Brief:
I be snoopin' around t' K&S site and had resolved t' place an order and try them out. Aye aye! As I was doin' so, matey, me bucko, I noticed a link for "Special Orders" and had t' check it out. T' link took me t' t' Heavy Hitter 4. I knew that this was one I had t' try.

T' Heavy Hitter 4 is an interestin' rocket in several respects that particularly appeal t' me. First off, it is a two stager. I like that. Well, blow me down! T' complexity level goes up again because t' booster stage is a cluster composed o' 2 18mm "strap ons" and a central 24mm core. T' sustainer recovers by streamer but so does t' booster. Instead o' tumbling, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, each o' t' strap-ons ejects a streamer as well.

Construction:
All part were in good condition. Avast! Begad! T' tubes were all pre-marked and each sub-assembly be bagged in a separate plastic bag and labeled for its intended purpose. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' fins were precut.

T' instructions are pretty basic. They are typed on letter sized sheets. Avast, me proud beauty! T' only illustration is on t' first page. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! All else is text.

T' first step is t' work on t' core motor mount o' t' booster stage. Arrr! A longish piece o' BT-50 is provided for this purpose, and just in case thar be any confusion, it is marked "Motor Tube." T' instruction direct that a series o' 4 marks be made along t' tube. Begad! At t' third o' t' marks, shiver me timbers, a slit is made with a razor knife and t' engine hook is inserted. Arrr! Maskin' tape is then used t' secure t' hook in place.

T' next step I did nay care for too much. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! A thrust rin' is provided which needs t' be installed flush with t' engine hook. Well, blow me down! Blimey! That makes sense but it needs t' be installed from t' forward end o' a tube that is about 10" long. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Gettin' it in involved all sorts o' ingenuity and, me hearties, arrr, ultimately, a very long screwdriver. Even as t' screwdriver blade was bein' used t' push t' thrust rin' down into position, arrr, matey, t' rin' wanted t' rotate in t' BT. Ahoy! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Finally, through a combination o' pushin' on t' forward end and just managin' t' get me rin' ringer in far enough on t' business end, me bucko, I be able t' get t' $@#%$ thin' in place but I had no confidence any glue be where it would do any good. I decided t' use a long swab and fillet t' forward end o' t' thrust rin' after I had t' centerin' rings in place.

There are 3 centerin' rings, me hearties, one o' which has a notch cut out for t' engine hook. Aye aye! These slid into place easily and were glued into place with yellow glue. Ya scallywag! I decided t' let t' assembly sit overnight before filletin' t' opposite side. Ahoy! Ahoy! That garage gets hot even at night in South Texas.

After lettin' t' glue fillet on t' motor mount dry overnight, I went by t' shop early t' next mornin' t' turn t' mount and fillet t' other side. That be t' leave me free for t' evenin' build session.

T' evenin' build session began with t' side booster motor mounts. T' motor tube be marked for t' hook, ya bilge rat, a slice was cut and t' hook inserted. Aye aye! This was then held in place with maskin' tape. Arrr! After t' hook was secure, ya bilge rat, arrr, me hearties, a thrust rin' was installed. Ahoy! T' motor tube was then marked for t' two centerin' rings and t' rings were glued into place. Begad! Ya scallywag! I noticed that all 4 centerin' rings were tight and needed sanding. In one case, arrr, matey, a significant amount o' sandin' was needed t' make t' rin' fit over t' engine hook. Well, blow me down! When all be assembled, a fillet be applied t' t' rings and t' entire process repeated for t' opposite side booster.

T' next step was t' put t' fins on t' central booster. Avast, me proud beauty! T' fins all came precut and were uniform and in good condition. Arrr! I rounded t' leading, trailin' and outside edges with sandpaper before proceeding. Aye aye! Begad! When I was satisfied with t' rounding, ya bilge rat, I glued them on with CA. Begad! T' lines for t' fins were already marked on t' booster. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Also marked was a tick mark for t' lower edge. This made alignment a breeze. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! When t' CA had set up, I put t' booster in an ASP cradle and used yellow glue t' begin filleting. I managed t' fillet 2 quadrants before I heard t' siren shanty o' air conditionin' and called it a night.

