Brief:
This kit was an eBay find. It was already opened but all pieces were reportedly present. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I took a chance and bid on it, paid too much, and squealed with delight when it arrived.

Construction:
T' Hojo starts, me hearties, me bucko, as do most kits, with t' motor mount. A spacer is marked at 1/4" and used t' push a thrust rin' into t' motor tube. Ya scallywag! On inspection, shiver me timbers, me bucko, arrr, I noticed that one end o' t' motor tube was ovaled but t' other end was round. Well, blow me down! I decided that t' oval would nay cause any problem if it were oriented forward so I inserted t' thrust rin' in the opposite end.

T' instructions then had me cut a slit for t' engine hook. When I tried t' cut at t' mark I had made, I encountered resistance as t' blade came into contact with t' already mounted thrust ring. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I moved t' slit down just a bit and t' resistance was gone. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I then used a bit o' tape t' keep t' hook from movin' about for t' next step.

Kits often have thin rings t' slide over t' engine hook and keep it in place. Avast! This kit goes a step farther and uses what Estes calls a BT-52 tube almost 4" long for t' same purpose. A mark is made an inch from t' end o' the motor tube. Blimey! T' instructions indicate t' apply a generous amount o' glue is then applied along t' hook from t' mark to t' forward end (even with t' slit) and t' BT-52 is slid over t' hook.

Next, t' cardboard centerin' rings are removed from their stack material and sanded t' remove t' attachment points. Ahoy! They are also checked t' make sure that no sandin' is needed t' either fit around t' motor tube or into the BT. Avast! Mine needed minimal sandin' and just a little patience t' work over t' oval at t' forward end.

T' motor tube is marked in 2 places and t' rings are slid on. Blimey! T' one with t' slot in it goes forward. The rings were glued in place with yellow glue and filleted.

After lettin' t' fillets set up for a couple o' days ("She who must be obeyed" had some things for me to do), I marked t' inside o' t' BT-80 for where t' second rin' was supposed t' be. Avast, me proud beauty! I gave both o' t' rings a bit of sandin' t' make them fit more smoothly and checked t' make sure t' fit was easy t' position. Avast! Ya scallywag! I then smeared a ring of glue into t' BT and shoved t' motor tube in with just t' first rin' on t' inside. I then swabbed another glue rin' at t' mark and pushed t' assembly home. Begad! Avast! It went in easily, which can be a warnin' sign.

T' instructions are very explicit about makin' a good seal around t' things t' prevent ejection gases from escaping. Arrr! With that in mind, ya bilge rat, I placed generous fillets on t' approachable faces o' both rings and set t' assembly to the side t' dry.

About t' time t' glue had set up past t' point o' makin' any more changes, I noticed a blunder on me part. Ahoy! The forward centerin' rin' had a slot in it intended t' mount t' shock cord. I be plannin' on makin' a loop o' Keelhaul®©™® around t' motor mount and then cuttin' a notch in t' edge o' t' rin' t' pass t' Keelhaul®©™® forward. Avast, me proud beauty! Oops.

At this point I need t' digress a bit and mention that in this model, matey, Estes be providin' nice 1/4" sewing elastic instead o' t' raw rubber band. That made for a pleasant but, now unrealizable, memory. Well, blow me down! Now back t' our build...

Nay quite believin' what I was doing, I found myself cuttin' a long length o' t' heavier Keelhaul®©™® and tyin' a loop in t' middle. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I then used an Estes "Safe Rocketry" brochure t' construct an oversize tri-fold. Well, blow me down! T' mount I constructed had both ends o' t' Keelhaul®©™® glued in. T' loop for attachment is in t' middle. Aye aye! Blimey! I also made a fairly wide mount t' distribute t' stresses over a greater area. Arrr! Blimey! I installed t' mount with yellow glue.

T' next step is t' apply t' circumferential bands around t' BT. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' kit comes with a sheet o' heavy cardstock, some o' which is used for templates and some which is used t' form these bands. There are 3. Arrr! Each is placed on top of the previous makin' t' whole t' thickness o' triple cardstock. Begad! Aye aye! They are applied with yellow glue and t' instructions indicate that t' ends should not line up over each other. Ahoy! Blimey! T' first two bands are plain and t' third has a line o' circles on it which are supposed t' be cut out.

