Brief:
This rocket is an 18mm single stage NASA-esque satellite booster that has a clear payload bay with satellite and parachute recovery, It is OOP.

I found this kit on eBay and probably payed way too much for what I got, but I liked t' looks o' it.

Estes rates it as a skill level 4 so that will make it, me bucko, by reputation anyway, matey, t' most complicated rocket I have done yet.

Construction:
Construction starts with puttin' together t' motor mount. Blimey! This was done in close t' typical Estes fashion but I made a few changes. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' first step was t' mark out t' motor tube and then slice a slit for t' retainin' hook. That's simple enough and is fairly common. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! T' builder is then instructed t' put 2 wraps o' maskin' tape around t' mount to secure t' hook, 1 inch from t' aft end. Begad! That too is standard.

When it came t' installin' t' centerin' rings though, me hearties, I made me first change. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' kit is provided with the standard Estes tri-fold and worthless piece o' rubber. Well, blow me down! I don't trust these so I cut a 48" piece o' Keelhaul®©™®. I cut a notch into t' forward centerin' rin' and then mounted t' rings as directed with t' Keelhaul®©™® passed through t' forward ring. Blimey! T' Keelhaul®©™® was then tied around t' tube. T' rings were then glued into place and filleted.

T' second modification almost did nay happen. Ahoy! Ahoy! It seemed that somethin' was missin' and then I realized I had not yet put in t' thrust ring. Blimey! Upon lookin' in t' bag and then examinin' t' instructions, I be horrified t' learn that this model does nay include one. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I have made t' mistake o' forgettin' t' install them in t' past and that has led to much wear and tear as t' motor hook tears at t' motor tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I happened t' have t' right size one from Semroc on hand and installed it.

While t' motor mount was settin' up, I examined t' balsa. Ahoy! This kit apparently comes from die cuttin' day and the balsa be nay laser cut. Ya scallywag! It be also broken in a few places. Arrr! Aye aye! Blimey! Fortunately, ya bilge rat, matey, none o' t' breaks went through an actual component. Ahoy! Blimey! It be sometimes difficult t' see exactly what t' proper boundaries o' a given piece was but they were all identified and cut out. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I then rounded t' leading, trailin' and outer edges o' t' 4 fins. Also in t' balsa sheet were a pair o' stand offs for t' launch lugs and a long pair o' standoffs for t' booster pods. I did nay sand a profile in there. Blimey! All balsa was filled with Elmer's Wood Filler.

T' final act o' this evening's festivities was t' thread t' Keelhaul®©™® through t' main body tube and install t' motor mount. A long swab was used t' run a rin' around t' interior on the large BT. Arrr! Blimey! T' mount was then inserted part way and another rin' o' glue was put in. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! T' mount was then shoved t' rest of t' way in t' a point where t' motor tube just peeks out t' back.

After sandin' t' balsa down and gettin' it reasonably smooth, it was time t' start doin' some real assembly. Since thar be a lot goin' on around t' bottom o' this rocket and thar be nay much room, I decided t' employ me Art Rose fin jig. This was in addition t' usin' t' wraparound fin guides provided by t' kit. Aye aye! Blimey! I marked t' tubes according to t' guides and then extended t' lines on a door frame. Ya scallywag! Blimey! For some reason, matey, that always works better than t' Estes fin guide I bought. Begad! After that, me bucko, I selected t' 18mm mandrel and put t' main BT on t' jig.

T' attach t' fins, I used CA but first perforated t' root edges and t' BT along t' contact line in order to form glue rivets. Ya scallywag! This is a technique I learned about nay too long ago and about which I have become a devoted fan. Begad! It really does seem t' strengthen t' joint.

While waitin' for t' fins t' set up properly, I worked on t' strap on boosters. Blimey! There are two o' them and each requires a balsa standoff on t' side towards t' main rocket and a piece o' dowel glued on t' opposite side. Aye aye! The stand off is supposed t' be exactly t' length o' t' strap on and was. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! T' dowel is supposed t' be 9" long and have its upper end cut at a 45 degree angle. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! This was accomplished with an X-Acto knife.

