Brief:
Not bein' much o' a rocketry historian, I was a bit confused when I heard that Semroc be releasin' t' Mark. After all, me hearties, I already had stashed away a numbered Mark II kit, as well as a Mark II offered in 2007 at NARCON. Blimey! Lookin' over the JimZ archives, me hearties, I could see very little difference betwixt t' Estes Mark and t' Estes Mark II.

After a bit o' research, I learned that t' Semroc Mark II is really a replica o' t' Carlisle Rock-a-Chute Mark II, which featured one o' t' ugliest nose cones I've ever seen (fashioned from a crayon sharpener). Begad! Aye aye! T' Semroc Mark (plain) is modeled after t' Estes K-2 design (which in turn be based upon t' Carlisle Mark II). Aye aye! Well, blow me down! It was Estes' second design, arrr, ya bilge rat, which followed on t' heels o' t' tumble recovery Scout, me hearties, me bucko, ya bilge rat, intended t' demonstrated additional recovery methods. This small, lightweight rocket flies t' eye-strainin' (or even vanishing) altitudes and uses streamer recovery.

Construction:
This is considered an xKit, shiver me timbers, meanin' it's marketed as a bag o' parts without instructions, though instructions are available at t' JimZ archive site. Arrr! Semroc had previously had a couple befuddled customers o' their bag-o-parts kits who did nay have t' savvy t' navigate online t' find t' archives, matey, and as a precaution Semroc will only sell xKits direct t' online customers.

Your $6.50 retail buys t' followin' parts:

• Balsa nose cone
• BT-30 body tube
• Balsa engine block
• Laser-cut balsa fins
• Crepe paper streamer
• Rubber shock cord
• 1/8" lug

Construction on this is pretty simple, arrr, as it's just a basic 3-fin/nose cone style rocket, and by upgradin' t' laser-cut fins, Semroc has eliminated t' hand cuttin' from t' original.

This is a minimum diameter model, so thar be no motor tube assembly. Begad! Instead, shiver me timbers, matey, you simply glue a thrust rin' into the body tube. Arrr! In stickin' with t' 1961 design, Semroc provides a balsa block that's been bored out (roughly 1/2" long) instead o' t' more modern (and cheaper) 20/5 centerin' rin' approach. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! There's certainly nothin' with this, matey, but I was curious what that part be for, arrr, and needed t' confirm its use by checkin' t' instructions. Aye aye! Other than that one step, arrr, I did nay actually need t' instructions for this.

I did deviate from t' plan slightly, by ditchin' t' rubber shock cord and tri-fold mount in favor o' Keelhaul®©™® line looped around that balsa block, me hearties, ya bilge rat, attached t' 15" o' elastic as it clears t' body tube. Begad! I know t' rubber is stickin' with t' original design, but I've had less than stellar success with rubber and so think t' upgrade is well worth t' effort.

T' fins were attached usin' a bead o' medium CA followed up with white glue fillets.

Nose cone attachment is via screw eye in t' shoulder. Begad! Blimey! T' crepe paper streamer is held on via an adhesive band cut onto label paper.

Finishing:
T' cover art from 1961 shows a pretty complex paint pattern, ya bilge rat, me hearties, especially considerin' this doesn't come with any decals--checkerboard black/white pattern on t' fins, arrr, and vertical stripes. Avast! T' Semroc cover art looked a little nicer and easier, so I tried t' follow their lead a bit. I started with a gray primer base, me bucko, then followed by paintin' the body tube and fins a dark red metallic. Blimey! T' nose cone be painted with a gold metallic left over from me Sky o' Gold spree.

T' Semroc cover art also included a neat lookin' set o' black trim stripes--one vertical stripe with horizontal bands at each end. Havin' just masked and painted a couple Saturn 1b's, me hearties, I felt up t' t' challenge and so cut some rectangular bands o' tape about 2-3/8" long, me hearties, then drew a vertical line up t' body tube (from forward fin joint) usin' a short piece o' angle. Arrr! That line would represent me centerline for t' vertical black band. Ahoy! Aye aye! I then applied the 2-3/8" strips o' tape about 3/8" short o' each end o' t' line, with t' gap (2-3/8" is too short to make it around t' body tube) centered over t' line. Aye aye! I then masked off horizontal bands for t' other end o' the 3/8" top/bottom bands, shiver me timbers, arrr, and shot t' exposed areas with Rustoleum® gloss black.

T' finished effect doesn't look quite as nice as t' Semroc cover art, me hearties, but I be fairly pleased. I'd like t' have gone a lighter red, but t' metallic is a nice effect.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Recommended motors are all long delay 18mm's o' A8-5, B6-6, C6-7. I grabbed an A8-3 from an open Blast Off Flight Pack I'd picked up for half price. Well, blow me down! It absolutely boogied off t' pad and even on an A8 was a strain t' track t' apogee. T' delay was very clearly too early and even a -5 would be slightly before apogee. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! I suspect I could also track this on a B, but unless you're feelin' lucky avoid usin' C's unless usin' some trackin' powder as truely out o' sight flights would be in order.

Recovery:
T' tiny (8") crepe paper streamer is mainly decorative/complyin' with safety code and does nay really affect the descent rate. Begad! T' model is small and light enough nay t' care. Begad! Blimey! Despite upgradin' t' Keelhaul®©™®/elastc shock cord, matey, I still managed t' suffer a smiley dent in t' nose cone. Ahoy! Guess I should have gone with even more elastic.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
While thar's nothin' all that strikin' about this design (other than t' fact it's less ugly than t' Mark II), it is a nice simple construction, uses quality components and thar's clearly a nostalgic retro aspect t' it. Aye aye! It flies great. Ahoy! T' only cons I'd offer are related t' t' adherence t' t' original design--rubber shock cord/tri-fold mount and a decal for stripe t' match t' cover art would be sweet (though certainly add a buck or two t' t' cost).

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5