Brief:
I used t' have a Centuri Nomad as part o' me original fleet in t' late 70s-early 80s. Well, blow me down! It be mounted on a simulated Navy double launch rack that I also scratch build. I lost track o' all t' rockets once I left for college and were never t' be found. (I think me sisters trashed them while I was gone...) All o' them are OOP at this point so I am cloning/scratchbuildin' them. Ahoy!

T' Nomad is a single-stage, ya bilge rat, 18mm motor, me bucko, matey, parachute recovery, scale-like rocket from Centuri. Well, blow me down! Begad! Accordin' to Ninfinger's webpage, it first appeared in t' Centuri 1973 catalog and it was last seen in t' Centuri 1980 catalog. Well, blow me down! It was originally marketed with die-cut fiber fins and chrome band stickers.

Construction:
All parts were supplied by SEMROC except for t' parachute, arrr, Keelhaul®©™®, shock cord, shiver me timbers, and fin stock. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty!

Parts List:

• Body Tube ST-10180 cut t' 13"
• Nose Cone BC-1050
• Eye Screw
• Engine Mount:

• Engine Mount BT ST-730, 3"
• Engine Block TR-7
• Engine Hook Standard 2.75"
• 2 Centerin' Rings CR-710

• Fin Stock, 3/32" Balsa
• Tether 100lb Keelhaul®©™®, 20"
• Shock Cord, me bucko, 1/8" Cotton Elastic 18"
• Parachute, shiver me timbers, 16" home made

T' motor mount was pretty much a straightforward build. I installed t' engine hook so that t' engine would hang about 0.5" past t' MMT then I installed an engine block. Ahoy! Glued one o' t' centerin' rings at 1.0" from t' rear end o' t' MMT and t' second centerin' rin' right at t' end o' t' engine hook. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Once it be dried I tied one end of the Keelhaul®©™® shock cord around t' MM betwixt t' centerin' rings and carved a small "V-shaped" section on t' last centerin' rin' t' accommodate t' Keelhaul®©™® chord betwixt t' centerin' rin' and t' BT once installed.

After cuttin' t' fins, t' vanes, and t' launch lugs, I marked t' BT accordin' t' instructions and used the Estes plastic Tube Markin' Guide t' extend t' lines along t' BT. Arrr! Now, me hearties, ya bilge rat, here is where I deviated from t' normal "gluin' t' fins t' t' BT" procedure and use a technique I came up with: I lightly sanded towards t' right side o' t' recently drawn lines where t' fins and vanes were t' be glued t' ensure a better grip, me hearties, I made sure I did not "sand off" t' lines. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Then I glued t' fins and vanes on t' right side o' t' lines (over where I just sanded) usin' t' lines as a guide and makin' sure t' fins and vanes were straight. Begad! Well, blow me down! This be t' first time I have done this and it worked like a charm. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I used t' "double glue joint" technique t' glue t' fins t' t' BT with Titebond II wood glue. Begad! After all glue joints were dry I did one pass o' yellow glue for fillets.

Finishing:
I slightly watered down some Elmer's Wood Filler. Avast, me proud beauty! Workin' on one surface at a time, I covered t' entire surface of the fin with EWF, and then I used an old credit card t' slowly scrape off t' excess filler, matey, shiver me timbers, leavin' behind a smooth surface. Blimey! I worked this way on each balsa surface. Once t' first coat was dried, shiver me timbers, matey, I repeated t' process all over again. After one hour I sanded t' fins with 220 and 400 grit sand paper for a smooth finish. Avast, me proud beauty! Now she be ready for primer.

I used Krylon White Primer as primer and basecoat. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Gave it two light coats o' primer and sanded some after it was dried. Gave it another two light coats and once sanded, rubbed t' finish with microfiber t' a satin finish. I waited three days for t' last coats o' primer t' dry. Begad! Arrr! Once t' primer coat was dry, I gave it two light coats o' t' old Krylon Gloss White waitin' about 15-20 minutes betwixt coats. Begad! Begad! Then a third "wet coat" be applied and hung it in me garage t' dry for three more days.

I got t' decals from Gordon at Excelsior Rocketry. Avast! Blimey! T' decals are excellent quality and t' colors are rich and deep. Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Gave t' entire decal sheet a coat o' Microscale Liquid Decal Film and set them aside it t' dry. Blimey! Blimey!

T' decals did nay come with t' chrome stripes so I decided t' print them myself with me ALPS printer using Silver Foil. I printed two 7" x 0.5" long stripes o' t' Silver Foil and ran t' Photo Gloss Finish over the stripes. I gently, shiver me timbers, and I mean, gently applied a very thin coat o' Liquid Decal Film usin' a dense foam brush. Begad! Once dry, I applied a second coat. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! T' foil is very fragile and sensitive t' t' LDF, matey, so sometimes t' LDF will lift t' edges of the print off t' decal paper, which be t' reason why I printed t' stripes that wide. Usin' a fresh, sharp X-Acto knife, me bucko, I trimmed t' stripes t' measure 0.25" wide by 5" long. Blimey! T' stripes should be at least 5.25" long so they can cover from one side o' t' launch lug stand t' t' other. Well, blow me down! Blimey! You can later trim t' excess.

