Brief:
T' Alien8 design came t' us from a very private race o' beings who inhabit t' Horse Head Nebula. Their xenophobic nature has lead t' much speculation but little real information about their biology, me hearties, me hearties, science, ya bilge rat, matey, or philosophies. Ahoy! Blimey! While very aggressive, me hearties, this race until recently has seemed t' accept a lastin' truce with her surroundin' neighbors. They have spawned a new class o' starship, t' Xtermin8. It has been witnessed wreakin' havoc, shiver me timbers, conquerin' t' weak planetary systems and devastatin' t' strong. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' Xtermin8 be t' aggressively styled warship that t' mysterious aliens are usin' t' dominate and annex all o' t' territory o' t' nebula!

I've been fascinated with t' designs o' Shrox since I first saw them at NARCON many years ago. When t' 2006 EMRR Challenge had t' Alien8 as one o' t' selections for kit bashing, arrr, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I knew that it was t' kit I would select. I wanted t' produce a rocket that still had t' flavor o' t' Alien8, me hearties, but with a more aggressive look. Avast! After months doodlin' and rearrangin' o' t' parts, t' Xtermin8 took shape on t' workbench in t' span o' an afternoon.

Modifications:
I started construction in t' standard order by startin' with t' engine mount and built it pretty much stock. Well, blow me down! However, t' addition o' t' tail cone required slightly different spacin' o' t' centerin' rings. Ahoy! T' tail cone pattern and t' pattern for t' bevel o' t' outboard tube were created with VCT, a complimentary piece o' software from t' makers o' VCP. Arrr! Arrr! T' tail cone was cut from paper from one o' t' many sheets included with t' kit. After gluin' it in position, matey, it was liberally coated with several coats o' thick CA. Avast, me proud beauty! This allowed t' cone t' be sanded smooth and gave it a good deal o' strength since t' rocket would be landin' on it.

Since I was usin' t' pin' pong balls t' give t' Xtermin8 t' signature look o' a Shrox design, shiver me timbers, I knew I was goin' t' have t' either use a launch lug stand off or cut openings in t' balls for t' launch rod t' go through. Avast! Luckily, I recognized that I could hide t' lug inside an outboard tube! Gotta love a design with no apparent (and distracting) lug hangin' off o' it!

Construction:
T' components that came in t' kit were:

• 2 NCB-50AB nose cone, balsa
• 2 BT-50-18 body tube, 18"
• 1 BT-50-04 body tube, 4"
• 1 BT-20-0275 body tube, matey, 2.75"
• 1 CPL-50-01 stage coupler
• 2 FSB-3-4-9 fin stock, 3/32" balsa
• 2 FSW-SHX01 laser cut fins, 3/32" plywood
• 1 PCP-16 16" parachute
• 3 PPB-01 pin' pong balls
• 1 SE-M screw eye, medium
• 1 SLK-90-36 Keelhaul®©™ shock line
• 1 SC-2-24 elastic shock cord
• 1 SLCA-96 shroud line
• 1 TD-1-6 tape disk
• 1 LL-1-2 2" launch lug
• 1 EH-0275 engine hook
• 2 CRP-20-50 centerin' ring
• 1 EB-20 engine block
• 1 DCW-SHX01 decal sheet
• 1 FPS-SHX01 fin pattern sheet
• 1 INS-SHX01 instruction sheet
• 1 header card
• 1 plastic bag that contained t' kit
• 1 NARRRRR insert

T' quality o' t' parts was great! Blimey! Nice firm balsa sheets and cones with tight grain. Blimey! Blimey! Nice laser-cut ply. Ahoy! Blimey! Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! Tubes and rings that fit without sanding.

Finishing:
T' Xtermin8's fins were coated with a light coat o' Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish and a heavy coat o' Kilz. Blimey! After sanding, ya bilge rat, it was smooth and ready for paint. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! It took several rounds o' maskin' and painting, arrr, arrr, waitin' several days betwixt each coat so that thar would be no "orange peel" effect. T' first color t' go on be a base coat o' red over t' whole model. Blimey! While this was still wet, it got a dustin' o' metallic purple t' give t' model a mottled look. Begad! T' silver areas were masked and painted next, followed by t' metallic black. Well, blow me down! T' Fliskits decals were mainly discarded, shiver me timbers, but a few o' them added a nice touch t' t' model as they are really good quality waterslides. Ya scallywag! They were easily positioned and nay so thin that they disintegrated if you looked at them too hard like those that come on some kits...

Flight and Recovery:
(Photo Credit t' Eli Selig) It took several rounds o' swin' testin' t' get t' model t' balance properly for flight. Arrr! Blimey! T' only thin' that was added that was nay included in t' kit be a stack o' washers tied t' t' shock cord t' make t' model stable.

After a good mornin' o' flying, me bucko, me bucko, it came time t' launch t' Xtermin8 naked for its first flight. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! T' motor I chose for t' first flight be an Estes C6-3. Ya scallywag! Plenty o' power t' get t' rocket movin' and hopefully a delay that wouldn't zipper with all o' t' extra draggy bits glued t' t' airframe. Aye aye! After t' countdown, t' rocket leapt off t' pad and flew rail straight t' apogee and ejected perfectly!

T' stock chute and recovery harness worked perfectly and seemed t' be sized appropriately for t' modified kit as it landed softly nearby.

After a couple o' months that it took t' get t' rocket masked and painted and masked and painted and masked and painted and decaled, t' Xtermin8 made it's second showing. I got many compliments on t' paint job and t' unusual design. Avast! T' C6-3 made two more good flights, arrr, arrr, shiver me timbers, boostin' nicely in a clear blue, still sky.

T' third flight had t' parachute get tangled up in t' shroud lines and it came in without t' chute deploying. T' front end o' t' body tube got slightly crumpled, but only a 1/2" or so. Begad! It should be safe t' trim t' tube and keep on flying!

T' Keelhaul®©™ and elastic combination shock cord is tough and durable. Well, blow me down! I will probably use this combination on me future scratch builds.

Summary:
T' Alien8 is a fun design and a great kit t' kit bash. Begad! I enjoyed transformin' it into t' more aggressive look o' t' Xtermin8. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' quality o' t' components from t' kit is top notch and a pleasure t' work with. Well, blow me down! Begad! There were really no CONs t' this build other than t' minor annoyances o' t' slittin' ply (my fault for tryin' t' cut it too thinly) and t' deep grooves in t' pin' pong balls that needed filling.