Brief:
This is a kit bash o' two Estes Guardian kits into a clustered rocket with ducted ejection and a parasite glider. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' name is a little joke: giardia are parasites.

Modifications:
PDF attached for t' glider. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I left mine naked. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' front mount is a launch lug from t' kits, t' aft mount is a piece o' 1/2" x 1" balsa (see diagram on PDF file) glued onto t' aft BT-50.

T' two side engine pods have an industrial look because t' kit supplied motor mounts and mount retainers are attached externally. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Cut portions o' old engine casings function as both engine blocks and tube couplers for the 2.25" o' BT-20 ejection chambers forward o' t' engine mounts. Avast, me proud beauty! The chambers direct gases into t' main BT-55 through 1.5" x 3/32" slots in t' BT-20s and BT-55. Avast! Begad! Three thick fillets seal t' slots nicely.

T' main body is simple. Begad! It starts with t' two main body tubes glued together with a coupler. Well, blow me down! T' nose section is as designed in t' kit except for 4 rather than 3 canards. Begad! T' tail section is permanently glued into t' body usin' CA, me hearties, ya bilge rat, t' main fin roots are contoured t' t' tail cone, arrr, glued with CA, and filleted with household cement or epoxy. Blimey! It is important t' make sure to position t' fins so they don't get burned by exhaust. Blimey! Begad! T' shock cord is elastic with paper mount.

Construction:
Contains all parts from 2 Guardian kits except it uses 4 canards and 4 fins while thar are 6 o' each provided in 2 kits. Two engine pod canards, matey, me hearties, which are strictly for looks, were cut from t' extra balsa. Begad! Blimey! T' paper engine mount centerin' rings from t' kits were nay used. Begad! Blimey! T' only additional materials required are: balsa for t' glider (3/32" for t' fuselage and front attachment pin, a little 1/2" balsa for t' aft attachment mount, arrr, matey, and 1/16" for t' wings), ya bilge rat, matey, 4.5 inches o' BT-20 for t' ejection chambers, arrr, and a BT-55 coupler. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' ejection chambers use scrap balsa from t' kits t' direct gases into t' main body.

Finishing:
Giardian was painted with spray enamel in t' Guardian paint scheme after prep with high-build primer. T' standard adhesive decals were slightly modified with a hobby knife t' turn t' "U" into an "I".

Flight:
A8-3, A10-3T, and B4-4 motors worked fine and were retained with t' supplied clips. Prep is standard waddin' and parachute, although you may nay need wadding. Aye aye! Better safe than sorry though. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! An 18" parachute is adequate. Begad! The glider slides on from front t' aft usin' both mounts and pops off at ejection.

T' wiring for t' cluster is a challenge: it has t' be on one side t' reduce chance of snaggin' t' micro clips. It's wired with soft, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, small gauge wires so t' micro clips are off t' t' side and swin' away from t' fins at ignition. Ya scallywag! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! A wooden dowel is forced into t' ground beside t' launch pad t' act as a scaffold. The clip whip is fastened t' t' scaffold usin' a clamp-style paper clip. Arrr!

Summary:
Impresses t' most jaded. Flights are very cool. Ahoy! Arrr! Blimey! Cluster wirin' takes a while to prep and extra care is required t' keep from snaggin' t' rocket on t' pad.