Brief:
T' BSD Diab-Glo is a single stage specialty night launch rocket festooned with multi-color blinkin' LEDs and parachute recovery.

Construction:
One clear fiberglass 4” body tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Transparent nose cone with U-bolt attachment. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Three ¼” wood fins. Wood centerin' rings and bulkheads plus one transparent plexiglass centerin' rin' for internal light passage. Ahoy! Blimey!

38mm motor tube. Begad! Avast! As a stubby rocket with most o' t' internal space dedicated t' lighting, t' longest possible motor that can fly in this kit be t' AMW 38/390. Packin' t' chute is a bit easier with t' Aerotech 38/360 motor size.

Designed t' be a night launch rocket kit, t' Diab-Glo uses high powered LEDs pointin' up into t' nose cone, down through t' clear fiberglass airframe, arrr, and pointin' out along each fin surface. Begad! Blimey! T' pre-wired LEDs automatically rotate through red, shiver me timbers, blue and green colors and all colors in-between in a dance o' bright, blinky lights.

Fantastic instructions and diagrams-–one o' t' best documents I have seen. Well, blow me down!

Special tools needed for t' build:

• Solderin' iron. Begad! T' solderin' is quite easy. Begad! You should have no trouble with this even if you have never used one before.
• I would also recommend a Dremel tool for cuttin' t' fin slots in t' fiberglass airframe. Aye aye! Blimey! Usin' an X-Acto knife could be quite an effort. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey!
• Drill for LED holes. Blimey! Blimey! If you have an older dull drill bit, it will do less damage t' t' fiberglass. Ahoy! Blimey! I got some chips on t' edges that were easily repaired durin' t' epoxy step.
• I also recommend a clear epoxy (since so many surfaces are meant t' remain unpainted. I had great results with Devcon 2-ton clear epoxy.
• Reflective silver tape is a nice item t' add t' t' inner tube. Avast, me proud beauty! It makes it even brighter.

This was a fun and easy build. I am very impressed with t' overall design, as it is quite unique and clever in the way it maximizes light output in all directions. Begad! T' only "gotcha" I found (and future instruction versions might fix this): My fins were 4" long and t' instructions said t' cut a 4.5" slot, me hearties, so check t' fin length versus t' instructions before cuttin' t' fin slots.

Finishing:
Nice vinyl decals included. Only t' fins need paintin' white.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
BSD recommends t' G64, me bucko, H128, shiver me timbers, H123, H242, I161, I357, me hearties, or I220.

I had a perfect maiden launch with an Aerotech I218 Redline with L motor delay.

After motor burnout, she soared silently up, me bucko, shiver me timbers, separated into two sections, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and deployed a satin white parachute at apogee. Begad! Blimey! T' two blinkin' sections spun tethered together like two dancers embraced in a delirious spiral across the Milky Way.

AMW I285 Green Gorilla Launch at XPRS. Another beautiful flight, but t' BP did nay ignite (motor issue, matey, me bucko, nay a kit issue). Avast, me proud beauty! T' kit is so strong that a ballistic return t' t' Black Rock desert playa only destroyed t' nose cone. T' body lights were still blinkin' and t' airframe did nay even have a scratch on it! With a new nose cone, it's ready t' fly again. Arrr! Wow.

I used a GLR Keelhaul®©™® chute protector with t' 36/360 but I had t' use a smaller one for t' 36/390 motor. Begad! There is so little room for the chute that I had t' roll it into a rin' and let t' nose cone ride on top o' it (leavin' a cm gap on t' nose cone fit, however, matey, t' rocket flies fine with t' nose cone juttin' out a little bit).

I used t' included clamps for retention, but they were nay easy t' install near enough t' t' motor. I had to bend t' metal screw receptors t' get them close enough t' t' motor tube. Arrr! Normally I like t' fly t' bell-shaped 38mm motor retainer from GLR. I will add one t' t' kit now because it will work with t' AMW motor I want t' fly. Arrr! (Although the GLR website says it will nay work, matey, I have nay flown that yet but it seems fine in a test fit.)

Recovery:
Beautiful white satin parachute looks wonderful in t' night sky. Ya scallywag! Keelhaul®©™® cord attaches t' a longer shock cord. Well, blow me down! T' Keelhaul®©™® cord looks a bit light t' me. Arrr! Ahoy! After two launches, it is lookin' a bit worn and I'm nay sure how much more it can take. T' construction method makes it impossible t' replace. Begad! All o' t' thrust and parachute connection forces are borne by the glue around t' 38mm motor tube rings, shiver me timbers, deeply embedded in t' rocket innards.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: It be t' most over-the-top blinky rocket per square cm o' body surface that I have ever seen. Blimey! At XPRS 2007, it generated audible "oohs" and "aahs" from everyone I passed on t' walk t' t' RSO table. This kit has made night launches me favorite rocketry activity.

CONs: Very little room for parachute and chute protector with t' I motors. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! An extra inch or two on t' airframe would make all t' difference. I would like t' add a flight computer. I have yet t' see how easy that is.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5