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

Construction:
I ordered this directly from Squirrel-works.com, matey, and everythin' arrived just a couple o' days later in great shape. Avast! 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, shiver me timbers, me hearties, shock cord, arrr, arrr, streamer
• Water-slide decal

T' instructions on this were well illustrated, arrr, clearly written (in a relatively large font size--an added plus!), matey, and easy t' follow. T' first part of t' construction be t' booster assembly, shiver me timbers, me hearties, which is a straightforward BT-20 mounted inside a BT-50 usin' a pair o' centerin' rings. Begad! Blimey! Everythin' fit very well, no sandin' or trimmin' was necessary. Blimey! Blimey! 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, t' directions, matey, or my less-than-perfectly-identical sandin' job, but t' booster fins are designed to nest snugly against t' sustainer fins, givin' t' illusion o' a single-stage rocket on t' pad. Arrr! Aye aye! I didn't catch this until after I'd glued on t' booster fins, and was tryin' t' make sure t' sustainer fins were aligned (usin' a steel ruler and clothes pins as an alignment jig). Ahoy! My fins had slight gaps, for a less than perfect appearance. Well, blow me down! Begad! 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, ya bilge rat, me hearties, plus an engine block centerin' ring. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Tack on t' launch lug, arrr, glue a screw eye t' t' nose cone, matey, and install t' streamer and you're ready t' prep for paint. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I have t' din' this kit a half a point though, arrr, ya bilge rat, for t' standard modroc weakness o' elastic shock cord and tri-fold paper mount. Avast! Blimey! I really prefer Keelhaul®©™® runnin' from t' motor mount t' t' end o' t' tube, followed by elastic, 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. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I was able do effectively kill them with a coat o' primer, 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. Begad! Although t' humidity level was up a bit that week, I didn't quite get t' gloss I expected. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Still, ya bilge rat, it turned out fairly well. After allowin' t' paint t' cure out for a couple o' days, I applied the water-slide decals. T' color quality o' t' decals be superb, however, I did manage t' tear a corner o' one o' mine. Arrr! Arrr! 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, which did nay react well t' t' decals. Begad! They cracked a little bit and faded significantly. Aye aye! Avast! 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, I went with a B6-0 t' B6-6. T' two stages are taped together and then loaded into t' upper stage, arrr, with t' boost slipped over the boost motor. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I slipped it over t' 1/8" rod and hit t' go button.

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

T' damage be minor, shiver me timbers, matey, considerin' t' fall--about 1/4" o' tube crinkled, arrr, and t' motor mount broke loose. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, but I will say t' streamer seems a bit short, me bucko, only about 2 feet long. Arrr! Considerin' t' altitudes this can achieve, a larger streamer would help for spottin' it. Aye aye! Begad!

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