Brief:
A nice-lookin' and easy t' build 2-stage rocket from Squirrel Works. This rocket really screams into t' higher altitudes.

Construction:
I ordered this directly from Squirrel-works.com, and everythin' arrived just a couple o' days later in great shape. T' components were o' good quality, especially t' practically seamless body tube and t' water-slide decals.

Parts list includes:

• BT-50 body tube 18"
• BT-50 booster tube
• Balsa nose cone
• 2 BT-20 motor tubes
• Tube coupler
• Balsa fin stock (laser cut)
• Centerin' rings, shock cord, shiver me timbers, streamer
• Water-slide decal

T' instructions on this were well illustrated, clearly written (in a relatively large font size--an added plus!), and easy t' follow. Aye aye! Blimey! T' first part of t' construction be t' booster assembly, which is a straightforward BT-20 mounted inside a BT-50 usin' a pair o' centerin' rings. Avast! Everythin' fit very well, matey, no sandin' or trimmin' be necessary. Aye aye! T' tube coupler is then glued into the BT-50, matey, which enables direct stagin' t' t' sustainer.

Fins are then pulled and sanded from t' laser-cut sheets provided. Well, blow me down! I'm nay sure if this is a gotcha on t' laser-cut fins, me bucko, me bucko, t' directions, ya bilge rat, or my less-than-perfectly-identical sandin' job, me bucko, but t' booster fins are designed to nest snugly against t' sustainer fins, ya bilge rat, givin' t' illusion o' a single-stage rocket on t' pad. Arrr! I didn't catch this until after I'd glued on t' booster fins, me hearties, and be tryin' t' make sure t' sustainer fins were aligned (usin' a steel ruler and clothes pins as an alignment jig). My fins had slight gaps, for a less than perfect appearance. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! I'd suggest a note in t' instructions prior to sanding, ya bilge rat, plus an illustration o' t' interlockin' design, me hearties, so that t' builder uses caution for best fit.

T' upper stage gets t' same BT-20 motor mount with a pair o' centering rings, shiver me timbers, arrr, plus an engine block centerin' ring. Tack on t' launch lug, arrr, me hearties, glue a screw eye t' t' nose cone, shiver me timbers, and install t' streamer and you're ready t' prep for paint. Ya scallywag! I have t' din' this kit a half a point though, for t' standard modroc weakness o' elastic shock cord and tri-fold paper mount. Well, blow me down! I really prefer Keelhaul®©™® runnin' from t' motor mount t' t' end o' t' tube, followed by elastic, arrr, shiver me timbers, and made this modification t' me kit (estimated cost $0.12).

Finishing:
Fillin' t' spirals on this be a breeze, as t' seams were miniscule. I was able do effectively kill them with a coat o' primer, me hearties, matey, sanded off with 220 grit. I then followed up with two coats o' primer and two coats o' gloss white Krylon. Blimey! T' standard color scheme on this has very appealin' red and yellow accents, matey, which I went with on mine. Aye aye! Although t' humidity level was up a bit that week, me hearties, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I didn't quite get t' gloss I expected. Avast! Still, shiver me timbers, it turned out fairly well. After allowin' t' paint t' cure out for a couple o' days, matey, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I applied the water-slide decals. Arrr! T' color quality o' t' decals be superb, however, me bucko, I did manage t' tear a corner o' one o' mine. They're pretty fragile, me bucko, so be careful with them.

One "gotcha" I ran into on t' finishing: I applied a coat of Krylon Gloss clear coat, ya bilge rat, which did nay react well t' t' decals. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! They cracked a little bit and faded significantly. Begad! I'd recommend either Testors', shiver me timbers, Frog Spit, or Future polish t' protect t' finish.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight, arrr, I went with a B6-0 t' B6-6. Blimey! T' two stages are taped together and then loaded into t' upper stage, me hearties, with t' boost slipped over the boost motor. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I slipped it over t' 1/8" rod and hit t' go button.

T' booster really sent this screaming, and it climbed in a real hurry. Unfortunately, I didn't get t' upper stage t' light, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and t' sustainer came down ballistic from a couple hundred feet. Avast, me proud beauty! It plugged into soft grass, though in a section o' field over 3-feet high, shiver me timbers, me hearties, so I had a long search.

T' damage be minor, matey, considerin' t' fall--about 1/4" o' tube crinkled, and t' motor mount broke loose. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Repairs won't take more than about 30 minutes, shiver me timbers, arrr, and I'll be ready for a second attempt.

Recovery:
I can't really comment on t' recovery yet, matey, but I will say t' streamer seems a bit short, only about 2 feet long. Aye aye! Considerin' t' altitudes this can achieve, a larger streamer would help for spottin' it. Well, blow me down!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I love t' color scheme and decals, shiver me timbers, liked t' interlockin' fin design (though wish it had been more clearly pointed out in t' instructions), me bucko, and impressed with t' rocket overall.

I would definitely recommend this 2-stager and would definitely buy from Squirrel Works again.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5