Brief:
Semroc brings back another Centuri classic with this one, hailed as t' world's smallest two-stage rocket in it's heyday around 1968. Begad! Faithfully reproduced right down t' t' original tube sizes, this kit will be a fun build for the nostalgia buff, though modern day flights will prove problematic.

Construction:
T' kit for this review was graciously provided by BRS Hobbies. Blimey! It arrived carefully packaged and in good shape. Arrr! Most Semroc kits come with a neat little ID tag showin' t' production unit number, ya bilge rat, mine was #177. Avast! Semroc kits use excellent quality materials throughout.

Parts list includes:

• 1 ST-8 body tube 4.5"
• 1 ST-8 body tube 2.0"
• 2 ST-7 body tubes 2.0"
• 1 BC-821 balsa nose cone, me hearties, with washer/screw eye for weight
• Laser cut balsa fins (2 sets o' 4 fins each)
• Assorted couplers and centerin' rings
• Paper shroud (from pattern)
• Wood "dowels" for trim
• 36" plastic streamer
• Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cord
• 4 adapter tubes for motors
• water slide decals

T' instructions were well illustrated and generally well done, although I ran into some difficulty in t' fit, which could either mean me goof in not carefully payin' attention t' a measurement or somethin' gone awry with the kit. Begad! Begad! I have nay had any trouble with other Semroc kits so I will assume I'm a klutz, me hearties, but would love t' see some feedback from other builders on this.

Construction begins by sandin' and trimmin' t' fins from t' laser cut sheet. Though there are 8 fins, this is a small rocket, and sandin' really didn't take much more than 10 minutes with 180 grit and a light rub or two with 400 grit. Begad! I normally also apply either a couple coats o' balsa sealer/grain filler or a light coat of Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish at this point but decided t' cut a few minutes off the build time t' get this one out on t' pad as smartly as possible.

T' booster mount is a little unusual, me bucko, shiver me timbers, presumably t' way they did things back in 1968 (when I would have been too young t' fly). Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' engine block goes on t' AFT end o' t' motor tube, and a coupler with vent hole goes on the forward end. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! A couple o' centerin' rings are then tacked on. While waitin' for that t' dry, t' 2" booster body tube gets a coupler glued into the forward end. Arrr! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' complete t' assembly, t' motor tube is glued into t' booster body tube/coupler assembly. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! After lookin' it over closely, me hearties, I can't think o' a reason for t' inner coupler t' be vented, ya bilge rat, me bucko, as t' outer coupler is not.

T' booster is then completed by attachin' t' fins and toothpick trim, along with a paper shroud. Begad! Blimey! It was at this point that I started t' sense that this rocket be more for show than for actual flight, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, as t' toothpicks are just beggin' t' break on even a soft landin' and t' paper shroud is nay going to hold up t' repeated flights on even a 1/4A motor. Avast! Blimey! I lined t' inside o' mine with a thin CA for strength t' hopefully delay t' burn through.

T' sustainer construction follows a similar construction path, shiver me timbers, me hearties, me bucko, starting with engine block goin' into t' forward end o' t' motor tube, which also anchors a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord--a nice upgrade. Centerin' rings are added, arrr, then t' assembly is glued into t' sustainer body tube. Avast! Ya scallywag! Tack on t' fins and a launch lug, and you're done.

I test fit t' booster t' t' sustainer, and ran into a fairly significant problem. Blimey! While t' dimensions seemed right for t' coupler betwixt t' booster and sustainer, t' inner coupler with t' vent hole won't slip inside or over the motor tube in t' sustainer, me bucko, so I could nay get t' two assemblies t' join together. Ahoy! I wound up havin' t' cut away most o' t' inner coupler, ya bilge rat, which was not exactly easy with everythin' already glued into place. Aye aye! Begad! Again, probably my error, but I would recommend a dry fit before gluin' either motor mount assembly into their respective body tubes.

