T' kit comes with a single sustainer body tube and a short booster body tube. T' motor mounts come with the centering/mountin' rings and motor hooks for both t' sustainer and the booster. Begad! Aye aye! There is a vacuum-formed plastic nose cone, ya bilge rat, a 12" nylon parachute, a Keelhaul®©™® tether and a piece o' Perma-Wadding™. Ahoy! For the fins, thar are two balsa sheets, a 3/32" and a 1/16", and templates to cut out t' four fins for each section. Arrr! Ahoy! Also, thar be 4. Begad! 6" x 1" outer booster fin ring, me bucko, which gives this kit it's unique look. Blimey! Lastly thar is a set o' water transfer decals with a large gold Crossfire™ decal and various others. Avast, me proud beauty!

CONSTRUCTION:

There are eight pages o' clear instructions. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Nay a lot of illustrations, however, t' ones provided give important information, such as motor mount assembly, template placement on t' balsa sheets, arrr, arrr, grain alignment when mountin' fins and t' assembled booster stage with t' fin ring. The instructions are in logical order, me hearties, arrr, however, I would suggest readin' all o' the sub-steps for each main-step and review t' illustrations before starting. This will help avoid questions and problems. Ahoy! Blimey!   For example in step 1-e you are told t' "slide t' notched centerin' rin' on from t' front o' the tube until it is even with t' mark". Blimey! T' "front" o' t' tube is marked in t' bottom illustration. Ya scallywag! This is very minor considerin' that most modelers understand that t' front o' t' rocket be t' top, as opposed t' the rear (bottom). Aye aye!

T' assembly o' t' Crossfire™ was straight forward and did nay pose any major problems. Avast! All o' t' parts fit correctly. I was impressed t' see that t' pattern placement and attachment step for t' fins ensured that t' balsa grain was along t' top leadin' edge. This will provide t' most strength. Blimey! Be very careful with t' 1/16" balsa for t' sustainer fins . Blimey! Avast! . Well, blow me down! . this is some flimsy stuff until it is sealed with CA or primer. Avast! Ahoy! And even though t' instructions call it optional, shiver me timbers, I tampered the leadin' and trailin' edges o' each fin. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Just be careful with t' thin balsa. Just be careful with t' thin balsa. Begad! I broke t' fin along t' grain and had to glue back on with CA while finishing. Blimey!

Another area t' take care on, matey, be t' installation o' the sustainer's motor mount. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! Do your very best t' keep glue off o' t' lower section o' t' tube. Ahoy! This is where t' booster slides into and can cause problems with fit if thar be glue there. Avast! Ahoy! Blimey!

T' unique part o' t' Crossfire™ is the booster fin ring. Ya scallywag! Avast! My rin' fit perfectly and didn't require any additional sandin' o' t' fins for fit. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' only precaution is that t' fin ring, if snug, can cause t' fins t' come out o' alignment, arrr, so take care t' ensure t' fins are still straight before t' glue sets on t' fin ring. Arrr!

Assembly o' t' nose cone was unique t' me, me bucko, too. Well, blow me down! Blimey! You drill (with a hobby knife) a small hole in t' shoulder t' allow t' Keelhaul®©™® tether t' pass through. Ahoy! This is tied t' a retainer (small bead) which prevents it from passin' back through t' hole. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Then t' shoulder is glued onto t' nose cone. With respect t' t' shoulder, I think it is a bit too short. It also required tape t' make it fit snug into t' body tube.

As always I start me finishin' process with Plasti-Kote primer. Ya scallywag! Begad! I painted it gloss black and topped t' nose cone with gold. I also did just t' outside o' t' booster's fin rin' in gold. Avast! This turned out very nice and matched t' Crossfire™ decal. Avast! With regards t' the decals, they are water transferable and along with t' Crossfire™ name, there are 3 sets o' Rogue Aerospace, arrr, 2 sets o' numbers and 4 cross-hairs.

