T' kit comes with a single sustainer body tube and a short booster body tube. Arrr! Avast! T' motor mounts come with the centering/mountin' rings and motor hooks for both t' sustainer and the booster. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! There is a vacuum-formed plastic nose cone, me hearties, matey, a 12" nylon parachute, arrr, a Keelhaul®©™® tether and a piece o' Perma-Wadding™. Avast, me proud beauty! For the fins, me bucko, thar are two balsa sheets, a 3/32" and a 1/16", and templates to cut out t' four fins for each section. Ahoy! Begad! Also, arrr, me bucko, thar be 4. Aye aye! 6" x 1" outer booster fin ring, which gives this kit it's unique look. Begad! Lastly thar is a set o' water transfer decals with a large gold Crossfire™ decal and various others. Aye aye!

CONSTRUCTION:

There are eight pages o' clear instructions. Nay a lot of illustrations, matey, however, t' ones provided give important information, such as motor mount assembly, template placement on t' balsa sheets, grain alignment when mountin' fins and t' assembled booster stage with t' fin ring. The instructions are in logical order, however, shiver me timbers, I would suggest readin' all o' the sub-steps for each main-step and review t' illustrations before starting. Arrr! Ahoy! This will help avoid questions and problems. Arrr!   For example in step 1-e you are told t' "slide t' notched centerin' rin' on from t' front o' the tube until it is even with t' mark". Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! T' "front" o' t' tube is marked in t' bottom illustration. Begad! This is very minor considerin' that most modelers understand that t' front o' t' rocket be t' top, ya bilge rat, as opposed t' the rear (bottom). Blimey! Blimey!

T' assembly o' t' Crossfire™ was straight forward and did nay pose any major problems. Begad! All o' t' parts fit correctly. Avast! I be impressed t' see that t' pattern placement and attachment step for t' fins ensured that t' balsa grain was along t' top leadin' edge. This will provide t' most strength. Be very careful with t' 1/16" balsa for t' sustainer fins . Well, blow me down! . Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! . this is some flimsy stuff until it is sealed with CA or primer. Begad! And even though t' instructions call it optional, I tampered the leadin' and trailin' edges o' each fin. Arrr! Just be careful with t' thin balsa. Just be careful with t' thin balsa. Aye aye! I broke t' fin along t' grain and had to glue back on with CA while finishing. Ahoy! Begad!

Another area t' take care on, be t' installation o' the sustainer's motor mount. Begad! Do your very best t' keep glue off o' t' lower section o' t' tube. This is where t' booster slides into and can cause problems with fit if thar be glue there. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' unique part o' t' Crossfire™ is the booster fin ring. Avast! Arrr! My rin' fit perfectly and didn't require any additional sandin' o' t' fins for fit. Begad! T' only precaution is that t' fin ring, if snug, can cause t' fins t' come out o' alignment, matey, ya bilge rat, so take care t' ensure t' fins are still straight before t' glue sets on t' fin ring. Ya scallywag! Avast!

Assembly o' t' nose cone was unique t' me, me bucko, too. You drill (with a hobby knife) a small hole in t' shoulder t' allow t' Keelhaul®©™® tether t' pass through. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This is tied t' a retainer (small bead) which prevents it from passin' back through t' hole. Begad! Blimey! Then t' shoulder is glued onto t' nose cone. With respect t' t' shoulder, I think it is a bit too short. It also required tape t' make it fit snug into t' body tube.

As always I start me finishin' process with Plasti-Kote primer. Begad! I painted it gloss black and topped t' nose cone with gold. Arrr! I also did just t' outside o' t' booster's fin rin' in gold. This turned out very nice and matched t' Crossfire™ decal. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! With regards t' the decals, ya bilge rat, they are water transferable and along with t' Crossfire™ name, there are 3 sets o' Rogue Aerospace, shiver me timbers, 2 sets o' numbers and 4 cross-hairs.

