Brief:

Anyone with an appreciation for model rocket history should love this kit, shiver me timbers, which is a slight upscale o' a late 60's/early 70's Centuri payload bird with large engine capability. Ahoy! In updatin' t' kit, Semroc has added through-the-wall fins o' laser-cut basswood and a Keelhaul®©™ shock cord. Blimey! Begad! Everythin' else remains pretty much t' same, as well it should.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• BC-17567 balsa nose cone
• LT-125150 main body tube
• LT-17560 payload tube
• BR-125-175 balsa reducer
• LT-11555 inner tube ;-)
• FV-57 laser cut basswood fins
• SCK-24 Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
• EC-236 elastic shock cord
• SE-12 screw eye
• LL-310 launch lugs
• FV-575 launch lug standoffs
• TR-115 thrust ring
• EM-9115 24mm engine mount
• PN-18 parachute
• 24mm engine mount
• Basswood fins
• Screw eye
• Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
• Elastic shock cord
• 18" Nylon parachute
• Decal

As is typical o' Semroc kits, t' Lil' Hustler comes with a booklet that explains t' construction process clearly. That said, shiver me timbers, once I looked over t' separate instruction sheet for t' motor mount, me hearties, t' rest o' t' build was done while I watched football and talked rockets online. Begad! T' instructions just stood by lookin' pretty and remindin' me what t' finished product would look like. While it is a nice size rocket, it's a very familiar build, and t' only thin' I really had t' concentrate on was keepin' t' fins lined up as t' glue set. Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' fins were slotted and needed a pass or two over a piece o' sandpaper t' slip into t' body tube slots, but with a little wood glue in t' right spots and t' right amount o' pressure, they pretty much set themselves. (Ah, t' miracle o' lasers.) T' finished product looks great even before paint and feels incredibly solid.

Finishing:
I wanted t' stick close t' t' original paint scheme, arrr, while at t' same time clearly identifyin' t' rocket as one o' mine. I sprayed t' entire rocket with Valspar primer when assembly be finished then two coats o' thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish killed off t' body tube spirals, me hearties, basswood grain, me bucko, and balsa grain. Ahoy! There be a picture in Launch magazine o' Bruce, Carl, and Lee Piester examinin' a Hustler at t' NARAM 49, and I liked t' looks o' that paint scheme but wanted somethin' that popped a little more. Begad! I sprayed three fins and t' payload section with fluorescent orange while t' remainin' fin, nose cone and reducer were sprayed with Valspar gloss black. Blimey! I then masked off t' fins and sprayed t' entire lower half o' t' rocket with Valspar gloss white. Ya scallywag! Decals are minimal, but they were in this rockets heyday also. Avast! Once all was done I sprayed t' whole rocket with several light coats o' Valspar satin t' keep it lookin' as great as it did when I was done. Aye aye! Nay too shiny but enough t' protect t' paint and decal.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Over t' past few years I've found that rockets o' this size are perfect candidates for t' Estes E9-6, me hearties, and t' date, shiver me timbers, that's t' only engine I've flown it on. Ahoy! While t' Lil' Hustler be ready t' fly for a couple o' months before t' first flight, arrr, t' weather wouldn't cooperate except on non-launch weekends. Finally, matey, me bucko, after a seemingly endless series o' rain and wind cancellations, we got a weekend with wind predictions under our limit. Avast! I carted a whole van-load o' rockets t' t' VOA, but t' Lil' Hustler was t' one that I was most lookin' forward t' flying.

Loaded with an E9-6, t' Lil' Hustler left t' pad slowly but obviously nay struggling, ya bilge rat, arcin' well out over t' field due t' some windcocking. Avast! Ya scallywag! 1150' be claimed by Semroc on t' E9-6, arrr, and based on me observations, it made that easily. T' nylon parachute looked small when I loaded it but brought t' Lil' Hustler down plenty slowly but nay slow enough that it drifted out o' t' park. Begad! Ahoy! I followed it down in t' general direction o' t' dog park but found it within ten feet o' a soccer field where a game be bein' played (despite an agreement by t' soccer teams nay t' use t' park on this particular weekend). Avast, me proud beauty! T' girls who were playin' didn't notice a middle-aged rocket geek or his rocket, ya bilge rat, but t' middle age referee in t' yellow shirt and black socks gave me a bit o' stink eye. Arrr! I lived.

Flight #2 took place at t' AMA Field in Muncie, ya bilge rat, Indiana, durin' t' National Sport Launch. Begad! Aye aye! If thar was ever a time and place for me t' be tempted t' put t' Lil' Hustler up on an E15 this would have been it, however, I opted for t' E9 again. Ahoy! Begad! (T' weekend had already been expensive enough.) Once again t' E9 in t' Lil' Hustler proved t' be a great combination with another flight that easily topped 1000'. T' steady breeze that again caused some fairly major windcockin' again made t' recovery walk an adventure and t' rocket be eventually recovered in t' soybeans well out from t' launch area.

Recovery:
Although t' combination o' elastic and Keelhaul®©™ provided for t' shock cord would seem t' easily be long enough, I had a fairly serious gash in t' nose cone due t' it reboundin' into t' fins, arrr, which also bore a mark from t' collision.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Vintage looks, solid feel.

CONs: Could use a little extra in t' shock cord department.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5