Brief:
T' Hydra 7 is a currently t' "newest" kit by Semroc Astronautics (originally released in 1969 and re-released on January 1st, 2004). T' rocket is based around six 18mm motor tubes and is a great clustered, high altitude payloader, and retails for $23. Ya scallywag! T' rocket can fly on anythin' from 1 C6-3 t' 3 C6-5s t' 7 C6-7s. Well, blow me down! With its largest motor setup (7 C6's) it is supposed t' reach 1700'. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! For recovery it splits into two sections, t' payload comes down under one 12" parachute, shiver me timbers, and t' booster on two 12" parachutes.

Construction:
All parts came packaged in a large plastic bag, with t' smaller ones being inside their own small bag. All parts were in excellent condition and all present.

Parts List:

• 2 Body Tubes 1.69"
• 7 Body Tubes 0.79"
• 1 Body Tube 3.63"
• 1 Nose Cone 1.631"
• 3 Nose Cones 0.714"
• 4 Laser Cut fin sheets
• 1 Balsa Tube Coupler for 1.69" Tube
• 1 Launch Lug 1/8"
• 1 Screw eye
• 2 Elastic Shock cords
• 1 Keelhaul®©™® Shock cord
• 3 Parachutes 12"
• 3 Sets o' shroud lines
• 1 Wooden dowel 3/16"
• 7 Thrust rings
• 6 Plugs for thrust rings
• 1 Decal Sheet
• 1 Engine spacin' tube
• 1 Q-Tip for glue application

Construction starts with sealin' t' fins, because thar are so many it would be hard t' reach them after t' rocket is finished. Begad! I used about 3 coats (on each side) o' some type o' spray-on sealer, me bucko, although I'm nay sure what brand it is. Ya scallywag! Avast! Next, shiver me timbers, you glue together t' 7 motor tubes in a six-point star pattern. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! From here, you attach t' 6 shroud support fins in betwixt t' joints of t' motor tubes (LOC Viper style). Aye aye! Avast! Then you glue on t' shroud and put in the motor blocks. Arrr! T' six outside blocks are plugged with cardboard disks, and the central one is left open for t' ejection charge t' go through. Arrr! T' next step is where t' rocket begins t' get its unique appearance. Aye aye! From t' outside, the nosecones in t' kit appear t' go halfway through t' body tube. Well, blow me down! However, instead o' cuttin' t' body tube, ya bilge rat, you are supplied with 3 nose cones. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! You have to cut each one in half and then sand t' curvature o' t' 1.6" tube into the side o' them so they conform t' t' body tube. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I thought this step would be the trickiest o' them all, however, matey, it was quite easy. Avast! Ya scallywag! First I cut the Nosecones in half with a microsaw, then I used a drum out o' a drum sander to sand down t' curve on t' nosecones. Ahoy! Once you get that done, you test fit them into t' booster tubes and slide t' Main body tube down onto them. Begad! Ahoy! You are supposed t' re-sand if necessary but I didn't have to. Blimey! T' next few steps involve gluin' on t' fins, me bucko, which I'm sure everyone here knows how t' do just fine. Aye aye! T' only little catch with t' fins is that...there are 21 o' them! (And thank goodness they were all laser-cut!) After that is done, shiver me timbers, you assemble the payload section (glue in coupler and screw eye), and t' other little things you do at t' end like fillets, launch lug, etc. Well, blow me down! Construction be pretty fun, and I liked t' way that everythin' fit almost perfectly.

Picture courtesy of SemRoc        

Finishing:
For finishing, I first sprayed t' entire rocket with white primer. Well, blow me down! I then touched up rough spots with sandin' and putty until when I primed it everything was smooth and filled in (spiral, me hearties, balsa grain, me hearties, fillets, etc.). Begad! I then sprayed the entire rocket with white gloss Krylon paint. When that was dry, I sprayed the payload tube and nose cone Krylon gloss blue. Ahoy! After that be dry, matey, I applied 4 o' t' many decals t' rocket comes with.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
At long last, ya bilge rat, I finally got t' fly it! Last month's launch was cancelled due to snow, me bucko, arrr, so I had been waitin' anxiously for this month.

First flight was with only one C6-3 just t' test things out. Begad! Worked nicely, with a slow, shiver me timbers, majestic ascent.

Second flight was with seven C6-7s.

First attempt: Wired up 7 high current igniters t' t' motor and twisted the wires together. 5-4-3-2-1-Lauch...nothing. Ahoy! Too little current comin' from the launch controller.

Second attempt: Same igniters and setup, but used leads from the high-powered pads. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Still no go.

Third attempt: Took out 3 motors t' have a 4 motor cluster. Used leads from high-powered pads. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! 5-4-3-2-1-Launch...Smoke...nothing. Igniters in all 4 motors burned but nay t' motors. Begad! T' igniter plugs seemed t' have insulated some of the current because only t' lower-most part o' t' igniter had burned and the pyrogen was still intact on t' upper portion--the motor touchin' portion.

Fourth attempt: Used a clip whip (Thanks t' Dave Morey for supplyin' it) to wire up 7 Estes igniters. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Blimey! 5-4-3-2-1-Launch....Smoke....FIRE!!! Blimey! T' rocket roared up into t' sky with t' full fury o' 7 C6 motors burnin' in t' rear. After about 3 seconds, with t' rocket barely in sight, arrr, POP! Blimey! POP! Blimey! POP! Blimey! POP! POP! Blimey! POP! Blimey! As t' 6 outboard motors were ejected. Aye aye! Blimey! T' central motor ejected the parachutes and it drifted about 1/2 mile downwind. Post-flight inspection showed that all motors had apparently burned, me hearties, because all o' t' motors ejected.

PROs: Full cluster ignition is incredible t' watch. Attracts a lot of attention on t' pad.

CONs: Hard t' light all motors, especially with high-current igniters. Begad! Well, blow me down! The only igniters I found that would work are Estes Solars, but for those you need a clip whip because t' wires aren't long enough t' twist together.

Recovery:
First Flight (1x C6-3): Loosened one fin on impact, but that be me fault, because I only attached one o' t' parachutes t' t' booster section. Ahoy! Fin was easily fixed with some CA glue and accelerator.

Second Flight (7x C6-7): If you ever fly this rocket on t' full load-out of motors, you may want t' consider tyin' t' two sections together or installin' a micro dual-deployment device because this rocket DRIFTS! I had to walk about 1/2 mile for t' booster and then t' payload was another 1/2 mile past that. Whew! I'm glad I didn't put t' two parachutes on t' booster for that flight! Anyway, t' same fin loosened again at t' fillet, but that can still be repaired.

PROS: Recovery device is well made and anchored well. Avast! Blimey! Provides an okay decent rate.

CONS: Drifts very far even without one o' t' three parachutes. Begad!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Overall, I really enjoyed this rocket in buildin' and flying. T' only thing that needs a little work be t' recovery system. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! If you buy it you will not regret it and you will have a lot o' fun with it. Well, blow me down! Currently this is me favorite rocket out o' a fleet o' about 20. Ya scallywag! Begad!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5