I glued t' standoff t' t' booster tubes usin' t' same rivet method and CA that I used t' attach t' fins. Blimey! I found a slight bow in both o' t' standoffs and used tape t' hold them down while t' glue set. Arrr! Note that t' standoffs have their upper ends cut with a bevel. T' shorter side goes towards t' booster. Blimey! That be t' only way they will fit. Avast!

When I judged t' standoffs dry enough, me bucko, I applied t' dowel. Avast! Ya scallywag! In this case, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I did nay bother with rivetin' and just used yellow glue.

While t' boosters were settin' up, me bucko, I worked on t' launch lugs. Ya scallywag! Blimey! These too require standoffs t' clear t' payload bay. Begad! Blimey! Two standoffs are provided in t' kit and me kit had two launch lugs as well. Ahoy! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! That is one extra because the instruction say t' cut a lug in half and, sure enough, ya bilge rat, me bucko, me bucko, half o' one provided lug is a fit for t' top o' t' stand off. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey!

I glued t' standoffs t' t' launch lugs with yellow glue and let that set up. Avast! I then again perforated t' base of t' standoffs and t' BT t' form rivets. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I glued on t' lower lug flush with t' bottom o' t' BT with CA and let that set up for a few minutes. Ahoy! Blimey! I then placed t' other lug on a short section o' 1/8" rod, me hearties, inserted t' rod into the lower lug and glued t' upper on in place usin' t' rod for alignment.

Installin' t' boosters be next. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I knew one booster would go on fine but expected a problem with t' other one. T' tube be a bit out o' round on one end. Begad! Aye aye! I decided t' go ahead and cut out t' booster nose cone and nozzle at this point t' use as a mandrel t' keep t' tube straight.

T' NC and nozzle are cast in a single piece o' styrene and must be separated. Blimey! T' do this, ya bilge rat, I used an X-Acto saw. I dutifully started cuttin' through t' groove and found t' process t' be more difficult than I had imagined. Blimey! Blimey! The problem be keepin' things straight. Avast! Eventually, though, shiver me timbers, I got through. Avast! I then sanded t' rough edges and slipped the pieces into t' deformed booster BT. Avast! [Note: I did nay glue them at this point.] That rounded it out nicely.

T' attach t' boosters, matey, I again perforated t' balsa and t' BT and glued with CA. Begad! Ya scallywag! While doin' this, arrr, me bucko, I left the assembly on t' fin jig t' keep everythin' nice and level. Well, blow me down! I pressed t' booster on, ya bilge rat, held it down for a little bit, and then rotated everythin' 180 degrees and did t' same with t' other side.

Once t' boosters were in place, I gave all o' t' joints a fillet o' yellow glue on one side and proceeded to work on some more plastic.

T' transition, shiver me timbers, payload, and main nose cone are all cased as a single unit. Blimey! Again they needed t' be cut apart and some parts were discarded. I again used t' X-Acto saw but had an easier time o' it because I changed me method. Instead o' startin' on one side and sawin' down until I got t' t' other, I drew t' saw across t' joint, applying very little pressure. Ya scallywag! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I then rotated t' assembly a bit and did t' same thing. After goin' around t' circumference in this manner three time I had complete separation. I found doin' it this way made it much easier t' get a straight cut. [Note: t' NC is separated from t' rest o' t' assembly but t' payload is nay separated from t' transition. Arrr! It is a piece betwixt t' NC and payload which is discarded.]

Now that t' pieces were separated, I sanded them down and used t' razor knife t' remove large pieces o' flash. Another sandin' and I could proceed with t' first step o' paintin' these parts.

