Brief:
I picked up a Constellation at t' Semroc booth at NARAM 50 this year. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I had planned on pickin' up a couple o' Semroc kits while at NARAM but didn.t know for certain which ones I would buy. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down! I didn.t even know they had released this old Estes kit until I noticed it hangin' in t' display. Ya scallywag! I also purchased an OOP Centuri Taurus and Carl, bein' t' great guy he is, matey, threw in a free OOP Estes Mark and Golden Scout. Begad! Begad! T' main reason I went for t' Constellation was that I remember back about 1970 gettin' a free one with one o' me Estes orders. Arrr! Begad! Nowadays young rocketeers can go out and purchase rockets and engines at t' local Walmart, arrr, matey, albeit they would probably be only Estes toys. Begad! But back in those days you typically had t' mail order rockets. By t' way, this is another review I had in work when I noticed that Chan Stevens beat me t' t' punch again. Chan makes it difficult t' get in a review before he writes one with all the buildin' he is doing!

Construction:
T' parts came in a typical Semroc plastic bag which was also reminiscent o' t' old Estes packaging. Aye aye! T' parts included:

• BT-50 size main body tube
• Balsa nose cone
• Balsa nose block
• (2) CR-2050 centerin' rings
• Engine hook
• Screw eye
• Laser cut balsa fins
• Launch lug
• Wooden dowel launch lug standoff
• Rubber shock cord
• 12. parachute
• Decal sheet

T' Constellation is constructed fairly much t' same as any standard model rocket. Avast! T' only unique construction necessary are t' pods on t' tip o' t' fins and t' clear payload section. To start however you will need t' download t' plans. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Blimey! This is one o' t' new X kits from Semroc which are exact twins of discontinued Estes and Centuri kits. Begad! T' X kits require that you download t' plans from JimZ or any other source on the web you may know of. Blimey!

T' first thin' t' do is build t' engine mount. Aye aye! It is a standard engine mount for an 18 mm engine in a BT-50 tube. Avast! Begad! T' first step is makin' a small slot in one end o' t' engine tube for t' engine hook which also doubles as t' engine block. Well, blow me down! T' hook is then inserted into t' slot so it runs t' length o' t' tube. I then wrapped a couple o' wraps o' tape t' secure t' hook t' t' tube. Blimey! Next one o' t' CR-2050 centerin' rings is slotted for t' engine hook and t' centerin' rings are then glued t' each end o' t' engine tube. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' completed engine mount should be set aside for t' glue t' dry.

T' fins are t' most work for this model. Well, blow me down! Blimey! They include scifi type tip pods which give t' Constellation its. unique character. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! All t' fin components are laser cut so start by punchin' them out. Arrr! Blimey! I then carefully trimmed t' pod pieces with me X-Acto™ knife so t' edges were curved down t' t' flat surface on t' opposite side. I then sanded them t' a smooth curve. This would make it much easier t' finish t' fins after t' tip pods were glued on. I then glued t' pods t' t' tip of the fins with Titebond®. I clamped them until t' glue had dried. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! After t' glue had dried I trimmed a round leadin' and trailin' edge on the fins as well as integratin' t' tip pods smoothly into t' fin. This was done by trimmin' with t' X-Acto™ followed by careful sanding. Blimey! I then applied 3 coats o' Coverite Balsarite® balsa surfacer t' t' fins and nose cone and sanded lightly betwixt coats.

Returnin' t' t' now dry engine mount I glued it into t' body tube with t' tube ends flush usin' Titebond®. T' fins were then glued t' t' body tube spaced evenly around it. Ahoy! I attach me fins for this size rocket usin' CA glue to first hold them in place and then filletin' t' joints with 5 minute epoxy. Ahoy! Avast! This gives a strong, shiver me timbers, smooth fin t' body tube joint. Well, blow me down! I also glued t' launch lug and lug standoff t' t' body at t' same time usin' t' same method. Aye aye! Finishing off t' basic build was t' clear plastic payload section. While finishin' t' fins and nose cone I had also given the balsa coupler a couple o' quick coats o' t' balsa sealer and sanded it smooth. Begad! Aye aye! I then sprayed it lightly with a coat of Krylon black keepin' t' paint minimal so it would nay prevent t' balsa coupler from slidin' relatively easily into the plastic tube. Blimey! Aye aye! After it had dried overnight I checked t' fit and carefully slid it into t' plastic tube half its. length. Begad! Once I was certain it was in correctly I ran a bead o' CA thin glue around t' aft joint which locked t' balsa coupler into t' plastic tube. Arrr! T' nose cone base should be set up t' fit snugly in t' plastic payload tube after finishin' in a similar fashion.

T' completion o' t' Constellation involved installin' t' screw eye into t' balsa coupler and gluein' the elastic shock cord into t' tube usin' t' paper tab that was included. Begad! I did nay use t' rubber band shock cord Semroc which be included t' keep t' kit authentic.

Finishing:
I painted t' kit t' match t' old Estes paint scheme. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I had already sealed t' balsa parts so first painted t' body with two coats o' Rustoleum® gray primer sandin' betwixt each coat. Avast! Ya scallywag! I then painted t' body tube with Krylon® white. Blimey! T' nose cone be painted Krylon® red with t' shoulder painted Krylon® black since it would show inside t' clear plastic payload tube. Begad! I then masked off and painted one fin Krylon® black. Begad! I applied t' decals basically per t' Estes scheme but found that on t' black fin t' decal was nay goin' to show well. Arrr! Blimey! I painted a scrap o' decal material with Krylon® white and after it dried, shiver me timbers, cut it t' a rectangular shape for a backin' for t' fin number. Aye aye! Arrr! This gave a good contrast for the fin number t' show nicely on t' black fin.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I took t' Constellation out on a calm evenin' t' a nearby recreational field along with 4 other rockets t' give it a test flight. I used an A8-3 since t' field was nay too large. Ahoy! Bein' a very basic and highly stable rocket it flew perfectly on t' A engine t' about 300 feet. Avast, me proud beauty! This rocket would really gain some altitude if flown on either t' B or C engines recommended.

Recovery:
T' Constellation included a standard Semroc 12. Aye aye! plastic chute. Well, blow me down! After assemblin' it I did cut out a 2. Arrr! diameter hole in t' middle t' prevent too much wind drift. Ya scallywag! On this first flight t' chute deployed perfectly and t' model floated gently into t' grass with no damage.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I purchased t' Constellation t' add t' me fleet mainly because I had fond memories o' me original Estes freebie. Arrr! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! It is a basic payloader with t' unique clear plastic payload section and fin tip pods. This makes it a bit different than just a 3 fin rocket and a nice display model. Begad! Blimey! T' decals add t' t' appearance as well. Avast! Blimey! And as always, Carl and Semroc have produced another high quality kit duplicatin' t' old Estes line, this time even t' t' point o' t' original Estes construction plans.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5