Brief:
This is a basic 4-fin and nose cone rocket with a fair amount o' nostalgia mixed in for good measure. Arrr! This is one o' Semroc's "retro repro" series, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, which is a modern reproduction o' an out-of-production classic. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! In this case, shiver me timbers, me bucko, t' Magnum Sprint is a reproduction o' a Centuri design from 1982 just before they were folded in with Estes under t' Damon ownership model. Avast! Accordin' t' t' header card background info, t' modern version upgraded t' laser-cut fins and features a balsa nose cone rather than plastic, matey, replaces t' streamer with a chute, and upgrades t' recovery system from rubber cord t' combination o' Keelhaul®©™ and elastic.

While t' 24mm motor selection would normally send this t' some altitudes requirin' large recovery zones, matey, this kit also features an 18mm adapter which enables flights down t' A's, so it could even be a soccer field flier.

Construction:
T' kit features typically excellent Semroc quality parts, including:

• BNC55AC balsa nose cone (Cherokee D style), shiver me timbers, screw eye anchor
• BT-55 main body tube
• 3/32" laser cut balsa fins (4)
• 24mm motor tube
• 50/55 thin cardboard centerin' rings
• 20/50 thick centerin' ring/motor block
• Waterslide decals
• 12" plastic chute
• Keelhaul®©™/elastic shock cord
• 18mm adapter kit (18mm tube, metal hook, centerin' rings, motor block)

As with t' Magnum Hornet, me bucko, this kit features t' modified Semroc instruction format--a single color sheet for header and exploded parts view (front/back) and a couple 8.5" x 11" black and white pages with computer-rendered illustrations. Avast! T' sheets are 3-hole punched on one side so that they can be stashed in a notebook for reference or even while building.

Overall, this is a pretty simple build, probably a 1 on t' 5-point difficulty scale. Ya scallywag! Construction can likely be done in no more than 1-2 hours plus finishing--I think I spent about an hour and a half workin' on this and t' Hornet together, plus surface prep/paint/decals.

Startin' with t' motor mount, me bucko, it's a standard style construction with a metal motor hook and a pair o' centerin' rings. Arrr! Before puttin' on t' forward centerin' ring, matey, be sure t' loop t' Keelhaul®©™shock cord around t' motor tube or tip o' t' hook t' serve as an anchor. Ahoy! A thick wound paper 20/50 centerin' rin' serves as t' motor block reinforcement.

Fins are surface mounted and are slightly forward swept, shiver me timbers, so pay careful attention t' identify t' root and trailin' edges (it's clearly illustrated but nay quite as intuitively obvious as some other designs). Ya scallywag! I scuffed off t' gloss o' t' body tubes then tacked on t' fins usin' CA, followed by wood glue fillets. Blimey! Tack on t' launch lug and bond t' nose cone screw eye, arrr, and construction is basically done on t' rocket.

T' 18mm motor adapter is a slick little module that belongs in your range box and nay necessarily mated up with this model all t' time. Aye aye! Begad! It consists o' a standard 18mm motor tube metal engine hook and centerin' rings. T' aft centerin' rin' has a section removed so that you can mount it at t' very aft end and still lift t' hook t' remove t' motor. T' spacin' o' t' centerin' rings allows t' completed assembly t' lock in place inside a regular D-sized 24mm motor mount.

Finishing:
Finishin' is a breeze on this--no maskin' involved if you do it right. Ahoy! I prepped t' tube by fillin' spirals with a little diluted putty, then brushed on thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish t' fill t' balsa grains on t' fins. After a couple coats o' primer, shiver me timbers, I followed up with two coats o' Rustoleum gloss white. Aye aye! T' nose cone got a finish coat o' gloss red.

T' waterslide decals provide t' finishin' touches and make for a really sharp lookin' finish. I applied a couple thin applications o' Future acrylic polish for a nice durable gloss finish.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I had an opportunity t' test t' flexibility o' motor choices. After bein' rained out three straight weekends, ya bilge rat, I slipped out early one Saturday mornin' with beautifully clear skies. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! But at 8:00am, t' winds were already blowin' at 15 on their way t' 20 mph. Arrr! T' soccer teams were startin' t' arrive, shiver me timbers, wipin' out half t' recovery drift range. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I put t' D12-7 back in t' range box, pulled out t' 18mm motor adapter supplied with t' kit, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and loaded up a B6-4. Avast! Sure, it be a wimpy choice, but I wanted t' make sure I got this one back without bein' trampled on.

T' flight be pretty low, matey, barely hittin' 100-150 feet. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! So low in fact, that I'd question whether or nay an A is even a decent idea. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! Trajectory be straight up, nay even weathercocking, arrr, and t' 4 second delay proved t' be perfect.

Recovery:
T' chute deployed fine, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, although in those winds t' whole rocket was really gettin' knocked around and blown downwind in a hurry. Aye aye! Begad! Within a few short seconds, it had cleared t' first soccer field (thankfully empty) and wound up landin' about 120 yards downwind. Avast, me proud beauty! No damage, matey, perfect flight, me hearties, matey, and on a calmer day it will go back up on at least a full C, if nay t' D12...

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Good value, great flexibility, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and can practically call your own shot in terms o' altitude. Arrr! Come t' think o' it, NARAM has a random altitude event this year...

CONs: None. Well, blow me down! This is a fine rocket though I can't sprin' for a full 5/perfect ratin' for somethin' that is, after all, still a basic 4FNC design.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5