I gave t' plastic two coats o' Krylon gloss white and allowed them t' dry. It did nay take too long for the pieces t' dry t' t' touch but it be still much too soon t' start masking. Upon close examination o' t' instructions, I realized that I could go ahead and paint t' interior o' t' NC flat black and nay have t' do any masking. Begad! I brushed on t' black and let it dry. Arrr! I was nay worried by t' few specks that wound up on t' edge because these will be hidden in t' final assembly.

After t' white had a chance t' dry on t' payload section, matey, I started t' give it its paint scheme. Ahoy! Blimey! While some people may me able t' mask somethin' like this, ya bilge rat, it is mostly beyond me meager abilities. Aye aye! Blimey! I decided t' use a brush and be very careful.

Gold be t' first t' go on. I did nay bother maskin' for this because everywhere that t' gold touched, somethin' else would be put on top.

Then I made another blunder. I thought t' gold paint was dry. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I masked it off on t' transition and where the transition is connected t' t' payload so that I could paint on t' black. For t' first time, me maskin' worked very well and thar were no noticeable leaks. Arrr! Well, blow me down! T' make up for this, matey, t' tape pretty much ruined t' appearance o' t' gold. Aye aye! I got out a fine brush and retouched t' gold areas. Begad! Begad! I also started paintin' t' silver areas.

I did nay do this exactly accordin' t' t' instructions because I could see no way t' mask t' appropriate areas nor could I depend on me hands t' be steady enough t' do t' job.

While I had t' gold paint out, shiver me timbers, I also masked 3/8" from each end o' t' clear plastic tube o' t' payload bay. I painted t' lower end gold and then got out t' silver and took care o' t' upper end. Ahoy! T' purpose behind this step is t' help hide t' transition from t' plastic transition and nose cone t' t' clear plastic payload bay.

Now, t' painted plastic was settin' up and It was time t' revisit t' main body. Avast! I was very pleased with gloss white appearance. Aye aye! I was pretty sure it be dry so I masked all but t' top 2" o' t' central body tube. Begad! Avast! This was sprayed gold.

Bein' me impatient self, I decided t' try and paint t' raised areas on t' payload bay at this point. Arrr! Aye aye! T' silver of t' whole area be in place but thar were a few areas raised in t' plastic I thought would stand out better in gold. Blimey! Accordingly, me bucko, I used a brush laid on its side and tried t' roll it gently over just t' raised areas. Avast! It worked pretty well.

Also before assembly can continue, a few decals need t' be put in place on t' payload.

I have noticed two types o' waterslide decals in t' past. Begad! One type is a continuous sheet and you cut out the portion you want t' use. Blimey! Ahoy! T' other type has t' decals on t' same sheet but t' actual decal material does nay extend much beyond t' printed part. In effect, each decal has its own clear border. Ya scallywag! T' decals o' this model were o' this latter type.

T' instruction say, matey, however, that t' decal should be trimmed right up t' t' printed line. Begad! I did this with a pair o' scissors. I don't know if this was caused by age, me hearties, but these decals needed a lot more soakin' than normal. The decals for t' solar panels were put in place and I saw that were was no margin at all for t' clear edges. They fit perfectly.

Now, it was back t' real construction again. Blimey! Blimey! I was goin' t' start assemblin' t' stack. Ahoy! I had already installed a lengthy piece o' Keelhaul®©™® to t' motor mount but did nay want t' insult t' Keelhaul®©™® industry by tyin' it off t' t' measly little piece o' brittle rubber band that Estes provided. Blimey! I substituted a 3 foot length o' 1/4" sewin' elastic. Arrr! I like watchin' a long parachute train. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! T' shock cord be then tied off t' the plastic transition and stuffed into t' central body tube.

T' next item up in t' stack was t' clear plastic tube o' t' payload bay. Begad! Ya scallywag! I had already painted a gold stripe on t' lower end and a silver stripe on t' upper. All I had t' do was slip it in place and glue it.

This is where me next big blunder came into play.

