Brief:
This is a Retro Repro based upon t' 1969 Centuri Marauder. Arrr! It's a two stage model featurin' dual-lock stagin' (aka Pass-Port Staging). Aye aye! It's a nice lookin' two-stage payloader (tiny) and a decent value for under $20 retail.

Construction:
Components are excellent quality and include:

• Balsa nose cone
• Series 8 body tubes (booster, main, payload bay)
• Laser cut balsa fins (4+4)
• Balsa bulkhead
• BT-20 motor tubes (2)
• Centerin' rings, arrr, ya bilge rat, matey, motor blocks
• Tube coupler
• Cardstock shrouds (2)
• 1/8" launch lug
• Plastic chute (12")
• Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cord
• Waterslide decals

Instructions are clearly written and illustrated, typical for Semroc. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Since I'd had no prior experience with t' Pass Port stagin' system, arrr, I had t' actually pay attention t' these instructions, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and recommend others do so as well. Ya scallywag! It's about a skill level 2 kit, and I'd guess that construction wound up around 2 hours plus finishing, matey, though i be buildin' this along with 6 other kits at t' same time, so taggin' time t' specific ones be an arbitrary guess.

Beginnin' with t' booster, ya bilge rat, I put t' motor block in what winds up bein' t' aft end o' t' tube, matey, completely backwards from t' norm. An external tube coupler (pre-punched for vent, arrr, nice feature!) goes on t' other end, and a pair o' centerin' rings completes t' booster motor tube assembly. I'll admit I be questionin' myself along t' way, wonderin' if I wasn't really buildin' t' sustainer motor tube instead. Begad!

Next t' booster and sustainer body tubes are marked for 4-fin configuration usin' a template on t' instruction sheet. Begad! T' booster motor tube assembly is then inserted into t' booster body tube, leavin' about 3/4" exposed out t' aft end. Ahoy! Aye aye! There are two shrouds that go on this end, ya bilge rat, and I suspect if you made and aligned everythin' perfectly, the aft most shroud would be flush t' t' motor tube, but in me case t' motor tube extends about 1/8" beyond the shroud. Begad! Begad!

T' sustainer motor tube gets a block in t' forward end (the normal way), me bucko, and a pair o' centerin' rings, matey, the forward one also servin' as anchor for t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord.

T' sustainer motor tube should slide into t' open coupler stickin' out t' booster, but in me case t' fit was a bit too tight. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! In addition t' sandin' t' ID o' t' coupler a bit, shiver me timbers, I also had t' peel off a layer o' wrap from the outside o' t' sustainer motor tube. Ahoy! See photo for how they fit together--it's pretty slick. T' booster motor is inserted from t' front end, and needs good tape friction fit. Blimey! Well, blow me down! T' sustainer motor is loaded like normal, ya bilge rat, from t' aft end. T' two plug together, me bucko, joined by t' external coupler.

Booster and sustainer each get 4 fins tacked on. Ahoy! Arrr! They are close enough together I'd have preferred t' see an interlockin' design, me hearties, but this looks OK.

There is a tiny payload bay, me hearties, a whoppin' 3", arrr, but betwixt t' nose cone shoulder and bulkhead, thar's only about 2 effective inches, ya bilge rat, so fair winds fittin' in that altimeter or video camera. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Maybe a small insect... Avast!

Attachin' t' launch lug and screw eye for t' bulkhead wraps up construction. Begad!

Finishing:
Finishin' is pretty simple. Well, blow me down! After a couple primer coats, matey, I went with 2 coats o' gloss white. Avast! Avast! I then masked off for t' fins, shiver me timbers, me bucko, with t' booster gettin' red and t' sustainer yellow. Aye aye! I also painted t' forward section o' t' sustainer yellow t' match t' cover art--the black roll bar pattern is printed over clear, me hearties, but shown against a yellow background.

T' nose cone be painted black, arrr, me bucko, and t' shrouds had painted black rather than try t' mask and spray.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Flight prep is a bit unusual on this one, matey, matey, compared t' t' typical two-stager. Ya scallywag! T' booster motor goes in from the forward end o' t' tube, arrr, nay aft, me hearties, so needs a little tape for friction fit on t' delay end, nay t' nozzle end. The sustainer motor loads normally, shiver me timbers, also friction fit. If everythin' lines up correctly, me hearties, t' sustainer motor slides down into t' coupler holdin' t' booster motor in place durin' boost. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! As shown in t' photo, arrr, though, in me case thar was about a 1/4" gap in thar somehow, matey, me bucko, matey, indicatin' that either t' directions are off a bit or one o' me thrust rings is nay properly placed, which is hard t' blow considerin' they are both mounted flush t' tube ends.

I wound up sawin' off a bit from t' end o' a B6-0 and slipped a B6-4 in t' sustainer, figurin' with winds around 10 mph I'd be in for a long recovery trek. Well, blow me down! Stagin' worked flawlessly, though thar was a little bit o' a tip-off so t' sustainer went on a slightly angled trajectory.

Recovery:
T' booster tumbled gently down and was recovered near t' pad. Begad! Blimey! T' 12" plastic chute on t' sustainer is fine, sized right for grass fields. T' only sign o' damage was some singin' o' t' fins, shiver me timbers, and residue buildup in t' chamber where t' two stages mate up that makes it a bit too tight for a second flight without sandin' it out and cleaning.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Overall, I do like t' dual-lock staging, arrr, though am a bit concerned about how well it holds up over time. Begad! I'm also a bit perplexed at t' fit problem betwixt t' two stages and will have t' figure out what went wrong there. Hackin' off motor ends is nay somethin' I routinely want t' do (especially if flyin' with a C6-0), me bucko, so it will probably just fly with a gap exposed in t' future.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5