Brief:
T' Brighton is an upscaled version o' t' Estes Ranger. Begad! Avast! T' kit features four different interchangeable motor mount options: 4x18mm cluster, 3x24mm cluster, ya bilge rat, single 29mm, matey, or single 24mm usin' a 29/24 adapter. T' Brighton includes a baffle system t' protect t' recovery parachute from t' ejection gases.

Construction:
Lots o' parts with this kit!

• BNC 80 balsa nose cone
• BT-80 (heavy wall) payload tube
• TC-80 coupler
• BT-80 (heavy wall) main body tube, me hearties, pre-cut for TTW fins
• Laser cut basswood fins
• 2.25" Inner motor mount receptacle tube
• 24" nylon chute
• heavy elastic shock cord
• waterslide decal
• Baffle system parts:
• 2 series 8 body tubes
• 2 plywood centerin' rings
• 4x18mm motor adapter parts:
• 4 BT-20 motor tubes
• 4 metal hooks
• 2 plywood centerin' rings
• 1 BT-70 adapter tube
• 3x24 motor adapter parts
• 3 BT-50 motor tubes (E-sized)
• 3 metal hooks
• 1 plywood centerin' ring
• 1 BT-70 adapter tube
• 3 TC-50 1" D-E adapter couplers/plugs
• 29mm motor adapter parts:
• 29mm heavy wall motor tube
• 2 plywood centerin' rings
• 1 BT-70 adapter tube
• 24/29 motor adapter kit parts:
• BT-50 heavy wall tube (E sized)
• metal hook
• motor block
• TC-50 1" D-E adapter coupler/plug
• 2 29/24 heavy wall tubes(centerin' rings)

T' Semroc instructions are excellent and include excellent illustrations. T' first part o' t' construction involves t' motor mount, me bucko, me hearties, and t' parts that make it interchangeable. Aye aye! Semroc provides a wrap for markin' t' fin lines, and motor mount hook. Be careful and make sure your lines are accurate so t' fins will align correctly. Arrr! Dry fitting this assembly usin' t' BT is a must t' make sure everythin' works out correctly. Begad! T' fins are TTW and t' fit was excellent. Aye aye! Epoxy was used t' glue t' fins, arrr, and epoxy/microballoons was used t' create nice fillets. Avast! T' included launch lugs are 1/4". T' upper body is basically a payload bay. Good place for your altimeter, shiver me timbers, experiments, me hearties, or cargo. Nothin' unusual about t' construction in this area so I won't spend t' much time here. Begad! Blimey! T' nose cone has no retention method other than a friction fit. Begad! This works, shiver me timbers, just be sure you have a secure fit.

T' baffle included in t' kit a very easy design t' build, me hearties, ya bilge rat, matey, yet effective. It uses t' offsettin' tube design that attaches t' centerin' rings. This assembly is slid into t' lower body. T' baffle also is also used t' attach the shock cord. I used a thin coat o' epoxy t' glue t' baffle into t' body tube. Well, blow me down! If you like gluin' tubes t' various modular motor mounts are goin' t' be perfect for you. Arrr! It takes a while t' get all o' t' adapters built, shiver me timbers, but once completed you can use any motor you have in stock.

Finishing:
Followin' me normal procedures I sealed t' fins and nose cone usin' two coats o' Minwax Polyurethane. Blimey! Aye aye! Once dry they were sanded smooth and coated usin' thinned spackle that be brushed on t' fill t' wood grain. Arrr! T' filler be sanded off and t' rocket be primed with two coats o' Duplicote High Fill primer sandin' betwixt coats. Begad! T' nose cone was painted black usin' two coats o' old formula Krylon spray. Ahoy! T' lower body be painted metallic red usin' two coats of Rustoleum spray. On t' upper body I used Valspar yellow. Avast! Once dry t' lower body be smoothed usin' super fine steel wool. Blimey! Once clean and dust free t' body be shot with two coats o' Rustoleum clear. Begad! Arrr! Overall I'm happy with t' finish.

T' only con for me be t' colors Semroc used for t' cover art, one word...ugly. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This rocket really does deserve a retro lookin' finish.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight I chose an AT F40-7 load for t' 29mm case. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' boost was perfectly straight, and fairly quick. No stability issues were noted. Ahoy! T' ejection was late, but nay by much. Ahoy! Begad! I think a six second delay would be perfect. T' rocket was recovered with no damage, matey, just a little somethin' missing. Well, blow me down! T' 29mm modular motor mount was gone, arrr, along with me case. Basically t' single motor hook that holds t' modular mounts in t' body is just nay up t' t' task. Avast! I even added tape t' t' hook before launching. Arrr! T' baffle also contributes t' t' issue by creatin' back pressure that needs a more substantial retention method. Blimey! Ya scallywag! For me t' fix is easy because I'm goin' t' glue t' 29mm adapter in the body. Blimey! I have no intention o' usin' t' clusters.

Recovery:
T' shock cord included in t' kit should be replaced with Keelhaul®©™®, and tubular nylon. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It also needs t' be longer t' prevent t' body sections from slammin' into each other. Begad! Blimey! Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' 24" chute is just about perfect for t' Brighton, me hearties, no damage be sustained. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' baffle worked with no burn marks on the chute or cord. T' baffle makes t' rocket a quick setup as well.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
I think t' Brighton is another great product from Semroc. Begad! T' quality o' t' materials included in this kit is outstanding. Avast! T' packagin' is a work o' art because a lot o' tubes are in that bag. Aye aye! However, shiver me timbers, I do have an issue with the Brighton. T' modular motor mount retention method needs t' be redesigned. Ahoy! T' single small motor hook isn't up to the task o' retainin' t' modular mounts. As a result t' flights can be very expensive if it costs you a motor case. Also, t' fallin' motor mount could create a safety issue nay t' mention it could cause a deployment failure. Arrr! However, this should be a simple issue for Semroc t' fix.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5