Brief:
T' Beta was a small two stage rocket produced by Estes betwixt 1970 and 1984. Begad! T' original version, me hearties, me bucko, produced in 1970 and 1971, it was powered by S-series motors. Ahoy! When production ceased on t' S motors, t' Beta was one o' a few kits whose internals were modified t' accept t' new mini or T motors. Begad! Begad! (T' Midget and t' Birdie may have been t' others.) T' Beta be t' rocket that got me started in rocketry back in t' summer o' 1977, and with t' 25th anniversary o' that first flight comin' up this July, arrr, me hearties, I felt it would be a fittin' tribute t' build a clone.

Construction:

• 1 - EB-5B engine block
• 2 - BT-5T engine mount tubes 
• 4 - AR-520 adapter rings 
• 1 - BT-20AE booster body tube 
• 1 - JT-20C stage coupler 
• 1 - BT-20B upper stage body tubes 
• 1/32" basswood fin stock 
• 1 - LL-2A 18" sewin' elastic 
• 1 - screw eye 
• 1 - BNC-20N nose cone from BMS 
• 12" parachute

Followin' t' original instructions that I downloaded from JimZ, t' Beta was and is a simple, matey, almost foolproof build. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I used an Estes fin alignment guide t' line up t' fins for t' first and second stages. Avast! Despite t' care I took in makin' sure t' stages lined up, it turns out that they do so in only one configuration. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! An oddity, me bucko, but far from a fatal flaw. I used basswood in place o' balsa for t' fins in t' hope that t' extra weight would be offset by t' greater strength. Well, arrr, blow me down! T' only thin' resemblin' a "gotcha" was t' fin pattern. Ahoy! T' tracin' needs some work t' be able t' produce first and second stage fins that actually fit together as they were meant to. Ahoy! Just make sure that all o' your lines square up and you'll be okay.

Finishing:
Thinned Elmer's Fill & Finish was used in both body tube and fin finishing, ya bilge rat, and since I had substituted basswood in place o' t' balsa fins, arrr, me hearties, I was able t' greatly reduce t' time I spent sandin' t' fins t' a nice, shiver me timbers, smooth, me bucko, shiver me timbers, decal friendly finish. After a coat o' primer and t' requisite sanding, arrr, I sprayed t' entire model with Krylon gloss white. Begad! Decals were from JimZ and t' rocket turned out lookin' almost dead on t' picture in t' 1977 catalog. T' only difference was that I used t' A, me hearties, B and C decals on both stages o' me original. Begad! (It still isn't an exact replica o' me 1977 model. Arrr! Begad! I actually bothered with sealin' and sandin' this time.)

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
While I'm thrilled t' have a copy o' me first rocket in t' fleet, t' Beta in it's two-stage form is an endangered species as Estes has seen fit t' discontinue t' A10-0T engine. Avast! While this promises t' be a problem down t' road, ya bilge rat, it currently is o' little consequence as I took care t' buy out every pack locally. Ahoy! (One pack is even on t' pink card, matey, just like it be when I was 14.)

For it's first flight I chose a 1/2A3-4T t' go along with t' A10-0T, ya bilge rat, hopin' t' keep it in sight on it's first flight. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! This turned out t' be a fatal error on me part. Begad! While t' 1/2A3-4T is listed as an upper stage engine, shiver me timbers, it has a smaller nozzle openin' than t' A10-3T that I should have used. Since I had never flown me original as a two stager, ya bilge rat, (due mainly t' 1977-level monetary concerns,) I was particularly excited with t' possibility o' t' two stage flight. Begad! It launched perfectly straight and as I watched it streak off t' pad, shiver me timbers, I was anxiously anticipatin' t' lower stage separation. It never came. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' rocket tipped over at apogee and began screamin' back toward t' soft earth o' t' soccer field. For a moment I held out slim hope that t' soft ground would cushion t' impact somewhat, but t' sticky smackin' sound that it made as it buried it's forward section deep in t' mud changed me mind quickly. Ahoy! T' only good thin' about t' timin' o' t' lawn dart was that I hadn't yet ordered t' balsa cone from BMS, matey, me bucko, so all it took t' retrieve t' undamaged cone was long fingers. Begad! I wasn't so lucky with t' body. Ya scallywag! It was immediately evident that t' top four inches o' t' body tube would have t' be replaced before it's next flight. Well, blow me down! This wasn't a hugely complicated project, me hearties, however I realized that t' decals would have t' be re-ordered if I be goin' t' have t' same look as me original. Aye aye! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Or so I thought.

I had recently bought a starter pack o' inkjet decal paper from Bel Decal. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Since I didn't feel like waitin' through t' order and delivery process again, me bucko, me bucko, I decided t' attempt t' make a set o' me own on me home computer. For some unknown reason, they didn't turn out very well. Begad! They worked, and from a distance you would be hard pressed t' notice a problem, but up close it was obvious that t' black ink had cracked and taken on an alligator skin-like finish. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! After a spray o' clear t' decals worked fine, but t' whole thin' looked less than perfect. Ahoy! (Considerin' t' repair seam in t' body tube that I be only partially able t' hide, shiver me timbers, this isn't a huge deal.) I've since found that t' decal makin' process works well on some printers, nay so well on others. Arrr! Live and learn.

For t' second flight, me bucko, (a month later,) I took t' advice o' t' QUARK senior advisor and loaded t' refurbished Beta with t' preferred A10-0T/A10-3T combination. This time t' rocket left t' pad at an angle and be still travelin' on this path when t' second stage lit. With t' exception o' t' angle o' t' flight path, arrr, matey, this flight was perfect. Ahoy! T' booster floated back t' within 50 feet o' t' launch pad, while t' sustainer recovered several hundred yards down range on it's 12" parachute. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Nay exactly a textbook flight, but very entertainin' anyway.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
While t' Beta is a seldom seen rocket, matey, me bucko, it's appearance doesn't inspire much along t' way o' comments or recognition at launches. Aye aye! It's a fairly vanilla 3FNC rocket with only t' fact that it is a two stager t' distinguish it, matey, but most o' us will admit t' a soft spot for our first rocket. With t' loss o' t' A10-0T in t' engine lineup, you're on borrowed time as far as flyin' it as a two stager. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! (Unless you happen t' have a stash like I do.)

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5