Brief:
I be snoopin' around t' K&S site and had resolved t' place an order and try them out. Blimey! As I was doin' so, I noticed a link for "Special Orders" and had t' check it out. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' link took me t' t' Heavy Hitter 4. Ya scallywag! 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. Ahoy! Begad! First off, it is a two stager. Avast! I like that. Arrr! T' complexity level goes up again because t' booster stage is a cluster composed o' 2 18mm "strap ons" and a central 24mm core. Ya scallywag! T' sustainer recovers by streamer but so does t' booster. Begad! Ya scallywag! Instead o' tumbling, shiver me timbers, me bucko, each o' t' strap-ons ejects a streamer as well.

Construction:
All part were in good condition. Avast! T' tubes were all pre-marked and each sub-assembly was bagged in a separate plastic bag and labeled for its intended purpose. Aye aye! T' fins were precut.

T' instructions are pretty basic. Begad! They are typed on letter sized sheets. Begad! Blimey! T' only illustration is on t' first page. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! All else is text.

T' first step is t' work on t' core motor mount o' t' booster stage. Ahoy! A longish piece o' BT-50 is provided for this purpose, me hearties, 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. Arrr! At t' third o' t' marks, a slit is made with a razor knife and t' engine hook is inserted. Ahoy! Maskin' tape is then used t' secure t' hook in place.

T' next step I did nay care for too much. A thrust rin' is provided which needs t' be installed flush with t' engine hook. Arrr! That makes sense but it needs t' be installed from t' forward end o' a tube that is about 10" long. Blimey! Gettin' it in involved all sorts o' ingenuity and, arrr, ultimately, a very long screwdriver. Begad! Even as t' screwdriver blade was bein' used t' push t' thrust rin' down into position, t' rin' wanted t' rotate in t' BT. Finally, me hearties, arrr, through a combination o' pushin' on t' forward end and just managin' t' get me rin' ringer in far enough on t' business end, matey, I was 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 bucko, arrr, one o' which has a notch cut out for t' engine hook. Blimey! These slid into place easily and were glued into place with yellow glue. Begad! I decided t' let t' assembly sit overnight before filletin' t' opposite side. 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. Ahoy! That was t' leave me free for t' evenin' build session.

T' evenin' build session began with t' side booster motor mounts. Avast, me proud beauty! T' motor tube was marked for t' hook, a slice was cut and t' hook inserted. Ahoy! Begad! This be then held in place with maskin' tape. After t' hook be secure, matey, a thrust rin' was installed. Ya scallywag! T' motor tube was then marked for t' two centerin' rings and t' rings were glued into place. Avast, me proud beauty! I noticed that all 4 centerin' rings were tight and needed sanding. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! In one case, a significant amount o' sandin' was needed t' make t' rin' fit over t' engine hook. Ahoy! When all be assembled, a fillet was 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. T' fins all came precut and were uniform and in good condition. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I rounded t' leading, me hearties, matey, trailin' and outside edges with sandpaper before proceeding. Begad! When I was satisfied with t' rounding, I glued them on with CA. Avast! T' lines for t' fins were already marked on t' booster. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Also marked be a tick mark for t' lower edge. Ya scallywag! This made alignment a breeze. Begad! Begad! When t' CA had set up, shiver me timbers, I put t' booster in an ASP cradle and used yellow glue t' begin filleting. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I managed t' fillet 2 quadrants before I heard t' siren shanty o' air conditionin' and called it a night.

T' next day, ya bilge rat, arrr, bein' me day off, matey, ya bilge rat, I went over t' t' rocket lab a couple o' times t' tend t' t' filletin' o' t' fins. Avast! Also durin' t' day, shiver me timbers, I managed t' attach t' two side boosters. T' instructions said t' use 5 minute epoxy for this step and that is what I did. Ahoy! A small amount o' epoxy was mixed and applied t' t' line along t' length o' t' side booster. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' booster be then put into place on t' correspondin' line on t' central booster. Begad! T' side boosters have an angled cut at t' bottom. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' instruction are clear that t' angle faces aft. Blimey! They are also clear that t' longer part o' t' bevel cut be t' side that abuts t' central booster. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! 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. Avast! Ahoy! 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. I decided t' interpret them as such. T' process be repeated with t' opposite side booster.

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

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

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

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

T' two mounts were assembled in t' standard fashion and pushed into t' side tubes. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! My intention, arrr, once t' yellow glue dried completely, arrr, 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. Blimey! One end snaps t' t' Keelhaul®©™harness and t' other t' t' eye bolt provided pre-installed in t' side booster nose cone. Begad! A Sky Gripper streamer is then tied into t' elastic. Ya scallywag! T' process, arrr, o' course, shiver me timbers, arrr, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! This be a simple affair and consisted o' cuttin' a slit in t' tube, matey, insertin' t' engine hook, ya bilge rat, tapin' t' hook down, installin' t' thrust ring, installin' 2 centerin' rings and filletin' t' assembly.

