Brief:
With t' introduction o' t' Swift, matey, Semroc has now added a conventional boost glider t' their fleet, and one easy enough for even a nove modeler t' build and get flyin' reasinably well. Based upon t' 1969 Centuri design, matey, this "retro repro" features laser-cut parts t' speed up construction, arrr, as well as Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cord on t' pod t' improve t' durability.

Construction:
Semroc kits feature top quality parts, and this kit is no exception. Ya scallywag! Begad! Your $14.50 (retail) gets you:

• Balsa nose cone
• BT-20 body tube
• CR-18/13 motor blocl
• Metal motor hook
• Laser cut wing, stabilizer, rudder
• Laser cut fuselage
• Streamer
• Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cord
• waterslide decal

The instructions are well illustrated and generally well written. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This is rated a skill level 1 kit by Semroc, though I'd suggest it's a bit closer t' a 2 just due t' some o' t' nuances o' buildin' a polyhedral win' and trimmin' t' glider for good flights. Aye aye! Blimey! Dependin' on how much time, arrr, if any, you invest in tryin' t' airfoil t' wing, me hearties, you can expect construction t' take betwixt 2 and 4 hours plus finishing.

T' win' is built from a set o' 4 laser-cut pieces. Aye aye! That certainly takes a good deal o' t' work and sloppiness out o' tryin' t' hand cut t' swept eliptical pattern. Aye aye! Arrr! I'd point out, though, matey, that t' illustration that points out the leadin' and trailin' edges, me bucko, due t' t' perspective view, matey, makes it a little tricky t' figure out that t' straighter edge is leadin' and t' swept edge is trailing. Ahoy! A beginner might nay have t' exerience t' figure that out. Begad!

Since this is a polyhedral, ya bilge rat, thar will be 3 angled joints for t' 4 pieces. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' help establish t' correct dihedrals, thar are 2 slick little braces made from laser-cut balsa. Begad! In me case, t' slots t' accept t' cross braces were a little too tight, so I had t' shave them a bit t' widen t' gap. Blimey! Aye aye! T' taller o' t' two braces is used for t' outer dihedral (between t' inner wings and win' tips), and t' smaller brace is used for t' inner dihedral. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' get a really good glue joint, it's important t' rough sand each surface angled for t' dihedral. Aye aye! While t' directions suggest this, they overlook one handy tip--sand one surface perpenticular (90-degree) and use t' brace t' support t' other piece at an angle and usin' a sandin' block sand t' bevel t' that side. Well, blow me down! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down!

Before bondin' me win' pieces, I decided t' sand in a decent airfoil first, me hearties, then CA'd t' pieces together rather than go through 3 different overnight waits for wood glue t' cure well enough t' hold t' dihedrals. Arrr! Arrr!

T' fuselage is built from 2 separate pieces fit together with a tongue and groove. Avast! At first I was concerned about t' structural integrity o' this, but then discovered that thar are thin balsa cover pieces that close off the slot where t' pod pylon slips in, ya bilge rat, and these wind up formin' a reinforcin' skin over t' joint, me hearties, ya bilge rat, so all should be fine. Avast, me proud beauty!

With t' fuselage joined and t' covers in place, I then tacked t' tail and rudder together, again aided by excellent laser-cut notches t' ensure proper fit and alignment. Avast! T' rudder/tail assembly is then tacked onto t' aft end o' t' fuselage, and t' win' tacked on about midway. Well, blow me down! It will probably look funny, arrr, as though t' win' is too far back, shiver me timbers, but it's a fiarly small win' and this needs a lot o' nose weight for proper balance, so t' fuselage is quite extended, arrr, arrr, servin' as ballast. Aye aye!

T' pod is quite simple, me bucko, arrr, typical o' conventional pods. Avast! T' BT-20 serves as motor and body tube, with a centering rin' motor block anchorin' t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord and a metal hook for motor retention (hel in place by an external coupler sleeve). Ahoy! There is a pylon for latchin' onto t' glider, which is built up from two pieces o' balsa, me hearties, one o' which is notched perfectly t' fit over the coupler sleeve on t' body tube for accurate placement. Blimey! T' elastic and nose cone, matey, ya bilge rat, with streamer, go on next compelting t' construction.

Finishing:
Normally I don't add finish t' gliders, matey, as t' extra weight tends t' diminish performance, matey, and at most apply a thin cover o' sealant or dope. Ahoy! Blimey! In this case, matey, though, shiver me timbers, given t' waterslide decal and cool lookin' color scheme on t' cover art, I decided t' go ahead and paint it. I hit everythin' with a couple coats o' white primer, shiver me timbers, followed by a single coat o' gloss white. After allowin' a day for t' white t' dry, me hearties, me bucko, I then masked off t' inner portions o' t' wing, arrr, the middle o' t' stabilizer, me hearties, and t' pod and painted everythin' else red. Begad! Blimey! I followed up with a little blue pin striping I'd picked up a few years ago at a local hobby shop. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' wateslide decals provided t' finishin' touch.

I should emphasize, matey, though, that I went very light on t' paint and did nay use any filler. I suspect John Lee's glide/trim issues could be related t' t' added weight o' a heavy finish job. Arrr! Blimey! In me case, t' booster and glider prepped for flight, me bucko, me hearties, even painted, shiver me timbers, still weigh in at just under an ounce (27 grams).

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I'm nay sure why t' recommended motors jump from 1/2A6-2 t' B4-2, skippin' over A's, but suspect it's because o' the 3 second delay on A8's which might be a little too long. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I went with t' 1/2A6, fearin' t' B would send t' glider high enough t' drift away in t' 8 mph winds.

T' 1/2A boost was almost comical, though--altitude o' maybe 75-100 feet, arrr, deployed just at t' end o' t' coast phase, and a clean transition though I nearly managed a Red Baron on t' long streamer.

Recovery:
Since I was flyin' solo, me hearties, me hearties, I be a little worried about tryin' t' track both t' pod in tall grass and t' glider, me hearties, but caught a break. Ya scallywag! T' pod cam down so close t' t' pad area that it almost hit me on t' head. Aye aye! T' glider transitioned fairly smartly into a nice level glide (I did nay need any nails or weight for balancing), ya bilge rat, and circled into t' wind. This is where t' flight got sort o' comical, as t' glider was oriented facin' into t' wind, but t' wind be winnin' the battle a bit. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! At first t' glider merely hovered for maybe 5 seconds, then started driftin' backwards a bit, finally pullin' away into a left turn. Well, blow me down! It circled twice before settin' down for an overall flight o' about 40 seconds. Not exactly a slope soarin' model, me hearties, but commendable first flight.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I share t' opinion that this would make a good beginner's glider. Well, blow me down! T' laser-cut parts and dihedral jigs simplify construction, me hearties, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and if built t' t' instructions it seems t' come out trimmed fairly well. I do think t' pod streamer is a bit larger than necessary, and while that makes findin' it easier, ya bilge rat, it also adds risk o' tanglin' up with t' glider.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5