T' kit comes with a single sustainer body tube and a short booster body tube. Blimey! T' motor mounts come with the centering/mountin' rings and motor hooks for both t' sustainer and the booster. Ya scallywag! There is a vacuum-formed plastic nose cone, matey, a 12" nylon parachute, a Keelhaul®©™® tether and a piece o' Perma-Wadding™. Ahoy! For the fins, me bucko, thar are two balsa sheets, a 3/32" and a 1/16", me bucko, and templates to cut out t' four fins for each section. Well, blow me down! Also, arrr, shiver me timbers, thar be 4. Aye aye! 6" x 1" outer booster fin ring, arrr, which gives this kit it's unique look. Arrr! Lastly thar is a set o' water transfer decals with a large gold Crossfire™ decal and various others.

CONSTRUCTION:

There are eight pages o' clear instructions. Ahoy! Nay a lot of illustrations, however, me hearties, matey, t' ones provided give important information, such as motor mount assembly, matey, template placement on t' balsa sheets, ya bilge rat, grain alignment when mountin' fins and t' assembled booster stage with t' fin ring. Well, blow me down! The instructions are in logical order, shiver me timbers, however, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I would suggest readin' all o' the sub-steps for each main-step and review t' illustrations before starting. Well, blow me down! This will help avoid questions and problems. Arrr!   For example in step 1-e you are told t' "slide t' notched centerin' rin' on from t' front o' the tube until it is even with t' mark". Ahoy! T' "front" o' t' tube is marked in t' bottom illustration. Ya scallywag! This is very minor considerin' that most modelers understand that t' front o' t' rocket be t' top, me bucko, as opposed t' the rear (bottom).

T' assembly o' t' Crossfire™ was straight forward and did nay pose any major problems. Well, blow me down! All o' t' parts fit correctly. Blimey! I was impressed t' see that t' pattern placement and attachment step for t' fins ensured that t' balsa grain was along t' top leadin' edge. This will provide t' most strength. Be very careful with t' 1/16" balsa for t' sustainer fins . Ahoy! Avast! . Ahoy! . Avast! this is some flimsy stuff until it is sealed with CA or primer. Well, blow me down! And even though t' instructions call it optional, I tampered the leadin' and trailin' edges o' each fin. Avast, me proud beauty! Just be careful with t' thin balsa. Just be careful with t' thin balsa. Ahoy! I broke t' fin along t' grain and had to glue back on with CA while finishing. Ahoy!

Another area t' take care on, me hearties, be t' installation o' the sustainer's motor mount. Aye aye! Arrr! Do your very best t' keep glue off o' t' lower section o' t' tube. Begad! This is where t' booster slides into and can cause problems with fit if thar be glue there. Begad!

T' unique part o' t' Crossfire™ is the booster fin ring. Ya scallywag! Blimey! My rin' fit perfectly and didn't require any additional sandin' o' t' fins for fit. Aye aye! T' only precaution is that t' fin ring, if snug, can cause t' fins t' come out o' alignment, me hearties, shiver me timbers, matey, so take care t' ensure t' fins are still straight before t' glue sets on t' fin ring.

Assembly o' t' nose cone be unique t' me, arrr, too. Begad! Begad! You drill (with a hobby knife) a small hole in t' shoulder t' allow t' Keelhaul®©™® tether t' pass through. This is tied t' a retainer (small bead) which prevents it from passin' back through t' hole. Then t' shoulder is glued onto t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! With respect t' t' shoulder, I think it is a bit too short. It also required tape t' make it fit snug into t' body tube. Ahoy!

As always I start me finishin' process with Plasti-Kote primer. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I painted it gloss black and topped t' nose cone with gold. Begad! I also did just t' outside o' t' booster's fin rin' in gold. Ya scallywag! This turned out very nice and matched t' Crossfire™ decal. With regards t' the decals, me hearties, they are water transferable and along with t' Crossfire™ name, there are 3 sets o' Rogue Aerospace, ya bilge rat, 2 sets o' numbers and 4 cross-hairs.