I applied t' 2 bands without any problem but was at a loss as t' how t' punch t' needed holes in t' third. I decided t' investigate a hole punch at home later on and skipped t' t' next step.

T' nosecone is plastic, as be t' fin can, ya bilge rat, t' fins, and another part I will call t' nosecone base. Ahoy! Begad! T' NC base and fin can are cast as a single unit. Avast! Avast! T' instructions had me saw t' 2 pieces apart. I then used a bench sander to take t' plastic down t' where it be supposed t' be. Ya scallywag! His involved about 1/16" on both pieces.

T' instructions say t' use a razor knife t' drill 2 holes in t' NC base. Ya scallywag! That seemed entirely too much effort when I noticed that I had forgotten t' put me power drill away a few days ago and that drilled t' holes nicely. I then passed one o' t' pieces o' sewin' elastic provided through t' holes and then tied t' ends together, matey, ya bilge rat, formin' a single large loop. Aye aye! This is supposed t' be t' shock mount for t' NC. T' NC base be then glued into t' NC after sandin' the edges down a little.

Next up were t' fins. This is me first attempt t' work with vacuformed plastic. Aye aye! Blimey! While I see t' advantages, at this point I am nay a fan.

There are 4 fins and each fin comes in 2 halves. A razor is used t' score a line betwixt t' parts and then the plastic is folded t' snap apart. Begad! This actually worked well for me. Ahoy! I had thought that t' plastic would be thinner.

T' fins then needed t' be cut down t' size. Avast! Ahoy! You are supposed t' score and snap leavin' about 1/8" o' excess material. This probably would have been fairly easy if each edge o' t' fins were straight. Begad! One edge is nay straight. That made me life more difficult. Ya scallywag! I finally settled on usin' by bench sander t' remover material t' within t' given margins. Avast! Ya scallywag! I cleaned up t' edges with a razor and some hand sandin' also.

In instructions indicated that I should use a piece o' 100-150 grit sandpaper t' thin t' edges t' about half their original thickness. Ahoy! Blimey! This was done with unknown effects on t' efficacy o' puttin' t' things together.

Liquid plastic cement was used t' join t' 2 halves. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! There are no guidin' lips or alignment holes. Everythin' is done by eyeball and hopin' for t' best. Blimey! These parts are then set aside t' dry.

When I got around t' workin' on t' third circumferential band, matey, I thought I would use a hole punch t' make nice and even little hole. When I checked, shiver me timbers, matey, though, ya bilge rat, t' holes would have been too large. Well, blow me down! As I be returnin' t' hole punch to the drawer, I noticed a leather punch with multiple spikes for assorted hole sizes. Begad! On checkin' it out further. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I found that t' largest o' t' spikes be just t' right size. Ahoy! Begad! After that, me hearties, punchin' t' holes was nay a problem although I did have t' stop and clear out t' "chads" every now and then. Once t' holes were punched, ya bilge rat, I cut t' band out and glued it over t' previous two.

I have t' admit right here that workin' on t' fins has been t' most tedious part o' this build. After getting the two vacuformed halves together t' make 4 fins, thar be still a lot o' sanding, filling, ya bilge rat, sanding, shiver me timbers, trimming, sanding, cursing, sanding, re-gluing, and sandin' t' be done. Begad! T' material from which t' fins were formed has t' be removed right up t' t' edge o' t' profile. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! On t' straight sides this is nay too bad but along t' root edge it becomes much more complex. There is a piece that hangs over t' top o' t' fin into a depression. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' fin needs t' sit flush and straight. Arrr! Sometimes t' removal o' material opens up a cavity that needs t' be filled. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! It seemed t' go on forever.

T' process be basically this: I trimmed off as much as I could with a razor knife, matey, used a sandin' belt to remove material t' as close t' t' fin as I dared, ya bilge rat, hand sanded t' remove burrs, matey, sharp edges, shiver me timbers, etc., matey, filled cavities with green Squadron putty, shiver me timbers, sanded some more and test fit some more. I finally reached t' point where my "enjoyment" was decreasin' t' a level incommensurate with a "hobby" and figured it was good enough.