T' next day, bein' me day off, I went over t' t' rocket lab a couple o' times t' tend t' t' filletin' o' t' fins. Avast! Also durin' t' day, matey, me bucko, I managed t' attach t' two side boosters. Blimey! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' instructions said t' use 5 minute epoxy for this step and that is what I did. Aye aye! A small amount o' epoxy be mixed and applied t' t' line along t' length o' t' side booster. Ya scallywag! T' booster was then put into place on t' correspondin' line on t' central booster. Avast, me proud beauty! T' side boosters have an angled cut at t' bottom. Begad! T' instruction are clear that t' angle faces aft. They are also clear that t' longer part o' t' bevel cut be t' side that abuts t' central booster. What is a bit less clear in t' directions is exactly how far forward or aft t' side boosters sit. I looked at t' photos on t' front page and this still remained unclear. Ya scallywag! Begad! I did notice that t' lines marked for t' side boosters contained tick marks at t' same level as those which marked t' rearward extent o' t' fins. Arrr! Aye aye! I decided t' interpret them as such. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' process be repeated with t' opposite side booster.

Next up, matey, t' side booster motor mounts needed t' be installed. Ahoy! This was done by swabbin' some yellow glue into t' body tube, ya bilge rat, pushin' t' mount partway in, swabbin' in another rin' o' glue and then shovin' it home. Avast! T' motor mounts are inserted t' t' point where t' aft centerin' rin' is flush with t' shorter part o' t' bevel cut. Ya scallywag! T' instructions also suggest that t' engine hooks be aligned outboard. Ahoy! T' process was repeated with t' opposite side booster and fillets were applied.

Next up came t' central motor mount for t' booster. Begad! This one had three centerin' rings. I swabbed some glue into t' forward end then swabbed in a rin' aft. Well, blow me down! I inserted t' motor mount so that t' first two rings were in t' BT and then swabbed on a third ring. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' mount be then shoved home with t' end o' t' motor tube level with t' end o' t' BT and t' engine hook centered on one side. This left a significant part o' t' motor tube extendin' out t' front o' t' booster. Well, blow me down! Fillets were applied and t' booster be set aside t' dry for a while.

As t' booster unit dried, I worked for a while on t' booster recovery system. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! This consists o' a streamer deployin' from each o' t' side boosters but nothin' in t' central one. Blimey! Well, blow me down! This did nay trouble me. Aye aye! T' shock cord mounts did. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Both for t' booster and t' sustainer, me hearties, Estes style tri-folds are used. There are a few important differences though.

Instead o' mountin' elastic t' t' tri-fold, me hearties, me hearties, a Keelhaul®©™harness is provided. Arrr! Aye aye! These harnesses consist o' a length o' Keelhaul®©™with a loop in t' middle and t' two ends are tucked into t' tri-fold. Avast! I probably would have modified this system were it nay for 2 things. First, me hearties, I had forgotten about it and already installed t' side motor mounts, shiver me timbers, me bucko, me preferred point o' attachment, and second, shiver me timbers, I still had nay brought me stash o' Keelhaul®©™to me new rocket works. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I decided t' give t' tri-fold a try.

T' two mounts were assembled in t' standard fashion and pushed into t' side tubes. Arrr! My intention, ya bilge rat, once t' yellow glue dried completely, was t' slather a coatin' o' epoxy on each.

T' designed mount also consists o' a length o' 1/8" sewin' elastic tied t' a snap swivel at each end. One end snaps t' t' Keelhaul®©™harness and t' other t' t' eye bolt provided pre-installed in t' side booster nose cone. Arrr! A Sky Gripper streamer is then tied into t' elastic. Arrr! T' process, arrr, o' course, repeats on t' opposite side.

T' glue on t' booster unit had yet t' sufficiently dry so I turned me attention t' t' motor mount for t' sustainer. Begad! This was a simple affair and consisted o' cuttin' a slit in t' tube, insertin' t' engine hook, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, tapin' t' hook down, installin' t' thrust ring, me bucko, installin' 2 centerin' rings and filletin' t' assembly.

