Brief:
T' Tuber is one o' me earliest purchases and has been sittin' around for long time waitin' for attention. It has failed t' get t' attention because, arrr, over time, ya bilge rat, it migrated t' t' back o' t' racks as other rockets were placed on the hooks. Aye aye! Begad! A few days ago, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I noticed lots o' pieces layin' on t' floor and investigated. Blimey! Aye aye! T' bottom o' t' Tuber's package had given way and scattered some o' t' contents. Aye aye! Aye aye! I figured I better start buildin' before anythin' got lost.

T' Tuber is a two stage rocket. Aye aye! T' lower stage features 6 conventional fins and it joins t' a tube finned sustainer. Ya scallywag! Both motor mounts are 24mm. Avast, me proud beauty! T' booster tumbles and t' sustainer comes down on a streamer.

Construction:
T' first step in t' instructions is t' assemble a motor mount. Begad! Lookin' around in t' bag, me bucko, I could nay find a 24mm motor tube. I went and looked on t' floor near where t' bag was hangin' and did nay find any thar either. So it is that me build came t' a screechin' halt before I had done anythin' useful.

I have some BT-50 tubin' and was willin' t' make me own t' length but needed t' know how long they should be so I posted a question on TRF. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! At t' same time I posted t' TRF question, I sent an email t' Squirrel Works. Begad! Begad! It was a Saturday so I did nay expect an answer until Monday at t' earliest. Blimey! T' email was answered in less than 10 minutes and I had me answer. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Both motor tubes should be 2.75" long. Arrr! With that data, me bucko, I got some scrap BT-50, arrr, marked two tubes, and cut 2 motor tubes t' length.

One o' t' motor tubes was put into t' bag for later use and t' other had a thrust rin' glued flush in the forward end. Begad! T' motor tube then had 5/8" marked off from either end and t' centerin' rings were glued into place. Begad! Both rings were filleted with yellow glue.

T' kits comes with t' makings o' an Estes style tri-fold shock cord mount. Begad! I do nay care for these and prefer Keelhaul®©™® harnesses so I tied a length o' Keelhaul®©™® around t' forward end o' t' motor mount and filleted it into place with more yellow glue. A notch was also cut in the forward centerin' rin' t' accommodate t' passage o' t' Keelhaul®©™®.

When t' glue on t' motor mount had dried, t' Keelhaul®©™® was fished through t' motor tube so that it would nay interfere with mounting. Begad! T' inside o' t' body tube be then swabbed with glue and t' mount was shoved into place with t' end o' t' tube flush with t' end o' t' airframe.

T' Tuber comes with a wraparound fin markin' guide, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me preferred type. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! It was cut out, matey, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, wrapped around t' BT, and taped into place. T' fin lines and lug lines were marked on t' tube and then t' guide be carefully removed and saved for use later with t' booster stage. Blimey! Ahoy! An Estes fin guide was used t' lengthen all o' t' transferred lines.

T' mitered tube fins for t' Tuber come already cut. Well, blow me down! Even so, me hearties, thar be a handy wraparound template for them included. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! This would come in handy if I ever have t' replace a tube fin but that is nay its purpose. Avast! It is intended to wraparound t' precut fins and be aligned so that t' exact center line along t' high point can be marked. Squirrel Works is t' be applauded for this nice consideration. Aye aye! T' tube fins were duly marked and t' lines were also extended to t' inside for easier seein' durin' placement. Ya scallywag! Well, arrr, blow me down! From thar it be a simple matter t' apply some yellow glue along the fin lines, line up t' marks, and press t' fins into place flush with t' after end.

T' balsa nose cone that came in me kit was about as nice as I have seen. I screwed t' screw eye into t' base, backed it out, squirted some glue into t' hole, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and reseated t' screw. Ahoy! T' cone was smooth enough that I decided to try and forgo t' experience o' sealin' and sandin' with Elmer's Wood Filler and decided t' just drizzle on some thin CA t' harden it up a bit and hopefully seal it. Arrr! I might also add that t' grain was dense enough that t' CA was difficult t' see since it did nay absorb very much and darken t' wood. Avast! Aye aye!

T' tube fins had a chance t' dry overnight and then t' launch lug was glued into place along t' line marked for t' purpose. Avast! It was carefully examined with a short piece o' 3/16" rod t' make sure that t' openin' on the lug aligned with t' space betwixt adjacent tube fins.

Construction o' t' booster stage began with t' motor mount. Begad! I retrieved t' other piece o' BT-50 I had cut and found t' thrust rin' intended for t' booster. It differs from t' sustainer thrust rin' in that it is made from plywood instead o' cardboard and is only 1/8" thick instead o' 1/4". Avast! At first I wondered why it should be different and then remembered some o' t' troubles I have had with staged rockets before. Begad! When t' motors are taped together and t' thrust rin' is behind t' booster motor, arrr, me bucko, me fat and clumsy fingers have had trouble managin' the igniter through t' orifice. I could tell right away that havin' 1/8" less distance t' deal with was goin' t' be a nice thing. This is another positive point for this design. In any event, t' thin thrust rin' was glued into place flush with t' end o' t' motor tube.

T' centerin' rings for t' booster stage are identical t' those for t' sustainer but are placed just a bit differently. Ahoy! One was glued flush with t' aft end (the end with t' thrust ring) and t' other be placed 5/8" from t' forward edge. Both were glued and filleted with yellow glue.

