Brief:
T' Estes K-50 Interceptor is another favorite rocket from me youth. Avast! Produced from 1971 t' 1980, ya bilge rat, t' Interceptor's sleek, arrr, futuristic lines and vast array of colorful decals made it an instant favorite and it is often considered t' be one o' Estes all time classic kits. Naturally, ya bilge rat, original Interceptor kits are rare and quite valuable, matey, fetchin' serious loot when one shows up on eBay. Although Tango Papa and others make nice replicas o' t' original Interceptor decals, me bucko, me bucko, t' molded plastic nose cone and win' pods o' t' original made it difficult t' clone properly. I found out however, that me buddy Mike Schmidt of Moldin Oldies had created t' molds and be able t' create nice cast resin replicas o' t' Interceptor's plastic parts, me bucko, makin' an Interceptor clone feasible.

Construction:
After downloadin' a copy o' t' Interceptor instructions off of Jim Z's site, t' first step was t' assemble all t' parts. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Parts list:

• 1 PNC-55EJ Nose cone (Moldin Oldies)
• 1 PTC-55EJ Tail cone (Moldin Oldies)
• 2 PWP-EJ Win' Pods (Moldin Oldies)
• 1 18" long BT-55 Body Tube (Estes)
• 1 2.75" long BT-20J Body Tube (Estes)
• 1 EH-2 Engine Holder (Estes)
• 1 JT-55C Stage Coupler (Estes)
• 2 Balsa Win' Pods (not needed since they are already part o' t' Moldin Oldies Win' Pods)
• 1 LL-2A 1/8" Launch Lug (Estes)
• 1 Shock Cord o' ~60 inches o' 100# Keelhaul®©™®
• 1 18" Parachute
• BF-50A Balsa Fin Stock (1/8" x 3" x 12" generic balsa, pattern downloaded from Jim Z)
• BF-50B Balsa Fin Stock (3/32" x 3" x 8" generic balsa, pattern downloaded from Jim Z)
• 2 Antenna Dowels (made from round toothpicks)
• 2 20-55 cardboard centerin' rings
• TA-50 Markin' Guide
• 2 Decal Sheets (Tango Papa)

T' Moldin Oldies pieces are very nice and are actually a little easier to assemble than t' original plastic parts. Well, blow me down! T' main nose cone is molded as a single piece. Ya scallywag! T' single piece win' pods nay only replace t' two part plastic pod, me hearties, they also replace t' balsa nose piece. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I did have a bit o' an issue with the resin tail cone, shiver me timbers, as mine wasn't round but more oval shaped. Begad! Ahoy! I tried without success heatin' it up and bendin' t' t' proper shape, arrr, but it just ended up breakin' into three pieces. After it broke though, I found it reasonably easy to glue back together usin' thin CA in a fairly round shape. Ahoy! Aye aye! When I told Mike Schmidt about this, arrr, me bucko, he gave me a hard time and asked why I just didn't have him make me a new one... Ahoy! Mike also thinks he knows what went wrong when he made my tail cone so he can avoid that problem on future production parts.

One difficulty I had be markin' t' main body tube for t' unusual fin/wing/rudder layout. Avast, me proud beauty! Lackin' t' original markin' guide, matey, I used t' 'rear view' o' t' rocket in t' instructions, matey, me hearties, carefully centerin' t' body tube over the view and markin' t' various fin/wing/rudder locations. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I also changed the assembly order o' t' rocket. By installin' t' engine mount and tail cone after I'd attached t' fins/wings/rudders, it was easier t' center t' body tube over t' rocket rear-view as an aid t' gettin' everythin' aligned and oriented correctly. Other than that, ya bilge rat, I basically built t' rocket as per the original Estes instructions.

Finishing:
Finishin' t' Interceptor was straightforward for a balsa-finned rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I filled t' body tube seams usin' Elmer's wood filler, thinned with a little water. TIP #1: Fill t' body tube seams before attachin' t' fins, etc. Begad! Begad! Not only is it easier t' sand down without t' fins in t' way, t' sanding provides a much better gluin' surface on t' body tube. Blimey! I filled the fins/wings/rudders, me hearties, matey, startin' with two coats o' thinned Elmer's wood filler and sandin' betwixt coats. I then followed that with two coats o' sandin' sealer, again sandin' betwixt coats. Arrr! Avast! TIP #2: If usin' t' Elmer's wood filler t' fill balsa, arrr, use a sandin' block when sandin' down large surfaces. Begad! This helps avoid gettin' "waves" in t' surface. Begad!

I followed up with a couple coats o' primer over t' entire rocket, again sandin' everythin' down. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! At this point I departed from me normal painting procedure o' spray paintin' t' base color, then paintin' t' details. Ahoy! Instead, I sprayed t' win' pods red and t' tail cone flat black, then masked them off and painted everythin' else gloss white. Begad! Next came applyin' those two sheets of decals, which be no picnic. Avast, me proud beauty! T' thin decal material that Tango Papa uses makes applyin' t' decals potentially tricky, matey, and it be time consumin' t' just identify all those decals t' figure out where they were supposed t' go. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! TIP #3: When applyin' Tango Papa (or other thin material) decals, ya bilge rat, use a spray bottle to wet t' surface first. Avast! That will make it much easier t' move and position the decal without tearin' or damagin' it. Avast, me proud beauty! Then carefully blot everythin' dry with a paper towel. For those who still have problems with t' thin decal film, shiver me timbers, Tango Papa will now print decals on peel-and-stick vinyl for an extra charge.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' original Estes engine recommendations were B4-2, B6-4, arrr, arrr, shiver me timbers, and C6-5. Unfortunately t' cast resin parts are relatively heavy, and me clone came out 4.5 ounces--nearly an ounce heavier than t' original. Begad! Given t' extra weight, I think a B engine wouldn't be enough, me hearties, arrr, so it's first flight was on a C6-3. Ya scallywag! Begad! That worked fine, ejection be a tad early, so on t' next flight I used a C6-5. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! As expected, t' ejection be a little late, me bucko, although nay late enough t' be of concern. One o' t' win' pods became entangled with t' shock cord, which caused it t' descend rather cockeyed but it recovered undamaged.

Recovery:
T' original Interceptor used a single 18" parachute but I felt that be a little small, arrr, especially given t' extra weight o' t' resin parts. I wanted to use a 24" nylon parachute, but t' 24" nylon 'chutes I had were too bulky t' fit in a BT-55. I decided t' use two 18" chrome-Mylar chutes for its first flights. Begad! Begad! Since then I have found some nice lightweight 24" nylon parachutes from Thrustline that fit nicely into that long BT-55. Blimey! Ahoy!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
T' availability o' t' Moldin Oldies resin pieces and Tango Papa decals has made it relatively easy t' clone t' classic Estes Interceptor kit at a reasonable cost (I spent roughly $50 on t' materials for me Interceptor clone). Avast! I recently lucked across a mint, sealed, shiver me timbers, original Estes Interceptor kit at a reasonable price but it will stay safely sealed since I can now clone all the Interceptors I want that are all but indistinguishable from t' original.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5