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, ya bilge rat, me hearties, t' Semroc VF-261 is both a quick and challengin' build. 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 be head t' t' Semroc booth and buy a VF-261. Begad! Since I be stayin' at t' Passport Inn in t' south end o' town, shiver me timbers, I figured that I'd be out o' t' action as far as post-launch activities were concerned. Avast! Avast! I also figured that t' VF-261 would make a great project t' work on while I was "locked in" me room at night. How right I was.

Instructions for this kit are up t' t' normal standards o' Semroc excellence, me bucko, me bucko, but I think this kit might be mislabeled as a skill level 1 project. Ahoy! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Construction in general be pretty standard, but thar were two steps that caused me t' stand back and take stock o' t' project t' that point. Arrr! T' first o' these was step #9 which said "Usin' a small amount o' balsa dust or tissue, me hearties, form a small aerodynamic shape on t' tip o' each fin." In my hotel room, dust was plentiful, only t' bulk o' it wasn't balsa dust. Avast! It was dirt. Well, me hearties, blow me down! I took some o' t' spare balsa and sanded it like I was Survivorman tryin' t' start a fire in t' Canadian wilderness. 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. Begad! 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. Blimey! Ahoy! I spent t' next ten minutes sandin' and wipin' t' area down, tryin' t' get all traces o' the offendin' booger off o' t' rocket. Begad! Blimey! I didn't, ya bilge rat, matey, 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. Avast! My line always seemed t' have a pronounced curve t' them as they neared t' engine mount. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' only ruler/straight edge I had brought with me was me Estes tube markin' guide, which was nowhere near flexible enough t' allow it t' conform t' t' tapered surface. Well, blow me down! In t' end I eyeballed t' rudder and glued it in place with gel CA. When this had dried I took each fin and placed them onto t' body until I be satisfied that they were on straight then marked t' end o' t' boat tail. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I placed t' rocket body onto a piece o' scrap balsa as suggested in the instructions, me bucko, 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. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Worked great. Arrr! Arrr!

Finishing:
Finishin' be nay a problem. Ahoy! Ahoy! I had envisioned standin' in t' parkin' lot outside me room and doin' me sandin' and painting, but me room overlooked t' "courtyard" (which looked as though a gang war may have been fought there. Blimey! Possibly t' previous night.) Once I was in me room for t' night, I literally didn't emerge until morning. Begad! Aye aye! It was that bad. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! 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. Because o' t' dry air in t' room, 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. Avast! Avast! When I returned that night I once again locked myself in, matey, matey, arrr, sanded t' Fill 'n' Finish, and sprayed on another coat o' primer before I took me shower. Arrr! After t' shower I applied more Fill 'n' Finish t' the problem areas, shiver me timbers, sanded them when they were dry, and sprayed t' final coat o' primer on before I turned in for the night. Ahoy! Arrr! 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. Blimey! Begad! I first sprayed t' entire rocket with Valspar silver metallic, t' perfect paint for the conditions because it dries extremely fast. Begad! Once it had dried t' t' touch, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I masked off everythin' but t' tail fin, matey, shiver me timbers, which I then sprayed with Valspar gloss black. Ya scallywag! 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, t' first flight was at NSL 2007 outside o' Muncie, IN. Despite t' size o' t' field, me hearties, I somewhat puzzlingly went with a B6-4 for t' first flight. (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, ya bilge rat, matey, momentarily goin' out o' sight. Avast! Begad! 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. Avast! One long walk later I found it within three feet o' t' road but luckily without damage.

Flight #2 be at a QUARK launch at t' VOA, matey, another good sized field. Arrr! This time I chose an A8-3, ya bilge rat, once again because I probably had no C6-7s and was runnin' low on B6-4s. Blimey! Ahoy! This flight was also quite straight but never out of sight. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Ejection occurred right at apogee and it be immediately apparent that somethin' wasn't right. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! From t' looks of things, shiver me timbers, matey, t' weight o' t' rocket and t' lack o' wind weren't enough t' get t' chute t' completely deploy. 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. On a happy note, t' A8-3 flight would have been perfect for flights at B6-4 Field. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Now if I can just find a day without ball games.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5