Brief:
You TV trivia fans will love this one. Aye aye! Arrr! You might be sharp enough (or old enough) t' recall "T' Man From U.N.C.L.E" series from 1967. Avast! I'm not, but Carl at Semroc is, and he's included a nice biography/history o' t' rocket design for this kit. T' series featured a car that had a rocket launcher built into t' gull-win' doors. Blimey! Ahoy! T' "real" rockets on t' show were powered by Centuri Mini-Max F engines. Blimey! This downscale only runs on 18mm but flies very nicely just t' same (but from a rod, ya bilge rat, nay from your car door).

T' rocket is named after t' lovely Stefanie Powers, ya bilge rat, who played t' Girl from U.N.C.L.E. for t' show's one season and like t' star, t' bright red head on this rocket has a definite eye-appeal.

This model also sports a new Semroc feature--an ejection gas baffle system, which was a very nice feature in such a modestly priced ($13.50 retail) kit.

Construction:
As is customary with most every Semroc kit, this one comes complete with a waterslide decal that has t' production unit number and basic specs. Avast! Ahoy! I've got quite a few "numbered" rockets, ya bilge rat, although this be t' only one that could potentially sport t' number on t' rocket in t' form o' a decal.

T' parts list includes:

• Balsa nose cone (definitely custom shape), me bucko, screw eye, retainin' disk
• Clay nose weight
• Baffle system
• White glassine body tube
• Laser cut balsa fins
• 18mm motor mount/centerin' rings
• Metal motor hook
• Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cord
• 12" plastic chute
• Water slide decals

Semroc instructions are clear, me bucko, me bucko, arrr, easy t' follow, me hearties, and generally include not only construction tips but craftsmanship tips as well. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! They're very good kits to grow into once you've "mastered" an E2X/Quick kit or two.

Construction begins with t' nose cone. Begad! Blimey! It's hollowed out for t' addition of clay weight. Lookin' at t' puny fins, I'm glad this had this extra weight. T' clay packs in then a plywood disk with screw eye is bonded in. Arrr! Begad! Be sure to apply a generous fillet on t' joint here, as t' disk will want t' pop out after a couple o' flights and send your beautiful custom nose cone into orbit.

T' ejection baffle assembly is a very neat idea. Baffles are hardly a new innovation but seem t' have disappeared until recently. Blimey! I've experimented with a few different designs and found this one o' t' easiest t' build. Bein' made from fiberboard, time will tell whether or nay it's durable. Avast! T' assembly consists o' a pre-cut "shroud", ya bilge rat, which is glued t' a lower disk and an upper disk (see photo). Ahoy! T' inside o' t' shroud is lined with a layer o' glue t' protect it. Blimey! I gave a thought t' epoxy but decided t' build this one stock and went with yellow glue. Avast! T' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord is anchored t' this, which is subsequently glued into t' body tube. T' instructions call for mountin' it 3 inches deep, ya bilge rat, which leaves only a small amount o' room for t' chute, me hearties, however, you don't want t' go much lower or the gases won't have cooled enough.

T' motor mount assembly is standard 18mm tube, me bucko, me hearties, motor block, matey, matey, and a couple of centerin' rings. Ya scallywag! Blimey! There is a metal hook for retention.

Fins are long and sleek, matey, swept way back from t' aft end. Ya scallywag! (Is that another subtle reference t' t' legs o' t' namesake? Probably just coincidence, as this is a scale model after all.) Alignment is done via a template in the instructions. Well, blow me down! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' only thin' I can din' t' build on is that I prefer usin' a wraparound guide (or me Estes tube markin' guide, me bucko, which doesn't fit Semroc's Centuri tube sizes).

T' launch lug is a long 1/8" tube and is mounted t' a small standoff to clear t' oversized nose cone.

Overall, me hearties, this is probably about a 1-2 hour project--or 5 hours if you really get into fillin' spirals and grains. Well, blow me down! Blimey! In me case, matey, I spent t' better part of a day on surface prep before beginnin' construction, arrr, shiver me timbers, me bucko, as I really wanted this one t' have a fantastic appearance. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! It just looks too cool for a half-[fannied] job. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I'd rate it about a skill level 2 on t' 1-5 scale.

Finishing:
T' finishin' techniques on this one were me usual diluted Elmer's Wood Filler, one coat in t' tube spirals, me hearties, and two coats on t' nose and fins. I prefer to do this before construction rather than later, as I don't have t' work around tight edges/corners, shiver me timbers, arrr, and a sanded tube offers a much better bondin' surface for fins.

T' paint scheme is very easy on this rocket with no maskin' required (assumin' you paint t' nose cone before attachin' it). Ahoy! Begad! T' lower body got two coats o' primer, matey, followed by two coats o' gloss white. Begad! T' nose cone got the same treatment, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but finished up with two coats o' Testor's Guards Red. Avast! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! It's about 4 times as expensive as t' Krylon I normally use but this is just a beautiful red and is occasionally worth it.

T' decals were easy t' work with, ya bilge rat, rugged enough t' adjust a bit. Blimey! Pay attention t' t' stripes though. Ya scallywag! Avast! There are 4 long and 4 short stripes with not much difference betwixt t' two lengths. Begad! T' shorter ones are just t' right length t' wrap around t' fin edges, matey, stripin' both sides. Well, blow me down! I was very impressed that t' clear portion o' t' decals doesn't stick out too noticeably on the finished model.

After allowin' everythin' t' dry for a couple o' days, matey, matey, I sealed it up with Future Floor polish.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight be on a breezy, me bucko, overcast day and I decided t' go for a lower altitude B6-4 flight. Ahoy! I be also a bit paranoid about t' stability o' t' very small fins. Begad! Ahoy! It turns out I had nothin' t' be worried about--this flew very nicely with a slight weathercock into t' 10 mph winds. Ya scallywag! Avast! Ejection was right at apogee, shiver me timbers, me hearties, which be about 300 feet.

Recovery:
T' baffle system worked perfectly and t' chute came out completely undamaged. I was tempted t' slip a couple pieces o' waddin' in there, me hearties, but went completely "stock" for t' first flight and was quite impressed with the performance o' t' baffle.

Given t' extra nose weight though, matey, I'd consider uppin' t' chute size on this t' 15" unless you're flyin' in very soft grass. Arrr! Mine spit t' motor and still came down a bit fast for those frail lookin' fins.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I honestly can't come up with any cons on this without bein' overly picky. Arrr! Well, blow me down! The pros would be attractive theme and design, quality materials, ya bilge rat, me hearties, me bucko, and that baffle system all packed into a great bargain at $13.50. I was very impressed with this kit and definitely recommend it.

I'm especially lookin' forward t' seein' t' baffle system work its way into more o' Semroc's kits in t' future.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5