Brief:
T' NB5 Emulator from American Alliance is part o' their ongoin' "story" o' a Pan-American Alliance fightin' back after bein' devastated by aliens. Avast, me proud beauty! T' "NB" o' t' name stands for "New Beginnings" and it is supposed t' be a probe t' seed other planets.

Rockets from American Alliance tend t' have a "different" look about them. Well, blow me down! Begad! I have several but t' only one I built before this was t' F2 Avenger, and I have been very happy with its performance. This one caught my attention because o' t' triple aft ejectin' parachutes.

Construction:
T' first step called for in t' instructions be t' markin' o' t' various tubes. There are 3 BT-5s and a BT-50. Ya scallywag! Blimey! The instructions were unclear at t' stage. Blimey! I believe t' phrase "opposite end" be used in place o' "other side". Begad! This led t' some confusion until I had read through t' entire set a few times.

I also noticed that t' BT-50 had a nasty, me hearties, deep spiral. Avast, me proud beauty! It serves as t' motor tube but will be visible so I decided t' go ahead and fill t' spirals first off. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Usin' a brush, I applied Elmer's Wood Filler and worked it into the groove with a razor blade. Avast! T' blade was also used t' scrape off t' excess. Since this left very little material behind, it did nay take long for it t' dry and t' whole tube be sanded down with #400 sandpaper. Avast! T' spiral, matey, me bucko, once so prominent, was now hardly visible.

T' instructions include a paper template which has outlines for all o' t' balsa parts. Begad! When cut out, it fits exactly over t' balsa stock that be supplied. Arrr! I taped t' templates in place and used a razor knife t' cut out the three large fins and t' three small ones. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' similar fins were stacked and sanded t' uniformity then all but t' root edges had bevels sanded into them.

T' template also included a provision t' make a jig from t' balsa t' insert t' thrust ring. Arrr! Aye aye! I knew from previous experience doin' this that I preferred t' just use a spent motor casin' and this be done. T' thrust rin' be shoved into place usin' a casin' and was secured with yellow glue.

T' small fins were applied evenly spaced and flush against t' bottom o' t' BT-50. Blimey! A double glue joint be used and, when dry, matey, me hearties, t' fins were filleted usin' yellow glue. I also used t' glue as a "sealer" on t' balsa since it would only be slightly visible at t' end.

A few hours later, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' fillets were dry and I did some rudimentary sanding. Blimey! Begad! T' motor tube was then set up in the booth and primed with Kilz. Arrr! That was given a chance t' dry and then t' tube was sprayed with a bright red.

When t' red paint be dry, matey, I sanded down t' outer root edge o' t' little fins t' insure adhesion with the glue. T' motor tube and t' 2 BT-5 chute tubes were then test fit into t' centerin' rings. Avast, me proud beauty! T' BT-5s fit fine but the center holes needed t' be sanded a bit t' accommodate t' BT-50. Ahoy! When they fit, arrr, matey, I took them all apart again and measured 4" and 1-5/8" from t' front o' t' motor tube since t' previous marks had been covered by the paint. A razor knife was then used t' scrape away t' paint where t' rings were t' go. T' pieces were put back together again and aligned t' t' marks. Care has t' be taken t' see that t' small fins also align with t' three BT-5 tubes. Avast! Aye aye! Rubber bands came in handy at this point. I glued t' rings in place with white glue and applied t' first layer of a double glue joint t' t' bottoms o' t' BT-5s and small fins. Arrr! Arrr! When t' first layer had dried, shiver me timbers, I glued t' fins to the BT-5s and used some maskin' tape t' hold everythin' in place as t' glue dried.

As t' tubes dried, I applied Elmer's Wood Filler t' t' large fins. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! I brushed it on and scraped it flat with a razor blade. Ya scallywag! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! About an hour later, I was able t' sand them with #400 sandpaper. T' result was t' nicest set o' fins I have prepared t' date.

