Brief:
Recognizable by almost everyone as either t' spaceship from t' sci-fi classic "Destination Moon" or as the cover model from t' 1961 Estes catalog, arrr, t' Semroc VF-261 is both a quick and challengin' build. Ahoy! Arrr! Blimey! It's quick because it has relatively few parts but challengin' because o' a couple o' non-traditional steps.

Construction:
T' kit includes:

• BNC-55FD balsa nose cone
• BT-55S body tube
• BTC-55Z balsa tail cone
• 3/32" laser cut fin stock
• EB-20A engine block
• SE-12 screw eye
• PB-75 plywood block
• LL-2A launch lugs (4)
• WC-5 clay weight
• Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• Elastic shock cord
• 12" parachute kit

T' first thin' I did upon arrivin' at t' Nation Sport Launch in Muncie was head t' t' Semroc booth and buy a VF-261. Blimey! Since I be stayin' at t' Passport Inn in t' south end o' town, I figured that I'd be out o' t' action as far as post-launch activities were concerned. Ahoy! I also figured that t' VF-261 would make a great project t' work on while I was "locked in" me room at night. Begad! Arrr! How right I was.

Instructions for this kit are up t' t' normal standards o' Semroc excellence, but I think this kit might be mislabeled as a skill level 1 project. Aye aye! Arrr! Construction in general was pretty standard, but thar were two steps that caused me t' stand back and take stock o' t' project t' that point. T' first o' these be step #9 which said "Usin' a small amount o' balsa dust or tissue, form a small aerodynamic shape on t' tip o' each fin." In my hotel room, me hearties, shiver me timbers, dust was plentiful, ya bilge rat, only t' bulk o' it wasn't balsa dust. Avast! It was dirt. Arrr! I took some o' t' spare balsa and sanded it like I be Survivorman tryin' t' start a fire in t' Canadian wilderness. Avast, me proud beauty! I took some wood glue and mixed it with t' dust then tried t' place it on t' fin tip in somethin' that resembled an aerodynamic shape. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions said "This should look like t' cross section on t' fin and rounded like a miniature nose cone." It didn't. It looked like a booger. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I spent t' next ten minutes sandin' and wipin' t' area down, shiver me timbers, tryin' t' get all traces o' the offendin' booger off o' t' rocket. I didn't, but you have t' be lookin' for it t' notice it.

T' second area o' concern be t' fin attachment. First o' all I had trouble extendin' t' line from t' body tube straight down t' boat tail. Ahoy! My line always seemed t' have a pronounced curve t' them as they neared t' engine mount. Ya scallywag! T' only ruler/straight edge I had brought with me be me Estes tube markin' guide, which be nowhere near flexible enough t' allow it t' conform t' t' tapered surface. Begad! Arrr! In t' end I eyeballed t' rudder and glued it in place with gel CA. Avast, me proud beauty! When this had dried I took each fin and placed them onto t' body until I was satisfied that they were on straight then marked t' end o' t' boat tail. Arrr! I placed t' rocket body onto a piece o' scrap balsa as suggested in the instructions, matey, coated t' root edge o' t' fin with gel CA, and lined it up on me marks while allowin' t' fin tip to touch t' tabletop. Well, blow me down! Worked great.

Finishing:
Finishin' be nay a problem. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I had envisioned standin' in t' parkin' lot outside me room and doin' me sandin' and painting, me hearties, but me room overlooked t' "courtyard" (which looked as though a gang war may have been fought there. Possibly t' previous night.) Once I was in me room for t' night, I literally didn't emerge until morning. Begad! It was that bad. Blimey! All o' me glue fillets had dried by t' time I woke on Saturday mornin' so before I took me shower, I used t' bathroom as a paint booth and sprayed on t' first coat o' primer. Avast! Begad! Because o' t' dry air in t' room, arrr, the primer was dry t' t' touch by t' time I had dressed and I slathered on t' first coat o' Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish before leavin' for t' AMA Field. Begad! When I returned that night I once again locked myself in, ya bilge rat, matey, me bucko, sanded t' Fill 'n' Finish, and sprayed on another coat o' primer before I took me shower. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! After t' shower I applied more Fill 'n' Finish t' the problem areas, sanded them when they were dry, me hearties, and sprayed t' final coat o' primer on before I turned in for the night. Aye aye! Begad! Conditions were still dry and breezy when I arrived at t' field on Sunday, which allowed me t' do t' painting on t' VF-261 betwixt flights. Begad! I first sprayed t' entire rocket with Valspar silver metallic, matey, shiver me timbers, t' perfect paint for the conditions because it dries extremely fast. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Once it had dried t' t' touch, I masked off everythin' but t' tail fin, me hearties, me bucko, ya bilge rat, which I then sprayed with Valspar gloss black. Avast! More paintin' would be necessary later but havin' it look close to the kit card art be all I be hopin' for on flight #1.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
As I had hoped, shiver me timbers, t' first flight was at NSL 2007 outside o' Muncie, IN. Well, blow me down! Despite t' size o' t' field, I somewhat puzzlingly went with a B6-4 for t' first flight. Avast, me proud beauty! (I may have wanted t' cut down on t' inevitable post-flight walk or I just may have been out o' C6-7s.) As it turned out, t' B6-4 was plenty o' motor for t' AMA field and t' flight was straight and surprisingly high, arrr, momentarily goin' out o' sight. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Recovery occurred a long way downrange, but even from our vantage point on t' flight line it was obvious that it was goin' t' be a Bill Eichelberger signature recovery either on or very near t' access road. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! One long walk later I found it within three feet o' t' road but luckily without damage.

Flight #2 was at a QUARK launch at t' VOA, ya bilge rat, another good sized field. Begad! This time I chose an A8-3, once again because I probably had no C6-7s and was runnin' low on B6-4s. This flight be also quite straight but never out of sight. Ejection occurred right at apogee and it be immediately apparent that somethin' wasn't right. Avast! From t' looks of things, arrr, t' weight o' t' rocket and t' lack o' wind weren't enough t' get t' chute t' completely deploy. Begad! Instead it acted like a bulky streamer and was perfect under t' conditions as t' landin' happened in t' heavy grass t' t' east of t' field. No damage, but I wonder if future flights would be that lucky. Begad! Ahoy! On a happy note, t' A8-3 flight would have been perfect for flights at B6-4 Field. Now if I can just find a day without ball games.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Vintage styling. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Fairly quick build. Good performer. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Would make for a cool upscale!

CONs: Hit or miss fin attachment method. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Balsa dust boogers.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5