I decided t' use thin CA since it dries fast and I did nay want it t' either run or protrude from t' seam. Avast, me proud beauty! That was a bad choice. Well, blow me down! It did dry fast but it also ran out t' seam and dribbled down me gold paint. Arrr! After t' CA really was dry, me hearties, I touched it up again with brushed on gold.

I then spent some time reexaminin' t' instructions and found me next blunder. Ya scallywag! I had omitted two small decals from t' payload compartment, me hearties, which was now inaccessible. These decals were red letterin' meant t' serve as warnings for those who handle t' satellite. Arrr! Aye aye! They are extremely small and I don't think they will be missed too badly. Arrr! Besides, even when I sailed tall ships, matey, I never learned t' skill o' buildin' a ship in a bottle.

All that was left was t' place t' nose cone at t' top o' t' plastic tube and let it dry. This time I used thick CA and had no problems with running.

PROs:different looking

CONs: tri-fold shock cord mount and short rubber band, shiver me timbers, no thrust ring

Finishing:
A good deal o' t' finishin' took place durin' t' construction o' this rocket. Ahoy! This included sandin' and sealin' but also included paintin' t' body tubes, nose cones, me bucko, and payload, me hearties, as well as placin' t' payload decals. Begad! Ahoy! Up until this point I had been extremely pleased with both t' rocket and myself. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' application o' t' decals is where that fell apart.

There are a good number o' decals. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! They are well thought out and greatly enhance t' looks o' t' rocket. Blimey! Blimey! There were, matey, however problems. I do nay know if t' problems were because o' t' age o' t' decals or their thinness. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! I suspect it is a little o' both.

I mentioned in t' section o' t' payload decals that they took an extremely long time t' release from the backin' paper. Ya scallywag! I found this t' be generally true o' all t' decals. Begad! Well, blow me down! I found a big difference as well.

T' solar panels for t' payload were easy t' slip around and get into place. Arrr! T' rest o' t' decals were nay so easy. Aye aye! Arrr! Generally, once they had gripped, matey, me bucko, thar was very little move t' them.

This led t' me noticin' a second problem. They are extremely brittle and tore easily. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! Some o' t' torn decals I was able t' work back into place so that they are nay noticeable. Well, blow me down! Most, however, arrr, gripped too quickly. T' result is a plethora o' decals whose alignment is sub par.

If I were t' do this again, me bucko, I would scan t' decals t' fresh decal paper and try it with me own decals.

I like this rocket. Begad! Blimey! It looks cool. Well, blow me down! Unfortunately, mine will nay bear close scrutiny.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Recommended Motors: B4-2, B6-2, C5-3, shiver me timbers, C6-3.

I chose a B4-2 for t' first flight. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! It was a windy day and I do nay want t' lose this rocket. Arrr! Arrr! Earlier in the day, ya bilge rat, me bucko, a B had done a good job on another rocket that seemed t' weigh about t' same. Blimey! I did nay account for t' drag on this one.

T' rocket boosted off t' pad and looked really good right until it began fallin' t' earth. Begad! T' problem was it was fallin' very soon after nay goin' very high and with no sign o' t' chute. Begad! Nay long before it would hit t' ground, the ejection charge finally went off. T' chute came out but did nay have time t' open. It landed flat on t' ground and broke off two fins. This will be an easy repair and t' rocket will fly again.

T' B motors are recommended. Avast! I'm nay sure if I got a bad one, matey, matey, if me rocket is just too heavy, or if it is a bad recommendation. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I will fly it next on a C and reserve judgment until then.

PROs: looks good on t' pad, me bucko, looks good in flight

CONs: looks lousy as it crashes

Recovery:
Recovery? You mean t' chute be supposed t' come out?

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I still like this rocket. It was nay too hard t' build though I would recommend some buildin' experience before tacklin' it. Based on its short flight, it does fly well too.

I hope t' have many such good flights in t' future.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5