Brief:
T' USS Prometheus is a futuristic freighter designed t' work on 18mm motors. Aye aye! Arrr! I would call it a skill level 2 kit. There is some cuttin' o' tubes and some alignment issues but t' fins are die cut. Arrr! It also uses a combination or white/yellow glue and epoxy with a few methods that are nay seen in many simple kits.

Construction:
Construction begins with t' motor mount. Arrr! T' first item is t' make a mark for t' engine hook but, instead to tellin' you t' measure back some distance, matey, t' instructions take t' practical route o' sayin' t' set t' thrust ring alongside t' motor tube t' place t' mark. Well, blow me down!

Dimensions were then given t' make marks for t' centerin' rings. Aye aye! A slit be then made for t' engine hook and the hook was inserted. Avast! Ya scallywag! Some electrical tape was used t' hold t' engine hook in place and t' aft centerin' rin' be slid into place and glued with yellow glue. It was allowed t' sit a bit and then t' forward rin' was likewise placed. Avast, me proud beauty!

While t' first round o' glue on t' rings was settin' up, arrr, t' thrust rin' was glued into t' forward end o' the motor tube flush with t' end o' t' engine hook. A light fillet o' yellow glue be then placed on both sides o' both centerin' rings. Begad!

When these fillets had dried, I tied a Keelhaul®©™® harness around t' forward end o' t' motor mount and laid down a heavier fillet on top o' it and on t' other joints o' t' motor mount. Arrr! This be allowed t' dry thoroughly. Arrr!

I should point out here that t' Keelhaul®©™® harness is a modification on me part. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! When dry, glue be swabbed into t' body tube and t' motor mount be inserted. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! A swab was then used t' build up a fillet around t' aft centerin' ring.

T' fins for t' Prometheus were all precut and were still held captive in their parent stock. Begad! Begad! I gently sanded both sides before removin' t' pieces. Avast! T' main fins/wings are built up out o' 2 pieces. Begad! I used a double glue joint to join t' pieces and a steel ruler t' make sure t' root edges stayed aligned.

As t' main part o' t' fins were drying, matey, I turned t' t' other balsa pieces which included t' vertical tail and two more pieces t' be fitted t' t' ends o' t' wings t' support t' nacelles. Avast, me proud beauty! This balsa too be o' good quality and I used t' opportunity t' round t' leadin' and trailin' edges, me bucko, bein' careful nay t' mar t' root or outer edges; those would need t' remain flat for other joints.

T' dryin' time was also t' mark t' proper lines on t' body tube. T' kit came with a wrap around fin guide which be cut out and taped around t' body. Begad! T' lug line was aligned with t' engine hook and then all o' t' lines were transferred. Begad! Begad! T' guide was removed and an angle be used t' extend t' lines.

I considered t' main part o' t' fins t' be dry enough t' mess with again t' next day. Avast! Lookin' them over, the joint seemed t' be straight so I tried t' round t' leadin' and trailin' edges o' these as well. Ahoy! Again, arrr, I left t' root and outer edges strictly alone in consideration o' future joints.

I had no doubt that fillin' and sandin' t' balsa would be a nightmare after t' fins were installed so I painted a coat o' Elmer's filler on t' fins and let them dry for a day. Arrr! They were then sanded down in preparation for installation on t' body tube.

T' attachment o' t' main fins t' t' body is an easy but delicate operation. Begad! T' body tube was laid on a flat surface with t' lug line in t' 6 o'clock position. Ahoy! This put t' two main fin lines on t' top on either side o' the noon position. Blimey! T' BT was then taped into place so that it would nay roll. Avast! Ahoy! A double glue joint o' yellow glue was built up on t' fins and t' BT and, with t' second coat, me hearties, t' fins were put into place along their lines. Arrr! They are intended t' NOT be mounted perpendicularly but are supposed t' droop so that t' out edge is even with t' bottom o' t' tube. Their position be checked from several different angles and then t' assembly was left alone t' dry. T' groove formed by t' fins and t' tube was nay an issue for reasons which will later be apparent.

T' nacelle on t' vertical tail is, me hearties, like t' other nacelles, made from a piece o' BT20. Unlike t' others, though, me bucko, it has a beveled trailin' edge. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! This bevel is cut with t' assistance o' a wrap around template which be cut out and wrapped around t' tube. T' tube was then placed on a mandrel and a razor knife be used t' cut along t' rear edge. Ya scallywag! Sandpaper be used t' clean up t' cut.

T' main fins dried in place for a day before I risked disturbin' them. Begad! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! When I picked t' rocket up, shiver me timbers, t' seemed to be attached about as well as could be expected for a joint that involved just t' corner o' one edge for the connection. Begad! This left a V-shaped valley on t' dorsal surface betwixt t' fin and t' BT. Begad! At least they seemed t' be straight and Red River had a plan t' fix t' gap!

T' kit came with a pair o' wooden dowels t' length o' t' fin root edges. These dowels were intended t' fit into t' gap betwixt t' BT and t' fins. Avast! Blimey! A batch o' 5 minute epoxy be mixed and then some was brushed into t' gaps. Begad! The dowels were pressed into t' gaps and more epoxy be brushed over t' top. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! I then used me finger whetted with some denatured alcohol t' smooth out t' epoxy and feather it t' t' BT and t' fin.

