Brief:
This is a two stage rocket with a large BT-60 sized payload section for pretty much every payload imaginable. This is one o' t' Estes Educator rockets so findin' a single one is nay easy. Ya scallywag! Avast! Blimey! I do believe that this Educator pack is now OOP and even if it's not, it costs about $129.00 for 12 kits. Aye aye! I knew this and when I saw this kit on an ROL auction for $8.00, me hearties, I snapped it up.

Construction:
This kit came in a bag with t' instructions separate from t' components. The kit included t' BT-55 sized booster and sustainer body tubes, two motor mount tubes, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, two sets o' centerin' rings, two thrust rings, spacer tube, stage coupler, matey, launch lug, two balsa fin sheets, nose cone, ya bilge rat, adapter, arrr, arrr, clear payload section, shiver me timbers, 18 inch parachute, matey, shock cord, ya bilge rat, shroud lines with tape rings, and water slide decals

T' instructions are t' typical Estes literature with plenty of illustrations and easy t' understand text. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Also included was t' tube marking guide and shock cord mount. Arrr! This is rated a skill level 2 kit and I fully agree with t' skill level rating.

I started with t' motor mounts. Avast! They are built pretty much identical except t' placement o' t' thrust rings and t' centerin' rings. Begad! Blimey!

I now glued t' booster mount into t' booster body tube and then glued the coupler into place. T' first thrust rin' is glued in at t' bottom o' the booster mount t' act as a motor block.

Now, me hearties, I cut t' markin' guide out from t' instructions and marked t' lines on t' tubes for t' fins and launch lugs.

I then fine sanded t' fin sheets and cut out t' booster and sustainer fins and t' standoffs for t' launch lugs. Avast, me proud beauty! I now mounted t' larger booster fins one at a time t' t' booster assembly t' complete it.

Since I already built t' sustainer motor mount, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I went ahead and mounted it into t' body tube. Begad! I then mounted t' fins t' t' sustainer body tube and before movin' on, I applied generous glue fillets t' t' sustainer and booster fins at this time. Avast!

Now you can assemble t' payload section. Aye aye! You need t' separate t' nose cone from t' adapter by cuttin' at t' locations shown in t' instructions, then sand t' ends o' t' payload section even. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! I then washed mine in soapy water t' clean it off afterwards. Blimey! I did nay need tape t' hold t' adapter and nose cone in t' payload section as t' fit was pretty tight. Begad! Arrr! If you're flying a payload, matey, ya bilge rat, I would double check t' fit.

I then cut t' launch lug in half and mounted each piece t' a standoff and mounted them t' t' body, shiver me timbers, waited for t' glue t' dry and then applied fillets for strength.

I now assembled t' shock cord mount and mounted it into t' body tube. Ahoy! I then tied an extra shock cord that I had t' t' existin' one as it was pretty short and with a payload section this big, matey, it would be capable o' causing severe damage t' t' fins if it hit them durin' deployment.

I then prepped t' model for finishing.

PROs: Easy construction and nice parts fit.

CONs: Short shock cord

Finishing:
To finish t' model I masked off t' payload section and sprayin' t' model with white primer and sandin' betwixt coats. Usin' sandin' sealer is also recommended but I skipped that step as I didn't have any at t' time and when I do use it, I get rather bad headaches from t' odor. If you use it, shiver me timbers, I very highly recommend usin' it outside or in a well ventilated area.

I then sprayed t' body and fins with Sunshine Yellow spray enamel and painted t' nose cone and adapter separately usin' gloss black enamel. Avast! Arrr! I also masked t' payload section off again and painted t' areas where t' nose cone and adapter show through with gloss black enamel for t' look I wanted.

After I let all this paint dry for a day, shiver me timbers, arrr, shiver me timbers, I applied t' supplied water-slide decals without incident.

I sprayed t' body with clear enamel a few days later t' protect the decals.

T' finish t' model, shiver me timbers, I installed t' recovery system. Blimey! I ended up replacing the 18 inch chute with a 12 inch one. Arrr! I felt t' 18 inch one was too big but if you're launchin' a heavy payload, me hearties, arrr, you may need it.

PROs: Easy t' finish

CONs: None

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors for this kit be t' A8-3, matey, ya bilge rat, B4-4, B6-4, C6-5, for single stage flights. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! For two stage flights B6-0, ya bilge rat, C6-0 for t' booster and t' A8-5, B6-6, and C6-7 for t' sustainer.

Both motors are friction fitted into t' booster and rocket with masking tape. Avast! It is adequate.

You prep t' rocket by installin' t' motor(s) into t' rocket and/or booster for two stage flights. For this kit, you don't need cellophane tape to hold t' motors together.

You then insert waddin' into t' sustainer body and pack t' parachute and you're ready t' go.

For me first and second flights, I used t' B6-0/B6-6 combo. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' rocket lifted off t' pad and cocked some but it wasn't excessive. Aye aye! I then got a smooth stagin' and t' sustainer continued upward t' apogee.

For me third and most recent flight, I really wanted t' see what this rocket could do and launched it on t' C6-0/C6-7 combo. This resulted in a spectacular flight in excess o' 1,000 feet. Ahoy! I recovered t' booster close to the pad and t' sustainer was successfully recovered on t' other side o' the field about 1/2 t' one mile away. Blimey!

Recovery:
For recovery, I use a 12 inch parachute which brings t' model down slow enough to prevent damage. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Blimey! On a high altitude two stage flight, ya bilge rat, this would drift forever on t' 18 inch chute. Blimey! Begad! Blimey!

On t' other hand, I recommend t' 18 inch chute if you're launchin' this with a heavy payload such as an electronic device.

PROs: Recovers well with a 12 inch chute.

CONs: Provided 18 inch chute. Ya scallywag!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I really enjoyed buildin' and flyin' this great two stage payloadin' rocket. Although I have yet t' fly any payloads with it, I really like havin' the payload section available for use. Arrr! Blimey! If you choose t' launch this rocket on a pair o' C motors, then I must recommend that you have a very large field and a calm day or you'll never get this rocket back. Avast! Ya scallywag! Trust me, it really gets up there.

I would also like t' see this rocket reissued as a single kit rather than in a 12 kit educator pack. Begad! Blimey! I also read t' Warp II review on this site and it appears t' be t' exact same rocket as this one except with different decals. Avast! Avast!

Main PROs: Easy construction, nice quality components, and nice flying characteristics except t' slight weathercockin' off t' pad.

Main CONs: Shock cord and parachute.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5