Brief:
A kit bash betwixt two Estes kits: A RTF Snitch and a Hijax kit. Arrr! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' Snitch will be t' booster and t' Hijax, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' sustainer.

Modifications:
Booster build: T' snitch makes an excellent booster, matey, very stable, matey, and will recover well. Well, blow me down! T' adapt it t' a booster, me hearties, t' top "engine block" part o' t' snitch was removed with pliers and then sanded down. Arrr! Ahoy! This will allow t' motor from t' sustainer t' be taped t' t' booster.

To connect t' sustainer and booster sections together, t' coupler from t' Hijax kit be altered. Aye aye! Blimey! Top and bottom were cut off and then three small sections were removed from one side so that t' coupler could be securely fixed t' t' top o' t' snitch. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' whole section be covered with glue and left t' dry.

Sustainer build: T' sustainer was built nearly stock. Arrr! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' plastic mount be altered; t' aft part be cut away so that t' coupler from t' snitch would sit smoothly into t' base o' t' sustainer. Ahoy! Blimey! T' engine hook was left out. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' mount was then glued into t' body tube and t' fins were glued into place--they are through t' wall type.

With t' coupler already used, t' second body tube be discarded.

T' shock cord be added, shiver me timbers, which in t' usual Estes fashion is too short. Begad! T' shock cord be then attached t' t' nose cone, and then t' parachute added.

Construction:
T' kits consists of:

• T' Snitch
• launch lug parts
• 12 inch parachute
• 1 2ft length elastic shock cord
• Nose cone
• 2 silvered body tubes
• Engine mount tube
• Engine hook
• Plastic fins
• Internal plastic mount for motor tube
• Decal sheet

To build t' kit I used:

• CA gel glue
• Model knife
• Sand paper
• White PVA glue
• Pliers
• Junior hack saw

Flight and Recovery:
First flight was on a B6-0 booster and an A8-5 sustainer. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! As expected, a stable straight boost with a clean separation at a low altitude. Ya scallywag! T' sustainer went reasonable high on t' A with t' ejection bein' just after apogee. Well, blow me down! T' 12in parachute gave a slow recovery. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! A streamer would be more appropriate.

Second flight be with a C booster and a B6-6 in t' sustainer, much higher with a long walk for me.

Third flight was with C6s for both motors. Arrr! Blimey! This time t' booster stayed with t' sustainer, me bucko, t' rocket continued t' rise, and then turned and was on t' ground by t' time t' nosecone popped. T' snitch motor mount be well and truly burnt out.

On inspection, ya bilge rat, this is because I left t' aft motor retainer off t' snitch. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! So instead o' t' motor poppin' off with t' snitch, t' motor popped off through t' snitch. Begad! Here's an important lesson about prep flight checks!

I'll cut out t' remains o' t' Snitch's mount and replace it with a body tube.

Summary:
Apart from me mistakes, it's nay a bad kit bash with a good chance o' gettin' both bits back undamaged.