After lettin' t' glue set up for a full day, I next installed t' stage coupler. Arrr! This is a deceptively easy step and can be messed up. T' coupler consists o' a simple couplin' tube that slides into each stage. Avast! Ya scallywag! I found 2 things when tryin' t' slide it into t' booster. It was a tight fit t' begin with and needed some sandin' and that I had been sloppy with t' glue while filletin' t' motor mount. Avast! This meant that I had t' try and remove t' buildup. This be painstakingly accomplished with a razor knife, sandpaper, me hearties, and a popcicle stick t' move t' sandpaper in t' space betwixt t' motor tube and t' BT. Ya scallywag! Finally, I got t' coupler t' where it fit. Ahoy! T' instruction indicate that t' coupler should be put in place with 5 minute epoxy and this I did, rememberin' t' mix enough t' also coat t' tri-fold mounts.

While waitin' for t' epoxy t' set, shiver me timbers, I installed t' sustainer motor mount in t' upper BT. Begad! This be a simple matter o' ringin' t' tube with glue and shovin' it in. T' engine hook aligns with t' lug line and t' bottom o' t' motor mount goes flush with t' bottom o' t' BT. A fillet be then applied and another build session ended.

After t' coupler was safely dry, shiver me timbers, I proceeded t' t' next step which was t' drill a pair o' holes in it t' vent gases durin' staging. Ahoy! T' instruction are clear in indicatin' that t' holes are t' be drilled nay only in t' coupler but also in t' motor tube itself. Aye aye! Begad! This was accomplished with an electric drill. Avast, me proud beauty! After t' holes were drilled, t' shavings were trimmed away and t' holes were strengthened by wickin' some thin and runny CA into them. Begad! I then reamed t' holes once more with t' drill bit sans t' drill.

Installin' t' fins on t' sustainer be a simple affair. I rounded them as I had done with t' booster and then used CA t' affix them t' t' pre-marked lines. Ahoy! A few hours later, matey, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I began t' fillet them with yellow glue.

In order t' keep myself gainfully occupied while t' fillets on t' sustainer fins were settin' up, I got t' work on t' recovery system for t' sustainer. It be in most respects identical t' t' ones for t' booster. Well, blow me down! A Keelhaul®©™® harness be mounted into a tri-fold and t' tri-fold was mounted into t' BT. T' elastic for this assembly be a bit wider, me hearties, matey, 1/4" I think, me hearties, and was again tied t' a snap swivel at each end. Ya scallywag! Blimey! A 2" Sky Gripper streamer was tied into t' system as well.

T' HH4 comes with a single 3/16" launch lug. Arrr! T' instructions call for it t' be cut in half and for t' two halves t' be glued onto t' provided line on t' sustainer. Ya scallywag! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! This be done with yellow glue and a short piece o' rod t' keep t' lugs aligned.

When all glue joints seemed t' be strong, me bucko, I decided t' test fit t' booster and sustainer and found a few problems. Arrr! Blimey! Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! T' first problem t' surface was that t' fit over t' coupler be extremely tight. Blimey! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I doubt if successful stagin' would be a real possibility. This be rectified with t' copious used o' sandpaper thinnin' down t' coupler. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! In me mind, I removed quite a bit o' material but t' coupler sill seems t' be plenty thick. Begad! Blimey! It might also still be a bit tight. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I decided t' revisit t' issue after primin' and painting.

T' second problem had t' do with t' actual fittin' o' t' sustainer onto t' length o' t' coupler. Ahoy! Begad! I have no doubt that this be completely and issue havin' t' do with me nay t' kit, arrr, but I found that when t' sustainer was on as far as it could be made t' go, thar was still about 3/8" o' coupler showing. Avast! Begad! I took care o' this by firin' up t' sandin' wheel and sandin' t' length down.

With that done, t' nose cone be put into place and t' rocket was ready for finishing.

Finishing:
Finishin' o' t' HH4 began with sealin' t' balsa. Well, blow me down! Since this rocket was built in a new venue, matey, I found t' me disgust that I had nay yet brought over any Elmer's sealer. Blimey! I did find a bottle o' old fashioned sandin' sealer though and used that. Begad! Arrr! T' balsa be in pretty good shape and a total o' 3 coats be used with some minor sandin' after t' final coat. Begad! Ahoy! T' rocket was then primed with Kilz.

T' primed rocket was wet sanded with 320 grit sandpaper and then painted gloss yellow. Blimey! T' plan is t' make this a 2 tone rocket with red and yellow.

I decided t' do t' easy thin' with t' red. Arrr! I masked t' fins at an angle and covered up t' main body o' t' sustainer. Blimey! Avast! T' intention be t' give me red triangles on t' fins and a red nosecone. Begad! It worked.

