Brief:
T' original Scout be designed by Vern Estes, me hearties, and be awarded a patent in 1960 for achievin' tumble recovery via a shiftin' CG. Well, blow me down! T' motor slides back via t' ejection charge. Arrr! This became catalog # K-1 and is among t' most beloved nostalgic designs. Well, blow me down!

In celebration o' t' 50th anniversary o' Model Rocketry, matey, t' "rocket doctor" Ken Montanye teamed up with Vern & Gleda Estes and t' gang at Semroc t' plan a spectacular event. Avast! T' original plan be t' issue a commemorative edition o' t' Scout, hold a mass launch at NARAM-50, and have t' numbered models returned t' their builders with a commemorative certificate. Avast, me proud beauty! T' mass launch plan was veto'd, shiver me timbers, but t' efforts t' honor t' Estes' contribution t' t' hobby continued. T' kit be eventually released as a limited edition (every kit numbered), and the goal is for everyone t' build one, paint it gold, matey, and fly it durin' t' month o' July (the anniversary month). Blimey! Blimey!

When you log your flight record with Semroc, arrr, Vern and Gleda will send you an autographed certificate commemorating your flight. This is a fantastic idea, arrr, and a great tribute t' a couple o' t' foundin' giants o' our hobby. Arrr! Begad! I strongly recommend EVERYONE in this hobby rush out and buy one o' these before they're gone, build it, ya bilge rat, and paint t' sky gold in July. Ya scallywag! At $10 ($9 if usin' t' NARRRRR member discount), arrr, you certainly can't go wrong.

Construction:
Semroc tried their best t' faithfully reproduce t' original design, matey, though had t' make a couple o' minor changes. First, t' original gauze coverin' t' motor retention wire is gone, replaced by a more modern and rugged Tyvek strip. Second, t' parallel wound tube deal fell through at t' last minute, so we get spiral wound Euclid tubing. Ahoy! I can almost imagine Carl at Semroc tryin' t' coax Gleda into windin' 1500 tubes for old times' sake...

Quality o' t' parts be t' usual excellent, featurin' a pre-marked BT-20 tube, balsa nose cone, laser cut fins, lug, ya bilge rat, arrr, metal catch hook, matey, retainin' wire, and water-slide decal with limited edition flight number.

T' instructions are well written, arrr, clearly illustrated, matey, and include plenty o' information about t' history o' the rocket as well as t' special celebration. Begad! If you're nay picky about t' finish, you can have it built in about 30 minutes. Blimey! Avast! In me case, matey, I wanted t' make this as beautiful a finish as I could, and so dropped about 3 hours into sanding and surface prep.

T' nose cone is glued permanently in place at t' front o' t' BT-20 tube. Well, blow me down! Nay only be t' tube pre-marked, but there are (3) vent holes already punched as well as a tiny hole for t' catch hook.

Next, you need t' work t' long end o' t' catch hook into t' nose. Ya scallywag! This takes a little work, arrr, ya bilge rat, and you might need to drill out a little starter hole. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! Apply a tiny drop o' glue, matey, me bucko, matey, then slide t' metal catch hook into place.

T' hold t' hook in place, t' original gauze has been replaced with heavy-duty Tyvek. Aye aye! Well, arrr, blow me down! This works great, arrr, and has a cleaner appearance, but is a little tricky t' work with. Well, blow me down! You need t' apply a thin layer o' glue t' t' backside of it, me bucko, then gently rub out any gaps or air as you apply it. Avast, me proud beauty! It will take a minute or so for t' glue t' really start to grab, arrr, so you'll need t' keep rubbin' t' Tyvek, me bucko, especially around t' hook.

Once t' Tyvek is in place, me hearties, you can tack on t' fins. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' leadin' and tip edges are t' be rounded, and the trailin' edge (and root, matey, obviously) are flat.

Tack a launch lug along one fin joint, matey, and a thin retainin' wire along another, me bucko, arrr, and you're ready to paint.

Finishing:
OK, since t' kit's name be t' Golden Scout, ya bilge rat, and t' celebration plan is called t' Sky o' Gold, paintin' this anythin' other than gold would be sacrilegious. Ahoy! I did t' surface prep before assembly, so tube spirals were covered via diluted Fill N Finish, and also was sealed with 3 coats o' balsa filler sealer.

After two light coats o' primer, ya bilge rat, I finished it off with Rustoleum Metallic gold. Nay exactly t' bright gold that I think Semroc be hopin' for, matey, but a very nice lookin' finish nonetheless.

T' finishin' touch was applyin' me commemorative flight decal--#0066, nay too shabby considerin' t' first 60 were reserved for insiders involved in t' original plan/mass launch.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I'm goin' t' have t' owe a flight report via comments/flight logs later, me hearties, as I'm holdin' off until t' celebration month o' July t' post t' first flight, and wanted t' make sure I got t' word out via review about this outstanding program.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Overall, I have nothin' but PROs for this--it's a very nice reproduction o' one o' t' all time classic designs, brought back t' market with t' intention o' honorin' its designer(s), and by coordinatin' t' Sky o' Gold celebration, Semroc gives us all a chance t' play a small part in rocketry history.

Why in t' world are you still readin' at this point? Shoot on over t' Semroc and pick up your commemorative kit right now!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5