After lettin' t' glue set up for a full day, shiver me timbers, I next installed t' stage coupler. This is a deceptively easy step and can be messed up. Begad! Ahoy! T' coupler consists o' a simple couplin' tube that slides into each stage. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I found 2 things when tryin' t' slide it into t' booster. Aye aye! 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. Arrr! This meant that I had t' try and remove t' buildup. This be painstakingly accomplished with a razor knife, me hearties, matey, me bucko, sandpaper, and a popcicle stick t' move t' sandpaper in t' space betwixt t' motor tube and t' BT. Well, blow me down! Finally, I got t' coupler t' where it fit. T' instruction indicate that t' coupler should be put in place with 5 minute epoxy and this I did, matey, rememberin' t' mix enough t' also coat t' tri-fold mounts.

While waitin' for t' epoxy t' set, me hearties, I installed t' sustainer motor mount in t' upper BT. This was a simple matter o' ringin' t' tube with glue and shovin' it in. Begad! 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 was then applied and another build session ended.

After t' coupler was safely dry, matey, me bucko, I proceeded t' t' next step which was t' drill a pair o' holes in it t' vent gases durin' staging. Blimey! Aye aye! 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. This be accomplished with an electric drill. After t' holes were drilled, shiver me timbers, t' shavings were trimmed away and t' holes were strengthened by wickin' some thin and runny CA into them. Ahoy! 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. Avast! A few hours later, 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 was in most respects identical t' t' ones for t' booster. Aye aye! A Keelhaul®©™® harness be mounted into a tri-fold and t' tri-fold was mounted into t' BT. Blimey! T' elastic for this assembly be a bit wider, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, 1/4" I think, ya bilge rat, and was again tied t' a snap swivel at each end. Ya scallywag! Begad! A 2" Sky Gripper streamer was tied into t' system as well.

T' HH4 comes with a single 3/16" launch lug. 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. Aye aye! Begad! This was done with yellow glue and a short piece o' rod t' keep t' lugs aligned.

When all glue joints seemed t' be strong, I decided t' test fit t' booster and sustainer and found a few problems. Begad! T' first problem t' surface be that t' fit over t' coupler be extremely tight. Ahoy! I doubt if successful stagin' would be a real possibility. This was rectified with t' copious used o' sandpaper thinnin' down t' coupler. In me mind, matey, I removed quite a bit o' material but t' coupler sill seems t' be plenty thick. Ahoy! Well, me bucko, blow me down! It might also still be a bit tight. 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. Begad! I have no doubt that this was completely and issue havin' t' do with me nay t' kit, 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. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I took care o' this by firin' up t' sandin' wheel and sandin' t' length down.

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

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

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

I decided t' do t' easy thin' with t' red. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! I masked t' fins at an angle and covered up t' main body o' t' sustainer. Avast, me proud beauty! T' intention was t' give me red triangles on t' fins and a red nosecone. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It worked.

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

I did t' booster unit in t' same colors but reversed t' prominence. Well, blow me down! I used mainly red with yellow NCs and fin tips. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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. I sanded and sanded and t' thin' be still too tight. A tip on TRF helped out. Avast! I soaked t' coupler with CA t' strengthen it and then started sandin' again. Avast! I smartly realized I was gettin' nowhere until I remembered me new belt sander. Well, blow me down! I fired it up and carefully sanded down t' coupler, turnin' it all t' while. Blimey! Arrr! 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 was painful. Well, blow me down! 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. It flew well. Avast! It would nay set any records, arrr, arrr, but it certainly performed adequately.

T' next flight was with t' full rig. Avast! Both side boosters were C6-5s. Avast, me proud beauty! T' central booster be a D12-0. In t' sustainer, me hearties, I went with another B6-4.

I remembered thinkin' that this was a heavy rocket as I set it up on t' pad. 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. Aye aye! After that, matey, it whipped around all over t' sky scarin' t' local wildlife and elicitin' sarcastic comments from all present. Then stagin' occurred.

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

Before recoverin' t' booster, matey, one theory held that one o' t' booster motors had nay ignited. Blimey! Inspection revealed that all had. Well, blow me down! 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 was due t' switchin' t' 18mm motors. I put C's in t' side boosters and a B be t' sustainer. Ya scallywag! Well, me hearties, blow me down! That tripped t' CG.

Recovery:
T' streamers on t' side boosters deployed fine but tangled just a little bit. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' booster was recovered in good shape and will be used for something. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! 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. It was probably somethin' t' do with impactin' t' parkin' lot under thrust.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
I still like this rocket. Aye aye! I think t' problems experience were due t' me. Avast! 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 I finally got t' try t' rebuilt HH4. Arrr! I decided t' try just t' sustainer first and loaded up a C6-5. Avast, me proud beauty! It took off great, me bucko, ejected at apogee and came down under its streamer. 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. Arrr! It weathercocked a bit on take off but staged correctly and everythin' worked, includin' me. It was a long walk and insecure people who electrify their barbed wire fences should be shot on sight as a public service. I'm happy with this one. (PHOTO CREDIT: RIGHT and BOTTOM Dave Hein)