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

CONSTRUCTION:

There are eight pages o' clear instructions. Nay a lot of illustrations, however, me hearties, t' ones provided give important information, such as motor mount assembly, template placement on t' balsa sheets, arrr, grain alignment when mountin' fins and t' assembled booster stage with t' fin ring. Avast! The instructions are in logical order, however, I would suggest readin' all o' the sub-steps for each main-step and review t' illustrations before starting. Begad! This will help avoid questions and problems. Aye aye! Begad!   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, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' "front" o' t' tube is marked in t' bottom illustration. Avast, me proud beauty! This is very minor considerin' that most modelers understand that t' front o' t' rocket be t' top, me bucko, me hearties, ya bilge rat, as opposed t' the rear (bottom). Aye aye!

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

Another area t' take care on, be t' installation o' the sustainer's motor mount. Ahoy! Blimey! 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. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' unique part o' t' Crossfire™ is the booster fin ring. Avast, me proud beauty! My rin' fit perfectly and didn't require any additional sandin' o' t' fins for fit. Ya scallywag! 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.

Assembly o' t' nose cone was unique t' me, me bucko, matey, too. Aye aye! Arrr! You drill (with a hobby knife) a small hole in t' shoulder t' allow t' Keelhaul®©™® tether t' pass through. Ya scallywag! This is tied t' a retainer (small bead) which prevents it from passin' back through t' hole. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Then t' shoulder is glued onto t' nose cone. Blimey! 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.

As always I start me finishin' process with Plasti-Kote primer. Ya scallywag! Begad! I painted it gloss black and topped t' nose cone with gold. Begad! Ahoy! I also did just t' outside o' t' booster's fin rin' in gold. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! This turned out very nice and matched t' Crossfire™ decal. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, me hearties, I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

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

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

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

After checkin' why t' booster never lifted off, me bucko, shiver me timbers, it was determined that t' motor hook got caught on a "rod-stop" preventing it from liftin' off. Nay only that, but it burned a hole right through me blast shield. Aye aye!

For t' second flight, I ensured the booster was nay hooked and cut a 2" spill-hole in t' parachute. Ya scallywag! I used t' same motors (B6/B6) and off it went. Aye aye! Aye aye! Perfect lift, me bucko, visible separation and successful sustainer ignition. Blimey! Out o' site, me bucko, trial o' smoke, then a little orange parachute appeared. Avast! It was so high, me hearties, I had time t' pick up t' booster and then start walkin' t' where t' sustainer landed. 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, matey, ya bilge rat, because I can only imagine t' altitude with C6/C6 combination.

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

I just want t' mention this kit's recovery system. Blimey! It uses a Keelhaul®©™® tether as already mentioned, 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. Ahoy! I love this stuff and have purchased it separately from Rogue for me other kits. Ahoy!

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

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. Begad! Ahoy! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 1/2 points. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey!

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

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

Finishing:There weren't any decals, so I finished the model by makin' t' fins, inside o' t' fin ring, and nose all black with Testor's enamel paint. T' body be finished with metallic flake adhesive-on-one-side greetin' card paper. Blimey! Well, arrr, blow me down! 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 be a tiny bit too loose, matey, shiver me timbers, so I supplied a thin band o' masking tape t' t' nose cone shoulder t' tighten t' fit. Well, blow me down!

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! Aye aye! I used these thus far, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and plan t' try some engines from Apogee later. Avast! Ahoy! 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, me bucko, though. Blimey! I used me usual worm beddin' wadding, just enough t' fill t' diameter o' t' body tube t' about half an inch. Ahoy! Avast! The engines were retained with a motor block in t' sustainer with a tape band around t' aft end o' t' sustainer's motor, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and tape for t' aft end o' the booster's engine. No actual method was provided otherwise with t' kit itself. T' model flies straight and nicely. And t' orange chute supplied looked great.  I wish t' booster had its own recovery system instead o' tumble recovery, though.

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

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 3 ½ out o' 5

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T' followin' excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". Ya scallywag! T' intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. 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. Begad! For more information, use t' two links above. Avast!

"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, ya bilge rat, balsa fins, a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord, shiver me timbers, water transfer decals, me bucko, a 12" diameter nylon parachute, ya bilge rat, and perma-wadding."
"Eight pages o' easy t' read, matey, ya bilge rat, illustrated instructions . Ahoy! . Ahoy! ."
"I found t' Crossfire fairly easy t' build."
"For t' fins, arrr, you are provided with templates t' trace on t' supplied balsa stock."
"I flew me Crossfire with a B6-0/B6-6 combination."
". . . Ahoy! Avast! straight flight and stagin' was very smooth."
". Arrr! . Avast! Ya scallywag! . Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! returned t' sustainer without a scratch."
"Overall, ya bilge rat, 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.