Brief:
_Space Twins_ is (are?) a nifty rocket that spawned a bunch o' imitators through t' years, matey, rangin' from t' MPC Lunar Patrol t' Estes' own "A.R.V. Well, blow me down! Condor." It features a finless central core that is recovered by parachute, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, plus two "parasite" gliders that detach on ejection. Ahoy! T' _Space Twins_ plans were distributed by Estes Industries as part o' their "Free Plan" program. Blimey! Blimey! T' plans may be found at: http://www.dars.org/jimz/eirp_41.htm.

Construction:
T' _Space Twins_ gliders and booster-core are made from very conventional materials. Begad! T' booster-core is based on t' BT-20 body tube. Avast! It's basically a finless, parachute-recovered model rocket. Aye aye! Ahoy! It has two unusual features: A set o' "fenders" made from scraps o' balsa, arrr, and two pegs, matey, for mountin' t' gliders, made from 1/8" dowels. T' dowels are glued into holes drilled in t' body tube; a tube coupler is glued into t' mountin' spot first, t' reinforce t' dowel/body tube joint. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' gliders are lengths o' BT-5 tubing, arrr, with balsa nose cones and 1/16" balsa wings and rudders. Avast! Short lengths o' 1/8" launch lug are mounted on t' "ventral" surface o' t' gliders, me hearties, me hearties, just t' t' aft o' t' nose cone; these fit over t' booster-core's dowels. Avast! While t' plans specify balsa cones and lead weights, matey, arrr, you should have no trouble usin' plastic cones and clay nose weight.

T' gliders and boosters went together fairly easily. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' instructions are fairly dense, and might be a little dauntin' t' those unfamiliar with early rocket construction techniques. As with many from-plan kits, buildin' t' Space Twins requires you t' cut t' fins and other parts from balsa sheets, me hearties, arrr, usin' templates cut from t' plans. Begad! Blimey! In order t' produce sturdier templates, ya bilge rat, me hearties, arrr, I reprinted t' plans on t' heaviest cardstock that me printer would accept. There were two tricky bits: Mountin' t' dowels into t' booster and insertin' t' launch lugs into t' gliders. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! This requires cuttin' both lugs and dowels at fairly exact angles. Avast! Be really patient, "measure twice, cut once," and test fit t' parts first. If you do things right, arrr, me hearties, t' gliders should slip onto t' dowels easily, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and stay on and straight until t' model is turned upside down and "rapped" in t' rear. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Blimey! I test-flew t' gliders by tossin' them around me livin' room. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! They glided really well; I did have t' adjust t' elevons on one, t' get a less-steep glide; I accomplished this by holdin' t' joint over a incandescent light bulb until t' glue softened a bit.

Finishing:
T' _Space Twins_ plans don't include a standard paint scheme, decals, etc. Avast! I decided t' use dope t' finish me _Space Twins_. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Dope is hard t' work with, shiver me timbers, and requires a very carefully sanded and filled surface, but when done well results in a nice, shiver me timbers, me bucko, slick, shiver me timbers, arrr, durable finish. Begad! I used balsa fillercoat on both gliders and core, arrr, arrr, and did lots o' sandin' t' eliminate balsa grain and generally smooth things out. Well, blow me down! At this time, t' finish isn't complete. Aye aye! T' core and gliders are overall white, with t' underside o' t' glider wings painted black. Ahoy! Well, me bucko, blow me down! I hope t' paint each glider with a unique, bright color; t' booster core will be white with a black nose.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' _Space Twins_ plans don't have a suggested motor list. I decided t' test fly it with Quest A6-4 motor, matey, then follow up with a B4-4 motor. I decided that t' longer delay on these motors would result in ejection happenin' "on t' way down," givin' t' gliders a better chance o' bein' knocked free. Avast, me proud beauty! Flight prep is really easy. T' booster is prepped just like a normal rocket. Ya scallywag! I placed t' gliders on t' core after I'd slid it onto t' launch rod and hooked up t' igniter. Ya scallywag! T' _Space Twins_ flew GREAT. Begad! Ahoy! T' boost was very straight. Avast, me proud beauty! Altitude reached be moderate (perhaps 200' on t' A6-4); t' model had arced over and be startin' t' "plummet" downwards when t' ejection charge went off.

Recovery:
On me initial flight, t' booster core's parachute didn't unfurl fully. However, it be light enough that it landed without damage. Blimey! I think a streamer would do as well as a parachute. Avast! T' glider "twins" separated cleanly and began circlin' downward in a fast, shiver me timbers, spiral trajectory. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' crowd seemed t' enjoy t' "show" they put on. Blimey! They landed within about about five feet o' each other, shiver me timbers, about 50' from t' launch pad.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I flew t' _Space Twins_ twice more on t' day o' its inaugural launch. Well, blow me down! T' second flight, matey, matey, with an A8-5, was very similar t' t' first, shiver me timbers, although t' booster parachute deployed fine this time. Arrr! Once more, shiver me timbers, t' gliders separated cleanly, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, flew well, and landed close t' each other. Avast! Begad! I tried a B4-4 next. It flew a lot higher, me bucko, and t' gliders had a lot more time t' swoop around. But, me bucko, as before, shiver me timbers, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' gliders landed quite close t' each other. I really liked that!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5