For CONSTRUCTION, I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points. Aye aye!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

T' Crossfire™ is nay your standard two-stage kit. Avast! T' two motors are nay taped together. Each motor mount has its own motor clip t' hold t' motors in. Ya scallywag! When assemble t' motors are at a minimal distance apart t' allow t' in-flight ignition o' t' sustainer motor. Arrr!

T' maiden voyage was set up usin' a B6-0 in t' booster and a B6-4 in t' sustainer. Arrr! Blimey! T' recommended motor for t' sustainer is a B6-6, but I didn't have any. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! With everythin' set, shiver me timbers, t' count down began . Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! . Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! . Arrr! Arrr! Blimey! 3, 2, 1!

Ignition took place but t' rocket didn't move, me bucko, ya bilge rat, then the booster motor stopped just as t' sustainer ignited. T' sustainer took off quickly. Avast, me proud beauty! We were able t' seen t' ejection and t' 12" orange parachute deploy. Blimey! Then what looked like a straight drop recovery started t' turn into a drift and run as fast and as far as possible. Avast! Arrr! This rocket be carried about 1/4 mile away . Begad! . Begad! . Blimey! but be recovered!

After checkin' why t' booster never lifted off, it was determined that t' motor hook got caught on a "rod-stop" preventing it from liftin' off. Blimey! Nay only that, ya bilge rat, but it burned a hole right through me blast shield. Well, blow me down!

For t' second flight, I ensured the booster was nay hooked and cut a 2" spill-hole in t' parachute. Blimey! I used t' same motors (B6/B6) and off it went. Aye aye! Perfect lift, shiver me timbers, visible separation and successful sustainer ignition. Out o' site, trial o' smoke, arrr, me bucko, then a little orange parachute appeared. Blimey! Ahoy! It was so high, matey, I had time t' pick up t' booster and then start walkin' t' where t' sustainer landed. Aye aye! Watchin' t' descend rate indicated that I could probably go with a 3" spill hole or tighten up on the shroud lines. This kit is a good candidate for a streamer, because I can only imagine t' altitude with C6/C6 combination. Aye aye!

Booster is nay only unique looking, me bucko, but also unique in it's descent. Begad! I spins makin' it look like a sphere!

I just want t' mention this kit's recovery system. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! It uses a Keelhaul®©™® tether as already mentioned, which is attached t' t' thrust rin' for strength. Rogue Aerospace's also provides a nylon parachute and a piece o' Perma-Wadding™ which eliminates t' need for waddin' paper. I love this stuff and have purchased it separately from Rogue for me other kits. Ya scallywag!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 4 points. Arrr!

Overall, me bucko, for t' uniqueness o' t' fin-ring, ya bilge rat, quality o' a rip-stop parachute and Perma-Wadding™, t' Crossfire™ is a great kit for someone lookin' for a two-stage kit. Ahoy! Arrr! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 1/2 points. Blimey!

Brief:  This is a 2-staged 18mm, 4-finned rocket with a rin' around t' fins o' t' lower stage. Begad!

Construction:Everythin' was thar and in good shape, shiver me timbers, nay warped. Ahoy! Begad! The nose cone is hollow plastic, t' body is spiral wound paper, me hearties, t' fins are die cut balsa at 1/8 inch thickness. Begad! T' instructions were logical and straightforward with some pictures. Ya scallywag! Begad! However, t' nose cone came in two parts, that is, arrr, t' top and bottom, arrr, and needed t' be glued together. Well, blow me down! Blimey! And t' lower stage alignment with t' rin' was a bear. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I had t' sand t' chord edges o' the fins until t' rin' could fit without either distortin' t' body tube or skewin' t' angle o' fin attachment. In other words, t' fit be too tight. Aye aye! Avast! In other words, t' fit was too tight. But once I got it t' fit, it looked great. Do be warned that it will take some doing, though. Blimey! Begad! It took me two days t' get it right.  Built up, t' model is now sturdy and sharp looking. Arrr! Arrr!

