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

Instructions for this kit are up t' t' normal standards o' Semroc excellence, matey, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but I think this kit might be mislabeled as a skill level 1 project. Ya scallywag! 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. Ahoy! T' first o' these was 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, dust be plentiful, shiver me timbers, only t' bulk o' it wasn't balsa dust. Avast, me proud beauty! It be dirt. 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. Avast! 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. I spent t' next ten minutes sandin' and wipin' t' area down, ya bilge rat, tryin' t' get all traces o' the offendin' booger off o' t' rocket. Ahoy! I didn't, but you have t' be lookin' for it t' notice it.

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

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

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
As I had hoped, me hearties, arrr, t' first flight be at NSL 2007 outside o' Muncie, IN. Despite t' size o' t' field, 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, ya bilge rat, me hearties, t' B6-4 was plenty o' motor for t' AMA field and t' flight was straight and surprisingly high, momentarily goin' out o' sight. Ya scallywag! 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, another good sized field. This time I chose an A8-3, once again because I probably had no C6-7s and be runnin' low on B6-4s. Aye aye! Blimey! This flight was also quite straight but never out of sight. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ejection occurred right at apogee and it was immediately apparent that somethin' wasn't right. Begad! Blimey! From t' looks of things, shiver me timbers, t' weight o' t' rocket and t' lack o' wind weren't enough t' get t' chute t' completely deploy. Blimey! Blimey! Instead it acted like a bulky streamer and be perfect under t' conditions as t' landin' happened in t' heavy grass t' t' east of t' field. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! No damage, me bucko, but I wonder if future flights would be that lucky. Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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. Aye aye! Arrr! Fairly quick build. Aye aye! Good performer. Would make for a cool upscale!

CONs: Hit or miss fin attachment method. Avast! Arrr! Balsa dust boogers.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5