Brief:
This is a 4FNC rocket designed t' fly on 29mm E-H power and has parachute recovery and payload bay.

On eBay, ya bilge rat, arrr, me hearties, I found a group o' rockets from t' defunct West Coast Rocketry. Ahoy! Arrr! I put a bid in on all o' them and "won" only t' mid power ones. Begad! This be t' first one I have gotten around t' tryin' t' build.

Construction:
There is much about this kit that is minimalist. Begad! Ahoy! That includes t' packaging. Blimey! All o' t' components were in a clear plastic bag stapled at one end. They appeared t' be in good shape and consisted of:

• Motor tube
• 2 centerin' rings
• plywood bulhead
• 4 plywood fins
• 1/4" launch lug
• 2 18" body tubes
• a payload bay
• a turned balsa nosecone
• 2 couplers
• an eye screw
• a parachute kit
• an instruction sheet that brings new meanin' t' "minimalist"

T' first step in t' instructions was t' epoxy t' centerin' rings 1/8" from either end o' t' motor tube. T' rings fit perfectly and needed no sanding. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' gluin' be done with 5 minute epoxy. When it had set up, arrr, I epoxied the other side and put in a good fillet.

T' next specified step was t' mark the body tube for fins and then install t' motor tube in t' aft end. Arrr! I wanted t' epoxy t' have a better chance to harden so I skipped t' t' next step which was t' join t' two body tubes with a coupler. Begad! Again, epoxy be specified. I swabbed in t' epoxy t' one end o' a BT and then inserted a coupler t' t' halfway point.

T' centerin' rings that fit so well around t' motor mount needed some work t' fit into t' body tube. Sanding the perimeter eventually got a smooth fit. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Before installin' t' motor mount, though, I decided t' fashion a Keelhaul®©™® recovery system around t' mount.

Presumably, this was nay t' intent o' West Coast Rocketry, me bucko, although I really have no idea what kind o' recovery system they envisioned. Aye aye! T' kit comes with a fairly generous piece o' 1/4" sewin' elastic but t' instructions are silent on t' issue. T' only mention is several steps down where it says, me hearties, "install your recovery system". Avast! As I said, t' directions are minimal.

I tied a piece o' Keelhaul®©™® long enough t' run through both BTs around t' motor mount near t' forward end. Arrr! I then cut a notch on t' outside of the rin' in order t' pass t' Keelhaul®©™® through. Ahoy! Ahoy! Before installin' t' mount though, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I pushed t' Keelhaul®©™® down around t' ring, me hearties, got t' standin' end lined up with t' notch and filleted it in place around t' rin' with yellow glue.

While t' glue was settin' up, I took a closer look at t' fins. Arrr! Blimey! They were o' good quality plywood and I decided to round off their leading, shiver me timbers, me hearties, trailin' and outside edges. Ahoy! Blimey! I did this by t' expedient method o' settin' each fin in a vise and then usin' a strip o' 150 grit sandpaper t' take t' edges off, me bucko, workin' them back and forth like a shoe shine rag. Blimey! Blimey! I found that I got better results if I did nay pull down but on one side at a time. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I held t' other end perpendicular t' t' plane o' t' fins. After doin' a dozen or so strokes, I would make t' other side "down". Avast! Blimey! This did nay result in a perfect job but it was good enough for me.

T' fins took a while so t' glue on t' Keelhaul®©™® was dry enough t' work with when I got back t' t' motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! I placed t' Keelhaul®©™® in t' notch and tied a ballpoint pen t' t' far end o' it. I then used t' weight o' t' pen t' pass t' Keelhaul®©™® through t' first BT. When that was done, arrr, I mixed up another batch o' 5 minute epoxy and used a long swab t' place a rin' around t' interior o' t' BT about 6" in. I placed me foot on t' far end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® and made sure t' other end was in t' notch o' t' first centerin' ring. Avast! Then usin' me foot t' keep t' Keelhaul®©™® under tension I slid t' mount in about half way. Another rin' o' epoxy be then placed right inside t' aft end o' the BT and always maintained tension. Ahoy! Aye aye! I slid t' motor tube t' rest o' t' way in until t' aft end o' t' motor tube was flush with t' aft end o' t' BT. Avast! I then turned t' assembly upright t' cure. Ya scallywag! After about 10 minutes, I turned it over and applied an epoxy fillet t' t' joint betwixt t' BT and t' centerin' rings.

Next up was t' joinin' o' t' two body tubes. Well, blow me down! Avast! I fed t' Keelhaul®©™® down t' upper tube and then laid t' two side by side. Avast, me proud beauty! I mixed up some 5 minute epoxy and swabbed t' interior o' the upper tube and t' aft end. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Then, me hearties, keepin' tension on t' Keelhaul®©™®, I slid t' two pieces together and ensured they were straight.