For CONSTRUCTION, I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points. Well, blow me down!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

T' Crossfire™ is nay your standard two-stage kit. T' two motors are nay taped together. Begad! Each motor mount has its own motor clip t' hold t' motors in. Begad! Blimey! When assemble t' motors are at a minimal distance apart t' allow t' in-flight ignition o' t' sustainer motor. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag!

T' maiden voyage be set up usin' a B6-0 in t' booster and a B6-4 in t' sustainer. T' recommended motor for t' sustainer is a B6-6, but I didn't have any. Avast! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! With everythin' set, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' count down began . Begad! Well, me hearties, blow me down! . Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! . Ahoy! Aye aye! 3, 2, 1!

Ignition took place but t' rocket didn't move, me hearties, then the booster motor stopped just as t' sustainer ignited. Aye aye! Blimey! T' sustainer took off quickly. Arrr! Begad! We were able t' seen t' ejection and t' 12" orange parachute deploy. Avast! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Then what looked like a straight drop recovery started t' turn into a drift and run as fast and as far as possible. Aye aye! This rocket was carried about 1/4 mile away . . Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! . Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! but be recovered!

After checkin' why t' booster never lifted off, matey, it was determined that t' motor hook got caught on a "rod-stop" preventing it from liftin' off. Nay only that, matey, but it burned a hole right through me blast shield.

For t' second flight, I ensured the booster was nay hooked and cut a 2" spill-hole in t' parachute. Avast! I used t' same motors (B6/B6) and off it went. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Perfect lift, ya bilge rat, visible separation and successful sustainer ignition. Blimey! Out o' site, trial o' smoke, then a little orange parachute appeared. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! It be so high, me bucko, I had time t' pick up t' booster and then start walkin' t' where t' sustainer landed. Watchin' t' descend rate indicated that I could probably go with a 3" spill hole or tighten up on the shroud lines. Aye aye! Begad! This kit is a good candidate for a streamer, ya bilge rat, because I can only imagine t' altitude with C6/C6 combination. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad!

Booster is nay only unique looking, shiver me timbers, arrr, but also unique in it's descent. Arrr! Aye aye! I spins makin' it look like a sphere!

I just want t' mention this kit's recovery system. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! It uses a Keelhaul®©™® tether as already mentioned, me bucko, which is attached t' t' thrust rin' for strength. Rogue Aerospace's also provides a nylon parachute and a piece o' Perma-Wadding™ which eliminates t' need for waddin' paper. Begad! I love this stuff and have purchased it separately from Rogue for me other kits. Arrr!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, matey, I would rate this kit 4 points. Well, blow me down!

Overall, for t' uniqueness o' t' fin-ring, quality o' a rip-stop parachute and Perma-Wadding™, t' Crossfire™ is a great kit for someone lookin' for a two-stage kit. Begad! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 1/2 points. Arrr!

Brief:  This is a 2-staged 18mm, me hearties, matey, me bucko, 4-finned rocket with a rin' around t' fins o' t' lower stage. Begad! Begad! Blimey!

Construction:Everythin' be thar and in good shape, arrr, nay warped. Aye aye! The nose cone is hollow plastic, t' body is spiral wound paper, t' fins are die cut balsa at 1/8 inch thickness. T' instructions were logical and straightforward with some pictures. Ya scallywag! Begad! However, matey, me hearties, t' nose cone came in two parts, that is, shiver me timbers, t' top and bottom, and needed t' be glued together. Arrr! And t' lower stage alignment with t' rin' was a bear. Arrr! I had t' sand t' chord edges o' the fins until t' rin' could fit without either distortin' t' body tube or skewin' t' angle o' fin attachment. In other words, matey, arrr, me hearties, t' fit was too tight. In other words, t' fit was too tight. But once I got it t' fit, it looked great. Do be warned that it will take some doing, though. Arrr! It took me two days t' get it right.  Built up, t' model is now sturdy and sharp looking. Aye aye!

Finishing:There weren't any decals, matey, me hearties, so I finished the model by makin' t' fins, arrr, inside o' t' fin ring, and nose all black with Testor's enamel paint. T' body was finished with metallic flake adhesive-on-one-side greetin' card paper. This can be bought at craft stores such as Michael's. T' outside o' t' fin rin' be finished with bands o' the adhesive glitter paper too.
T' nose cone was a tiny bit too loose, so I supplied a thin band o' masking tape t' t' nose cone shoulder t' tighten t' fit. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down!

