Brief:
This was originally produced by Estes Industries and is currently out of production (OOP). Begad! Plans were obtained from Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe. Aye aye! Design was for an 18mm mount with a parachute recovery.

Construction:
Design has four fins with 2 representin' wings and 2 rudders. Avast! Aye aye! Two long sections of body tube represent scramjets.

Components:

• 1 BT-55 body tube 14" long
• 2 BT-50 body tubes 6.5" long
• 1 BT-20 engine tube 2.75"
• 2 CR2055 centerin' rings
• 1 Engine hook 2.75"
• 1 BNC-55AO nose cone
• 3/32" fin stock
• 36" shock cord
• 18" parachute

The instructions were very straightforward and followed a logical sequence, however, it did nay mention sandin' t' root edge o' t' wings at an angle to fit tight against t' body tube. Ahoy! Blimey! I also sanded t' root edge o' t' rudders into a 'V' shape t' fit tight betwixt t' main body and scramjets. I put in the standard 18mm motor mount in t' main body tube and later added 13mm motor mounts in t' scramjets. Arrr! Blimey! I used t' standard tri-fold shock cord mount and an 18" parachute. No nose weight was required for t' standard configuration but I added weight after addin' t' additional motor mounts.

I had all o' t' parts needed for construction at hand with t' exception of t' nose cone which I bought from BMS.

Finishing:
T' model was given an overall coat o' white paint and t' decals were applied to give t' desired look. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' decal scan from Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe was grainy so I cleaned them up usin' Microsoft Paint. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' flag decals lacked stars so I substituted flags that I had made myself. Avast, me proud beauty! T' blue be too light for t' flag so I used a darker shade o' blue. Blimey! I printed them on Bels decal paper and coated them with Krylon Crystal Clear before application. Ahoy!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I flew t' model for 3 flights on a single motor and then added t' motor mounts in t' scramjets.

First flight be on a B4-4 and t' flight was straight but arched over and ejection was past apogee. T' second flight be on a B6-4 and ejection was still past apogee but just barely. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' third flight be on a day with winds in the 15-18 mph range and on a C6-3 and t' rocket went up straight but t' back end displayed a lot o' undulation possible due t' t' asymmetrical design and the high wind. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey!

After addin' t' motor mounts in t' scramjets, arrr, I flew it twice on a combination o' C6-5 main and A10-PT in t' outboards. Begad! Flight on this configuration was nearly perfect with a high straight flight and ejection at apogee. Ahoy! Begad!

Recovery:
I used t' standard Estes type tri-fold mount with a 36" piece of 1/4" sewin' elastic. Begad! Recovery on an 18" plastic chute be acceptable for t' large field I be flyin' on with all recoveries (except for t' high wind day) within 100' o' launch pad. Ya scallywag!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I really enjoyed this clone. It has that futuristic "space plane" look that I personally am attracted to.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5