While t' glue on t' motor mount dried, t' coupler tube was located and marked at t' halfway point. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! A rin' of glue was then swabbed around t' interior o' one end o' t' BT-55 booster body and t' coupler was pushed in up t' the mark.

T' CA hardened nose cone was sanded down, ya bilge rat, pronounced fit for t' company I keep, and then tied t' t' elastic band that came with t' kit. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' other end o' t' elastic be then tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™®. With that, me bucko, t' sustainer was substantially complete.

I looked in me bag o' parts and finally found t' fin markin' guide I had stashed from t' sustainer. It was slid over t' BT-55 booster airframe and t' lines were transcribed and then lengthened with an angle. Ahoy!

T' wrap was then removed and t' motor mount was test fit. Ya scallywag! Begad! While t' centerin' rings on t' sustainer had no problem fittin' into t' sustainer tube, me bucko, Both o' t' booster rings needed sanding. T' forward one needed quite a bit. This is nay t' say that thar be a defect. It's just that some just come fatter than others. Blimey! T' mount was glued in place with yellow glue and t' thrust rin' on t' aft end.

T' fins for t' booster section are balsa and nay tubes. Ahoy! Mine were in good condition and all still in t' parent sheet. Ahoy! Ahoy! I used an X-Acto t' free them from their bondage and then lined them up t' sand their edges even. Well, blow me down! Begad! Once they were all fairly even, I ruined their evenness by sandin' all edges except for t' root into a round profile. Ahoy! It came out better than usual and I am confident that some day, I will be able t' do this evenly. Ahoy! Avast!

Each o' t' fin lines which had been marked on t' tube had a tick mark added t' it 1/8" from t' aft edge. This was t' help align t' backs o' t' fins. Well, blow me down! T' fins were then glued into place with a double glue joint usin' yellow glue. Ahoy! Aye aye! When all had dried, ya bilge rat, they were filleted with white glue. Aye aye!

When t' fins had dried, arrr, arrr, arrr, I checked t' see how well t' booster stage fit into t' sustainer. Arrr! I found it t' be a bit tight but a little sandin' took care o' that. With that, me bucko, t' rocket was built and just awaited its livery. Begad!

Finishing:
Finishin' o' t' Tuber began with sealing. Ahoy! Avast! It had been a while since I had used any Elmer's Wood Filler so I had to mix up a fresh batch. That was then brushed onto t' fins. Aye aye! Ahoy! While I was at it, me bucko, I decided t' hit t' nose cone as well. Both pieces were then allowed t' dry for a day.

T' next day, shiver me timbers, t' nose cone sanded fine but t' fins were still a bit gummy. Begad! Aye aye! I decided t' give them an extra day. I went ahead and primed t' sustainer with white though. Well, blow me down! It got 2 coats and t' insides o' t' tubes got a hint o' 2 coats.

T' next day, ya bilge rat, t' booster sanded fine and looked t' be ready for priming. Arrr! T' booster got 2 coats o' white primer. Begad! T' primer was in turn followed by 2 coats o' orange. Blimey! T' sustainer on t' other hand needed just a bit of sandin' after t' priming. Begad! It then got 2 coats o' yellow. Arrr! Blimey! When t' paint had dried, arrr, I needed t' do a little sandin' on the tube coupler t' perfect t' fit but t' rocket looked t' be in good shape.

T' Tuber comes with a single waterslide decal bearin' t' name o' t' rocket. Aye aye! T' decal is o' good quality and, to me mind, me bucko, is clear evidence that even a simple, professionally made decal can do wonders t' dress up a rocket. Ahoy! I think it looks great.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
As is me practice when flyin' a new rocket, I take it easy and build up t' power over time. Avast, me proud beauty! I also start in single stage configurations when tryin' out a multi-stager. T' Tuber was no exception.

I loaded a C11-7 into t' sustainer and prepped it with dog barf. Avast! Begad! I added a streamer and set it on the pad. T' countdown proceeded and t' Tuber lifted off quickly, straight, and true. There be no twistin' or any deviation from "up". Were it nay for t' trackin' smoke in t' motor, ya bilge rat, matey, we all would have lost sight o' it. Arrr! Well, blow me down! As it happened though, we were able t' see it reach apogee and start back down just a bit before t' ejection charge went off. Aye aye! Ahoy! We saw t' cloud o' smoke and t' body comin' down. Arrr! We also saw t' streamer flutterin' away in t' light wind. T' rocket be nay bothered by t' wind, me bucko, it just came down. Arrr! Fortunately, me hearties, me hearties, it did so in a horizontal spin. Well, blow me down! Arrr! When it hit the ground, it did so near by. Begad! Begad! T' nose cone be nowhere t' be seen but thar seemed t' be no damage at all t' t' body of t' rocket. T' shock cord, both Keelhaul®©™® and sewin' elastic, me bucko, were wadded up in a blob terminated by t' screw eye. A cursory examination revealed that the threads on t' screw had completely stripped out o' t' NC.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket be well thought out, well designed, well documented, and an example o' "how t' do it right". Sometimes though, arrr, matey, fortune figures its time t' point t' fickle finger o' fate. Well, blow me down! Begad! Such was t' occasion for me.

I will be orderin' a replacement nose cone and rebuilding. Arrr! Based upon performance, I wonder where I am goin' to be able t' fly t' full stack with any chance at all o' recovery.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5