Brief:
What do you get when you rummage through t' build pile 2 nights before a 2009 challenge deadline tryin' t' come up with stage bash ideas? T' answer be t' decidedly low-labour Pipsnitch, a saucer-based screamer. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It made use o' one o' t' many clearance-sale Snitch's I'd picked up at about $3 apiece, and a quick-to-build Quest Pipsqueak.

Construction:
Ingredients:

• 1 Estes Snitch (RTF, me bucko, stock kit)
• 1 Quest Snitch

I started with t' Snitch, finished "stock" which just involved addin' t' metal antennae/landin' gear.

Before buildin' t' Pipsqueak, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I knew I'd need some means o' mountin' it t' t' Snitch, ya bilge rat, and was hopin' t' stuffer tube could be used. Aye aye! Arrr! As it turns out, me hearties, that's also t' motor tube and so shortenin' that could lead t' problems. Ahoy! I decided instead t' trim off about 3/4" o' t' TT-20 main body tube, and epoxied that t' t' top o' t' Snitch.

I built t' rest o' t' Pipsqueak stock, though cut off t' metal motor hook as it would interfere with t' stage coupler mounting.

T' aft end o' t' Pipsqueak has t' BT-20 motor tube extendin' about 3/8" from t' TT-20 main tube, shiver me timbers, and this is inserted into t' small piece o' TT-20 mounted t' t' top o' t' Snitch for t' stagin' configuration.

Finishing:
T' Snitch be pre-finished in dayglo yellow plastic. Ahoy! Arrr! T' Snitch got a rushed paint job o' one coat o' primer, ya bilge rat, two coats o' Rustoleum purple, then peel N stick decals t' next afternoon once t' paint had mostly cured.

Flight:
As I'd run out o' time, ya bilge rat, procrastinatin' about as much as I could get away with, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I was stuck with less than ideal flyin' conditions--overcast and winds blowin' 15-20 mph. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! It was either that, matey, or a night launch after work, arrr, so I loaded t' Snitch with a B6-0 and t' Pipsqueak with an A8-3 figurin' that was abut as mild a first flight as I could attempt.

Saucers in general tend t' weathercock pretty strongly in moderate winds, even more so with another rocket stuck on its head. Almost immediately after clearin' t' rod, me Pipsnitch started arcin' over into t' wind, smartly settlin' into a horizontal flight pattern. Aye aye! T' A8-3 lit fine, finishin' off t' cruise missile imitation. Arrr! Aye aye! Even with t' short -3 delay, matey, it had already coasted t' t' ground at ejection.

Recovery:
T' Snitch tumbled fine, and t' Pipsqueak didn't get a chance t' test out t' streamer.

Summary:
Despite t' poor flight in adverse weather conditions, matey, me bucko, me hearties, I do feel confident in t' design and stagin' adaptation, arrr, and think this approach will be fine in lighter winds. I also think this basic approach could be used as a simple stagin' technique for many other sustainer models. Ahoy! I will surely need t' fly it on a calmer day t' prove out, matey, but think I've found a decent use for some o' those Snitches I'd accumulated,