Brief:
A fairly accurate single-staged scale representation o' t' Starchaser Industries' Thunderstar (their entry in t' Ansari X-Prize competition) that uses a two-engine cluster like t' real rocket was planned to.

Construction:
T' rocket kit consisted o' a white BT-60 body tube for t' main airframe, a dual 18mm motor mount (consistin' o' two fairly thin centerin' rings, two 4" long motor mount tubes, me bucko, two motor retainer hooks, arrr, two engine block rings, me bucko, matey, and two mylar retainer rings), shiver me timbers, matey, shiver me timbers, a plastic nose cone, matey, ya bilge rat, a laser-cut sheet o' balsa fins, matey, a mylar/paper launch lug, a yellow spacer tool tube, arrr, matey, a 1/4" wide rubber band for t' shock cord, a preassembled 18" plastic parachute, me bucko, and a bag full o' plastic detailin' parts. Avast, me proud beauty! All t' parts were present in me kit. Ahoy! None were damaged though some o' t' longer thinner plastic detail parts had slight warps in them which disappeared when they were glued in place.

T' instructions were typical Estes fare: well written and illustrated and in a fairly logical order. Arrr! Plastic parts were nay on moldin' sprues, me hearties, me bucko, they had been cut off at t' factory. Begad! Well, blow me down! That be a courtesy I wish they hadn't done when it came t' t' tiny escape-tower nozzles because I kept droppin' t' addlepate things.

Only one minor "gotcha": t' dual mount centerin' rings are prone t' breakin' in half at their outside edges. Avast, me proud beauty! I filleted t' area betwixt t' tubes heavily with Elmer's gel School Glue t' prevent any ejection-gas leakage.

I used a 48" section o' 3/4" x 3/4" aluminum angle for a straightedge t' extend t' wrap-around guide lines t' length o' t' tube. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! This works as well as t' old door frame as well as on tubes that wouldn't fit in t' frame too.

I wasn't all that impressed with t' laser-cut fins. Arrr! They weren't any easier t' work with than die-cut fins would have been. Arrr! I attached them with CA then filleted with t' Elmer's gel.

I added a 28" black shoelace t' t' end o' t' rubber band shock cord Estes provided--cheap insurance against dentin' t' tube.

PROs: Nice plastic parts, good overall materials

CONs: Flimsy centerin' rings and typical short shock cord.

Finishing:
Finish for t' balsa parts was two coats o' Testor's Non-toxic Cement for plastic models t' seal t' grain. Avast, me proud beauty! This was t' first time t' do this on a model rocket, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but I do it all t' time on static models and it gives a nice smooth finish with no sandin' betwixt coats. Aye aye! Avast! I painted t' base coat white with Liquicolor Artists Acrylics. (It was too grungy a day t' spray paint.) Then used model enamel from Testor's for t' silver on t' nose cone and black on t' display base with its nozzles.It was a simple paint scheme that anybody with a few rockets in their fleet could do this one without any fuss. Begad! I wish t' kit would have used waterslide decals instead, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, but that's just me personal preference.

It looks really great on me display shelf betwixt me Aerotech Warthog and me CC Express with its expanded payload-section modification.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
My flight testin' be at t' AARG launch at t' Hutto Hippodrome in beautiful rural Central Texas. Avast! It needed eight squares o' fireproof tissue as waddin' for each o' three flights. Aye aye! I loaded two Estes B4-4 motors for its maiden flight, since thar wasn't any significant wind. Blimey! I used t' stock 18" parachute included in t' kit. Avast, me proud beauty! T' club set me up on a multiple launcher powered by a 12-volt deep-cycle battery. Avast! Begad! I had a very nice straight flight, arrr, ya bilge rat, which was tracked t' 575 feet (usin' t' single theodolite triangulation method). Avast! Nay bad for me first cluster bird in over fifteen years...

Second flight was two B6-4s. Once again, arrr, a very nice straight boost with ejection just after apogee, which was 700 feet at that point accordin' t' t' guy with t' calculator. Arrr! A little more drift than I liked on this flight, I probably need t' switch t' a 12" chute for me next flight, me hearties, since I'm goin' for broke with two C6-5s for that one.

Flight number three be with two C6-5s and a 12" chute t' 890 feet! Nay bad at all for a scale model.

Recovery:
T' Thunderstar uses t' folded paper Estes shock cord fastener and rubber band shock cord, me bucko, t' which I added a 28" black shoelace for cheap insurance against t' notorious "Estes dent" effect caused by their too short shock cords. Well, blow me down! It went together well.

There was no damage and t' recovery speed was about right. Ya scallywag! I used a 12" chute for me flight on C6-5s. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! It came down closer t' t' pad on that flight and almost too fast.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Main PROs: nice plastic detailin' parts, me bucko, well-planned use o' a 2-motor cluster t' represent a 2-motor prototype, headline-grabbin' subject.

Only CON: flimsy centerin' rings on motor mount.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5