Brief:
T' Tau Zero is a Semroc original kit, which be designed by Jay Goemmer. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Blimey! It has an unusually shaped nosecone and forward swept fins that attach t' a tube rin' with additional fins underneath. Ahoy! Blimey! It is designed for 18mm motors and uses streamer recovery.

Construction:
As with every Semroc kit I've built, t' quality o' components was excellent. Well, blow me down! T' kit contained laser cut fins and alignment guides. Begad! T' nose cone be machine turned. Blimey! Avast! T' main body tube is 18mm and t' tail rin' tube was BT-60 size. Additional components included were a thrust ring, arrr, Keelhaul®©™® thread, elastic shock cord, shiver me timbers, me hearties, shiver me timbers, streamer, an engine hook retainer sleeve, an unusually large screw eye, and waterslide decals.

One o' t' first steps in construction involves tyin' Keelhaul®©™® thread t' t' thrust rin' and gluin' it inside t' body/motor mount tube. Ahoy! Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! Mine got stuck part way and I was worried I would bend t' tube tryin' t' force it. Ahoy! Blimey! I managed t' get it in without damagin' anything. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I think what may have happened be t' Keelhaul®©™® thread knot could have slid along t' outside edge o' t' thrust ring. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I also had trouble slidin' t' motor mount sleeve over t' engine hook. Arrr! I think t' other issue with t' thrust rin' tightness probably contributed t' this.

Everythin' else went together well. Arrr! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' included alignment guides were a welcome addition t' t' kit. Arrr! I think all kits should have them. I know thar are different techniques people use, matey, but I don't trust me eyeballs entirely for alignin' fins. Aye aye!

T' included screw eye used t' attach t' shock cord t' t' nose cone was unusually big. Ahoy! Blimey! It is almost as wide as the body tube inside diameter. Ya scallywag! I guess it is t' help move t' CG forward. When I installed it I didn't pay attention to the instructions and just screwed it in. I heard t' beginnings o' a slight, matey, but subtle crack. Blimey! Blimey! I backed it out, put some glue in and screwed it back in. Begad! Blimey! T' instructions say t' use a 1/8" drill bit t' open t' hole first. I shouldn't have overlooked that part, me bucko, me bucko, but I think it is OK.

Finishing:
T' instructions recommended pre-finishin' parts before construction. Arrr! Blimey! I decided t' do this because o' t' number of small pieces which would be difficult t' paint neatly after building. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I used three coats o' Elmer's Wood Filler on the body tube, rin' tube, ya bilge rat, fins and nose cone. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I experimented with smearin' wood filler on t' balsa sheets before removing fins for t' first two coats o' filler. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' results were nay desirable and won't try that again. Ahoy! Blimey!

After all t' filling/sandin' was done I sprayed all parts with Krylon white primer. T' smaller pieces were difficult t' paint, shiver me timbers, as I didn't come up with a good method for doin' it. I spray painted t' tubes and nose cone Krylon Pewter. Ahoy! I brush painted t' fins with Testors fluorescent yellow. Well, blow me down! I painted t' base o' t' nose cone and cannons silver and inside o' t' rin' tube black.

T' only drawback t' pre-paintin' everythin' be t' surface adhesion that is lost when gluin' things together. Avast! Aye aye! I could have tried scratchin' off some o' t' paint at t' glue points, but would have been hard nay t' over-scrape. Ahoy! Arrr! One thin' I could have done but didn't think about was t' use a pin t' poke holes along t' glue joints.

T' supplied waterslide decals were great quality. I've never had a problem with waterslide decals in any Semroc kit I've built.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I flew t' Tau Zero on a B6-4 and 2 A8-3s. Begad! Avast! Before t' first flight one o' t' fin cannons fell off, ya bilge rat, but I flew it anyway. Ahoy! It arched over slightly on t' B6-4 and deployed just after apogee. Arrr! T' two flights on A8-3s went up straight and deployed right at apogee.

Recovery:
It seemed t' come in a little hot with t' supplied streamer but no damage was done. Well, blow me down! One fin did pop off after the third flight, but I think that was due t' a poor glue bond from gluin' after painting. Ahoy! It was easy t' fix.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
One o' t' cons (which could be more attributed t' me experience level) be t' trade off betwixt finishin' and construction. Ahoy! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Pre-finishin' everythin' raises issues with proper gluin' methods but makes it easier t' paint and keep everythin' clean.

One pro is it's unusual design. Blimey! T' forward swept fins and tube rin' give t' illusion o' a bigger rocket. I also really appreciate t' supplied alignment guides. Well, blow me down! It would nay be hard for kit manufacturers t' supply these with everythin' but nay many do.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5