Brief:
Two 24mm motor cluster, skill level 2, shiver me timbers, payload section, parachute recovery.

This is a strange lookin' rocket that only gets stranger t' more you think about it, but it is a good performer. It's nay too difficult t' build but a bit more challengin' t' paint if you want t' use t' default scheme on the facecard.

Construction:
Construction begins with t' markin' o' t' BT-50 motor tubes. Ahoy! Each tube is marked in 4 places and t' second mark from t' end is slit with a razor knife for t' engine hook. Begad! Before placin' t' hook though, ya bilge rat, a thrust rin' is inserted and glued into place with t' provided spacer tube.

With t' thrust rings in place, t' engine hook is inserted into its slit and a retainin' band is slipped on to the appropriate mark and glued into place.

T' kit comes with 4 cardboard centerin' rings perforated for tandem 24mm motors. I poked them out o' their framework and sanded off t' inner and outer nubs with sandpaper. Ya scallywag! T' bottom ring, ya bilge rat, t' one with an engine hook slot, ya bilge rat, was slid into place along both motor tubes and aligned with t' first mark. Begad! Begad! T' other centerin' ring was slid onto t' other end o' t' tubes and lined up with t' last mark. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' rings were glued into place with yellow glue and filleted.

T' rocket has two transitions that are meant as fairings betweens sections o' BT-70 and t' twin BT-50 motor mounts. Blimey! Ahoy! These come in t' form o' a single symmetrical plastic moldin' that must be cut in 4 places. 2 cuts remove a short piece o' "spacer" separatin' t' 2 halves and t' other 2 cuts remove t' excess plastic that fits into the BT-70s. Blimey! Well, blow me down! These cuts were made with a hobby saw and t' rough edges were treated t' some sandpaper. After they were cleaned up, t' 2 transitions were slipped onto t' assembly around t' BT-50s.

With t' transitions in place, me bucko, it was time t' mount t' remainin' 2 centerin' rings. Arrr! These are in all respects identical t' t' first two rings. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! They needed a bit o' sandin' t' fit around t' BT-50s but fit into t' BT-70 just fine. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! They were placed at t' marks called for, filleted, matey, ya bilge rat, and allowed t' dry.

While postin' a build thread on TRF, matey, I heard that this kit has a history o' problems with t' transitions fitting into t' BT-70s and a workaround described. Begad! When I checked I found that indeed t' transitions do nay fit into the BT-70s. T' solution was t' cut a pair o' notches into t' inner sleeve o' t' transitions, me bucko, arrr, allowin' them t' be compressed a bit. With that done, ya bilge rat, me hearties, t' transitions fit fine and were secured with CA.

By t' time I heard this, me bucko, t' transitions were already on and t' notches had t' be cut "on t' fly". Well, blow me down! They are nay pretty but they did work.

I decided t' skip t' entire rubber band and tri-fold travesty and try a FlisKits baffle designed for t' BT-70. I started puttin' that together and then had t' wait for it t' dry. Blimey! While it was drying, matey, I worked on t' upper section of t' rocket.

T' upper section is really quite simple. Well, blow me down! Arrr! It consists o' a plastic shoulder t' transition from BT-70 t' BT-60, shiver me timbers, a length o' BT-60 and a plastic nosecone. Begad! I cleaned t' flashin' off o' t' plastic, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, sanded a bit and fit t' pieces together. Aye aye! Although they are meant t' form a payload bay, me bucko, I never fly payloads and used CA t' hold t' whole thing together.

T' next task t' tackle was t' fins. Avast! There were 3 balsa fins that were pretty thick and most notably tough as iron. When I try t' sand a profile into fins, ya bilge rat, I always worry that I am goin' t' snap them. Avast, me proud beauty! This time I worried about havin' strong enough sandpaper. Avast, me proud beauty! They should be sturdy!

I rounded all edges except t' root. Avast, me proud beauty! Then, usin' t' lines transferred from t' fin markin' guide, I placed the fins with CA. Begad! Blimey! After lettin' t' CA cure, ya bilge rat, I began filletin' with yellow glue.

Then t' baffle from Fliskits was ready t' install. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I found that it fit perfectly in t' BT-70. Avast! Installation consisted merely o' swabbin' a glue rin' in t' body tube and pushin' t' baffle down into place, me hearties, makin' sure that the Keelhaul®©™® was oriented in t' right direction (towards t' nosecone).

Another item that still needed t' be addressed was t' installation o' t' launch lugs. Begad! There are two o' them. One is located on t' lower BT and t' other on t' upper. Blimey! A line had been marked earlier and I glued them on with the aid o' a rod t' keep them aligned. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! That left me ready for finishing.