For CONSTRUCTION, ya bilge rat, I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points. Arrr! Well, arrr, blow me down!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

T' Crossfire™ is nay your standard two-stage kit. Blimey! T' two motors are nay taped together. Each motor mount has its own motor clip t' hold t' motors in. Begad! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! When assemble t' motors are at a minimal distance apart t' allow t' in-flight ignition o' t' sustainer motor. Ya scallywag! Aye aye!

T' maiden voyage was set up usin' a B6-0 in t' booster and a B6-4 in t' sustainer. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' recommended motor for t' sustainer is a B6-6, but I didn't have any. With everythin' set, t' count down began . . Ya scallywag! . Begad! Ya scallywag! 3, 2, 1!

Ignition took place but t' rocket didn't move, then the booster motor stopped just as t' sustainer ignited. Aye aye! T' sustainer took off quickly. We were able t' seen t' ejection and t' 12" orange parachute deploy. Well, matey, blow me down! Then what looked like a straight drop recovery started t' turn into a drift and run as fast and as far as possible. Avast! This rocket be carried about 1/4 mile away . Ya scallywag! Begad! . Blimey! . Begad! Arrr! but be recovered!

After checkin' why t' booster never lifted off, ya bilge rat, it was determined that t' motor hook got caught on a "rod-stop" preventing it from liftin' off. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Nay only that, but it burned a hole right through me blast shield. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

For t' second flight, I ensured the booster was nay hooked and cut a 2" spill-hole in t' parachute. I used t' same motors (B6/B6) and off it went. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Perfect lift, ya bilge rat, visible separation and successful sustainer ignition. Begad! Blimey! Out o' site, ya bilge rat, trial o' smoke, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, then a little orange parachute appeared. Begad! Blimey! It was so high, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I had time t' pick up t' booster and then start walkin' t' where t' sustainer landed. Avast! Blimey! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! Watchin' t' descend rate indicated that I could probably go with a 3" spill hole or tighten up on the shroud lines. This kit is a good candidate for a streamer, because I can only imagine t' altitude with C6/C6 combination. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey!

Booster is nay only unique looking, shiver me timbers, but also unique in it's descent. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I spins makin' it look like a sphere!

I just want t' mention this kit's recovery system. Avast! Begad! It uses a Keelhaul®©™® tether as already mentioned, shiver me timbers, which is attached t' t' thrust rin' for strength. Rogue Aerospace's also provides a nylon parachute and a piece o' Perma-Wadding™ which eliminates t' need for waddin' paper. Ahoy! I love this stuff and have purchased it separately from Rogue for me other kits. Begad!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 4 points.

Overall, for t' uniqueness o' t' fin-ring, quality o' a rip-stop parachute and Perma-Wadding™, t' Crossfire™ is a great kit for someone lookin' for a two-stage kit. I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 1/2 points. Well, blow me down! Arrr!

Brief:  This is a 2-staged 18mm, arrr, 4-finned rocket with a rin' around t' fins o' t' lower stage. Ahoy! Well, me hearties, blow me down!

Construction:Everythin' was thar and in good shape, me hearties, nay warped. Arrr! The nose cone is hollow plastic, shiver me timbers, t' body is spiral wound paper, t' fins are die cut balsa at 1/8 inch thickness. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' instructions were logical and straightforward with some pictures. Begad! However, t' nose cone came in two parts, that is, t' top and bottom, and needed t' be glued together. Avast! Begad! Blimey! And t' lower stage alignment with t' rin' be a bear. Aye aye! Blimey! I had t' sand t' chord edges o' the fins until t' rin' could fit without either distortin' t' body tube or skewin' t' angle o' fin attachment. Avast, me proud beauty! In other words, me bucko, t' fit be too tight. Ya scallywag! In other words, arrr, ya bilge rat, t' fit was too tight. Avast! But once I got it t' fit, it looked great. Do be warned that it will take some doing, though. Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! It took me two days t' get it right.  Built up, t' model is now sturdy and sharp looking. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey!

