Brief:
This represents me second clonin' o' t' four available Centuri Super kits. Like all t' Super kits, shiver me timbers, t' USS America is a single stage model rocket that recovers with a dual parachutes in a unique level configuration. T' original kit be classified as a skill level 3 kit.

As described by Centuri in their 1977 Catalog:

"In t' year 1983, matey, t' president approved t' buildin' o' t' U.S.S. America Presidential Command Post. Aye aye! T' keel be laid at t' San Diego Space Shipyards and t' great bird first took t' t' skies in 1986. Avast, me proud beauty! America now serves as a Presidential aerial command post center and diplomatic courier. Able t' land at large conventional airports, t' America helps maintain peace on earth as well in space. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' ship's Orville/Stine nuclear rocket engines place t' craft in earth orbit and augment t' six ramjets used for atmospheric travel. Ahoy! These combined systems economically transport high government officials to global trouble spots."

Havin' just finished t' clonin' o' the Centuri S.S.V. Ya scallywag! Scorpion, me hearties, I was open t' suggestions on what kit should be me next clonin' project. Ahoy! Ahoy! Amazingly, I can't remember anyone saying, arrr, arrr, "Clone another Super Kit". Blimey! When I dropped hints that I favored t' Super Kits A few preferences streamed in for t' ESS Raven. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! However, me eye had already zeroed in on t' USS America. Ya scallywag!

Construction:
As in me previous clonin' projects, t' first step is download t' very large instructions from JimZ's web site. All fin templates are included in the instructions. Avast! This kit be unique in that t' fin patterns called for 3/32" balsa. Well, blow me down! I had durability concerns about buildin' t' fins in such thin balsa. Avast, me proud beauty! Havin' already built some confidence workin' with mattin' board on the Scorpion clone, arrr, I began experimentin' usin' it as a substitute. A single sheet o' mattin' board from t' local Hobby Lobby measures .055" thick. Thinkin' t' single thickness be too thin, matey, I decided t' lay up a two layer laminate o' t' mattin' board. This resulted in a almost indestructible fin that be slight thicker. Begad! Only a very astute eye would notice t' thickness in the final project.

With fin material decided on, and tubin' on order from t' Semroc Aeronautics Corp., ya bilge rat, arrr, only two hurdles remained. Begad! Ahoy! T' America uses a very unique multiple nose cone set that has limited availability. Avast! For this I turned t' Mike Schmidt o' Moldin Oldies. Blimey! Mike has complete USS America nose cone sets that he sells for $20. Ya scallywag! These sets contain every nose cone and tail cone required to clone this great kit. Aye aye! Take it from a lazy cloner, arrr, arrr, why reinvent t' wheel?

T' final hurdle represents a finishin' issue, ya bilge rat, arrr, matey, and I will address it later. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! As in me past clone projects, ya bilge rat, I transferred fin patterns t' t' mattin' board usin' carbon paper. Here be t' list o' parts need t' clone this great kit:

• 1 PNC-165 nose cone/cockpit
• 2 PNC-103 nose cones
• 6 ram jet nose cone/tail cone sets
• 1 ST-16 upper body tubes (7.5" BT-60)
• 1 ST-16 Lower Body Tubes (12" BT-60)
• 2 ST-10 Tank Body Tubes (9.4" Semroc Corp)
• 1 ST-7 Body Tube (3.0" BT-20 or Magnum "D" conversion with BT-50)
• 2 wood dowels .088" diameter x 12" length
• 1 launch lug (8" long x 7/32" diameter)
• 1 coupler HTC-13 (BT-56 coupler from Semroc Corp.)
• 2 paper shrouds
• 1 TR-7 thrust rin' .4" long (Standard thrust rin' for 18mm Motor or substitute a 24mm thrust ring)
• 1 EL-1 engine hook
• 2 50-60 centerin' rings
• 1 die-cut fiber sheets .055" thick
• 1 decal sheet
• 1 Shock Cord .125" x 38"
• 2 20" parachutes
• 128" shroud line

Instructions are clear and easy t' follow. Ahoy! Avast! However, with this kit I elected to try a different method cuttin' t' mattin' board. Well, blow me down! After transferrin' t' fin tracings, ya bilge rat, I free hand cut out two sets o' t' tracings with a very sharp pair of scissors. Avast, me proud beauty! I then coated t' surface o' each matchin' fin set with Elmer's glue and pressed t' sets together betwixt some book stacks till they dried. T' weight pressin' t' laminated fins help press out excess glue and prevented warpin' while they dried. I then soaked t' entire fin mattin' board parts in thin CA t' stiffen them. Arrr! After that, matey, me hearties, I cleaned t' edges o' t' parts on a belt sander. T' instructions also suggest cuttin' these parts from 3/32 sheet balsa. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I chose nay t' use balsa because o' its lack o' durability.