T' fins are supposed t' be mounted on t' fin can with plastic cement. In t' past, me luck with this stuff on fins has nay been too good. This is true o' both t' tube type and t' liquid solvent. Arrr! I decided t' fit these fins with 5 minute epoxy. Ahoy! I mixed t' epoxy in small batches, shiver me timbers, each just big enough for one fin. Well, blow me down! I then applied it t' t' root edge and pressed t' fin t' t' fin can. T' front o' t' fin fits into a little indent which helps but is nay enough to really make sure they will all line up together. Arrr! Most o' t' fin is centered on a mold line on t' fin can. Begad! The epoxy method seemed t' work well. Begad! Arrr! After each fin was done, I went on t' t' next one, me hearties, eyeballin' things along t' way to make sure they were straight.

Mountin' t' fin can t' t' body tube posed no problems at all. T' instructions indicated that t' joint was to be made with tube type plastic cement but I elected t' use 5-minute epoxy again. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' fit was rather loose so no sanding was needed. Begad! Aye aye! I mixed a small amount o' epoxy, spread it in a rin' around t' inside o' t' BT, and slipped it on. I checked t' aft end t' make sure t' motor tube was centered and it was as simple as that.

After dealin' with t' fins, me hearties, I was nay too enthusiastic about workin' with t' spin motors which came on t' same vacuformed material as t' fins but they did nay turn out t' be too difficult. Blimey! On t' first motor, ya bilge rat, t' excess material was trimmed away by scorin' and snappin' o' t' plastic. Blimey! I then sanded down t' t' change in contour. Arrr! Aye aye! For t' other three, shiver me timbers, I followed a similar procedure but with an important difference. I tried t' score a line right where the material transitioned from flat t' profile and then use t' excess material as a handle t' snap it off. Aye aye! That worked well and I was left with only minor sanding.

T' result o' t' previous step be a series o' 4 spin motors which looked fairly nice but which had flat bottoms needin' attachment t' a round nosecone. Begad! T' rectify this, I used t' procedure spelled out in t' instructions t' good effect. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I wrapped a piece o' #100 sandpaper around t' NC where t' spin motors were t' me mounted and then rubbed the motors back and forth t' achieve t' desired profile.

Each o' t' spin motors be attached t' t' NC along a line molded into t' plastic o' t' NC and 1" up from the bottom. Aye aye! I used t' liquid plastic cement for this and it seemed t' make a good join.

T' kit comes with a strip o' thin balsa and a small sheet o' thicker balsa. Ahoy! Ahoy! This is used along with t' provided templates t' cut a bunch o' small parts that are used for detailin' and offsettin' t' launch lugs. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I expected this to be rather tedious but it did nay turn out t' be so.

For t' thick balsa, thar be just a single template for t' two different types o' parts. Two copies were needed o' one part and four o' t' other. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I cut t' template out with scissors and transferred t' lines t' t' balsa, notin' t' orientation o' t' grain was compliant with t' directions. Once t' parts were marked, I used a razor and straightedge t' cut them out.

T' thin sheet had enough template for each o' t' parts t' be cut. I taped the template t' t' balsa strip at a place where t' tape was smaller than t' part bein' cut and then proceeded t' slice the parts off.

After t' pieces were cut out, me bucko, ya bilge rat, it was fairly simple t' glue them together. Well, blow me down! A pair o' skinny bands be glued to either side o' t' fin-lookin' things. Blimey! Blimey! When t' glue be dry, me hearties, t' excess overhang be cut off and t' edges sanded. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! A cover plate be then glued on top. When that glue was dry, me bucko, it was sanded t' conform with t' rest o' t' bevel.

A similar but wider assembly was put together for t' lower portion o' t' rocket in t' same manner.

And finally, me bucko, ya bilge rat, two more things were made which each resemble half o' t' previous thing. Begad! Blimey! All o' these things are referred t' as launch shoes in t' directions.

T' launch shoes for t' nose cone are mounted on opposite sides, 180 degrees from each other. Blimey! T' kit provides a bulb o' cement with which t' do this but I opted t' use epoxy.

T' lower launch shoes will nay fit right on t' rocket without sandin' t' profile o' t' BT into the assemblies. Accordingly, shiver me timbers, t' BT be wrapped with #100 and t' curve was sanded into t' mountin' surfaces.