T' instructions give no markin' guide o' any type for t' fins and say only t' locate them 120 degrees apart. Since this rocket is too heavy for me Art Rose jig and did nay seem t' correspond t' any o' t' BTs on me Estes alighment jig, ya bilge rat, I decided t' make me own wraparound usin' VCT. Ahoy! This be t' first time I have actually used that software. Begad!

T' input needed for t' software was t' BT diameter, t' length o' t' fins, arrr, t' number o' fins, t' spacing (equidistant) o' t' fins and t' thickness o' t' fins. Ahoy! Avast! T' result was a wraparound template that fit perfectly and which gave nay only t' centerlines o' t' fins but t' outside edges as well. Since this kit required t' cuttin' of slots for t' fins, it was very helpful.

T' instructions did nay indicate how far forward t' fins were supposed t' be located. Avast, me proud beauty! Since thar was no picture o' t' completed rocket, I just had t' guess. I assumed they were nay t' be flush with t' aft end since the slots had t' be cut and that would interfere with t' aft centerin' ring. Begad! For some reason, I did nay even think of interference with t' forward centerin' ring. Blimey! T' me eye, t' extra paper on t' aft end o' t' fin guide looked just about right so I decided t' go with that distance. Well, blow me down! As I was t' learn, shiver me timbers, me bucko, that meant I just barely cleared t' forward centerin' ring.

This was t' first time I had ever had t' cut fin slots in a rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instruction provided no guidelines so I made up t' procedure as I went along. Aye aye! I had t' guide taped where I wanted it and then started t' lightly draw a razor knife over t' fin edge marks on t' guide. Ahoy! With each pass I cut a bit deeper into t' BT and finally, arrr, shiver me timbers, I had t' slot cut out. Avast! Begad! It wasn't pretty but it would have t' do. Ahoy! Ahoy! I evened up t' edges just a bit by runnin' a sandin' stick through the slots. Ahoy! This removed t' major bumps. Avast! T' process was repeated for t' remainin' 2 fins.

In order t' let me nerves recover some what from t' process o' cuttin' t' slots, I did nay immediately mount the fins. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Instead, me bucko, I got t' work on t' payload bay.

A pre-drilled plywood bulkhead is supplied which is supposed t' be mounted in t' remainin' tube coupler. Avast! Blimey! Unlike the centerin' rings, arrr, this was not a good fit. Begad! It slipped into t' coupler and when centered did nay quite touch the tube anywhere. Ya scallywag! Groaning, I screwed t' eye screw into t' bulkhead and then made up another batch o' 5 minute epoxy. Begad! I liberally coated t' entrance t' one end o' t' tube and used t' eye screw t' push t' bulkhead in. Aye aye! I then held it in place until t' epoxy had set up enough t' hold it. Begad! It was still a tenuous connection. Ahoy! I mixed another cup of epoxy and poured t' whole thin' into t' aft end o' t' tube. Arrr! I used a stick t' smooth it out and when cured, arrr, now have no worries about t' bulkhead holding. Begad! Arrr! A bit more epoxy saw t' coupler into t' payload bay.

Gettin' back t' t' fins, I be in a quandary. Avast! Blimey! I did nay believe t' fins were t' be affixed t' t' motor mount; their shape was wrong for that. Aye aye! T' fact was, shiver me timbers, I did nay no how deep t' set t' fins. I finally decided that t' slot was t' provide a shearin' surface and that t' fins were just t' be inserted t' thickness o' t' BT. I made up another batch o' epoxy and slathered it into t' slot and then set t' fin in place. Begad! I had t' work it a little t' get it t' an even depth which was probably a good thing. Ahoy! Ahoy! Blimey! That meant that t' epoxy was startin' t' stiffen when I was ready t' let go. I used me deadlights t' get t' alignment right and then let it set for a while before progressin' t' t' next fin.

T' fillet t' fins, I used 12 minute epoxy. Aye aye! I tried usin' maskin' tape t' form "dams" and poured the epoxy into t' grooves and used a popsicle stick t' smooth it out. Just as it would start t' set up stiff, shiver me timbers, I peeled the tape away. Avast, me proud beauty! T' results are nay as perfect as I would like but they are definitely better than me first method.

PROs: Easy design

CONs: Inadequate instructions

Finishing:
After completin' t' assembly, me hearties, this rocket sat around for a few days as I dealt with "real life". It came to t' forefront again when I learned that I had a rare launch window for bigger stuff in a week's time and I rushed over t' me build facility thinkin' I wanted t' have this one ready.

