Brief:
Another one o' t' X-kits (parts-only) introduced at NARAM-50, me hearties, this one is a reproduction o' t' 1964 kit by Estes, and features a clear plastic payload tube. Begad! Semroc even goes old-school on this one, arrr, ya bilge rat, introducin' actual rubber shock cords instead o' their more modern elastic/Keelhaul®©™® combination.

Construction:
Parts are typical Semroc and top quality, including:

• Balsa nose cone
• Balsa transition (BT-24 t' BT-20)
• Clear payload tube (24mm dia)
• BT-20 body tube
• Laser-cut balsa fins
• plastic chute
• waterslide decals

Instructions are nay provided for X-kits, matey, shiver me timbers, however, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, they are available online in through t' kindness o' archivists such as Jim Zalewski. Well, blow me down! Blimey! In this case, an experienced modeler probably doesn't even need instructions, but they are online at www.dars.org/jimz/k-18.htm.

This was a very quick and easy build, and I had mine together and ready for paint in under an hour, including surface prep.

Startin' from t' aft end and movin' forward, I inserted a motor block in t' BT-20 then marked it for 4-fin alignment. T' laser-cut fins took a light sandin' and Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish, matey, then were tacked on with CA before white glue fillets. T' payload bay is comprised o' a balsa transition (with screw eye for shock cord), me bucko, clear tube, shiver me timbers, me hearties, me bucko, and balsa nose. T' payload components fit very snugly and took a little sandin' t' allow for paintin' and still fit.

Shock cord anchor is via cardstock tri-fold, matey, and as mentioned, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, uses what appears t' be decent grade Sig rubber.

T' launch lug standoff consists o' two pieces o' balsa. Ya scallywag! It's nay that complex, but you'll want t' dry fit before gluin' as it's possible t' put them together in such a way as t' be slightly shorter than needed t' clear t' payload tube. Begad! No, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I didn't blow it (on this project)...

Finishing:
Finishin' is slightly more effort than a typical Semroc LPR kit if you want t' match t' cover art as t' payload bay is nay supposed t' be painted, arrr, matey, me bucko, but t' shoulders o' t' transition and cone are. Well, blow me down! I wound up usin' a piece o' scrap BT-50 t' hold everythin' together while paintin' and went back afterwards t' paint just t' transition and cone shoulders after removin' them and maskin' appropriately.

There are also a couple vertical and horizontal stripes t' mask off and deal with, which I think could have been made a good deal simpler via decals.

In any case, after primin' I went with a base coat o' Krylon light gray (sort o' looks like white would, me bucko, if white were sittin' in t' shade), me bucko, followed by blue nose, and yellow and black stripin' on t' body tube and transition sections.

Once all paint had cured out, shiver me timbers, matey, me hearties, I applied t' waterslide decal for t' fins.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight be in moderate winds (5-8 mph) on such a gorgeous day that I felt like sneakin' out and gettin' in some solo flights betwixt our regular club launches.

I packed t' C6-5 in it, fired away, and watched as it climbed straight and true. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' delay was almost perfectly at apogee, arrr, maybe a hair early, shiver me timbers, but this is definitely t' right motor/delay.

Recovery:
Ordinarily, ya bilge rat, t' 12" chute would be fine for this, matey, but somehow I caught a pretty strong thermal, and even under the 12" chute, arrr, arrr, it wasn't comin' down. Arrr! Begad! I tracked it for about 3/4 mile before it finally drifted out o' my eyesight. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I've lost many a competition model t' thermals on purpose, me hearties, but this be one o' t' very few times I'd ever sent a sport model into t' heavens like this.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Very nice rocket--clear payload tube, me bucko, flies great, excellent value. Ya scallywag! I'll be pickin' up another one soon.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5