Brief:
This is a nicely detailed Semroc retro-repro clone (KV-49) o' Centuri's 1982 Lil' Ivan (#5353) that incorporates modern technological advances like laser-cut fins and Keelhaul®©™-mounted shock cord. Aye aye! It reminds me o' t' Estes Baby Bertha but I feel this Semroc kit t' be superior in terms o' quality and looks.

Construction:
T' parts list is covered in Chan's review so I won't elaborate here.

This is a great, easy 3FNC kit t' put together with no 'gotchas' durin' t' construction process. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! As has been the case with all me Semroc kits, t' components are absolutely top quality and everythin' fit into place beautifully. Semroc continues t' provide a beautifully detailed color booklet containin' t' build instructions that are so easy to understand that I'm o' t' opinion they only need t' be read once or twice for a novice t' get t' gist o' them.

T' motor assembly is constructed by insertin' t' motor hook into t' pre-cut slot in the 18mm motor tube. Begad! After gluin' t' thrust rin' into t' top o' t' motor tube in front o' t' motor hook, t' two cardstock centerin' rings are then glued into place as per Semroc's measurements. Arrr! Once this be done, I deviated from Semroc's instructions t' loop and tie off t' Keelhaul®©™® cord t' t' motor hook and instead tied t' Keelhaul®©™® around t' motor tube betwixt t' centerin' rings. Ya scallywag! Begad! I then threaded t' free end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® through a small notch that I had cut into t' front centerin' rin' and ran a white glue fillet over t' Keelhaul®©™® where it be tied on t' t' motor tube. (I believe this method will make t' shock cord potentially less prone to recovery failure.) I also applied white glue fillets t' both sides o' each centerin' rin' where they are positioned on the motor tube. Once that be done, me hearties, me hearties, I glued t' completed motor assembly into place inside t' body tube usin' white glue.

I then proceeded t' slightly roughen up t' body tube with 240 grit sandpaper t' enable better glue and paint adhesion after which I tackled t' fin markin' steps. Fin markin' is provided by a fin guide in t' instructions booklet consistin' o' a circle with hash marks by which t' end o' t' body tube is placed on t' circle and t' hash marks used as a guide for fin position markings. Ya scallywag! I then gently loosened t' laser-cut fins from their balsa sheeting and gently airfoiled t' fin leadin' edges with 360 grit sandpaper for improved aerodynamics. Aye aye! Arrr! From there, I tacked the fins on with medium CA, ya bilge rat, followin' this up with white glue for multiple layers o' fin fillets. Aye aye! Begad! Followin' on from this, the launch lug was added. Arrr! Finally, matey, I also applied thin CA t' t' top o' t' body tube so as t' lessen t' chances of the Keelhaul®©™® causin' any body tube zipperin' durin' recovery.

With t' exception o' usin' CA t' tack on t' fins and stiffen t' top o' t' body tube, me hearties, arrr, I used Selleys PVA white glue throughout t' construction process.

Finishing:
This rocket I found t' be almost a no-brainer t' finish t' a nice, ya bilge rat, me hearties, pleasin' standard. I filled in t' balsa fin grain and t' balsa nose cone with two applications o' NHP Micro-Fill model sealer which nicely sealed all t' balsa smooth and then gave t' rocket two coats o' Tamiya Fine White primer with light sandin' in betwixt usin' 400 grit sandpaper. I followed this up with an initial coat o' Tamiya Pure White enamel gloss all around. Begad! Blimey! I let t' initial paint application cure for 24 hours and then lightly wet-sanded all round with 800 grit sandpaper after which I gave the rocket a second coatin' o' Pure White. Arrr! Blimey! This made t' finished paint job silky smooth. Arrr! Blimey! I did nay bother with clear coatin' t' rocket in order t' keep t' rocket's weight down and also because I am wary o' any enamel-based clear coat possibly dissolvin' t' applied paint.

After havin' allowed t' paint t' cure for a full week, me bucko, t' lovely red-colored waterslide decals were then carefully applied. I found these t' be quite durable and easy t' apply.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Motor retention is by use o' a short and springy motor hook which has shown itself t' be quite durable.

Wary o' t' seemingly frail Semroc-supplied crepe paper streamer for recovery, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I substituted a 12' Semroc parachute with a small spillhole cut into it instead (please see me Specific Rocket Tip) and prepared t' rocket for its maiden launch. Ahoy! T' first flight was with an A8-3 motor with two squares o' recovery wadding. Aye aye! Ahoy! This be hooked up to my Estes Electron Beam controller and t' rocket soared into t' sky with a beautiful straight boost t' around 150-160 feet with a seemingly perfect apogee at ejection and a beautiful descent with its parachute deployed. Begad! Well, blow me down! Most impressed with this maiden launch, I had unfortunately run out o' A8-3 motors so I decided t' take me chances with an A8-5 motor.

T' second flight with t' A8-5 was just as great as t' first but usin' an A8-5 was most definitely a bad choice as ejection was very late and t' rocket was about 20 feet away from t' ground by t' time ejection occured. Ahoy! The rocket still landed gently and appeared t' have nay suffered any damage.

It was only much later that I noticed t' rocket had a small gouge in t' nose cone which may have likely occured durin' t' second flight. Since then, I have stuck with A8-3 and B6-4 motors as per Semroc recommendations.

Recovery:
T' Keelhaul®©™®/elastic recovery system has proven t' be very reliable and has held up t' repeated flights without problems. Ya scallywag! T' use o' a 12" parachute, shiver me timbers, me bucko, even with a spillhole, me bucko, has enabled t' rocket t' make nice gentle landings every time although I would like t' try usin' a 9" parachute--if I can obtain one!

T' one thin' I would nitpick this rocket for be t' provision o' a streamer for recovery as t' streamer material is a rather frail crepe paper which could easily catch on fire if nay enough recovery waddin' is used and/or a motor with an over-zealous ejection charge is used. T' streamer will also be unlikely t' slow t' rocket sufficiently for a relatively gentle landin' thus makin' fin breakage quite likely t' happen.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Semroc Lil' Ivan is a marvelously improved recreation o' t' original Centuri kit and one which is sure to impress rocketry novices and BAR's alike. T' top quality components make this an awesome, me hearties, fun little rocket t' put together and t' finished product with its marvelous Cold War era decals are guaranteed t' brin' a smile t' any rocketeer's face. Avast, me proud beauty! You definitely can't go wrong with t' Lil' Ivan.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5