One other aspect o' t' fit I found unusual, although clearly on purpose and part o' t' design, is that t' booster and sustainer fins are not interlockin' or even separated enough t' be on t' same plane. T' sustainer fins extend well below t' bottom and slip over t' booster body, so they need to be rotated/positioned t' sit betwixt t' booster fins. Ahoy! Blimey! T' result is an 8-fin profile and a significant increase in drag. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! It looks neat, ya bilge rat, but I'm personally more o' a fan o' t' interlockin' fin approach.

Finishing:
I followed t' standard paint scheme on this, ya bilge rat, matey, goin' for a yellow base coat on the body and a blue nose cone. I went with Krylon primer and top coats and finished it off with a clear coat, which I applied before t' decals rather than after. Avast! (I know this is backwards, but I never seem t' get consistent results over decals).

T' waterslide decals were fairly good quality, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but me kit had what appeared t' be an error on t' accent trim for t' sustainer fins. Avast! I had 8 decals all t' same pattern, ya bilge rat, which fit great on one side o' t' fins, matey, shiver me timbers, but don't fit at all on t' opposite side. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I suspect that 4 o' these were supposed t' be inverse orientation.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
Given that t' Estes A10-0T is no longer certified for use by t' NAR, flights for this kit are problematic. Avast! Ya scallywag! T' package header card describes "two-stage design" and "out o' sight flights", me hearties, even though it warns t' fly as single stage only and recommends only a 1/2A3-4T motor and estimated altitude o' 225 feet.

T' original kit be designed t' fly on 1/2A-6 "shorty" motors, which I believe were 18mm but only 1.75" long. Aye aye! Blimey! This kit holds true t' that scale, usin' 18mm motor mounts but betwixt t' two stages thar's only 3.5" o' room--too much for a single 18mm and too short for stagin' with 2. T' solution offered up is an adaptor tube that's 13mm ID/18mm OD by 1.75" long. Avast! There are 4 provided in t' kit, and t' instructions suggest gluin' a mini motor into an adaptor tube for flight.

I have two big problems with this approach: First, arrr, this is nay a reusable approach. Begad! Well, blow me down! So unless you've got a supply o' 13/18mm tube adaptors, me hearties, you're only goin' t' get a couple o' flights out o' this. Begad! (I would suggest that you start hangin' on t' your spent 18mm motors, me hearties, shiver me timbers, as they can be cleaned out and cut down to make adapters.) T' second problem is that thar simply aren't two motors that can be used today t' fly this, me hearties, meanin' you have t' leave t' booster behind when you go t' t' pad. Begad! So why bother even buildin' it, other than for display?

My workaround t' this be t' use an 18mm 1/2A6-2, with a creative tape job to secure it in t' booster, and t' tape t' two stages together so that there would be no separation. Well, blow me down! That worked fine, as I got a perfectly straight up flight, though closer t' 75 feet than 225, me hearties, so t' 225 estimate must clearly be for t' sustainer only.

Recovery:
T' streamer deployed without a hitch. Aye aye! Just as I feared though, matey, I broke one of the toothpicks upon impact, matey, despite a fairly slow descent rate and landin' on tall, ya bilge rat, soft grass. Blimey! I'm nay sure if this would be helped or hurt by tumble recovery without t' sustainer attached, arrr, me hearties, and will try again when I'm flyin' a non-NAR launch with an old A10-0T.

Despite t' flawless flight, me hearties, I'm only ratin' this a 4 out o' 5 due t' the problems adoptin' modern motor availability t' t' classic design and would much prefer either an upscale t' twin 18mm motors or simply goin' down t' 13mm and nay fussin' with t' shorty adapters. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
If you're a nostalgia buff and want t' build a cute little design t' sit on display, ya bilge rat, this rates a 5. Blimey! If you like t' fly what you build, matey, you're goin' to have trouble with this and it would be closer t' a 3. Aye aye! This kit just doesn't work out that problem very well.

Still, me bucko, matey, it's a very nice lookin' design faithfully reproduced in great detail. Aye aye! Aye aye! If Estes ever abandons t' race cars and switches back from A10-PTs to A10-0Ts, arrr, me hearties, this would be a smokin' little two-stager.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5