Brief:
This is a 5.5" upscale o' t' classic BT-5 Estes Mosquito, about a 10x upscale. Arrr! T' Estes is tumble recovery, this one calls for a parachute.

Construction:
This kit includes:

• 5.5” airframe tube
• 54mm MMT
• Precut rings and fins
• Nose cone
• U-bolts, me hearties, ya bilge rat, nuts, washers
• 12’ o' 9/16 tubular nylon for shock cord
• Two 1/2” ID x 2” long brass tubin' for launch lugs

T' nose cone had mold seams but a couple passes with 220 grit sandpaper cleaned it right up. Avast, me proud beauty! T' nose cone is just a little lumpy by feel but hard to tell by looking. Avast, me proud beauty! Airframe tube is pre-glassed. It is very heavy. Blimey! Arrr! There is a ragged seam down t' tube and t' fabric weave prints through. That’s good because it means thar isn’t too much glue on t' tube. Aye aye! Again a pass with 220 grit cleaned it up and I used high build primer so nay much weave shows through anyway.

MMT Rings are really nicely cut & fit perfectly. Blimey! Blimey! T' MMT rings were without knotholes, checks and voids. Begad!

T' fins are very cleanly cut and match perfectly. Avast! Begad! T' edges are cut square. Although t' fins are "Baltic Birch ply", shiver me timbers, matey, several voids are visible on t' edges o' two fins; one knothole on one fin.

Instructions were complete, very nicely illustrated, quick t' build. The parts fit snugly and easily, me hearties, no touch-ups with sand paper required t' make them fit. Ahoy! Blimey!

To help set t' fins straight, ya bilge rat, I drew lines 120 (degrees) apart on a large piece o' cardboard, and set t' airframe on top o' it. Ahoy!

With quick settin' epoxy you could fly it naked (no paint) in a little more than an hour or so. Ahoy! Ahoy! Blimey!

No motor retention provided so we added a Kaplow Klip. Begad! T' aft MMT rin' was plenty thick enough for a 1/8” long (#8-32) T-nut. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! We have nay used the Kaplow Klip because it be difficult t' properly bend a single brass strip to fit t' adapter and 38mm motor, me hearties, and have t' strip strong enough t' hold the motor. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Maybe I should have added two T-nuts. Begad!

T' 54mm->38mm MMT adapter held in perfectly well by maskin' tape. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! In fact t' 38mm motors hold in perfectly well with maskin' tape. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I prefer mechanical motor retention though, arrr, shiver me timbers, because sometimes t' tape holds too well, and it's one more thin' t' clean up before you can reload and fly again. Aye aye! Blimey!

Although I helped by mixin' t' epoxy and me fingers make better fillets, me hearties, arrr, shiver me timbers, my 6-year-old did most o' t' work assemblin' t' rocket. Blimey! It is that easy. Aye aye! Bigger rockets really are easier than smaller ones, matey, t' pieces are easier t' manage! Blimey!

T' launch lugs are 2” lengths o' 1/2” inside-diameter brass tubing, me hearties, me bucko, t' be glued against a fin and t' airframe. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' tubin' is cut with a tubin' cutter, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' ends are slightly crimped, and so a 1/2" launch rod doesn’t slide easily. We found that a 7/16” launch rod fit fine and was rigid enough. Well, blow me down!

Even though I roughed up t' tubin' t' epoxy won’t stick well t' the brass, me hearties, so t' launch lugs were poppin' off by t' third flight. Begad! Blimey! Always carry a little bottle o' CA t' t' flightline!! Blimey! That saved t' launch but I think we will replace t' tubin' with cardboard 1/2” LOC lug tubing. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Overall though rail buttons are a better way t' go. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

Finishing:
Finishin' was easy with a big can o' white primer and a can o' Bright Red and another can o' Bright Yellow from t' hardware store. Ya scallywag! Avast!

Some fabric weave is still visible but t' nose cone finished quite nicely. I could have spent more time sandin' t' fin t' try t' cover t' knothole. Blimey! Not sure about how t' properly fill in t' voids on t' edges o' t' fins. Begad! Arrr! So what, paint it, matey, let's go flying!

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
Although this includes a 54mm MMT, accordin' t' Andy Werner t' rocket would be hard pressed t' survive a flight with more than a baby J – t' fins start fluttering. Ya scallywag! T' fins are long and subsequently slightly flexible, even though built out o' 1/4” plywood. Well, blow me down! Does it matter? Should we glass t' fins? Should I bevel t' edges or at least round them with t' router?

