Brief:
When Launch Magazine when on a roughly 6-month "hiatus" towards t' end o' 2008, as a gesture of appreciation t' their subscriber base they teamed up with Semroc t' release a kit version o' t' rocket depicted within their magazine's logo. Begad! When t' kit release was announced at NARCON 2009, arrr, all current subscribers o' Launch Magazine got a free special edition o' t' kit. Well, blow me down! That's a pretty sweet present, matey, retailin' for just about t' price o' a year's subscription t' t' magazine.

Construction:
First a note for t' collectors out there: thar are three versions o' this kit that I know of, shiver me timbers, differin' only in the packaging. Aye aye! Begad! For magazine subscribers, me hearties, ya bilge rat, thar was a limited run o' 300 kits, none numbered, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, each with header artwork depictin' t' rocket against a blue background, me hearties, and no bag tag header card. When t' regular commercial version o' the kit be released, t' first 100 were numbered per Semroc's typical procedure, arrr, and these shared t' blue background artwork but also included t' Semroc bag tage/header card. Begad! Avast! After t' first 100 shipped, me bucko, t' standard edition o' t' kit features header art depictin' t' rocket against a yellow background.

OK, arrr, now on t' t' parts list, me bucko, shiver me timbers, matey, which is rather plentiful, me bucko, supportin' t' $17.95 retail price for t' kit:

Brief:
When Launch Magazine when on a roughly 6-month "hiatus" towards t' end o' 2008, shiver me timbers, as a gesture of appreciation t' their subscriber base they teamed up with Semroc t' release a kit version o' t' rocket depicted within their magazine's logo. When t' kit release be announced at NARCON 2009, all current subscribers o' Launch Magazine got a free special edition o' t' kit. That's a pretty sweet present, retailin' for just about t' price o' a year's subscription t' t' magazine.

• Balsa nose cone
• Payload tube (Series 7 tube, arrr, slightly larger OD than BT-20 but heavier wall, so ID is 18mm)
• Balsa transition
• Main body tube (Series 130, roughly equal t' BT-56)
• Aft motor tube (Series 7)
• Laser-cut balsa fins (4)
• Laser cut cardboard vanes, centerin' rings
• Metal engine hook
• Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cord
• 12" Plastic chute
• Waterslide decals

Semroc rates this a skill level 1, and while it looks a good bit more complex than t' typical skill 1 kits, arrr, I think it's a fair overall assessment. Begad! In me case, I went with a slightly more challengin' paint scheme that would bump it into 2 territory, but it's still a simple project that can be done in an hour or two plus finishing.

Construction consists o' about 30 steps spannin' 4 pages o' nicely printed and illustrated instructions, me hearties, t' norm for Semroc.

T' motor mount uses a pre-slotted body tube, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, metal hook (2.75" for 18mm motors), and a centerin' ring actin' as a block. Well, blow me down! Additionally, t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord is anchored t' t' motor mount by slippin' a loop under t' forward bend o' t' metal hook, then securin' it in place by slidin' t' forward centerin' rin' over it. Avast! T' aft centerin' rin' is handled a bit differently--it sits 1-1/2" forward o' t' aft end. Begad! This is t' allow room for t' vanes, which have small tabs that slide into cutouts on t' aft rin' (see photo). Aye aye! In me case, shiver me timbers, I had decided in advance that I wanted t' give t' rings an accent color, so I held off attachin' them so that I could paint them first. Ya scallywag! Yes, matey, it's nay as strong a glue joint (bondin' t' a painted surface), me hearties, but these really don't get much stress at all and maskin' 12 o' them would be a real pain.

T' main body tube is then marked usin' a template for 4 fins and a lug, and t' completed (or in me case nearly completed) motor mount slides in t' aft end. Avast, me proud beauty! Extend t' lines, attach t' 4 main fins and a lug, shiver me timbers, matey, and t' main section of t' rocket is complete.

T' payload section is pretty standard. Blimey! T' balsa transition is glued t' one end o' t' body tube, and t' nose cone is friction fit t' t' other (or glued if you don't want t' use it as a payload model). Well, blow me down! I wound up drillin' a 1/32" hole for eventually loadin' an altimeter. Blimey! Ya scallywag! A screw eye goes in t' transition for shock cord attachment, completin' t' basic construction.

Finishing:
Lookin' at t' cover art, t' finished rocket is plain white with decals. As mentioned, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I wanted t' accent t' vanes a bit more, so after primin' everythin' with two coats o' Rustoleum gray primer (I'm slowly abandonin' t' newly reformulated Krylon...), me hearties, shot 3 light coats o' gloss white over everything. Ahoy! T' vanes got a sort o' orange-like color described as "pumpkin orange", but usin' just one coat, ya bilge rat, they picked up enough o' t' gray primer undercoat to look fairly close t' t' light orange colorin' o' t' magazine's title decal.

T' waterslide decals are excellent quality, matey, easy t' work with. One warning, me bucko, me bucko, though: this has 4 C-shaped decals that go around t' leadin' edge o' each fin. You'll need t' make sure you cut out t' inside o' this C, which is a fairly small area (3/32" fin thickness).

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight, me hearties, I was only about 150 yards upwind o' a dense grove o' trees on a 3-5 mph wind day, so I went with a B6-4 motor rather than t' max recommended C6-5. Begad! T' flight be dead straight, ya bilge rat, nay a trace o' roll, and deployment was just a hair early--the rocket was less than a second shy o' apogee.

Despite t' fact that I was mainly flyin' a research model recordin' apogee with an altimeter most o' t' day, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I stupidly forgot t' put t' altimeter in this "sport" model flight, although would estimate it hit about 300 feet on t' B, me bucko, which be well below t' estimated 500 feet on t' header card. Begad! However, me painted/with chute weight of 1.44 ounces is also heavier than t' header card's 1.2 ounce estimate.

Recovery:
T' 12" plastic chute deployed fine, shiver me timbers, and everythin' came down nicely on fairly tall grass. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Nay a trace o' damage anywhere.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I'd have t' say "free for subscribers" is a pretty huge PRO for this model, although bein' a collector I stashed that one and built/flew t' regular retail model. Begad! Begad! Additional pros would be t' attractive stylin' features such as t' vanes and transition. Avast, me proud beauty! I also like t' tie-in t' one o' t' hobby's best publications.

One small CON would be t' borin' all-white paint scheme that dampens some o' t' visual appeal o' t' design, but that's easy enough t' overcome.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5