Brief:
For t' Stage Bash section o' t' 2009 EMRR Challenge, shiver me timbers, you are required t' combine any two purchased single-stage rocket kits into a rocket that is at least 2-staged usin' only t' parts for t' two kits. Arrr! I decided t' attempt a gap stagin' design by combinin' Custom Rockets Tristar and Fiesta. Ahoy! For some reason I though t' Fiesta had 4 fins, so when I received t' rocket in t' mail and found it be a 3FNC, I modified me original design.

Modifications:
T' construct this kitbash, arrr, matey, I first built t' Tristar followin' t' instructions with t' exception o' t' motor mount. Ya scallywag! Well, me bucko, blow me down! You do nay install t' motor retention clip and you need t' make sure that t' lower centerin' rin' is moved forward enough so that t' tube coupler will fit into place (about a half inch). Well, blow me down! I added a piece o' Keelhaul®©™® cord t' use as an anchor for t' shock cord. Arrr! There is a small set o' die cut fins that t' instructions say can be discarded but save them for t' booster.

For t' booster, you need t' make t' followin' changes: Build t' motor mount as instructed. Begad! Begad! You need t' cut the BT-50 body tube so that you have a 4-1/2" long body tube. Well, blow me down! Mark t' tube for 4 fins instead o' 3 as instructed. Once you have glued t' engine mount into t' booster body tube and t' tube coupler in place, me hearties, punch two vent holes near t' top o' t' tube. Aye aye! I lined t' holes up with a set o' fins lines but should have made them in betwixt a set of lines instead. Ahoy! Glue two o' t' three Fiesta fins opposite from each other on t' booster. Avast! Well, blow me down! T' two smaller fins saved from t' Tristar kit are used for t' other two fins. Begad! All fins are positioned so that t' trailin' edge is flush with t' bottom o' t' rocket.

Construction:
I will nay list t' individual components in each kit but let you know as individual kits these rockets have good quality parts in each bag. Blimey! I did have t' add a tube coupler t' me design since most single-stage rockets do nay contain one. T' nose cone that came in t' Tristar kit had a bad seam so I opted t' use t' Fiesta nose cone which did not have a seam at all.

Finishing:
I choose t' finish t' rocket like t' Tristar picture and painted t' booster blue with white and black fins. Ya scallywag! The blue I had did nay match t' blue on t' decals so if I was t' do it again, shiver me timbers, me bucko, matey, I will use yellow instead o' blue. Avast! I used only t' Tristar decals since t' Fiesta decals did nay fit into t' color scheme o' t' rocket.

Flight:
For t' first flight I loaded t' booster with a C6-0 and t' sustainer with a B6-4. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket lifted off t' pad rather quickly. Avast! Aye aye! At some point t' rocket got very wobbly and began t' do sporadic loops. It be pointin' slightly down and toward t' flight line when t' sustainer ignited at about 100' in t' air. Well, blow me down! Arrr! It screamed over t' head o' t' crowd and plowed into t' ground 100 yards behind us just as t' ejection charge went off. Needless t' say t' rocket suffered great damage.

Recovery:
Each o' t' kits has a different recovery method. Blimey! T' Tristar uses a parachute and t' Fiesta uses a streamer. Avast! The advantage here is that you have both choices on hand dependin' on t' weather conditions. Arrr! Since t' design would appear t' be unstable, matey, me bucko, I guess it doesn't matter which you chose. Well, blow me down!

Summary:
Each individual rock seems like they would be fun t' build and fly. Well, blow me down! As a staged kitbash, me bucko, me bucko, thar be definitely a stability issue. Ya scallywag! T' first couple inches o' t' body tube are crumpled and scorched pretty bad. Ahoy! Blimey! I might eventually cut and repair t' tube and try it again. I will be sure t' perform a proper swin' test before I launch it.