PROs: Fairly easy cluster build

CONs: Tri-fold and rubber band mount, Fairin' shoulders do nay quite fit and must be modified

Finishing:
I still had nay picked up any Elmer's Wood Filler so I started off t' finishin' by sealin' t' fins with sanding sealer. Avast! I made sure t' shake t' bottle well t' get all t' particulates suspended and started t' paint it on. After 2 coats, I gave it a light sandin' and applied another 2 coats o' sealer. Ya scallywag! Upon inspection I realized that I needed another 2 coats for a total o' 6.

Primin' be done with Kilz. Aye aye! I applied a total o' 2 coats and then sanded.

T' first paint t' be applied was Testor's gray. Well, blow me down! I did nay paint t' whole rocket, me bucko, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, just t' lower part where there would be some gray transitions.

Red was t' next color t' be sprayed. Begad! Blimey! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! I masked off t' areas that remained gray. Ahoy! Blimey! Again, ya bilge rat, this was fairly easy and caused no problems. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Those could be expected with t' black because t' black was t' be blended into adjacent colors. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey!

I masked off t' areas that were supposed t' stay red and then set t' rocket up on t' turntable in me booth. I decided t' try and eyeball t' black. Arrr! Blimey! T' middle section be easy because t' transitions are sharp and t' rocket was masked. Arrr! Gradually transitionin' from gray t' black and from red t' black be another matter. Well, blow me down! It was done completely by tryin' t' control me aim and t' distance t' t' target.

It actually turned out better than I had feared but thar are a few areas that will see t' application of sandpaper t' try and remove some o' t' black. Begad! This be me first attempt at somethin' like this and I can only get better at it, right?

I used #600 sandpaper t' remove some o' t' black overspray near t' top o' t' fin can. Ya scallywag! It did nay do a perfect job but from any reasonable distance, t' original problem is now hard t' see. I decided t' let it go at that.

At t' end o' t' paint phase, I was a bit disappointed. Ahoy! Blimey! It did nay look terrible but t' rocket did seem kind of plain. Arrr! Blimey! Thankfully, t' decals t' care o' that problem.

I be very pleased that this Estes kit has forgone t' crack and peels in favor o' real waterslide decals. Avast, me proud beauty! I no longer take that for granted after gettin' t' trashy stuff in me Maxi Brute Honest John. T' pleasure only went so far, however.

I started with t' silver flames that go on t' fins. Ya scallywag! I found that t' decal material was very stretchy and difficult t' place. After floatin' off t' backing, it wanted t' rip t' surface instantly and brushin' out the bubbles was time consuming. Arrr! This be true for both sides o' each o' t' fins. Arrr! I was nay lookin' forward t' workin' with the big decals on t' payload or nose section. Arrr! T' bid decals went on easier though. Avast! They slid right into place and were smoothed out with a minimum o' fuss. Aye aye!

When all is said and done, matey, t' decals really dressed up t' rocket t' where it looks pretty good. Mine is nay as good as t' face card but it is perfectly acceptable t' me.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' maiden flight, shiver me timbers, me bucko, me bucko, I loaded a pair o' D12-5s. That almost cost me t' rocket. Ya scallywag! It took off in a flash and just kept goin' straight up...way up. Avast, me proud beauty! When t' chute deployed, me hearties, me bucko, it had plenty o' time t' drift a long way. Arrr! I got t' right vector for where it came down or I never would have recovered it. Avast, me proud beauty! My direction was right but t' range be way short. When I did find it, it was in great shape and ready t' fly again.

For t' second flight, shiver me timbers, I loaded a pair o' C11-5s. Ahoy! It too had a perfect but nay so extroverted, arrr, ya bilge rat, flight profile. Well, blow me down! I actually managed t' get it back without crossin' any highways or barbed wire fences. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Blimey! Again, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, it be in perfect shape. Ahoy! Blimey!

PROs: High performer.

CONs: Easy t' lose do t' extreme height.

Recovery:
As mentioned in t' build, me bucko, I used a FlisKits BAF70 baffle in this rocket. Ya scallywag! It performed flawlessly. In place o' the 18" plastic chute, I used a 15" nylon.

Bein' a bit suspicious o' t' baffle, I used a small bit o' dog barf for t' first flight. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I need nay have bothered. I did without on t' second flight and t' system worked perfectly. Well, blow me down!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a cool rocket that is a good and easy introduction t' clusters. It's also nice in that it looks a bit out of the ordinary.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5