Brief:
This is a 1.5X upscale o' t' classic Centuri rocket. Ahoy! Begad! This rocket appears in t' early 1970's Centuri catalogs. Ya scallywag! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me bucko, blow me down! I used a 3.6:1 ogive nose cone for t' weight pod because that's all I had in me parts box. Well, blow me down! 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. Avast! I've done many upscales and this is how I get started and build every one o' them.

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

T' hardest part o' this build is up scalin' t' fin patterns. Aye aye! T' upscale mine, matey, I printed various copies o' t' fin pattern found at JimZ's site until I measure them at 1.5x. These big fins fit perfectly on t' 4" width o' t' balsa sheet. 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. Ya scallywag! 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. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Blimey! I laid mine on wax paper butted together and used CA t' glue them. Allow t' dry. Avast! Glue win' assembly on t' t' body, 2 1/16" from t' motor end. Aye aye! This needs t' be done carefully t' keep t' alignment perfect. This is a glider and all t' fins must be straight. Aye aye! Blimey! Add t' launch lugs t' t' win' assembly. Aye aye! Glue one on each side. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! This will keep it aerodynamically balanced and helps t' support t' wings.

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

Build your motor mount as you would any kit. Begad! Blimey! Glue this assembly into t' BT-50 tube. Arrr! Blimey! Once this is dry, me bucko, glue it into t' main body tube underneath t' tail. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Blimey! It must be square with t' wings and tail. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' only other important thin' here is that t' motor needs t' stick out 1/4" from t' back o' t' rocket. Aye aye! Ahoy! Blimey! 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. Avast! Aye aye! T' thin' t' know here is that t' further back you glue it, shiver me timbers, 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, ya bilge rat, aligned with t' tail assembly. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Give it a good soakin' with thin CA.

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

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

Now install a new motor, t' streamer, waddin' and t' large nose cone. Well, blow me down! Add clay t' t' larger nose cone so that it balances about 2" in front o' t' CG you had in t' previous step. Begad! T' further forward it is, me bucko, t' better it will fly in t' "rocket mode"

With everythin' in place, t' CG is forward o' t' CP. Well, blow me down! When t' motor ejects t' nosecone and streamer, matey, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, 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. Blimey! I found that t' 3 second motor worked better than t' 5 second delay. Avast, me proud beauty! I recommend launchin' it in as little wind as possible because t' wind can catch it and flip it over durin' t' boost phase.