T' kit comes with a single sustainer body tube and a short booster body tube. Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' motor mounts come with the centering/mountin' rings and motor hooks for both t' sustainer and the booster. There is a vacuum-formed plastic nose cone, ya bilge rat, a 12" nylon parachute, a Keelhaul®©™® tether and a piece o' Perma-Wadding™. Aye aye! For the fins, me bucko, thar are two balsa sheets, me hearties, me bucko, a 3/32" and a 1/16", and templates to cut out t' four fins for each section. Also, me bucko, thar be 4. 6" x 1" outer booster fin ring, which gives this kit it's unique look. Begad! 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. Nay a lot of illustrations, me bucko, me hearties, however, ya bilge rat, t' ones provided give important information, shiver me timbers, such as motor mount assembly, template placement on t' balsa sheets, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, grain alignment when mountin' fins and t' assembled booster stage with t' fin ring. The instructions are in logical order, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, however, arrr, matey, I would suggest readin' all o' the sub-steps for each main-step and review t' illustrations before starting. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! This will help avoid questions and problems. Avast, me proud beauty!   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". Well, blow me down! T' "front" o' t' tube is marked in t' bottom illustration. Ahoy! This is very minor considerin' that most modelers understand that t' front o' t' rocket be t' top, as opposed t' the rear (bottom). Ya scallywag!

T' assembly o' t' Crossfire™ was straight forward and did nay pose any major problems. Aye aye! Begad! All o' t' parts fit correctly. Well, blow me down! 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. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Be very careful with t' 1/16" balsa for t' sustainer fins . Blimey! . . this is some flimsy stuff until it is sealed with CA or primer. Aye aye! And even though t' instructions call it optional, I tampered the leadin' and trailin' edges o' each fin. Ahoy! Just be careful with t' thin balsa. Just be careful with t' thin balsa. I broke t' fin along t' grain and had to glue back on with CA while finishing. Arrr! Avast!

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

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

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

As always I start me finishin' process with Plasti-Kote primer. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I painted it gloss black and topped t' nose cone with gold. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Begad! With regards t' the decals, shiver me timbers, they are water transferable and along with t' Crossfire™ name, there are 3 sets o' Rogue Aerospace, 2 sets o' numbers and 4 cross-hairs.

For CONSTRUCTION, ya bilge rat, I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points. Avast, me proud beauty!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

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

T' maiden voyage was set up usin' a B6-0 in t' booster and a B6-4 in t' sustainer. T' recommended motor for t' sustainer is a B6-6, but I didn't have any. Ahoy! With everythin' set, me bucko, arrr, t' count down began . Well, blow me down! . Blimey! . Arrr! 3, 2, 1!

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

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

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

Booster is nay only unique looking, matey, but also unique in it's descent. I spins makin' it look like a sphere!

I just want t' mention this kit's recovery system. Avast! It uses a Keelhaul®©™® tether as already mentioned, me bucko, matey, 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. Arrr! Well, matey, blow me down! I love this stuff and have purchased it separately from Rogue for me other kits. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, arrr, I would rate this kit 4 points. Avast, matey, me proud beauty!

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. Avast, me proud beauty! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 1/2 points. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

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

Construction:Everythin' was thar and in good shape, nay warped. Begad! The nose cone is hollow plastic, arrr, t' body is spiral wound paper, t' fins are die cut balsa at 1/8 inch thickness. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions were logical and straightforward with some pictures. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! However, me hearties, t' nose cone came in two parts, that is, me bucko, t' top and bottom, and needed t' be glued together. Ahoy! And t' lower stage alignment with t' rin' be a bear. 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. In other words, shiver me timbers, t' fit was too tight. Ahoy! Well, matey, blow me down! In other words, ya bilge rat, t' fit was too tight. Ahoy! But once I got it t' fit, ya bilge rat, it looked great. Do be warned that it will take some doing, though. Begad! It took me two days t' get it right.  Built up, me bucko, t' model is now sturdy and sharp looking. Ahoy!

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

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. I used these thus far, arrr, 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. Well, blow me down! I used me usual worm beddin' wadding, just enough t' fill t' diameter o' t' body tube t' about half an inch. Aye aye! Aye aye! The engines were retained with a motor block in t' sustainer with a tape band around t' aft end o' t' sustainer's motor, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and tape for t' aft end o' the booster's engine. Aye aye! No actual method was provided otherwise with t' kit itself. T' model flies straight and nicely. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! And t' orange chute supplied looked great.  I wish t' booster had its own recovery system instead o' tumble recovery, me hearties, arrr, though. Avast, me proud beauty!

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

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:Cool looking, flies straight, ya bilge rat, me bucko, catchy fin rin' draws attention. Arrr! Any cons include alignment o' t' booster takin' some determination, but t' result is worth it. T' shock cord wasn't stretchy. Ahoy! Maybe it isn't necessary, but I added elastic t' it for stretch. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! If I'd change anythin' major, it'd be t' supply t' booster with a recovery streamer. Avast! 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.

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. Avast! We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' the referenced Sport Rocketry and read t' entire article. Begad! Avast! Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! For more information, use t' two links above. Well, blow me down!

"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, me bucko, shiver me timbers, water transfer decals, a 12" diameter nylon parachute, me hearties, and perma-wadding."
"Eight pages o' easy t' read, illustrated instructions . Ya scallywag! Begad! . Blimey! Blimey! ."
"I found t' Crossfire fairly easy t' build."
"For t' fins, me hearties, you are provided with templates t' trace on t' supplied balsa stock."
"I flew me Crossfire with a B6-0/B6-6 combination."
". . Ahoy! Ya scallywag! . Aye aye! straight flight and stagin' was very smooth."
". . . Begad! 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. Begad! Blimey!