T' balsa portion o' t' tail assembly is distinguished by bein' a single piece as opposed t' t' two similar pieces that go at t' ends o' t' wings. It was glued in place along its marked line usin' a double glue joint.

When t' glue on t' tail had fully dried, me bucko, I applied a fillet o' Tightbond Trim and Moldin' glue t' both sides. Ahoy! I also applied fillets t' t' undersides o' t' wings where t' attached t' t' BTs. Blimey! This be a big gap and I wanted to see if t' Tightbond would work here. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' results in both cases were excellent.

T' vertical drops for t' outer nacelles were affixed t' t' wings with 5 minute epoxy. Ahoy! It was important to ensure that t' drops formed a right angle with t' plane o' t' wings.

Again because o' t' shape and tightness o' t' finished shape, arrr, I went ahead and put Elmer's filler on t' tail and t' drops and allowed them a day t' dry. T' next day, these pieces were sanded down and particular attention was paid t' where further glue joints would be made.

While t' filler had been drying, I attended t' a few small matters. Avast! Aye aye! T' elastic was tied into t' Keelhaul®©™®. T' eye screw was twisted into t' balsa cone, withdrawn and then seated again in a puddle o' white glue.

T' tail nacelle, t' one with t' beveled cut, was glued t' t' tail piece with a double joint o' yellow glue. Blimey! It be oriented so that t' shortest part o' t' tube aligned with t' stabilizer. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! T' win' nacelles were likewise glued t' t' vertical drops on t' wings with a double joint with care bein' exercised that they were even. Ahoy! When t' nacelles had dried a bit, matey, they were fillet with Tightbond Tim and Moldin' and t' assembly was set aside t' dry for a while.

T' nose cone was tied onto t' elastic and then t' shockcord was fed into t' BT and t' cone seated. T' cone was then slathered with more Elmer's filler and allowed t' dry. Well, blow me down! When it was dry, t' cone was sanded and construction o' t' USS Prometheus was complete.

Finishing:
Fillin' and sandin' o' t' Prometheus took place durin' t' assembly. Ahoy! When t' assembly was complete, t' rocket was taken t' t' booth and primed with Kilz.

A couple o' days later, matey, t' Primed rocket be sanded down. Ahoy! It be at this point that I really began t' appreciate t' Tightbond Trim and Moldin' glue for fillets. Aye aye! Ahoy! There were no cavities.

After t' sanding, t' Prometheus was given 3 coats o' glass white paint. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I used t' no-name generic Walmart paint which has done well for me in t' past in both white and black.

T' decals were nice waterslides. Blimey! There were no specific instructions on their placement but t' facecard provided all t' information I needed. Blimey! I started off with t' three maroon rectangles. Two were located on either side o' the tail assembly and t' third was just in front o' it. Begad! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! This was followed by t' tail numbers, one on either side o' the tail. I moved forward then with t' name. Ya scallywag! Avast! Again, it was a pair, matey, one on either side o' t' BT. I thought a nice touch to this kit was t' colored pattern provided for t' tail nacelle. Begad! Ahoy! This too was applied as a pair. Blimey! T' top surface got a long decal with some stripin' and some shapes which, arrr, I suppose, me hearties, shiver me timbers, represent hatches. Begad! Both sides o' t' BT got a large, long decal representin' windows.

Somethin' I could nay identify from t' face card be t' placement o' t' roundels. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! There were a pair o' winged planets and a Red River Rocketry logo. I placed one o' each on t' upper win' surfaces, t' Red River on t' left and t' planet on t' right. I centered t' other planetary roundel on t' dorsal surface o' t' BT just ahead o' the launch lug. Arrr! It was at this point that I noticed that I had earlier cut out t' "windshield" and had forgotten t' place it so I did so on t' nose cone. Ahoy! T' last decal was a pair o' stripes. Well, blow me down! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I had nay idea where they were supposed t' go but I aligned them just forward o' t' planetery device on t' ventral surface.

With that, t' Prometheus be doomed sit around waitin' for an opportunity t' fly.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I had t' wait entirely too long after completin' this model before havin' a chance t' fly it and even then I only got one shot at it due t' time constraints. Avast! Blimey! I installed a 12 nylon chute, me hearties, stuffed in some dog barf on one end and a B6-4 on t' other and even had t' presence o' mind t' make sure t' windshield on t' NC was oriented correctly and I finished preppin' and took it out t' t' pad.

Liftoff was fast, much faster than I expected. Avast, me proud beauty! It went up without any weathercockin' in what had become a respectable breeze and stayed on a straight path all t' way up. T' ejection came just a touch early since t' rocket be still movin' upwards. Begad! T' chute ejected and it drifted down gently. There was no damage at all and it was ready to fly again with t' simple addition o' another motor...but time ran out.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Prometheus is a project that grew on me over time. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! I liked it well enough t' begin with but, as it be built, me hearties, I began t' appreciate it more and more. Seein' it perform just raised its status that much further. It is nay a difficult kit but does require some care. Ya scallywag! I suspect somebody could even make a go o' it for their first rocket if they went slowly and carefully read all t' instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Blimey! I don't recommend that but I do think its doable.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other:
Anyone interested in seein' what happens t' this rocket can check it out here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23694991@N03/collections/72157622482462948/