Brief:
What happens if you take an Estes Mark/Mark II design and turn it into a goony style rocket usin' a Baby Bertha kit? You get t' KRAM from Excelsior Rocketry. Aye aye! Avast! As with t' other goony retro-bash plansets, t' KRAM is nay a kit but rather the instructions and decals t' turn a Baby Bertha kit into somethin' unique. For this goony, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, you only need add a BT60 tube coupler and a sheet o' balsa t' convert a Baby Bertha kit into t' KRAM.

Construction:
This is me fifth goony retro-bash rocket from Excelsior® and probably t' one I have enjoyed t' most in building. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' planset has you follow t' instructions for t' Baby Bertha with t' exception o' modifyin' t' motor mount assembly and cuttin' fins from t' pattern provided. Avast! You are also required t' convert t' rocket for middle separation by cuttin' t' body tube in half and usin' a tube coupler to join t' sections o' rocket. Aye aye! This requires you t' modify t' nose cone and glue it t' t' upper body tube.

I choose t' use Keelhaul®©™® strin' anchored t' t' motor mount for t' recover system. Ya scallywag! Since t' rocket is fairly short and splits in t' middle, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I ran about 12” o' t' Keelhaul®©™® strin' out t' lower tube and tied a piece o' 18” elastic t' that. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' other end o' t' elastic was glued t' a standard paper mount that be glued into t' upper body tube. T' entire build was completed in one evenin' with the most difficult things bein' cuttin' t' body tube in half and cuttin' an unseen portion from t' nose cone.

Finishing:
Other than t' shorten body shape, it be t' paint and t' decals that turn your simple kit bash into a goony rocket. This is usually where I would take more time t' produce a good lookin' rocket but me window t' launch was very limited so I rushed through t' finishin' process. Begad! Aye aye!

I decided t' paper t' fins on t' rocket as you can see in t' pictures. Well, blow me down! I traced t' fins onto a self adhesive label paper. Begad! I then apply t' paper t' t' balsa and spread a medium viscosity CA t' t' edges t' hold t' paper down and act as filler. Begad! T' entire rocket be coated twice with grey auto primer. After 4 hours, I sanded t' rocket to remove about 90 percent o' t' primer and then let sit over night.

T' recommended paint scheme is t' paint t' lower body tube black with t' fins and upper body tube an orange-red color. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I like t' have a white base coat prior paintin' t' final colors but didn’t have t' time so I tried somethin' different after readin' t' back o' me Rust-Oleum® spray paint can. Aye aye! I masked off t' section t' be painted black and applied t' white primer. Begad! Begad! Accordin' t' the instructions, me hearties, you are able t' wet sand in 30 minutes and recoat with t' same brand o' Rust-Oleum® paint within an hour. That is exactly what I did. Ahoy! I applied two coats o' white primer, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, wet sandin' betwixt coats and then 3 coats o' orange all within 2 hours. Avast! Well, blow me down! After lettin' that dry for 24 hours, I masked t' fins and painted t' lower section 2 coats o' black. T' results are ok but nay nearly as good when you do it right.

As stated before, me bucko, matey, t' decals add t' t' Goony feel o' t' rocket. For t' KRAM thar are just a few t' apply. Well, blow me down! The decals from Excelsior Rocketry® are always top quality and I never have any problem with them if I follow t' instructions.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight o' t' KRAM I used a B6-4 engine. Ahoy! T' rocket went straight up t' about 300’ and ejected at near apogee. Begad! T' parachute deployed and t' rocket floated safely t' t' ground. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Considerin' that that t' winds were gustin' t' 10mph at t' time o' t' launch, I was very satisfied with t' first flight.

Recovery:
T' KRAM instructions suggest usin' a streamer for recover but t' Excelsior® website indicates that you can use either a parachute or streamer. Arrr! Because o' t' hard ground where I was launching, I chose t' use a small parachute. There is plenty room in t' upper tube t' hold different sized parachutes or streamers. I tied a small loop half way up t' Keelhaul®©™® strin' as a place t' fasten t' swivel o' t' parachute. Ya scallywag! You have t' make sure it is low enough t' pull t' parachute out o' t' upper body tube durin' ejection.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' KRAM is another cool classic rocket made goony by Excelsior. Arrr! Ahoy! If you are into goony rockets, shiver me timbers, matey, then t' KRAM is a fine addition. Avast! Aye aye! Even if you are lookin' for a 3FNC rocket, matey, t' KRAM is just different enough that you will nay be sorry you built it. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! It be t' perfect rocket t' see what is possible when you start t' kit-bash. Begad! I look forward building other Excelsior® goony rockets and hope t' continue t' see new ones become available.

PROs: Middle separation creates a cool rocket, me hearties, It’s Goony!
CONs: Priced t' same as other Goony plansets but you only receive a small sheet o' decals.