Brief:
For t' Stage Bash section o' t' 2009 EMRR Challenge, me hearties, ya bilge rat, you are required t' combine any two purchased single-stage rocket kits into a rocket that is at least 2-staged usin' only t' parts for t' two kits. I decided t' attempt a gap stagin' design by combinin' Custom Rockets Tristar and Fiesta. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! For some reason I though t' Fiesta had 4 fins, ya bilge rat, so when I received t' rocket in t' mail and found it was a 3FNC, I modified me original design.

Modifications:
T' construct this kitbash, me hearties, I first built t' Tristar followin' t' instructions with t' exception o' t' motor mount. You do nay install t' motor retention clip and you need t' make sure that t' lower centerin' rin' is moved forward enough so that t' tube coupler will fit into place (about a half inch). Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I added a piece o' Keelhaul®©™® cord t' use as an anchor for t' shock cord. There is a small set o' die cut fins that t' instructions say can be discarded but save them for t' booster.

For t' booster, matey, you need t' make t' followin' changes: Build t' motor mount as instructed. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! You need t' cut the BT-50 body tube so that you have a 4-1/2" long body tube. Mark t' tube for 4 fins instead o' 3 as instructed. Once you have glued t' engine mount into t' booster body tube and t' tube coupler in place, punch two vent holes near t' top o' t' tube. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I lined t' holes up with a set o' fins lines but should have made them in betwixt a set of lines instead. Aye aye! Blimey! Glue two o' t' three Fiesta fins opposite from each other on t' booster. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' two smaller fins saved from t' Tristar kit are used for t' other two fins. Ahoy! Blimey! All fins are positioned so that t' trailin' edge is flush with t' bottom o' t' rocket.

Construction:
I will nay list t' individual components in each kit but let you know as individual kits these rockets have good quality parts in each bag. I did have t' add a tube coupler t' me design since most single-stage rockets do nay contain one. T' nose cone that came in t' Tristar kit had a bad seam so I opted t' use t' Fiesta nose cone which did not have a seam at all.

Finishing:
I choose t' finish t' rocket like t' Tristar picture and painted t' booster blue with white and black fins. The blue I had did nay match t' blue on t' decals so if I was t' do it again, matey, I will use yellow instead o' blue. Begad! I used only t' Tristar decals since t' Fiesta decals did nay fit into t' color scheme o' t' rocket.

Flight:
For t' first flight I loaded t' booster with a C6-0 and t' sustainer with a B6-4. Begad! Blimey! T' rocket lifted off t' pad rather quickly. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! At some point t' rocket got very wobbly and began t' do sporadic loops. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It was pointin' slightly down and toward t' flight line when t' sustainer ignited at about 100' in t' air. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It screamed over t' head o' t' crowd and plowed into t' ground 100 yards behind us just as t' ejection charge went off. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! Needless t' say t' rocket suffered great damage.

Recovery:
Each o' t' kits has a different recovery method. Begad! T' Tristar uses a parachute and t' Fiesta uses a streamer. The advantage here is that you have both choices on hand dependin' on t' weather conditions. Avast! Begad! Since t' design would appear t' be unstable, me bucko, I guess it doesn't matter which you chose. Well, blow me down! Begad!

Summary:
Each individual rock seems like they would be fun t' build and fly. Avast, me proud beauty! As a staged kitbash, thar be definitely a stability issue. Avast! T' first couple inches o' t' body tube are crumpled and scorched pretty bad. Begad! I might eventually cut and repair t' tube and try it again. Begad! I will be sure t' perform a proper swin' test before I launch it.