Brief:
This is nay a kit; it is a plan pak that is a scale model (about 1:10) o' t' US Army Nike Hercules surface t' air missile from T' Launch Pad. Begad! T' project is a two-stage rocket that utilizes parachute recovery for both t' booster and sustainer. Begad! T' booster is a cluster o' four D12 motors and t' sustainer is a single D12 motor.

Construction:
There are four body tubes in t' booster and one for t' sustainer. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' plans call for you t' roll your own tubes out o' posterboard. Since it is a four motor clustered booster you have t' fabricate or obtain 8 centerin' rings for t' booster and two more for t' sustainer. Begad! T' 24mm motor tubes were all just long enough for an Estes D12 except for t' switch tube, me bucko, me hearties, which has a piston in if for t' sustainer ignition. Begad! I used 3 feet o' 1/4" elastic shock cord for both t' booster and sustainer. T' nose cone be t' Estes Phoenix which requires a bit o' modification by attachin' a point onto t' otherwise ogive Estes Phoenix NC.

Definin' pros and cons is a difficult task because it is a real butt-kicker t' build, arrr, me bucko, which is nay necessarily a bilge-suckin' thing. That said, matey, arrr, it has clearly been t' most fun and challengin' t' build and fly. Avast! I chose t' plan pak for two reasons: First, ya bilge rat, I wanted somethin' with a degree o' difficulty beyond anythin' I've ever done. Second, I wanted a Nike Hercules because it has t' be t' coolest rocket I've ever seen. Avast, me proud beauty! After talkin' t' quite a few people and describin' t' project, shiver me timbers, I received all sorts o' advice on modifications I should make. After seriously considerin' most o' them I decided that I be goin' t' build it stock.as close t' t' way Chuck describes in t' plans as possible. Avast! Intent on doin' this, I tried t' roll me own tubes (as per t' instructions). After two rounds o' attempts I gave up and just purchased t' sustainer tube (Estes 2.6") and a buddy o' mine gave me some o' his old Centuri 2" stock for t' booster. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! As a result me kit ended up a bit heavier than be originally intended. Aye aye! I added some weight in t' nose t' compensate. Begad! Blimey! I calculated t' CP on t' sustainer by itself and put enough weight in t' nose for a 1.50 caliber static margin.

T' major pro about t' kit be t' instructions themselves&nothin' short o' impeccable. Begad! Before I started this project I had built t' Phoenix kit by TLP and I believe that certainly helped. Begad! There were only two places where I got a bit stuck in t' instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! Other than that Chuck Barndt has obviously taken t' time t' write it well. Arrr! T' diagrams are also quite helpful. Ya scallywag! Another plus be t' ease o' acquirin' most o' t' parts t' build t' rocket, me bucko, me bucko, mostly from Hobby Lobby and a few odds and ends at t' local hobby shop.

T' worst experience I had in buildin' this rocket be procurin' an Estes Phoenix nose cone without actually droppin' down t' $22 t' buy t' kit. Begad! After weeks o' tryin' t' get Estes just t' answer t' phone and then promisin' t' send it t' me I found George Bartzokis on rec.models.rockets from Needham, me hearties, MA who said he'd give me his old one. Ahoy! Thanks George! By t' way, I'm still waitin' for Estes t' come through on their promise.

Bottom line on construction is this; it's nay for t' faint o' heart. For anyone contemplatin' takin' on this project, make sure you brin' plenty o' patience and be prepared for lots o' frustration, arrr, especially if you don't have too much experience buildin' complex rockets, me hearties, like me. Begad! Blimey! T' most difficult task, me bucko, matey, aside from rollin' t' body tubes, matey, was t' fabricate t' transition section. Begad! Blimey! T' largest piece in t' transition section is a 3.3 inch arc that you must cut out o' poster board. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! T' angle o' t' arc has t' be very precise, which be difficult if nay impossible with me cheesy little protractor. Arrr! Blimey! Because o' t' size o' it, you also need a compass that can do 15 inches o' radius or have a computer that can draw it out on a plotter. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Havin' neither t' compass nor t' plotter, matey, me bucko, me wife and I ended up usin' me little compass and a string. Avast! Begad! Blimey! I tried five times before I got one that worked.and it still wasn't perfect. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Blimey! I decided that I would just fill a few gaps with some wood filler and move on.

Finishing:
Finishin' is one area where I really lack good experience. Avast, me proud beauty! Mono-colored rockets are about all I've done. Avast, me proud beauty! T' plans give very specific instructions on decal placement and size, matey, however I didn't do any o' it, just painted it accordin' t' t' scheme from t' picture that I had received from a friend.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' biggest con for me was t' prep time t' get t' rocket ready for launch. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! You don't just throw t' motors in, a little wadding, igniters and then launch. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I tested t' wirin' just prior t' launch, ya bilge rat, arrr, installed a new Duracell and then t' 'chutes. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' plan calls 3 D12-0 and one D12-3 in t' booster and a D12-5 or 7 for t' sustainer. I used a 5 second delay because me rocket be a bit heavier than t' stock plans. Begad! Blimey! T' rocket has an interestin' method o' ignitin' t' second stage. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! One o' t' engine assemblies in t' cluster has a piston and a micro lever switch inside o' it. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' piston, shiver me timbers, when t' motor is installed, applies pressure t' t' switch and opens t' circuit. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! You use a D12-0 in t' switch tube. Ahoy! Blimey! After t' boost is complete, arrr, ya bilge rat, me bucko, t' ejection charge blows t' motor out o' t' engine assembly, which in turn closes t' circuit and sends t' juice from a 9V alkaline battery t' t' igniter in t' sustainer. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Durin' construction, shiver me timbers, matey, make sure you take your time and follow t' instructions carefully so that t' piston works properly. I had t' do mine twice before it functioned properly. T' make sure that t' motors fired properly, I used E matches with thermalite attached. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! A bit o' overkill maybe, but I didn't want t' mess up t' launch (and t' rocket) due t' a misfire in t' cluster or sustainer. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I prepped t' igniters t' night before. T' boost was stunning. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! My wife got a great video o' t' boost and t' sustainer ignition. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I've watched it at least two dozen times. Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' ematch/thermalite combination brought t' sustainer motor up so close t' t' booster burnout that I couldn't detect any delay. I was told by one o' me rocket buddies that it was t' coolest flight o' t' day. Those few seconds were so good that all t' time and frustration seemed t' be fairly insignificant.

Recovery:
Things went awry after t' sustainer ignition, matey, matey, as t' parachute didn't deploy properly for t' booster. Aye aye! T' parachute separated, me hearties, arrr, probably due t' nay usin' enough wadding. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! As a result, t' transition section be destroyed and one o' t' fins popped off, me hearties, but everythin' else was intact. T' sustainer recovery be nearly flawless. Ya scallywag! However, me hearties, landin' on t' hard ground in Eastern Colorado, me hearties, I popped one o' t' elevons, which is easily repaired. T' booster will be repaired soon and I will fly it again. Arrr! T' strength o' t' materials is a bit suspect so unless everythin' goes perfectly be prepared t' do repair work on it.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
Pros: This has t' be one o' t' coolest rockets I've seen. It looks great and it flies great. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! It be t' most challengin' project that I've ever done. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Cons: T' strength o' t' materials require an absolutely flawless flight for you t' nay have t' do any repair work post recovery.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5