I have recently sung t' praises o' Frog maskin' tape. I used t' same tape here but encountered problems o' me own making. Avast! Recall that I had nay used Elmer's filler but sandin' sealer. Begad! Begad! I have nay used this in a long while. Begad! I apparently needed a few more coats. Begad! Paint did leak through some o' t' "pits" in t' balsa. Aye aye! Arrr! Compared t' what I am used t' producing, though, arrr, it is just fine.

I did t' booster unit in t' same colors but reversed t' prominence. Well, blow me down! Begad! I used mainly red with yellow NCs and fin tips. Arrr! I had t' same problem as before with t' bleedin' and for t' same reason.

I was still havin' trouble with t' tightness o' t' stage coupler. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I sanded and sanded and t' thin' was still too tight. Blimey! A tip on TRF helped out. Ya scallywag! I soaked t' coupler with CA t' strengthen it and then started sandin' again. Avast, me proud beauty! I smartly realized I be gettin' nowhere until I remembered me new belt sander. Begad! Aye aye! I fired it up and carefully sanded down t' coupler, turnin' it all t' while. Begad! When it fit well, I reapplied CA and sanded smooth.

My only real wish here is for a few illustrations in t' instructions.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Flyin' t' HH4 be painful. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It was probably t' rocket I most looked forward t' flyin' o' me recent builds.

I started off conservatively with just t' sustainer on a B6-4. Avast, me proud beauty! It flew well. Ya scallywag! Arrr! It would nay set any records, but it certainly performed adequately.

T' next flight be with t' full rig. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Both side boosters were C6-5s. Arrr! Aye aye! T' central booster was a D12-0. Ya scallywag! Avast! In t' sustainer, I went with another B6-4.

I remembered thinkin' that this was a heavy rocket as I set it up on t' pad. Avast, me proud beauty! I wish I had done some more thinkin' along those lines.

All three o' t' booster motors ignited and t' rocket seemed t' fly well for t' first 100 feet or so. Avast! Ahoy! After that, me bucko, me hearties, arrr, it whipped around all over t' sky scarin' t' local wildlife and elicitin' sarcastic comments from all present. Ahoy! Then stagin' occurred.

It staged well. Blimey! Well, blow me down! T' problem was that it was nay pointed up when it did so. Avast, me proud beauty! It was almost horizontal. Blimey! As it flew pretty straight, gravity took its toll on t' rocket and t' nose began t' dip. It powered into t' parkin' lot o' t' Alamo Fireworks warehouse. I imagine that warehouse is pretty full right now as they gear up for t' 4th.

Before recoverin' t' booster, one theory held that one o' t' booster motors had nay ignited. Inspection revealed that all had. I am convinced that this be a stability problem and that I should have done a swin' test and added some weight.

My abysmal performance be due t' switchin' t' 18mm motors. I put C's in t' side boosters and a B be t' sustainer. That tripped t' CG.

Recovery:
T' streamers on t' side boosters deployed fine but tangled just a little bit. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' booster be recovered in good shape and will be used for something. Begad! I don't know what as yet.

T' sustainer streamer deployed fine on t' maiden flight but did nay get a chance t' do so on t' second flight. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! It be probably somethin' t' do with impactin' t' parkin' lot under thrust.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
I still like this rocket. Avast! I think t' problems experience were due t' me. Ya scallywag! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I will probably try it again at some point because it is different.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Update 8/9/08:
I wrote t' review for this rocket and I would like t' offer this as an addendum. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Well I finally got t' try t' rebuilt HH4. Ahoy! I decided t' try just t' sustainer first and loaded up a C6-5. Ahoy! It took off great, ya bilge rat, arrr, ejected at apogee and came down under its streamer. Arrr! It was time t' try t' BIG TIME. With that done, it be time t' try t' full stack. T' sustainer had only a B6-4 but t' booster had 2 B6-0s and a D12-0. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! It weathercocked a bit on take off but staged correctly and everythin' worked, includin' me. Blimey! It was a long walk and insecure people who electrify their barbed wire fences should be shot on sight as a public service. Avast! Blimey! I'm happy with this one. Begad! (PHOTO CREDIT: RIGHT and BOTTOM Dave Hein)