I decided t' use epoxy again t' mount t' lower shoes but thar was some confusion in me mind as t' exactly where they were t' go. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Both assemblies are mounted 180 decrees apart and centered betwixt t' fins but me problem was in locatin' them fore and aft. Arrr! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! They seemed like a natural t' be glued directly t' t' BT but t' drawin' in the instructions clearly shows them mounted on t' plastic fin can, shiver me timbers, protrudin' t' t' level o' t' fins. Well, blow me down! That leaves a bit hangin' off. Even so, matey, matey, that is where I epoxied them.

PROs: straightforward and mildly challenging, nice looking

CONs: none

Finishing:
T' finishin' o' t' Hojo started off with a coatin' o' Kilz. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! This filled mostly t' balsa, ya bilge rat, arrr, shiver me timbers, covered up t' writing, and gave a bland, flat white surface. Blimey! Begad! When t' Kilz had dried, I gave t' entire rocket a gentle sanding. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' entire rocket was painted with Testor's olive drab. Well, blow me down! It took 2 cans.

For me, arrr, t' biggest disappointment with this old kit was t' decals. Avast! Ya scallywag! There weren't any. Blimey! Instead, I got some crack and peel stickers. This surprised me for a couple o' reasons. Arrr! First off, arrr, I expect t' upper level Estes kits t' have a higher quality. Begad! Aye aye! Crack and Peel makes sense for RTF Walmart kits but nay for somethin' like this. Secondly, ya bilge rat, the instruction specifically make reference to, matey, presumably, arrr, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, waterslide decals. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! There is a warnin' t' let each decal set completely before startin' t' next so that they do nay slide out o' place. Crack and Peels do nay slide around.

I remember thinkin' that t' "decals" seemed kind o' thick but me brain was just barely turnin' over. Arrr! Blimey! I cut out t' first one and set it in a bowl o' warm water. After a while, I noticed that it was just sittin' flat on top of t' water instead o' curlin' up like t' water slides usually do. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I pulled it out o' t' water and looked more closely at t' master sheet from which it had come. Aye aye! Blimey! Sure enough, ya bilge rat, me bucko, arrr, it was crack and peel.

Fortunately for me, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, t' first sticker be nay damaged. Arrr! I proceeded t' place t' stickers as instructed as sat back t' admire me flat painted rocket with all o' those high gloss stickers.

PROs: Easy

CONs: stickers instead o' decals

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
T' day finally came for me t' launch this one and I was jazzed. Avast! I selected a D12-3, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, inserted about a dozen pieces of wadding, matey, and then prepped t' chutes.

I should mention here that t' model is intended t' come down in 2 sections, me bucko, each with its own chute. I'd rather keep it all together. Avast! I fashioned a Keelhaul®©™® harness and then used sewin' elastic t' connect t' NC t' t' harness. Begad! Blimey! I also used two 18" nylon chutes. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Each was connected t' t' harness with about 4' o' sewin' elastic.

T' liftoff be as slow and dramatic as promised. Ahoy! It flew straight and true and blew t' NC at apogee. Arrr! Avast! It wasn't all that high but it be beautiful. Begad! It drifted down gently under t' tandem chutes.

For t' second flight, I decided t' go with an AT E15-4. T' rocket be set up t' same way as before and everybody pause t' watch. Begad! At ignition, thar was some chuffin' and I had just come t' t' conclusion that it wouldn't go off when it did. Avast, me proud beauty! It was nay as slow as before but it be a great flight straight up.

It hit apogee and started t' turn down. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! After all, ya bilge rat, it had an extra second t' work with. It kept comin' down, faster and faster. Unless me deadlights deceived me, me bucko, me hearties, it be acceleratin' at about 32 ft/sec^2. Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Finally, me hearties, about 100 feet up, it ejected and everythin' deployed normally. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Upon inspection o' t' bag t' motor came in, matey, it turned out t' have a 7 second delay and nay 4. Ahoy! Blimey! I had it stashed in t' wrong bin.

PROs: Beautiful straight flights, arrr, awesome liftoffs

CONs: none

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a nice rocket marred primarily by t' crack and peel stickers instead o' decals. Well, blow me down! I still like it though and am glad t' have it in t' fleet.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5