Brief:
For t' most part, ya bilge rat, I'm nay much o' a scale fan but through t' years thar have been several scale rockets that I always had an itch t' build. Avast! T' original Estes Mercury Redstone be always a favorite, me bucko, as were both versions o' the Little Joe. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Another member o' this club be t' Bomarc. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Bomarc kits are seldom seen since Estes discontinued their version

Construction:
When I saw t' Empire Rockets kit on an ROL auction in t' fall o' 2003, I placed a bid and, much t' me surprise, me hearties, I won t' auction. Blimey! That should have been the start o' a beautiful "man meets rocket" story. It wasn't.

When t' kit arrived after a delay o' several weeks t' correct a problem with t' ramjet cones, I found that thar be a problem with t' ramjet cones. I emailed Empire about t' problem and be promised a replacement set, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but no set ever arrived. Just that smartly me ardor for t' project evaporated like a steam cloud. After that, whenever I noticed a post on T' Rocketry Forum (TRF) askin' about Empire Rockets, I told me story just t' keep anyone else from windin' up with an incomplete kit like I did. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Apparently t' Empire folks keep an eye on TRF, me bucko, because in February, shiver me timbers, 2006, a whole new Bomarc kit showed up on my doorstep without explanation.

T' parts list:

• 1 BT-55 main body tube, matey, matey, 17" long
• 2 BT-50 ramjet tubes, shiver me timbers, 6" long
• Balsa nose cone
• 18mm motor mount
• 1/8" balsa fin stock
• 1/4" balsa dorsal conduit
• 2 1/4" balsa ramjet pylons
• 2 balsa ramjet cones
• 2 round toothpicks
• clay nose weight
• 17" parachute
• snap swivel
• barrel swivel
• Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• 36" elastic shock cord

T' second Bomarc kit arrived in a plastic bag with no header card or hang tag. All o' t' parts were in good shape and t' ramjet cones fit like I always hoped me first set would. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I found t' instructions t' be decently written albeit somewhat complicated. Ya scallywag! (Although I should add that since this was marked as a skill level 4 kit, shiver me timbers, matey, I didn't think they were excessively complicated.)

Construction wasn't difficult and thar be nothin' that I'd have considered as a "gotcha". Makin' sure things square up isn't difficult, and takin' t' time t' do this makes a definite difference in the finished model. Ahoy! Avast! I have t' admit, I was more than a little impressed with the model that resulted from me efforts.

Finishing:
I flew t' Bomarc unfinished due t' time constraints. Blimey! I had taken t' time to fill, arrr, seal, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and sand all t' balsa and tubes so it was ready for paint. Begad! Begad! It would have looked great as a desk model once it be painted and applied the decals. Well, blow me down! Begad! If only I'd have kept it on a desk. From a cosmetic standpoint, ya bilge rat, all I'd suggest for this kit is a better set o' pictures for painting. Ya scallywag! I'd also suggest that Empire should include decals.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Empire recommended a B6-4 for t' first flight, arrr, shiver me timbers, matey, but I went with t' C6-5 due to the weight o' t' model. Arrr! T' model balanced near t' front o' t' ram tubes which seemed within reason. Ya scallywag! Begad! Winds were toppin' out about 6 t' 8 mph, but were more consistently around 3 t' 5 mph. Ya scallywag! This also seemed within reason. Arrr! Begad!

T' rocket looked fine on t' way up until around t' 50' mark when it suddenly changed from vertical t' horizontal almost as if it be reboundin' off of an unseen glass ceiling. Arrr! It flew back over t' flight line and for a moment looked like it was goin' t' hit one o' t' large concrete bases that were left from t' towers that once stood at t' VOA. Ahoy! Arrr! It just missed and disappeared behind t' monolith. Arrr! I was disappointed and slowly began makin' me way over to pick up t' pieces.

I found the rocket sittin' near a black patch o' grass. Avast! It took me a moment t' realize that the grass was black because it was burning. Well, blow me down! I yelled t' t' two guys I was flyin' with and betwixt t' three o' us we were able t' get t' fire out before the fire department arrived. Begad! (If nothin' else, I developed a whole new respect for firefighters--that's tough work.) In t' end, me bucko, t' body o' t' rocket was spared, ya bilge rat, but t' nose cone, me hearties, parachute, arrr, matey, and shock cord were destroyed. I was pretty sure me Bomarc days were over.

Several weeks later, me bucko, it began t' gnaw at me. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This kit had been sent to replace an incomplete earlier kit, and I still had t' parts from that first kit down in me shop in a bag. After locatin' t' nose cone, me hearties, I mated it t' the body o' t' second kit and set out t' find some information about trimmin' a Bomarc for flight. Avast! Someone who'd had experience with trimmin' t' Bomarc suggested that I trim it so that t' CG be 1/2 inch in front o' t' ramjet cones. Well, blow me down! Begad! I stuffed enough clay into t' plastic cone t' brin' t' CG up t' that point. Avast! Blimey! I then waited for a scheduled flight weekend that wasn't either rainy or windy. Then I waited some more. Avast! It took until May for us t' get a suitable weekend, but it be worth t' wait. Well, blow me down! With nothin' but a very light breeze I loaded t' Bomarc with t' B6-4 that t' directions specified for t' first flight. Begad!

Once again, arrr, t' C6-5 proved t' be t' Bomarc's nemesis. This time t' rocket didn't even leave t' pad lookin' like it would go straight. Ya scallywag! Instead it swapped ends and landed in t' tall grass, shiver me timbers, fortunately still damp from rain t' previous night. It smoked through t' coast phase, then blew t' nose cone into t' soft earth, officially endin' its career as a flyin' model.

Recovery:
Recovery was a bit hard t' judge as t' parachute be only used on one out of the three flights. One parachute melted in t' fire, t' other one worked on the one flight but never got unfurled due t' t' third flight bein' on the ground before t' boost phase had ended.

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Summary:
After two years and three months, I was really lookin' forward t' flyin' this rocket and I was determined t' put t' customer service experience behind me. T' Bomarc builds great and I have no doubt that it would make a great looking bird when finished, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but based on what I saw, it has no business flyin' without modifications or, ya bilge rat, at t' very least, trimmin' instructions that are as detailed as t' build instructions.

PROs: Decent quality parts. Begad! Well thought out assembly instructions.

CONs: Terrible customer service. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! No trimmin' instructions. Begad!

Overall Rating: 1 out o' 5