Brief:
A nice-lookin' and easy t' build 2-stage rocket from Squirrel Works. This rocket really screams into t' higher altitudes.

Construction:
I ordered this directly from Squirrel-works.com, matey, ya bilge rat, and everythin' arrived just a couple o' days later in great shape. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' components were o' good quality, especially t' practically seamless body tube and t' water-slide decals.

Parts list includes:

• BT-50 body tube 18"
• BT-50 booster tube
• Balsa nose cone
• 2 BT-20 motor tubes
• Tube coupler
• Balsa fin stock (laser cut)
• Centerin' rings, shock cord, me bucko, streamer
• Water-slide decal

T' instructions on this were well illustrated, clearly written (in a relatively large font size--an added plus!), shiver me timbers, and easy t' follow. Well, blow me down! T' first part of t' construction be t' booster assembly, shiver me timbers, which is a straightforward BT-20 mounted inside a BT-50 usin' a pair o' centerin' rings. Ahoy! Everythin' fit very well, no sandin' or trimmin' was necessary. T' tube coupler is then glued into the BT-50, which enables direct stagin' t' t' sustainer.

Fins are then pulled and sanded from t' laser-cut sheets provided. I'm nay sure if this is a gotcha on t' laser-cut fins, me hearties, t' directions, or my less-than-perfectly-identical sandin' job, me bucko, but t' booster fins are designed to nest snugly against t' sustainer fins, givin' t' illusion o' a single-stage rocket on t' pad. I didn't catch this until after I'd glued on t' booster fins, me bucko, and be tryin' t' make sure t' sustainer fins were aligned (usin' a steel ruler and clothes pins as an alignment jig). Arrr! My fins had slight gaps, for a less than perfect appearance. Well, blow me down! I'd suggest a note in t' instructions prior to sanding, plus an illustration o' t' interlockin' design, so that t' builder uses caution for best fit.

T' upper stage gets t' same BT-20 motor mount with a pair o' centering rings, plus an engine block centerin' ring. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Tack on t' launch lug, shiver me timbers, glue a screw eye t' t' nose cone, and install t' streamer and you're ready t' prep for paint. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I have t' din' this kit a half a point though, for t' standard modroc weakness o' elastic shock cord and tri-fold paper mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I really prefer Keelhaul®©™® runnin' from t' motor mount t' t' end o' t' tube, ya bilge rat, followed by elastic, shiver me timbers, and made this modification t' me kit (estimated cost $0.12).

Finishing:
Fillin' t' spirals on this was a breeze, as t' seams were miniscule. I was able do effectively kill them with a coat o' primer, me bucko, ya bilge rat, sanded off with 220 grit. I then followed up with two coats o' primer and two coats o' gloss white Krylon. Arrr! T' standard color scheme on this has very appealin' red and yellow accents, which I went with on mine. Although t' humidity level was up a bit that week, shiver me timbers, I didn't quite get t' gloss I expected. Still, it turned out fairly well. Arrr! After allowin' t' paint t' cure out for a couple o' days, me bucko, I applied the water-slide decals. Begad! T' color quality o' t' decals was superb, me bucko, however, I did manage t' tear a corner o' one o' mine. Avast, me proud beauty! They're pretty fragile, so be careful with them.

One "gotcha" I ran into on t' finishing: I applied a coat of Krylon Gloss clear coat, shiver me timbers, which did nay react well t' t' decals. Blimey! They cracked a little bit and faded significantly. Ya scallywag! I'd recommend either Testors', Frog Spit, or Future polish t' protect t' finish.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight, me hearties, I went with a B6-0 t' B6-6. Ya scallywag! T' two stages are taped together and then loaded into t' upper stage, shiver me timbers, with t' boost slipped over the boost motor. Begad! Well, me bucko, blow me down! I slipped it over t' 1/8" rod and hit t' go button.

T' booster really sent this screaming, arrr, and it climbed in a real hurry. Unfortunately, I didn't get t' upper stage t' light, me hearties, and t' sustainer came down ballistic from a couple hundred feet. Avast, me proud beauty! It plugged into soft grass, matey, me hearties, though in a section o' field over 3-feet high, me bucko, so I had a long search.

T' damage be minor, considerin' t' fall--about 1/4" o' tube crinkled, me bucko, arrr, and t' motor mount broke loose. Aye aye! Repairs won't take more than about 30 minutes, and I'll be ready for a second attempt.

Recovery:
I can't really comment on t' recovery yet, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but I will say t' streamer seems a bit short, only about 2 feet long. Arrr! Aye aye! Considerin' t' altitudes this can achieve, a larger streamer would help for spottin' it. Well, blow me down!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I love t' color scheme and decals, liked t' interlockin' fin design (though wish it had been more clearly pointed out in t' instructions), and impressed with t' rocket overall.

I would definitely recommend this 2-stager and would definitely buy from Squirrel Works again.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5