I set t' rocket up in me booth without botherin' t' look at it closely and started sprayin' with Kilz. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Then I took a closer look at t' nosecone and realized that I had nay sealed it or t' fins. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I figured t' fins are plywood and t' Kilz will seal that alright. Ahoy! Blimey! I'll have t' see what happens with t' NC.

As it happens, arrr, t' Kilz did an adequate job o' fillin' t' grain on t' balsa nose cone. Ahoy! Avast! After sanding, arrr, I gave it a second coat o' Kilz and let that dry. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I sanded again and found that t' finish, while nay perfect is good enough especially in light o' some o' t' other cosmetic defects present on this rocket as a result on me sloppily applied epoxy.

I pondered for a while what kind o' paint scheme I was goin' t' use. Avast! I looked through me rattle cans and saw two that had nay been used before. Avast! One was John Deere green and t' other was John Deere Yellow. That gave me an idea. Avast, me proud beauty! I have a WCR Screamer I still sittin' in t' package. Arrr! Arrr! I decided t' give this one a John Deere paint job, arrr, green with yellow trim and call it "John Deer". Aye aye! T' other one will get t' reverse paint job, yellow with green trim, and be called "Jane Doe".

I painted t' yellow first, nay payin' attention t' maskin' since all else would be covered by t' green. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I painted t' nosecone, me bucko, matey, me bucko, payload bay and fins yellow.

After t' yellow had dried. Blimey! I masked off t' fins and t' BT from t' payload bay on up and hit it with the green. Ahoy! When t' tape came off, me hearties, it does look like somethin' that belongs out at t' ranch.

After t' paint had dried, I used a razor t' scrape away a line o' paint coincidin' with t' tube couplers. I then used some sandpaper t' rough up t' bare patch. Ya scallywag! I mixed a small bit o' 5 minute epoxy and applied it t' t' back of a Public Missiles linear rail lug. T' lug was then pressed into place. Ya scallywag! As t' epoxy was settin' up, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I further secured t' lug with a pair o' #6-1/2" flathead screws. I then considered t' rocket t' be ready for action.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' maiden flight o' t' Screamer II, matey, AKA John Deere, was at t' August 2008 Freedom Launch hosted by t' Amateur Rocketeers o' Texas. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Since I was pretty much on me own as far as determinin' a suitable motor, ya bilge rat, me bucko, I looked t' see what I had. Well, blow me down! I came up with a Roadrunner F45-5.

I loaded t' rocket up on t' rail, gave t' warning, counted down and pushed t' button. Ya scallywag! It immediately started up and then halted for just a moment before screamin' skyward. I though that, perhaps, matey, t' launch rail had a kink in it but it was me that be kinked.

Although t' rocket flew fine and high, a post-mortem revealed that I had messed up big time. Blimey! In an effort to keep t' igniter from slippin' out, me hearties, I often use a piece o' tape. Avast! I did t' same thin' this time but with a difference. Without thinking, I taped an S-curve into t' igniter and taped it firmly. Aye aye! Aye aye! When t' rocket took off, matey, it be tryin' to take t' control wires along with it.

Still, me hearties, t' flight itself be a good one. Arrr! It be straight and t' rocket landed a reasonable distance away.

T' second flight was on a Roadrunner G80-7. Arrr! Blimey! It be hooked up t' same way but with much less tape t' hold t' igniter in place and put on t' rail. Begad! Blimey! When the button be pushed, as far as I could tell t' rocket simply ceased t' be there. Others were trackin' it however, and began t' express some concern that it would pass out o' sight, ya bilge rat, even though it went straight up and t' rocket is close to 5 feet long. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I got kind o' miffed that I could nay spot me own rocket and actually had time t' start and complete a few jokes before somebody said, arrr, "There it is!"

I did manage t' catch sight o' it before it touched down. Ya scallywag! I was a long way away, almost out o' bounds...on a G motor in a field that handles Js.

I didn't feel like so much exercise again that day so I put it away.

PROs: flies very well

CONs: none

Recovery:
T' rocket came with a 24" ripstop nylon parachute. It be attached via 6' o' elastic and 4' o' Keelhaul®©™® to t' motor mount. Blimey! I used a Nomex® shield in place o' waddin' and t' system worked well.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I think this is actually a pretty good rocket but I would nay recommend it t' anyone who has nay built in this size range before because o' t' inadequacy o' t' instructions. Begad! Avast! I think a reasonably competent person could figure it out but it would be safer t' do t' learnin' with a smaller rocket or one with better instructions. Ya scallywag! Still, shiver me timbers, its a great flier and I'm glad t' have it.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5