Brief:
This is #2 o' 10 "ready t' build" models released by Semroc at NARAM-52. T' design is an upscale o' t' classic Bill Simon/Estes design that was introduced in 1963 and sold for more than 20 years. For t' collectors out there, ya bilge rat, I'll also point out that in addition t' t' standard kit, at NARAM-52 Semroc be givin' away a limited number o' kits with special header cards depictin' Bill Simon, arrr, who was also briefly in attendance and autographin' some o' these kits.

Construction:
Parts were excellent quality, matey, and t' sealed bag contained:

• Balsa nose cone
• Series 10 slotted body tube (1" ID)
• Series 9 stuffer tube (1" OD)
• 18mm motor mount (tube, matey, metal hook, centerin' rings)
• Laser-cut balsa fins (3)
• Elastic shock cord
• 12" plastic chute
• Waterslide decals

T' "ready t' build" series is Semroc's answer t' numerous requests for "ready t' fly" rockets. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! In t' RTB series, shiver me timbers, t' modeler still has t' actually do work t' build and fly t' model, arrr, me bucko, but t' design includes a number o' features that simplify t' build process, me hearties, includin' slotted body tubes for thru-wall fin mounting, me bucko, an alignment jig, arrr, and a stuffer tube t' serve as shock cord anchor and reinforce t' body tube.

T' RTB series are all fairly easy t' build, me bucko, with almost all o' t' construction process usin' t' same standardized steps. Aye aye! Dependin' on whether or nay you want t' paint t' spiral stripe, me bucko, I'd rate it either a skill level 1 or 2.

T' motor mount is a standard BT-20 tube, metal hook, me bucko, and a pair o' centerin' rings. Ya scallywag! Unlike t' typical mount, though, thar are two different centerin' rings involved with slightly different diameters. Ya scallywag! Pay careful attention t' t' instructions, as t' white rin' goes forward and t' brown rin' goes aft. Ahoy! This is critical later in t' process. Avast! Blimey! Surprisingly, t' mount does nay include an inner motor block, so t' metal hook will have t' hold for t' life o' t' model. Aye aye! Ahoy! I found t' centerin' rings a bit too snug, and had t' peel off a layer o' paper from t' inside o' each, me hearties, ya bilge rat, plus one layer o' paper from t' outside o' t' white ring.

T' stuffer tube contains a couple slits, shiver me timbers, which are used t' slip t' elastic shock cord through, servin' as an anchor. After knottin' t' cord and reinforcin' with a drop o' glue, me bucko, it's ready for t' motor mount. Arrr! Blimey! T' motor mount slides just a tiny bit into t' stuffer tube, ya bilge rat, matey, enough that t' forward (white) centerin' rin' is flush with t' aft end o' t' stuffer tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Do nay slide t' motor tube any further--the aft/brown rin' is too large for t' stuffer tube and instead is used t' align inside t' large series 10 body tube. Ahoy! Blimey! Slidin' t' assembly into t' body tube t' dry fit is a good idea at this point, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' make sure t' forward centerin' rin' is aligned properly inside t' stuffer tube. Once t' motor mount/stuffer tube assembly has completely dried, it can then be glued inside t' body tube (though be careful t' make sure t' metal engine hook does nay line up under a fin slot).

As noted, fins are thru-wall, ya bilge rat, and t' fit against t' motor tube was very good. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Included in t' kit is a nifty little cardboard fin alignment jig, arrr, which fits smoothly on t' series 10 body tube and has notches t' accept 3 and 4 fin patterns. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' fixture fits well for most fins in t' RTB series, though for fins that have a significant span and are nay swept back very far, matey, t' slots in t' jig are nay long enough t' be o' much use. Avast! Blimey! That was nay t' case with this model, ya bilge rat, though.

Finishing:
I went with t' stock paint scheme on this, startin' with two coats o' primer, arrr, followin' up with a couple thin coats o' gloss white, me hearties, then maskin' off t' paint t' fins gloss red and t' nose cone gloss black. Avast, me proud beauty! T' cover art depicts a spiral stripe which would be painted (no decal). I masked t' lower black stripe first, then ran one thin wrap o' tape (3/8") from t' top o' that stripe spiralin' up t' t' top o' t' tube. I then took another 3/8" strip o' tape and ran it parallel t' t' first spiral, leavin' an openin' o' a little over 1/4" for t' spiral. Ya scallywag! I had t' carefully use a knife t' slice away t' overlap into t' base stripe, arrr, basically maskin' off a v-notch on each side o' t' spiral. Well, blow me down! T' finished effect turned out fairly nicely.

T' waterslide decals add t' name and while thar are two, me bucko, me bucko, if you run t' spiral about 1 complete revolution around t' body tube as I did, arrr, arrr, you'll find that t' spacin' along t' spiral doesn't really work that well with two decals--one will slightly overlap t' other--so I recommend just usin' one name decal.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' maiden voyage, I went with a B6-4, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, arrr, flyin' on a gorgeous day with winds hangin' around 4-8 mph. Aye aye! T' boost was pretty fast, shiver me timbers, and it hit a high enough altitude that on a C I'd suggest several hundred yards' drift range in light winds and clear skies, as it could be somewhat tough t' track.

T' boost had a slight roll, ya bilge rat, indicatin' that even with t' jig tool, fin alignment was less than perfect, but t' flight be straight up with no other issues.

T' recommended delay o' -6 for a B and -7 for a C are appropriate. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! On me -4 flight, me bucko, t' ejection be while t' model be still clearly coastin' upward at a good clip.

Recovery:
T' 12" plastic chute is plenty for this lightweight model, and I had a decent recovery walk as it caught some light thermal action. Well, blow me down! I was able t' recover it about 300 yards down range, matey, no damage. Ahoy! Aye aye! Blimey! All in all, me hearties, it be a very nice flight and I'll probably fly this primarily on B's, shiver me timbers, goin' with an A for small fields or a C t' show it off a bit.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I like t' swept fin stylin' o' t' Skyhook, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and one o' me favorite Semroc products be t' oddly named SLS (Semroc Large Scale) Skyhook, me bucko, which at 20" long is a very tiny big brother t' this kit. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! T' paint pattern is a bit o' a pain t' mask and a simple stripe decal could greatly simplify this. Avast! Overall, matey, though, it's a very good flyer and with t' roughly BT-50 body tube could even make for a decent parachute duration model in NARRRRR competition.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5