I was really enjoyin' me 24mm RMS system on me Nordic Rocketry Meanie and Ascender, ya bilge rat, as well as other rockets when I started gettin' t' "cluster" urge. Arrr! I looked for 24mm cluster rockets and found very, matey, very few. Avast! When I spotted t' THOY Snipe, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I jumped at it. Ahoy! THOY says "the Snipe is an easy t' build rocket with great eye appeal. This high performance sport rocket is capable o' achievin' high altitudes with a payload." T' payload I chose was t' Missile Work's RRC² deployment electronics. Avast! I also planned on usin' me Unique Rocketry IgniterMan home-dipped igniters. Begad! Blimey! T' Snipe is 56" long and uses 2.6" diameter tubing. Ya scallywag! It is designed t' use three 24mm motors t' push its 18 ounces into t' air and then recover with a 28" parachute.

T' Snipe consists o' two 2.6" paper-wound body tubes that coupled with t' plastic 13" long nose cone make up t' 56" length. T' three fins are are 1/8" plywood with a through-the-wall tab. Begad! Avast! T' two centerin' rings and one bulkhead are also 1/8" plywood. Aye aye! Both centerin' rings have t' cut-outs t' handle t' cluster o' three 24mm motor tubes. Ya scallywag! T' upper centerin' rin' has a 3/32" thick, arrr, matey, 18.5" long steel cable already attached and a loop crimped t' attach t' 9' long, 1/2" wide shock cord. Avast! Ahoy! T' three 24mm motor tubes are just under 8" long. Avast, me proud beauty! There is also a 1/4" launch lug and an eye-screw and nut for t' bulk head. Ahoy! Lastly thar be a pinkish in color, arrr, 28" rip-stop nylon parachute.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are short and simple t' follow. Arrr! There are illustrations down t' right side with text instructions on t' left side. Arrr! Blimey! All instructions are included on both sides o' a single 8x11 sheet o' paper. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey!

Assembly is very straight-forward and thar are only a couple o' tasks that require special attention. Begad! Begad! T' first be t' fit o' t' three 24mm motor tubes into t' centerin' rings once they are glued together. Well, blow me down! I found sandin' was necessary t' nay put too much stress on t' tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! T' second is cuttin' t' slots for t' fins. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! THOY has made this as easy as possible by pre-drawin' t' lines for both cuts per fin on t' body tube. Just take your time t' get nice cuts.

I had a couple o' buildin' disappointments with this rocket. One be that t' fins have only a 1/2" tab that is inserted through-the-wall. Blimey! Ahoy! T' diagram in step #8, shows t' fins goin' all t' way t' t' joints betwixt t' motor mount tubes. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' second, was that thar was no positive motor retention. This was very easily remedied by gettin' a #8 screw that was 3" long and cuttin' off t' head. Avast, me proud beauty! I then epoxied t' screw in t' small center space created when t' three motor tubes are glued together. Aye aye! Then an appropriately sized washer and two nuts hold those motors right in place.

T' "great eye appeal", t' me, me hearties, is due t' t' shape o' t' fins and t' long nose cone. Well, blow me down! Both make it impressive t' look at on t' pad.

I have consistent results for finishin' usin' Elmers' Light Spackle t' fill t' spirals, then several good coats o' Plasti-Kote primer. I then used a special "hammered look" paint from Rustoleum. Aye aye! This gave t' rocket a unique look. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I used a forest green "hammered" paint for t' bottom and a silver "hammered" paint for t' top. I then masked off a few green strips. T' kit does nay come with any decals.

Overall, me hearties, ya bilge rat, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 points. T' quality o' t' parts are solid and t' cuts on t' fins were precision (not lazer either). T' instructions met t' needs and t' kit is actually very easy t' assemble. T' through-the-wall fins and motor retention fall a bit short.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

T' preparation o' this bird takes a bit o' time. I built three 24mm RMS motors usin' E18's without an ejection charge. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' recommended motors are three D12-3's, three E15-7's, shiver me timbers, or three E30-7's.

Once t' motors were built and installed usin' IgniterMan home-dipped ignitors and then connected t' me Estes Command Controller, t' Snipe was ready t' go. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! I had installed t' Cannonball Works RRC² with dual deployment. Well, matey, blow me down! It be wired and beepin' at launch. Aye aye! After a much anticipated countdown, me bucko, Varooom! Up went t' Snipe on 3-E18's, all lightin' and givin' it a nice punch!

Just before apogee, ya bilge rat, me bucko, t' initial RRC² charge fired. T' momentum o' t' ejection at t' mid-section also popped t' nose cone out o' t' upper section, ya bilge rat, thereby deployin' t' main chute. Avast, me proud beauty! As I chased this across t' field, shiver me timbers, at about 300 feet I heard t' secondary channel discharge. Well, blow me down! Well, arrr, blow me down! Then this rocket drifted into a tree, 60 feet up, me bucko, matey, where it stayed for four attempts over a 5 week period. Begad! I did finally get it back though.

After some touch up and replacin' t' payload section, me bucko, t' Snipe was ready t' go. Begad! Blimey! I really wanted t' have a successful flight usin' me RRC² and felt good about another attempt in me (rebuilt) cluster rocket. Well, blow me down! I used three E18's again. Arrr! This time I be usin' RocketFlite MagnaLite ignitors. Well, blow me down! Again I armed t' RRC² and everythin' seemed ready. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Another excellent boost. Begad! This time t' main charge deployed perfectly at apogee. Ahoy! It fell on t' drogue until at 300 feet t' secondary charge blew t' nose cone off. Ahoy! But guess who had moved t' main chute t' another rocket t' use? Yep, shiver me timbers, arrr, me!

With t' impact one fin popped off and t' tubin' was bent, so thus retired t' Snipe (at least t' bottom half). Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I have immediate bought another one because I enjoy t' looks and flights o' this bird so much.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, shiver me timbers, I would rate this kit 5 points. Despite me electronic bloopers, t' initial flight showed that recovery is fine on t' 28" parachute. Blimey! Blimey! Also, arrr, t' impact t' satisfaction when all three motors light makes t' Snipe have a little extra enjoyment.

T' size stands out a bit, me bucko, t' fin shape is unique, and t' flights with all three motors burnin' on t' way up adds a new dimension t' 24mm flights. Arrr! T' ease o' build also makes this a good kit for relatively new rocketeers. Arrr! There are nay many cluster rockets in t' market and this 24mm cluster is a winner!

I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 ½ points.