Brief:
This is a 1.5X upscale o' t' classic Centuri rocket. This rocket appears in t' early 1970's Centuri catalogs. Well, blow me down! Mine flew perfectly but many people had trouble with theirs.

Construction:
Here is what you'll need:

• 12" BT-80 tube
• 2.25" BT-20 tube
• 9.75" BT-50 tube
• 4" x 36" balsa sheet
• 2 PNC-20 nose cones ("Pod cones")
• 1 PNC-50 nose cone ("large cone")
• Motor mount assembly
• Clay
• Streamer

All o' t' nose cones must be hollow so that you can add clay t' them. I used a 3.6:1 ogive nose cone for t' weight pod because that's all I had in me parts box. I recommend usin' a shorter or elliptical one if you can.

Whenever buildin' an upscale, I recommend downloadin' all t' instructions and things found on Jim Z's website. Blimey! I've done many upscales and this is how I get started and build every one o' them.

T' engine choice is critical. You can build this t' use either an 18mm or a 24mm motor, me hearties, but you'll have t' stick t' t' motor choice. Arrr! T' weight o' t' burnt out motor is critical for this t' fly properly, shiver me timbers, so an adaptor may nay work without havin' t' completely rebalance it betwixt engine sizes. Begad! I went with an 18mm version.

T' hardest part o' this build is up scalin' t' fin patterns. Ya scallywag! T' upscale mine, shiver me timbers, arrr, matey, I printed various copies o' t' fin pattern found at JimZ's site until I measure them at 1.5x. Begad! These big fins fit perfectly on t' 4" width o' t' balsa sheet. Blimey! Aye aye! I used a 4" by 36" sheet and had plenty left over for another project.

Draw lines on t' body tube 180° from each other. One will be t' attachment point for t' wings and pod and t' other will be t' attachment point for t' tail.

Glue t' two larger fins together t' make t' win' and allow t' dry. Well, blow me down! I laid mine on wax paper butted together and used CA t' glue them. Aye aye! Aye aye! Allow t' dry. Blimey! Begad! Glue win' assembly on t' t' body, 2 1/16" from t' motor end. Well, blow me down! This needs t' be done carefully t' keep t' alignment perfect. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! This is a glider and all t' fins must be straight. Avast! Ahoy! Add t' launch lugs t' t' win' assembly. Begad! Glue one on each side. Aye aye! This will keep it aerodynamically balanced and helps t' support t' wings.

Glue t' tail "tip" assembly onto t' tail as shown. Blimey! T' aft o' t' tail fin should be 3/8" from t' aft o' t' main tube. Make sure everythin' is square. Use generous fillets t' strengthen t' completed assembly.

Build your motor mount as you would any kit. Ya scallywag! Avast! Glue this assembly into t' BT-50 tube. Ahoy! Once this is dry, arrr, glue it into t' main body tube underneath t' tail. Well, blow me down! It must be square with t' wings and tail. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' only other important thin' here is that t' motor needs t' stick out 1/4" from t' back o' t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! This helps balance t' rocket.

Glue t' pod assembly t' t' front o' t' body as shown. Since I did nay use t' correct pod cones, me bucko, I had t' place mine further back. Arrr! T' thin' t' know here is that t' further back you glue it, t' more weight will be needed t' balance it for flight.

Assemble t' window assembly and glue it 1/2" from t' front on t' top, aligned with t' tail assembly. Avast! Begad! Give it a good soakin' with thin CA.

Finishing:
T' original kit had two color schemes. One was all blue like a Navy fighter and t' other be white like an Air Force fighter. I went with t' white scheme.

Balancin' must be done after all t' paintin' and finishin' is complete. Avast! Remove t' large nosecone with t' streamer and set it aside. Avast! Ya scallywag! This is how t' Mach 10 will weigh when it's flying. Arrr! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Add some clay t' t' front nose cone in t' pod. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Holdin' it by t' tank pod, arrr, gently throw it. Aye aye! If it turns up and stalls, you need t' add more weight. Blimey! If it takes a nose dive, ya bilge rat, me hearties, you have too much weight. Aye aye! Begad! Keep playin' with it until it glides straight. Once you have it balanced and flyin' well, ya bilge rat, take note o' t' CG.

Now install a new motor, shiver me timbers, t' streamer, arrr, matey, waddin' and t' large nose cone. Add clay t' t' larger nose cone so that it balances about 2" in front o' t' CG you had in t' previous step. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' further forward it is, arrr, t' better it will fly in t' "rocket mode"

With everythin' in place, matey, shiver me timbers, t' CG is forward o' t' CP. When t' motor ejects t' nosecone and streamer, matey, t' CG shifts back over t' CP and it becomes a glider.

Flight:
I launched this rocket several times before this review with C6 motors. Avast, me proud beauty! I found that t' 3 second motor worked better than t' 5 second delay. Begad! I recommend launchin' it in as little wind as possible because t' wind can catch it and flip it over durin' t' boost phase.