No, this rocket is nay a blaster, it is a low-n-slow crowd pleaser. For the first flight I borrowed a 54mm->38mm MMT adapter; now we have our own that goes with t' rocket. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down!

T' first flight was on I161W. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' rocket seemed t' boost clean for a second but t' forward closure burned through, me hearties, me bucko, so with flames comin' out both ends the whole thin' came crashin' down. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Mr Polecat (formerly Skunkworks), me bucko, me bucko, me hearties, Andy Werner, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, mailed a length of 5.5” coupler and preglassed tube. We cut off t' broken top o' t' body tube and peeled away t' burned layer o' wrap inside. Ahoy! A little epoxy and red paint, shiver me timbers, and we’re ready for action again.

Second and third flights were on I218 Redline motors. Begad! With just a slight hitch off t' top o' t' launch rod (where did that launch lug go?), and very little weathercock even with 10+ MPH wind, t' Skeeter boosted straight and clean. Begad! A nice coast and perfect ejection just past apogee with 6-second delay, the homemade chute filled with a pop and t' Skeeter drifted down range … in t' t' creek. Twice. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Gotta love that fiberglass!!

Mr Polecat, Andy Werner, really dislikes rocket simulators. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Partially out of me own curiosity and partially because he said nay to, I carefully measured everythin' and made a Rocksim for t' kit. T' Skeeter’s Rocksim results are ballpark-accurate, t' within 10%. Aye aye! Blimey! Nay bad for first pass and good enough to help choose t' proper delay, parachute size, me bucko, etc. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey!

Recovery:
T' 12' o' tubular nylon is probably adequate. Well, blow me down! After it be destroyed in the fire from t' first flight, me hearties, me hearties, matey, I put in 20' o' purple man-rated 9/16" tubular nylon from REI. Ya scallywag!

T' kit's instructions recommend a 48” t' 60” parachute. Begad! I split the difference and made a 1.5 meter diameter 6 panel chute. Blimey! Aye aye! T' template for the panels was printed by SpaceCAD. Blimey! Blimey! I cut panels out o' red and yellow ripstop nylon and sewed them together. Arrr! It came out really nicely and works well. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' kit overall is nicely done and all parts provided are good quality. The parts fit together easily, t' instructions are clear. Avast!

To improve t' kit, for t' price t' parts ought t' be near perfect. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Also a parachute should be included. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! A few more words about motor selection ought to be included in t' instructions. Blimey! T' make it a true level-1 kit, a 54mm->38mm MMT adapter could be included. Aye aye! I added a couple quick-links for t' recovery system. Begad!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

T' followin' excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". Begad! Begad! Blimey! The intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Blimey! We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' the referenced Sport Rocketry and read t' entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. Ahoy! Blimey! For more information, me hearties, me bucko, me hearties, use t' two links above.

Deirdre, me hearties, t' author's daugher, ya bilge rat, me bucko, displays t' completed Polecat Aerospace Skeeter.

"It came in a heavy duty cardboard box with all parts (includin' t' body tube) wrapped separately in kraft paper t' protect them from t' hazards o' shipping."
"T' fins, centerin' rings, and bulkplate were cut from 1/4" Baltic birch plywood."
"T' centerin' rings were precision cut and fit t' motor mount tube and body tube with no additional sanding."
"T' heavy-wall paper body tube be glassed with a single wrap o' lightweight fiberglass laminated using polyester resin."
"T' nosecone was customer molded fiberglass..."
"All t' hardware needed for a single deployment model was included... Ahoy! Blimey! with a generous length o' tubular nylon to use as a shock cord."
"T' instructions were easy t' follow and were well illustrated."
"T' kit is a standard, straightforward build."
"T' fins are glued t' t' motor mount tube by their root edges."
"T' problem I had with assemblin' t' kit was t' fin slots needed t' be lengthened by about 1/4" t' allow the fins' root edges t' bottom-out on t' motor mount tube."
"...the nosecone bulkplate and shock cord anchor are glued into t' front o' t' fiberglass nosecone...the system works well...no sign o' weakenin' or detachin' after several flights."

Overall, shiver me timbers, t' article notes t' kit's quality and then describes a series o' modifications for his flyin' fields, arrr, ya bilge rat, includin' additional fiberglassin' and t' allow the Skeeter t' fly on 38mm and 54mm motors.