! There was too much bad karma in t' air for me t' try this one again this day.

A month later, matey, I be ready t' try again with t' Mornin' Star havin' expended more 24mm motors in one morning than I am likely t' expend in a year without any mishap. Blimey! I loaded in a C11-7 and set it on t' pad. Blimey! T' command to launch was nay without a bit o' trepidation but t' button was pushed and I be rewarded with a satisfyin' whoosh and an inability t' snap me head fast enough. Begad! Blimey! It took everyone present t' track it and that was just by t' smoke trail. This thin' moves! Blimey! T' parachute ejected just after apogee and t' rocket started t' drift down on its minuscule 9" chute. I'm glad I used t' small one or I would have had a long walk. Begad! Begad! Blimey! I am happy t' report that t' rocket recovered without any damage, arrr, even t' t' toothpicks.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I finally broke t' jinx! This rocket was an enjoyable build and for me a nightmare t' finish. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! That's nay a reflection on t' rocket, ya bilge rat, just me finishin' skills. Arrr! T' first outin' was traumatic with 3 blown nozzles from differing batches o' engines. Finally, me hearties, when it did take off, shiver me timbers, it performed admirably. I had a hard time trackin' it on a C and can only imagine what it would do on a D or E.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5