Finishing:There weren't any decals, shiver me timbers, so I finished the model by makin' t' fins, matey, inside o' t' fin ring, and nose all black with Testor's enamel paint. Arrr! T' body was finished with metallic flake adhesive-on-one-side greetin' card paper. Ahoy! This can be bought at craft stores such as Michael's. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' outside o' t' fin rin' was finished with bands o' the adhesive glitter paper too.
T' nose cone was a tiny bit too loose, shiver me timbers, so I supplied a thin band o' masking tape t' t' nose cone shoulder t' tighten t' fit.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:T' recommended engines are: T' recommended engines are: B6-0 or C6-0 for t' booster and B6-6 or C6-7 for t' sustainer. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I used these thus far, ya bilge rat, and plan t' try some engines from Apogee later. Ya scallywag! Begad! I have made some motor adapters so t' sustainer can use their 10.5mm B7-8 engines.  T' booster is too short t' use t' B7-0, me hearties, though. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I used me usual worm beddin' wadding, just enough t' fill t' diameter o' t' body tube t' about half an inch. Aye aye! Arrr! The engines were retained with a motor block in t' sustainer with a tape band around t' aft end o' t' sustainer's motor, arrr, ya bilge rat, and tape for t' aft end o' the booster's engine. Well, blow me down! No actual method was provided otherwise with t' kit itself. T' model flies straight and nicely. And t' orange chute supplied looked great.  I wish t' booster had its own recovery system instead o' tumble recovery, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, though. Ahoy!

Recovery:T' shock cord I modified.  T' kit came with a 36 inch length o' 1/16 inch thick Keelhaul®©™® cording. Ahoy! That's fine as a rule, matey, but one o' me hangups with shock cords is that t' should stretch to reduce stress on t' shock system. So, I added a 2-foot length o' flat, 1/4 inch elastic t' t' forward end o' t' cording.  T' kit supplied a plastic bead t' retain t' shock cordin' from inside t' nose cone. Begad! T' knot is made inside t' nose cone before its two halves are assembled. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' rocket so far has suffered no wear or damage, except some slight scorchin' o' the booster, which seems common in contact staging. Ahoy! Blimey! T' parachute is thin orange nylon, me bucko, 10 inches in diameter.  Although it's a flat hexagon, it inflated nicely. Aye aye! It seems just right in size, as t' rocket descends softly. Avast! Ya scallywag!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:Cool looking, shiver me timbers, arrr, ya bilge rat, flies straight, ya bilge rat, catchy fin rin' draws attention. Any cons include alignment o' t' booster takin' some determination, but t' result is worth it. Aye aye! T' shock cord wasn't stretchy. Aye aye! Maybe it isn't necessary, but I added elastic t' it for stretch. Avast! If I'd change anythin' major, it'd be t' supply t' booster with a recovery streamer. Aye aye! Avast! This would help in makin' it visible for recovery while t' flyer concentrates on locatin' the sustainer.  But so far I finished t' fin rin' with bright glitter paper for visibility.

Overall Rating: 3 ½ out o' 5

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T' followin' excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". Arrr! T' intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. Ya scallywag! Avast! We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' the referenced Sport Rocketry and read t' entire article. Arrr! Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, matey, use t' two links above. Begad!

"If you find buildin' rockets t' be as much fun as flyin' them, then you should enjoy the kits offered by Rogue Aerospace."
"T' Crossfire is a two-stage rocket which has a rin' fin on the booster."
"This kit features a vacuum-formed plastic nose cone, arrr, balsa fins, ya bilge rat, a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, water transfer decals, me hearties, a 12" diameter nylon parachute, and perma-wadding."
"Eight pages o' easy t' read, me bucko, illustrated instructions . Blimey! . Ya scallywag! ."
"I found t' Crossfire fairly easy t' build."
"For t' fins, you are provided with templates t' trace on t' supplied balsa stock."
"I flew me Crossfire with a B6-0/B6-6 combination."
". . Ahoy! Blimey! . straight flight and stagin' be very smooth."
". Aye aye! Aye aye! . . Avast, me proud beauty! returned t' sustainer without a scratch."
"Overall, I think t' Crossfire is a great kit."

T' entire article gives t' impression is that this unique lookin' 2-stage kit for an intermediate modeler. Ahoy!