I mixed about 3/4 cups o' water with four drops o' liquid dishwasher soap into a small bowl and used it t' dip the decals and t' prep t' surface o' t' decal area. Aye aye! I used t' Micro on recently decaled rockets but had some difficulties with t' decals stickin' t' t' surface too quickly. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! T' extra soap on t' water allowed me extra time to accommodate t' decals on t' rocket. Begad! Begad! Once done applyin' t' decals, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I waited 24 hours before I applied one coat of Future wax t' protect t' decals and for that extra shine.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
I had t' opportunity t' fly t' Nomad for t' first time while participatin' in a local Boy Scout Rocket Demo on 26 June 2009 under t' auspices o' our local rocket club, arrr, NARHAMS. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' launch site be in t' soccer field o' the Dundalk's Chesterwood Park. Well, arrr, blow me down! Since it be a small field I chose t' fly t' Nomad with an A8-3. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Packed 4 sheets of wadding, installed t' igniter, and placed it on t' launchin' pad.

It was a slow lift off but a straight one, me hearties, me hearties, reachin' about 150-175 feet. Well, blow me down! Begad! Chute deployment was right on apogee and it landed about 75 feet from t' pad thanks t' almost no wind. Aye aye! One o' t' Boy Scout recovery team members brought it back safe and without a scratch. Arrr! After seein' it fly so low I knew that I had t' try it with a B6-4 but reconsidered because t' field was too small. Arrr! Ya scallywag! That opportunity would come at a later date...

Almost three weeks later, on 13 July 2009, I mustered enough courage t' fly t' rocket at a local baseball field. Afternoon winds were reported t' be up t' 17 mph but it be barely noticeable, matey, I would say about 5-8 mph. Well, blow me down! I noticed that t' field was surrounded by a heavy concentration o' trees except for one side were t' basketball court was. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I invited a friend that was visitin' from out o' town t' experience rocketry for t' first time. Prepped an A8-3 and a B6-4, ya bilge rat, picked up me field box, and headed t' t' field. There was no wind in t' area so I set t' launch pad right in the middle o' t' field. Avast, me proud beauty! Prepped t' rocket with t' A8-3 and set it up on t' pad. Begad! Begad! My friend be about 100 feet away from t' rocket in order t' see t' flight better and t' judge how high it would go. Like t' first time, ya bilge rat, it took off the pad slow and straight and reached about 150 feet, me hearties, shiver me timbers, chute deployed at apogee, matey, and it landed about 50 feet from the pad without a scratch.

After t' second flight I prepped t' rocket again but this time I installed t' B6-4 and placed t' rocket on the pad. Aye aye! Begad! I told me bucko t' go a little farther and t' be ready t' recover t' rocket. Arrr! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! This time t' rocket took off the pad really quick and straight. It seemed that it was goin' t' climb forever. Ahoy! It peaked at around 500 feet when the chute deployed. Arrr! T' chute did nay opened immediately, me bucko, ya bilge rat, but once it did, me bucko, it started driftin' towards t' tall trees and the basketball court. It kept driftin' and it floated over t' trees. Ya scallywag! Lucky for me it landed in t' middle o' the basketball court, about 200 feet away from t' pad. Ahoy! It only suffered a small "battle" scar on t' nose cone.

It is a great flier with a B6-4 reachin' about 500 feet. It also flies well on an A8-3 but only if you want it to go no higher than 200 feet and in small fields.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: T' parts are available through may websites such as Semroc and Balsa Machining, ya bilge rat, makin' it easy t' gather the parts for a clone. Arrr! T' instructions are clear and also easy t' follow. Begad! Straight build is about a Skill level 2 but if you are goin' t' print your own decals, finish t' fins, and apply Future, I would say Skill level 3.

CONs: T' lack o' good pictures and a clear illustration o' where t' decals go can contribute t' placin' the decals in t' wrong place. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I had t' top wrapper decal cut in two sections and applied t' bottom half too high so I had t' make an adjustment t' t' upper portion o' t' decal t' accommodate t' upper half. Begad! Also applyin' t' silver band decal can be time consumin' and can be easily messed up: keep t' decal wet so that you can make adjustments.

I am very happy with t' outcome o' this build. It was fun t' do t' research and buildin' a childhood favorite, bringin' back many memories. Avast! Blimey! It be also nice t' see how eager are other fellow rocketeers t' lend a hand when you ask for help. I have always been a "Centuri fan" and this is one o' me all-time childhood favorites. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' Nomad has joined t' ranks o' me "reborn" original rocket fleet, which so far includes t' Centuri V-2 and t' EAC Viper (almost finished). Aye aye! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! All I have left t' clone are t' Centuri Excalibur 2 and F-16 Strike Fighter, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' Estes Nike Ajax, shiver me timbers, and three scratch builds. Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Next related project: A simulated Navy launch rack t' display t' Nomad...

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5