After t' glue on t' tubes was dry, I tried test fittin' t' assembly in t' upper tube. Avast! It would nay fit. A fair amount o' sandin' took care o' this. It was still tight and t' biggest problem be fittin' around t' BT-5 tubes but it did go into place. When I be assured o' a fit, me hearties, t' lower tube assembly was removed and yellow glue was smeared around t' inside o' t' BT-80. Well, blow me down! T' first o' t' centerin' rings be inserted and then some more glue was smeared just inside t' big tube. Begad! Avast! T' assembly was then pushed home until t' aft centerin' rin' was flush with t' end o' the BT-80. Begad! Well, blow me down! A long swab be used t' apply a fillet around t' top o' t' upper ring.

I tried t' test fit t' nose cone into t' BT-80 upper tube. There was no way it was goin' t' fit. I got out the sandpaper and started takin' down t' shoulder. I got lots o' shavings but it be still way too tight. T' next approach be t' use t' belt sander. Ahoy! That managed t' take off quite a bit o' material but I eventually got t' t' point where I was worried about sandin' through t' base o' t' cone and stopped, matey, me hearties, but t' fit be still too tight. Begad! I took a file and tried t' smooth up what had been sanded down. That helped but nay enough. Ahoy! My next attack was with #100 sandpaper around t' inside o' t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! It be a thick tube, nay at all like an Estes tube, and that did seem t' help. A little further tweakin' on t' shoulder o' t' NC and I was able t' finally shove it in. Ahoy! I thought about nay gluing it but decided t' do so because t' base o' t' cone would bear t' brunt o' t' ejection charge. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' NC was pulled out and a rin' o' tube type plastic cement was put around t' inside o' t' tube and t' cone replaced. Avast! I don't think that sucker is goin' anywhere.

T' launch lugs were tackled next. Arrr! T' kit has a pair o' 1/4" lugs t' be mounted on t' upper tube. Avast! They are to be spaced midway betwixt a pair o' t' BT-5s and one goes flush against t' bottom while t' other is placed 3/4" down from t' top. Aye aye! Arrr! I used an angle iron t' draw a line and then applied t' lugs with yellow glue, shiver me timbers, usin' an aluminum rod t' keep them aligned.

While waitin' for t' lugs t' dry, matey, I read ahead in t' instructions and found that I needed t' cut out three shock line covers. Arrr! These are trapezoidal shaped pieces o' balsa used t' help secure t' shock cord mount. A template for t' covers was cut out o' t' same sheet which had included t' fin templates and it was taped onto t' balsa stock. An X-Acto and straightedge was then used t' cut them out.

T' parachutes themselves seemed small but thar are three o' them. Aye aye! Aye aye! Each consists o' a square piece o' mylar, 7" on a side. Well, blow me down! They were assembled by puttin' a reinforcin' rin' in each corner and punchin' holes through the centers. Begad! T' instructions say t' cut 12 pieces o' shroud line, shiver me timbers, each 10" long. Begad! Measure carefully. Aye aye! There is no excess. Each o' t' lines is then tied t' t' corner o' a chute and t' other end is tied t' a provided snap swivel. Avast, me proud beauty! If I had been thinking, I would have doubled t' shroud lengths and used a loop in t' end t' make t' connection, but I wasn't thinking.

T' fins were attached usin' yellow glue and a double glue joint. Begad! Each be checked for alignment with the smaller, me hearties, inner fin and allowed t' stiffen up significantly before t' next fin be attempted. Begad! They also got several layers o' fillets.

If thar be one part o' this build I am most "iffy" about, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, its t' shock cord mounting. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! The instructions directed me t' make a hole in t' BT-5 tubes just above t' tops o' t' fins. I used a drill t' do this.

T' three lengths o' elastic shock cord were then fed down t' three holes so that t' ends protruded from the aft ends o' t' tubes. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Only a half inch was left stickin' through t' holes. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! T' instructions then called for t' cords to be glued down on t' tops o' t' fins and warned that I might need t' hold them for a while as t' glue set. Avast! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! I took care o' this by usin' a gel CA.

PROs: This is an innovative design that is different from many other rockets but still goes together fairly easily.

CONs: There are some places where t' instructions could be a bit clearer.

Finishing:
I am very glad I decided t' paint t' central tube red before construction. Aye aye! After makin' it though, ya bilge rat, I wish I had gone ahead and painted all t' pieces.

