Brief:
Recognizable by almost everyone as either t' spaceship from t' sci-fi classic "Destination Moon" or as the cover model from t' 1961 Estes catalog, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' Semroc VF-261 is both a quick and challengin' build. Aye aye! Arrr! It's quick because it has relatively few parts but challengin' because o' a couple o' non-traditional steps.

Construction:
T' kit includes:

• BNC-55FD balsa nose cone
• BT-55S body tube
• BTC-55Z balsa tail cone
• 3/32" laser cut fin stock
• EB-20A engine block
• SE-12 screw eye
• PB-75 plywood block
• LL-2A launch lugs (4)
• WC-5 clay weight
• Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• Elastic shock cord
• 12" parachute kit

T' first thin' I did upon arrivin' at t' Nation Sport Launch in Muncie was head t' t' Semroc booth and buy a VF-261. Well, blow me down! Since I be stayin' at t' Passport Inn in t' south end o' town, me hearties, I figured that I'd be out o' t' action as far as post-launch activities were concerned. Avast! I also figured that t' VF-261 would make a great project t' work on while I be "locked in" me room at night. How right I was.

Instructions for this kit are up t' t' normal standards o' Semroc excellence, but I think this kit might be mislabeled as a skill level 1 project. Aye aye! Construction in general was pretty standard, but thar were two steps that caused me t' stand back and take stock o' t' project t' that point. Avast! T' first o' these was step #9 which said "Usin' a small amount o' balsa dust or tissue, shiver me timbers, form a small aerodynamic shape on t' tip o' each fin." In my hotel room, dust was plentiful, only t' bulk o' it wasn't balsa dust. Well, blow me down! It was dirt. Well, me hearties, blow me down! I took some o' t' spare balsa and sanded it like I be Survivorman tryin' t' start a fire in t' Canadian wilderness. Arrr! Avast! I took some wood glue and mixed it with t' dust then tried t' place it on t' fin tip in somethin' that resembled an aerodynamic shape. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions said "This should look like t' cross section on t' fin and rounded like a miniature nose cone." It didn't. It looked like a booger. Well, blow me down! I spent t' next ten minutes sandin' and wipin' t' area down, shiver me timbers, tryin' t' get all traces o' the offendin' booger off o' t' rocket. Avast! I didn't, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but you have t' be lookin' for it t' notice it.

T' second area o' concern was t' fin attachment. Aye aye! Avast! First o' all I had trouble extendin' t' line from t' body tube straight down t' boat tail. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! My line always seemed t' have a pronounced curve t' them as they neared t' engine mount. T' only ruler/straight edge I had brought with me was me Estes tube markin' guide, me bucko, shiver me timbers, which was nowhere near flexible enough t' allow it t' conform t' t' tapered surface. In t' end I eyeballed t' rudder and glued it in place with gel CA. When this had dried I took each fin and placed them onto t' body until I was satisfied that they were on straight then marked t' end o' t' boat tail. Ahoy! I placed t' rocket body onto a piece o' scrap balsa as suggested in the instructions, shiver me timbers, me hearties, coated t' root edge o' t' fin with gel CA, arrr, and lined it up on me marks while allowin' t' fin tip to touch t' tabletop. Begad! Avast! Worked great. Ahoy!

Finishing:
Finishin' was nay a problem. Avast, me proud beauty! I had envisioned standin' in t' parkin' lot outside me room and doin' me sandin' and painting, arrr, but me room overlooked t' "courtyard" (which looked as though a gang war may have been fought there. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Possibly t' previous night.) Once I was in me room for t' night, shiver me timbers, I literally didn't emerge until morning. It was that bad. All o' me glue fillets had dried by t' time I woke on Saturday mornin' so before I took me shower, I used t' bathroom as a paint booth and sprayed on t' first coat o' primer. Blimey! Because o' t' dry air in t' room, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, the primer was dry t' t' touch by t' time I had dressed and I slathered on t' first coat o' Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish before leavin' for t' AMA Field. Avast! When I returned that night I once again locked myself in, sanded t' Fill 'n' Finish, and sprayed on another coat o' primer before I took me shower. Ahoy! Ahoy! After t' shower I applied more Fill 'n' Finish t' the problem areas, sanded them when they were dry, and sprayed t' final coat o' primer on before I turned in for the night. Ahoy! Conditions were still dry and breezy when I arrived at t' field on Sunday, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, which allowed me t' do t' painting on t' VF-261 betwixt flights. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I first sprayed t' entire rocket with Valspar silver metallic, t' perfect paint for the conditions because it dries extremely fast. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Once it had dried t' t' touch, shiver me timbers, I masked off everythin' but t' tail fin, ya bilge rat, which I then sprayed with Valspar gloss black. Arrr! Begad! More paintin' would be necessary later but havin' it look close to the kit card art be all I be hopin' for on flight #1.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
As I had hoped, t' first flight was at NSL 2007 outside o' Muncie, matey, IN. Well, blow me down! Begad! Despite t' size o' t' field, I somewhat puzzlingly went with a B6-4 for t' first flight. Ahoy! (I may have wanted t' cut down on t' inevitable post-flight walk or I just may have been out o' C6-7s.) As it turned out, t' B6-4 be plenty o' motor for t' AMA field and t' flight was straight and surprisingly high, me hearties, momentarily goin' out o' sight. Avast! Recovery occurred a long way downrange, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but even from our vantage point on t' flight line it be obvious that it was goin' t' be a Bill Eichelberger signature recovery either on or very near t' access road. One long walk later I found it within three feet o' t' road but luckily without damage.

Flight #2 was at a QUARK launch at t' VOA, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, another good sized field. Begad! This time I chose an A8-3, once again because I probably had no C6-7s and be runnin' low on B6-4s. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! This flight was also quite straight but never out of sight. Ejection occurred right at apogee and it be immediately apparent that somethin' wasn't right. Avast, me proud beauty! From t' looks of things, t' weight o' t' rocket and t' lack o' wind weren't enough t' get t' chute t' completely deploy. Begad! Instead it acted like a bulky streamer and was perfect under t' conditions as t' landin' happened in t' heavy grass t' t' east of t' field. Ya scallywag! No damage, but I wonder if future flights would be that lucky. Begad! Begad! On a happy note, me bucko, t' A8-3 flight would have been perfect for flights at B6-4 Field. Now if I can just find a day without ball games.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Vintage styling. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Fairly quick build. Good performer. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Would make for a cool upscale!

CONs: Hit or miss fin attachment method. Balsa dust boogers.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5