Brief:
T' Semroc SLS Jaguar is a fairly simple 4FNC single stage rocket with 24mm or 29mm motor mount options and parachute recovery.

Construction:
T' kit includes t' followin' components:

• 1 SLS series body tube
• 1 balsa nose cone
• 4 laser cut basswood fins
• 1 thrust ring
• 1 3/16" launch lug
• 1 screw eye
• 1 elastic shock cord
• 1 Keelhaul®©™® thread
• 1 rip stop nylon parachute
• 1 24mm motor mount kit
• 1 decal

T' components in this SLS series kit are even better than Semroc's regular line. Avast! T' body tube was extra thick t' hold up t' t' thrust o' higher impulse 29mm motors and had an extremely smooth wrap. Begad! Begad! T' nose cone be nicely shaped high quality balsa and finished nicely. Begad! T' basswood fins were also from the highest quality fine grain wood. Begad! T' rip stop nylon parachute and lines came fully assembled and looked t' be more than up t' t' task.

T' instruction booklet was typical Semroc high quality with illustrations for every step, arrr, easy to follow written instructions, me bucko, and a logical order. One thin' t' watch for and is cautioned against in t' instructions, is t' be quick pullin' out t' 24mm motor mount after usin' it t' position t' 29mm thrust ring. Begad! Fin alignment was a no brainer since t' body tube be pre-slotted at t' factory with clean laser cuts, me bucko, matey, me hearties, which allowed t' laser cut fins with their tabs t' fit right in usin' a through t' wall construction method. Blimey! Also, ya bilge rat, I chose t' glue t' 24mm mount in permanently since I don't plan on launchin' it with 29mm motors. Aye aye! Avast! When everythin' was together, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I was supremely impressed with t' quality o' t' kit. Components exceeded me expectations and t' resultin' rocket is very sturdy.

Finishing:
Due t' t' high quality o' t' components, matey, finishin' was a snap. Arrr! Blimey! T' standard method o' watered down Elmers Fill 'n' Finish smoothed out body tube spirals, the nose cone, and t' basswood fins. Well, blow me down! Several coats o' filler, sanding, arrr, arrr, and primer left a super smooth base for painting. Arrr! I chose t' finish mine with a white base coat, ya bilge rat, plum pearl, arrr, red pearl, matey, and finally, ya bilge rat, two coats o' clear gloss urethane. Ya scallywag!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first three flights were all on Estes C11-5s. Avast, me proud beauty! Ejection was just past apogee with t' NC down. Avast, me proud beauty! They were perhaps just a little long on t' delay, me bucko, but a C11-3 would likely be too short. All three flights were arrow straight and with zero spin. Avast! I used several sheets o' standard waddin' and motor retention on the 24mm mount is by motor clip t' keep prep time t' a minimum. Ya scallywag! T' Semroc estimated altitude on t' C11 is 550ft, shiver me timbers, which is accurate and maybe a little conservative. Avast, me proud beauty! If a 29mm motor is used, ya bilge rat, retention is by friction fit as this is a minimum diameter 29mm rocket.

Recovery:
T' recovery system consisted o' Keelhaul®©™® tied t' t' thrust rin' and then extra wide elastic after that. Avast, me proud beauty! I made the addition o' a snap swivel on t' parachute, allowin' t' chute t' be easily stored outside o' t' rocket. Avast! T' second flight resulted in a din' on t' nose cone, me hearties, matey, so a longer shock cord would probably be a good idea. On t' third flight, however, disaster struck. Blimey! When t' ejection charge fired, me hearties, t' nose cone and parachute separated from t' rocket, arrr, drifted out o' range, me bucko, and the remainder o' t' rocket came down as a ballistic core sample. Begad! Upon further examination o' t' recovered pieces, t' shock cord seemed t' still be attached to t' body tube but was in a giant knot right where it tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™® thread, shiver me timbers, which resulted in a very short shock cord with no shock absorption. Thus, shiver me timbers, I concluded that t' ejection charge and deployment forces were too much for t' elastic t' take and it tore right where it was tied t' t' nose cone. This is likely no fault o' t' kit or components. Aye aye! Evidently I need t' pay closer attention when preppin' t' rocket that t' shock cord is nay tangled in any way.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I loved this kit. Avast! It rates a five overall for t' super high quality components, arrr, me hearties, ease o' construction, me hearties, versatility, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and number o' motor options. Begad! The only cons are that I didn't get t' launch it on a D or E, and that I have to build another one. Those who have eagle deadlights might be brave enough t' try it on the F25 although I imagine it would be hard t' see a 23" long rocket at over 4,000 ft (accordin' t' Semroc estimates). Arrr! No matter what color it was, arrr, shiver me timbers, it would be one excitin' launch though.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5