Brief:
For t' most part, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, 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. T' original Estes Mercury Redstone be always a favorite, shiver me timbers, me bucko, as were both versions o' the Little Joe. Ya scallywag! Another member o' this club was t' Bomarc. 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, shiver me timbers, I placed a bid and, much t' me surprise, I won t' auction. Aye aye! That should have been the start o' a beautiful "man meets rocket" story. Avast, me proud beauty! 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 was a problem with t' ramjet cones. I emailed Empire about t' problem and be promised a replacement set, arrr, but no set ever arrived. Avast, me proud beauty! Just that smartly me ardor for t' project evaporated like a steam cloud. Ahoy! Ahoy! After that, whenever I noticed a post on T' Rocketry Forum (TRF) askin' about Empire Rockets, ya bilge rat, I told me story just t' keep anyone else from windin' up with an incomplete kit like I did. Blimey! Begad! Apparently t' Empire folks keep an eye on TRF, me hearties, because in February, 2006, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, a whole new Bomarc kit showed up on my doorstep without explanation.

T' parts list:

• 1 BT-55 main body tube, shiver me timbers, 17" long
• 2 BT-50 ramjet tubes, 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. Begad! Blimey! All o' t' parts were in good shape and t' ramjet cones fit like I always hoped me first set would. Begad! Ya scallywag! I found t' instructions t' be decently written albeit somewhat complicated. Well, matey, blow me down! (Although I should add that since this be marked as a skill level 4 kit, I didn't think they were excessively complicated.)

Construction wasn't difficult and thar was nothin' that I'd have considered as a "gotcha". Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Makin' sure things square up isn't difficult, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and takin' t' time t' do this makes a definite difference in the finished model. 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. Ya scallywag! I had taken t' time to fill, matey, seal, and sand all t' balsa and tubes so it was ready for paint. Well, blow me down! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! It would have looked great as a desk model once it be painted and applied the decals. Begad! If only I'd have kept it on a desk. Well, blow me down! From a cosmetic standpoint, me bucko, all I'd suggest for this kit is a better set o' pictures for painting. Begad! 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, but I went with t' C6-5 due to the weight o' t' model. T' model balanced near t' front o' t' ram tubes which seemed within reason. Well, blow me down! Winds were toppin' out about 6 t' 8 mph, me bucko, but were more consistently around 3 t' 5 mph. Aye aye! This also seemed within reason. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye!

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. 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. Blimey! It just missed and disappeared behind t' monolith. 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. It took me a moment t' realize that the grass be black because it be burning. Begad! Arrr! 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. (If nothin' else, ya bilge rat, I developed a whole new respect for firefighters--that's tough work.) In t' end, t' body o' t' rocket was spared, arrr, ya bilge rat, but t' nose cone, me bucko, parachute, matey, and shock cord were destroyed. Begad! I was pretty sure me Bomarc days were over.

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

Once again, 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. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Instead it swapped ends and landed in t' tall grass, fortunately still damp from rain t' previous night. Blimey! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! It smoked through t' coast phase, then blew t' nose cone into t' soft earth, arrr, arrr, officially endin' its career as a flyin' model.

Recovery:
Recovery was a bit hard t' judge as t' parachute was only used on one out of the three flights. Begad! One parachute melted in t' fire, matey, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, 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 be 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, but based on what I saw, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, it has no business flyin' without modifications or, matey, ya bilge rat, at t' very least, trimmin' instructions that are as detailed as t' build instructions.

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

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

Overall Rating: 1 out o' 5