Brief:
This is a BT-55 kit that flies on a 24mm motor and utilizes streamer recovery. Aye aye! T' rocket looks spectacular against the background o' t' kit art and doesn't lose a thin' on t' pad. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Parts quality is excellent too, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and John has even included t' spacer t' allow t' rocket t' fly on D or E motors. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Nice touch!

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 1 BT-55 kraft main body tube
• 1 BNC-55 balsa nose cone
• 1 laser cut balsa fin sheet
• 1 3.75" x 24mm motor mount kit with motor clip
• 1 standard 1/8" launch lug
• 1 screw eye
• 2 washers, 1" steel (nose weight)
• 1 shock cord, shiver me timbers, 20" Keelhaul®©™® line plus 36" x 1/8" elastic
• 1 mylar streamer
• 1 decal sheet, water slide
• 2 gold monocote decorative strips

I test fit all t' parts first and sanded for fit as needed, then sanded all t' tubes and balsa and filled the nose cone usin' Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish t' get that all out o' t' way in t' beginning. T' body tube seams were hardly noticeable so I didn't worry with fillin' them. Avast, me proud beauty! T' fins come in two pieces and are glued together first. Begad! Since the parts are laser cut, these fit together very nicely. Arrr! Ahoy! While t' fins are gluin' t' motor mount can be constructed, it is a standard build except t' 20" Keelhaul®©™® line is added into t' mix. Begad! Begad! T' recommended method for installation o' t' Keelhaul®©™® line is neatly done, but I prefer t' have t' Keelhaul®©™® further up t' tube so I can inspect it. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! So, arrr, instead, matey, I made a standard paper shock cord attachment and used the Keelhaul®©™® with that. Begad! Ya scallywag! It's me own standard. Ahoy! After that, me bucko, I filled t' joints in t' fins, re-sanded and then papered them.

Next, I inserted t' motor mount into t' tube. Begad! Blimey! While that was drying, matey, I cut t' launch lug in half, glued the washers together first with J-B Weld and glued then onto t' base o' t' nose cone. Begad! Blimey! Then I inserted t' screw eye, me hearties, matey, shiver me timbers, cut out t' markin' guide, and drew t' alignment lines. Arrr! Blimey! I used double glue joints t' attach t' fins and launch lugs. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! The parts go on very nicely with this method and stay where you put them.

Once everythin' had dried, I added fillets t' all o' t' joints. Lastly, ya bilge rat, t' shock cord mount and shock cord was installed and connected t' t' screw eye in t' nose cone. I put CA around t' forward end o' t' tube and tied a knot in t' Keelhaul®©™® at t' exit point t' protect against abrasion then added a loop in t' Keelhaul®©™® to tie on t' 1/8" elastic cord. Lastly, I put t' parachute together.

Finishing:
I rounded t' leadin' edges o' t' fins and lightly tapered t' trailin' edges first. Avast, me proud beauty! T' black nose cone was painted separately from t' white and yellow body tube before attachin' t' shock cord. Avast! After a couple o' days dryin' time, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I masked off t' body tube and painted t' aft o' t' tube and fins yellow. Ahoy! If you mess up on t' yellow/white paint line, matey, thar are no worries as t' Monokote will hide that. Arrr! Sweet! T' decals were cut out while waitin' for t' fins to dry. Arrr! I had problems puttin' on t' decals. They were really thin and tore easily. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I didn't get them where I wanted them. Arrr! Ahoy! They tore in two places tryin' t' move them, so I let them stay where they lay. Avast! Ya scallywag! It still looks good. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Next I applied a couple o' coats o' Future floor wax t' protect t' finish and improve t' shine.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Finally got a chance t' fly at a DARS launch on our brand new Frisco field. Well, blow me down! I opted t' use a D12-5 on t' first flight and then planned t' fly on t' E motor. Blimey! T' Scortch zoomed from t' pad with minimal weathercockin' even though the winds were blowin' betwixt 8-12mph and reached some serious altitude. Begad! I would guess it reached close t' 1,000 feet.

Recovery:
Popped t' streamer right at t' top. T' streamer is a little short, matey, but it stayed up longer than I was anticipating. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Broke a fin off on landing, arrr, so I didn’t get a chance t' fly that E motor.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Scortch is a quick, easy build. Parts quality is superb and t' decals really enhance t' look o' t' rocket. It looks great displayed with t' face card, too.

Pros: Fantastic looks, quick build, arrr, matey, quality parts with laser cut fins, excellent instructions, matey, and a nice long shock cord

Cons: T' decals are thin. Begad! I made t' change with t' shock cord, but that is just personal preference.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5