Finishing:There weren't any decals, shiver me timbers, arrr, so I finished the model by makin' t' fins, inside o' t' fin ring, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and nose all black with Testor's enamel paint. Arrr! T' body was finished with metallic flake adhesive-on-one-side greetin' card paper. Ahoy! Ahoy! This can be bought at craft stores such as Michael's. Arrr! Begad! T' outside o' t' fin rin' be finished with bands o' the adhesive glitter paper too.
T' nose cone was a tiny bit too loose, me hearties, shiver me timbers, so I supplied a thin band o' masking tape t' t' nose cone shoulder t' tighten t' fit. Ahoy!

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:T' recommended engines are: T' recommended engines are: B6-0 or C6-0 for t' booster and B6-6 or C6-7 for t' sustainer. Begad! I used these thus far, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and plan t' try some engines from Apogee later. Blimey! I have made some motor adapters so t' sustainer can use their 10.5mm B7-8 engines.  T' booster is too short t' use t' B7-0, though. Ya scallywag! I used me usual worm beddin' wadding, just enough t' fill t' diameter o' t' body tube t' about half an inch. The engines were retained with a motor block in t' sustainer with a tape band around t' aft end o' t' sustainer's motor, and tape for t' aft end o' the booster's engine. Begad! No actual method was provided otherwise with t' kit itself. T' model flies straight and nicely. Blimey! Ya scallywag! And t' orange chute supplied looked great.  I wish t' booster had its own recovery system instead o' tumble recovery, though. Ya scallywag!

Recovery:T' shock cord I modified.  T' kit came with a 36 inch length o' 1/16 inch thick Keelhaul®©™® cording. Blimey! Blimey! That's fine as a rule, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but one o' me hangups with shock cords is that t' should stretch to reduce stress on t' shock system. Ahoy! So, me hearties, matey, I added a 2-foot length o' flat, ya bilge rat, arrr, matey, 1/4 inch elastic t' t' forward end o' t' cording.  T' kit supplied a plastic bead t' retain t' shock cordin' from inside t' nose cone. Blimey! Blimey! T' knot is made inside t' nose cone before its two halves are assembled. Ahoy! T' rocket so far has suffered no wear or damage, except some slight scorchin' o' the booster, which seems common in contact staging. Begad! Blimey! T' parachute is thin orange nylon, 10 inches in diameter.  Although it's a flat hexagon, me bucko, it inflated nicely. Avast, me proud beauty! It seems just right in size, me hearties, as t' rocket descends softly. Arrr! Begad! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:Cool looking, flies straight, ya bilge rat, catchy fin rin' draws attention. Well, blow me down! Any cons include alignment o' t' booster takin' some determination, but t' result is worth it. Avast! Ahoy! T' shock cord wasn't stretchy. Maybe it isn't necessary, matey, but I added elastic t' it for stretch. Begad! Begad! If I'd change anythin' major, it'd be t' supply t' booster with a recovery streamer. This would help in makin' it visible for recovery while t' flyer concentrates on locatin' the sustainer.  But so far I finished t' fin rin' with bright glitter paper for visibility. Begad! Arrr!

Overall Rating: 3 ½ out o' 5

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T' followin' excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". T' intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. Blimey! Avast! We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' the referenced Sport Rocketry and read t' entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. Well, blow me down! For more information, me bucko, use t' two links above. Well, blow me down! Aye aye!

"If you find buildin' rockets t' be as much fun as flyin' them, then you should enjoy the kits offered by Rogue Aerospace."
"T' Crossfire is a two-stage rocket which has a rin' fin on the booster."
"This kit features a vacuum-formed plastic nose cone, balsa fins, me hearties, a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord, water transfer decals, matey, me hearties, a 12" diameter nylon parachute, and perma-wadding."
"Eight pages o' easy t' read, illustrated instructions . Ahoy! Avast! . Begad! ."
"I found t' Crossfire fairly easy t' build."
"For t' fins, you are provided with templates t' trace on t' supplied balsa stock."
"I flew me Crossfire with a B6-0/B6-6 combination."
". Blimey! Blimey! . . Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! straight flight and stagin' be very smooth."
". . Begad! Ahoy! . Avast, me proud beauty! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! returned t' sustainer without a scratch."
"Overall, I think t' Crossfire is a great kit."

T' entire article gives t' impression is that this unique lookin' 2-stage kit for an intermediate modeler. Ahoy! Blimey!