T' top o' t' central tube was wrapped with Frog Tape and t' tape be used t' wrap t' bottom o' t' tube, just above t' inner fins. Ahoy! Tape was then used betwixt t' fins t' mask off t' body. Begad! Aye aye! I decided t' go ahead and redo the inner fins in white since that is what is shown on t' face card and because it was easier t' mask.

I then used aluminum foil t' cover t' gaps betwixt t' tape and held that down with tape as well. Blimey! I went over all t' tape joints, tryin' t' burnish t' edges down with a rounded piece o' balsa and then took it t' t' booth to begin t' primin' with Kilz.

3 Coats o' Kilz were applied. Well, blow me down! It probably only amounted t' 2 regular coats. Ya scallywag! I realized partway through t' first coat that me almost empty can was shootin' nothin' but aerosols, ya bilge rat, no pigment, matey, matey, and threw it away. Ahoy! I then let it dry for a while before shootin' it again.

When t' Kilz be dry, ya bilge rat, I gave t' rocket a light sandin' but left it masked. Next up be t' gloss white paint. Again, ya bilge rat, it took 2 coats and is distinguishable from t' Kilz only by t' glossiness.

T' final maskin' amounted t' wrappin' t' lower section o' t' rocket with aluminum foil. Well, blow me down! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Then t' final paintin' with a brilliant blue, began on t' upper section.

T' rocket received 2 coats o' blue and I thought it looked pretty good with t' maskin' in place. Begad! Blimey! I made myself wait until t' next day t' remove t' masking. Arrr! Blimey! From a distance, shiver me timbers, it still looked pretty decent.

Closer inspection revealed some problems. There were places where t' white had been able t' penetrate the maskin' a mar t' underlyin' red. Arrr! This needed t' be fixed.

I didn't want t' re-mask everythin' so that I could spray it so I used one o' me kludge procedures. I took the red spray paint I had used and sprayed some into a paper bowl until I had a puddle. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! A brush was then used t' cover up the worst o' t' blunders.

T' Emulator had a day t' dry and then it was time t' finish up with t' decals. Blimey! T' kit came with 2 waterslide decals printed on a single sheet. Arrr! Well, blow me down! They really could have been a single decal but a look at t' placement on t' face card revealed that t' "American Alliance" needed t' be cut out and placed separately. Avast, me proud beauty! T' decals were on white backed paper and I would have preferred clear with a white backin' under t' printing, but I suspect that is much more expensive t' produce. Avast, me proud beauty! In any event, ya bilge rat, it doesn't look too shabby.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' Estes Ds are t' recommended motors for this rocket. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I decided t' use a D12-5 for t' maiden flight. Blimey! Blimey! Accordingly, I prepped t' motor and loaded it into t' business end o' t' rocket.

T' instruction give 2 different methods for loadin' t' chutes. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I chose t' "triangular" method where waddin' is optional. Ahoy! It basically involved foldin' t' chute into a triangle and rollin' it up tightly before stuffing it into t' deployment tube. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' only hard part be stuffin' t' elastic into t' tube ahead o' time.

When it came time t' launch, me bucko, t' rocket went straight up, me hearties, even in spite o' t' high winds. Ya scallywag! It be a textbook flight and t' 5 second delay seemed about right too. Blimey! It gave t' rocket a chance t' nose over before deployin' the chutes.

All 3 chutes deployed but t' high winds promoted a bit o' tangling. Even so, t' rocket recovered safely and would have been ready t' fly again with minimal prepping. Even so, it did nay get t' fly again this day because of weather concerns and t' time it would have taken t' straighten out t' chutes.

A video o' t' maiden flight can be seen here.

PROs: Good flier and looks cool with unusual recovery system.

CONs: None.

Recovery:
If I were t' design this kit, matey, I think t' biggest thin' I would change would be t' recovery system mounting. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I would probably try t' mount t' cords in t' upper tube and then feed them down into t' smaller parachute tubes. Ya scallywag! That being said, one o' t' greatest things about this rocket is its uniqueness and t' mountin' system does contribute t' that.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket was at times frustratin' durin' t' build but I have really liked it every second o' t' way. Ahoy! My confidence be found t' be well placed when it came time t' fly. Well, blow me down! It just looks great.

T' sense o' t' "different" is somethin' that distinguishes American Alliance. This rocket is no exception.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5