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. Blimey! There is a vacuum-formed plastic nose cone, me hearties, a 12" nylon parachute, shiver me timbers, a Keelhaul®©™® tether and a piece o' Perma-Wadding™. Aye aye! For the fins, me bucko, me bucko, me bucko, thar are two balsa sheets, a 3/32" and a 1/16", and templates to cut out t' four fins for each section. Avast! Also, shiver me timbers, thar be 4. Ahoy! 6" x 1" outer booster fin ring, shiver me timbers, which gives this kit it's unique look. Avast! Lastly thar is a set o' water transfer decals with a large gold Crossfire™ decal and various others. Aye aye!

CONSTRUCTION:

There are eight pages o' clear instructions. Nay a lot of illustrations, however, shiver me timbers, t' ones provided give important information, such as motor mount assembly, template placement on t' balsa sheets, grain alignment when mountin' fins and t' assembled booster stage with t' fin ring. Begad! Ya scallywag! The instructions are in logical order, however, arrr, me bucko, I would suggest readin' all o' the sub-steps for each main-step and review t' illustrations before starting. Begad! This will help avoid questions and problems. Avast!   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". Begad! Begad! Blimey! T' "front" o' t' tube is marked in t' bottom illustration. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This is very minor considerin' that most modelers understand that t' front o' t' rocket be t' top, me hearties, as opposed t' the rear (bottom). Begad! Ahoy! Blimey!

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

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

T' unique part o' t' Crossfire™ is the booster fin ring. Begad! My rin' fit perfectly and didn't require any additional sandin' o' t' fins for fit. T' only precaution is that t' fin ring, if snug, can cause t' fins t' come out o' alignment, ya bilge rat, matey, matey, so take care t' ensure t' fins are still straight before t' glue sets on t' fin ring. Blimey!

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

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

For CONSTRUCTION, I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points. Begad! Avast!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

T' Crossfire™ is nay your standard two-stage kit. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' two motors are nay taped together. Each motor mount has its own motor clip t' hold t' motors in. Arrr! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! When assemble t' motors are at a minimal distance apart t' allow t' in-flight ignition o' t' sustainer motor.

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

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

After checkin' why t' booster never lifted off, shiver me timbers, it was determined that t' motor hook got caught on a "rod-stop" preventing it from liftin' off. Nay only that, me hearties, arrr, shiver me timbers, but it burned a hole right through me blast shield. Begad! Arrr!

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

Booster is nay only unique looking, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, me hearties, but also unique in it's descent. Aye aye! I spins makin' it look like a sphere!

I just want t' mention this kit's recovery system. Aye aye! It uses a Keelhaul®©™® tether as already mentioned, me hearties, 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. Avast! I love this stuff and have purchased it separately from Rogue for me other kits.

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

Overall, ya bilge rat, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 1/2 points.

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

Construction:Everythin' was thar and in good shape, nay warped. Blimey! The nose cone is hollow plastic, t' body is spiral wound paper, ya bilge rat, t' fins are die cut balsa at 1/8 inch thickness. Begad! Aye aye! T' instructions were logical and straightforward with some pictures. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! However, ya bilge rat, t' nose cone came in two parts, that is, matey, t' top and bottom, shiver me timbers, and needed t' be glued together. Begad! And t' lower stage alignment with t' rin' be a bear. Ahoy! 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, me hearties, t' fit be too tight. Aye aye! In other words, shiver me timbers, t' fit was too tight. But once I got it t' fit, me hearties, it looked great. Do be warned that it will take some doing, though. Aye aye! It took me two days t' get it right.  Built up, t' model is now sturdy and sharp looking. Ahoy! Blimey!

Finishing:There weren't any decals, ya bilge rat, matey, so I finished the model by makin' t' fins, matey, inside o' t' fin ring, me bucko, and nose all black with Testor's enamel paint. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' body be finished with metallic flake adhesive-on-one-side greetin' card paper. Avast, me proud beauty! This can be bought at craft stores such as Michael's. Begad! Blimey! T' outside o' t' fin rin' be finished with bands o' the adhesive glitter paper too.
T' nose cone was a tiny bit too loose, 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. I used these thus far, and plan t' try some engines from Apogee later. Ahoy! Arrr! 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 bucko, though. Avast! I used me usual worm beddin' wadding, just enough t' fill t' diameter o' t' body tube t' about half an inch. Avast! Well, blow me down! The engines were retained with a motor block in t' sustainer with a tape band around t' aft end o' t' sustainer's motor, and tape for t' aft end o' the booster's engine. No actual method be provided otherwise with t' kit itself. T' model flies straight and nicely. Ahoy! And t' orange chute supplied looked great.  I wish t' booster had its own recovery system instead o' tumble recovery, shiver me timbers, me hearties, ya bilge rat, though. Aye aye!

Recovery:T' shock cord I modified.  T' kit came with a 36 inch length o' 1/16 inch thick Keelhaul®©™® cording. Aye aye! That's fine as a rule, but one o' me hangups with shock cords is that t' should stretch to reduce stress on t' shock system. Avast! Arrr! So, ya bilge rat, I added a 2-foot length o' flat, ya bilge rat, 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. Blimey! T' rocket so far has suffered no wear or damage, except some slight scorchin' o' the booster, arrr, which seems common in contact staging. Avast, me proud beauty! T' parachute is thin orange nylon, 10 inches in diameter.  Although it's a flat hexagon, it inflated nicely. Arrr! It seems just right in size, me bucko, as t' rocket descends softly. Blimey!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:Cool looking, flies straight, me bucko, catchy fin rin' draws attention. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Any cons include alignment o' t' booster takin' some determination, but t' result is worth it. Ahoy! T' shock cord wasn't stretchy. Ya scallywag! Maybe it isn't necessary, matey, but I added elastic t' it for stretch. Begad! If I'd change anythin' major, it'd be t' supply t' booster with a recovery streamer. Arrr! Aye aye! 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". T' intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' the referenced Sport Rocketry and read t' entire article. Blimey! Blimey! Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. Ahoy! For more information, use t' two links above. Ahoy!

"If you find buildin' rockets t' be as much fun as flyin' them, me hearties, 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, me bucko, balsa fins, shiver me timbers, arrr, shiver me timbers, a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord, water transfer decals, a 12" diameter nylon parachute, me hearties, and perma-wadding."
"Eight pages o' easy t' read, me bucko, arrr, illustrated instructions . Begad! . Well, blow me down! ."
"I found t' Crossfire fairly easy t' build."
"For t' fins, shiver me timbers, arrr, you are provided with templates t' trace on t' supplied balsa stock."
"I flew me Crossfire with a B6-0/B6-6 combination."
". . Avast, me proud beauty! . Ya scallywag! Avast! straight flight and stagin' was very smooth."
". Ahoy! . Aye aye! . Avast, me hearties, 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.