T' only other parts requirin' some fabrication were t' paper conical main motor nozzles. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! For these I printed t' available patterns on regular printer paper. Begad! Aye aye! Carefully, me bucko, formed and glued them together. Avast! Ya scallywag! At this point they are very fragile and will crush or crease easily. With care I inserted t' two 60/50 centerin' supports illustrated on t' die-cut card. Begad! I then stiffen t' entire assembly with thin CA glue. Avast, me proud beauty! This permanently, matey, holds t' 60-50 rin' in place and greatly improves t' cones durability. Well, blow me down! Finally, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I insert each cone assembly in its respective ST-10 tank body tube. After gettin' t' proper alignment I again use a second coat o' thin CA t' increase t' stiffness and permanently cement the cone into t' tube.

As in me previous clone attempt, I addressed t' need for an 8" launch lug by usin' another 3/16" x .014 seamless aluminum tube purchased in packs o' three from Hobby Lobby. Avast, me proud beauty! Care in cuttin' will provide an excellent substitute.

Finishing:
One o' t' reasons I picked this classic kit for clonin' was that I perceived it as havin' an "easy" finishin' requirement. How difficult can an all white glossy finish be? As in t' past, I first sprayed every thin' with three coats o' primer/sealer paint. Ahoy! My personal favorite is Kilz. Well, matey, blow me down! This is what helps t' mattin' boards finishin' characteristics excel. I then sanded this before paintin' with a finishin' color. Begad! I elected t' use three coats o' high gloss white Krylon. Ahoy! For t' ram jet nose and tail cones I used a Testors paint pencil t' hand paint these items in a Chrome finish. Arrr! If you suffer from a shaky hand, shiver me timbers, you might consider tapin' them off first before painting. T' nozzle openings o' t' paper cones were also painted usin' this method. Avast!

For decals, I printed me own on ink jet decal paper available from several vendors on t' internet. Blimey! Aye aye! T' final hurdle for this project mentioned above was findin' a clean (non-yellowed) copy that would fit on a single 8.5" x 11" sheet o' decal paper. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! For this I turned t' Kurt's Decal Page on t' Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe web site. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Kurt Schachner had already solved this problem and was kind enough t' make a cleaned version available for t' public. Well, blow me down! Ahoy!

I set about printin' me own decals on an ink jet printer and sealin' them with Krylon Clear glossy spray on sealer. Again t' only application issue of concern is removin' t' trapped bubbles while avoidin' any stretching. Avast, me proud beauty! Past experiences help improve on these areas. Begad! Again, me bucko, me hearties, keepin' t' application surface wet and blottin' t' bubbles away can minimize both issues. Well, blow me down!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' original kit calls for a C5-3S or C6-3. O' course t' C5-3S is no longer available. Well, me hearties, blow me down! So I elected t' perform a "Magnum D" conversion. Begad! However T' USS America's finished launch weight proved t' be slightly less than the SSV Scorpion. Avast! Aye aye! Since me finished kit weighed in at 8.1 ounces, it is scheduled to fly on a D12-5.

Preparation is easy with t' built-in Centuri baffle design, however, I will add a few sheets o' waddin' t' protect against anythin' that might slip past t' baffle. Avast, me proud beauty! Motor retention is by t' standard Estes engine hook.

Even though this rocket has yet t' fly, as I am waitin' t' finish the complete Super kit set and fly them all together in t' sprin' or summer. Conversation on internet rocket forums, matey, me hearties, report that t' CG should fall at 8.25" forward o' t' center body tubes aft edge. Begad! Well, me hearties, blow me down! I will be adding modeler's clay t' t' nose cone t' achieve this CG location.

Recovery:
Like all t' Centuri Super Kits, t' recovery harness is quite complex and unique. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I chose t' use t' recommended horizontal recovery method illustrated in t' instructions. Unlike t' Scorpion, me hearties, t' America didn't appear t' need any additional considerations t' prevent t' harness from snaggin' on deployment. Ahoy! Blimey!

I guess t' recovery method is probably worth a 5, shiver me timbers, arrr, but I downgraded it t' a 4.5 because o' it's complexity makes it prone t' complications.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I love these Super Kits! Several forums have rumored an internet rocket kit provider developin' a reproduction o' these kits for t' public. Well, me hearties, blow me down! I asked this vendor if they could substantiate any truth t' this rumor. Blimey! Their response was a hopeful "maybe".

O' t' four Super Kits, I believe this t' be t' simplest t' clone and yield great results with minimum effort.

In a recent eBay auction, ya bilge rat, I watched an unopened version o' this kit sell for $450 dollars. Blimey! I figure mine cost me about $25 dollars in parts. Blimey! The Ninfinger Centuri Catalog Collection displayed t' USS America's debutin' in the 1977 catalog at an amazin' $9 dollars! Who wouldn't love t' see one available for that price!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5