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:T' recommended engines are: T' recommended engines are: B6-0 or C6-0 for t' booster and B6-6 or C6-7 for t' sustainer. Avast! I used these thus far, and plan t' try some engines from Apogee later. Avast! Aye aye! I have made some motor adapters so t' sustainer can use their 10.5mm B7-8 engines.  T' booster is too short t' use t' B7-0, arrr, though. I used me usual worm beddin' wadding, just enough t' fill t' diameter o' t' body tube t' about half an inch. Avast, me proud beauty! The engines were retained with a motor block in t' sustainer with a tape band around t' aft end o' t' sustainer's motor, and tape for t' aft end o' the booster's engine. No actual method was provided otherwise with t' kit itself. T' model flies straight and nicely. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! And t' orange chute supplied looked great.  I wish t' booster had its own recovery system instead o' tumble recovery, shiver me timbers, though. Aye aye!

Recovery:T' shock cord I modified.  T' kit came with a 36 inch length o' 1/16 inch thick Keelhaul®©™® cording. Well, blow me down! That's fine as a rule, but one o' me hangups with shock cords is that t' should stretch to reduce stress on t' shock system. Ahoy! So, ya bilge rat, matey, I added a 2-foot length o' flat, 1/4 inch elastic t' t' forward end o' t' cording.  T' kit supplied a plastic bead t' retain t' shock cordin' from inside t' nose cone. Avast! T' knot is made inside t' nose cone before its two halves are assembled. T' rocket so far has suffered no wear or damage, shiver me timbers, except some slight scorchin' o' the booster, arrr, which seems common in contact staging. Avast, me proud beauty! T' parachute is thin orange nylon, me hearties, 10 inches in diameter.  Although it's a flat hexagon, shiver me timbers, it inflated nicely. It seems just right in size, as t' rocket descends softly. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:Cool looking, ya bilge rat, flies straight, ya bilge rat, catchy fin rin' draws attention. Any cons include alignment o' t' booster takin' some determination, but t' result is worth it. Aye aye! Avast! T' shock cord wasn't stretchy. Avast, me proud beauty! Maybe it isn't necessary, but I added elastic t' it for stretch. Begad! If I'd change anythin' major, it'd be t' supply t' booster with a recovery streamer. Aye aye! Well, arrr, blow me down! This would help in makin' it visible for recovery while t' flyer concentrates on locatin' the sustainer.  But so far I finished t' fin rin' with bright glitter paper for visibility. Avast!

Overall Rating: 3 ½ out o' 5

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T' followin' excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". Aye aye! T' intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. Ahoy! We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' the referenced Sport Rocketry and read t' entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. Begad! Begad! For more information, use t' two links above. Begad!

"If you find buildin' rockets t' be as much fun as flyin' them, then you should enjoy the kits offered by Rogue Aerospace."
"T' Crossfire is a two-stage rocket which has a rin' fin on the booster."
"This kit features a vacuum-formed plastic nose cone, me hearties, balsa fins, me bucko, a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord, water transfer decals, shiver me timbers, a 12" diameter nylon parachute, matey, and perma-wadding."
"Eight pages o' easy t' read, arrr, illustrated instructions . Well, blow me down! . ."
"I found t' Crossfire fairly easy t' build."
"For t' fins, me hearties, ya bilge rat, you are provided with templates t' trace on t' supplied balsa stock."
"I flew me Crossfire with a B6-0/B6-6 combination."
". . Ahoy! . Blimey! Blimey! straight flight and stagin' be very smooth."
". Begad! Begad! . Avast! Begad! . returned t' sustainer without a scratch."
"Overall, me bucko, I think t' Crossfire is a great kit."

T' entire article gives t' impression is that this unique lookin' 2-stage kit for an intermediate modeler. Begad! Aye aye!