Brief:
T' Screamer is me first try at a kit from Sunward Aerospace. Ahoy! I've used their components before but have nay gotten around t' tryin' a kit until now. This one caught me interest because it is a 2 motor cluster, and I like clusters. Avast, me proud beauty! I also picked it because o' its canted motor design. Blimey! Well, blow me down! There are other canted motor designs but this is one I've only seen ads for and have never seen a real example in person or through photos. Ahoy! That changes now.

Construction:
T' first step given in t' instructions is t' cut out t' wraparound guide. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! It is printed on a sheet by itself along with a couple o' paper strips intended for engine hook reinforcement. Blimey! Ahoy! I generally prefer t' wraps over other methods. T' wrap be cut out and set aside. I did nay cut out t' reinforcin' bands.

T' motor mounts were up next. Arrr! A pair o' marks be made one each tube at 3/16" and at 1-3/4". Blimey! A slit was made at t' aft mark and t' engine hook inserted. Blimey! Blimey! At this point I be instructed t' use t' paper reinforcement wraps which had been provided but I elected t' use electrical tape instead. Avast! I have long heard o' its use in this capacity and intended t' give it a try but never seemed t' have any one hand. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Blimey! Now I do and I'm givin' it a try. The tape be wrapped around each mount as t' second mark.

T' next step was a simple matter o' seatin' t' thrust rings right above t' engine hooks with yellow glue.

Next came what t' instructions described as t' "most tedious part o' t' build". Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! It was time t' work on t' canted housing. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I was instructed t' make a line across t' center o' t' aft ring. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I did so and was pretty pleased with myself until I realized that I had run it in t' wrong direction. Begad! Begad! I had t' make another line at a right angle t' t' first. T' wedge piece be then glued in place with yellow glue and allowed t' set.

Next up was a problem. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' forward rin' in me package was broken into 2 pieces. Blimey! Blimey! [Note: this should nay be taken as a reflection on Sunward Aerospace. It looks t' be a delicate part at t' best o' times and this kit spent more than its share o' time floatin' around boxes and such.] I decided t' try and glue t' two pieces together. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It may work. At worst, I will have t' wait as a replacement order comes in. Accordingly, a dab o' yellow glue was placed on t' break and t' 2 pieces were pushed together.

After a night t' let t' glue dry on t' angle, I took one o' t' motor tube and test fit it in t' lower ring/angle. Begad! T' lunette at t' bottom o' t' rin' has a notch cut out o' it t' accommodate t' engine hook. Ahoy! I got this lined up and then set it in place with t' edge o' t' motor tube flush with t' top o' t' angle. Aye aye! It looked like it fit so I applied t' first layer o' a double glue joint, arrr, matey, shiver me timbers, pressed t' mount into place, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and then removed it. Ya scallywag! Blimey! A bit later, some more glue was applied and t' mount put into place again. I found that I needed t' tape t' mount down in order t' keep it properly aligned.

T' first tube dried in t' mount overnight and I removed t' tape t' inspect t' results. Begad! Avast! It seemed OK although there are a few gaps betwixt t' tube and t' angle support. Blimey! Nay havin' built somethin' like this before I was unsure. Assumin' that everythin' was alright, arrr, I tried t' other mount and found it t' be much t' same as t' first. It was again fitted with a double glue joint and taped into place t' dry.

T' start off t' waitin' process, matey, shiver me timbers, I decided t' work ahead a little bit. Well, blow me down! T' next step was t' put t' wrap in place for t' cuttin' o' t' tube. It was taped in place and fit perfectly, always a relief for me. Ahoy! It was aligned so that it be flush with t' aft end and a piece o' tape was used t' hold it down. Ya scallywag! With t' guide in place, t' first task be t' cut out t' notches for t' canted motors. Arrr! Ya scallywag! I knew this be goin' t' be done better if I did it right so I took some time t' make a mandrel t' support t' tube as it was cut. Avast! Begad! T' mandrel be inserted into t' aft end o' the BT, t' end with t' guide taped t' it, and positioned so that t' cuttin' area was supported. Ahoy! Blimey! A razor knife be then drawn repeatedly over t' marked line until t' indicated segments were removed. At this point, I needed t' test fit the motor mount but that be still dryin' so I went on t' other projects for a while.

When t' motor mount had dried, matey, I took off t' tape and tried t' test fit t' mount into t' body tube. Avast! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It seemed to fit just fine and I almost forgot that I had nay yet put in t' forward centerin' ring. Arrr! That too had been drying from me patch job but t' connection be so thin that it did nay hold up t' me manipulations. Avast! I decided I would have to try and glue it in place in pieces. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Blimey! While test fitting, me hearties, I also had t' realization o' why paper wraps were provided to reinforce t' engine hooks instead o' tape bein' specified. T' mounts are visible!

T' fins, contrary t' what was indicated in t' instructions, were loose and nay in any way joined t' t' parent stock material. Ya scallywag! Avast! They were o' good quality and cleanly cut. Begad! I followed t' instructions and just rounded t' leading edges. Avast! You need t' make sure you identify t' proper grain direction. Arrr! Ya scallywag! I brushed on some Elmer's Wood Filler, scraped it with a razor blade, and set them aside t' dry.

Turnin' me attention back t' t' motor mount, matey, I decided t' let t' split forward rin' work for me. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' kit is provided with a tri-fold mount for t' shock cord. Well, blow me down! I absolutely detest these. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I decided t' use a fat piece o' Keelhaul®©™® instead. Arrr! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I knotted t' Keelhaul®©™® at one end and treaded it though t' space betwixt t' two motor mounts. I then slathered yellow glue over it, arrr, matey, fixing it t' t' triangular support. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! When dry, ya bilge rat, I applied some more glue.

T' nose cone was nay like t' fins. Begad! Instead o' bein' smooth, arrr, it was one o' t' fuzziest I had ever seen. I slathered on the filler and set it aside t' dry.

Though I did nay manage t' glue t' pieces o' t' forward centerin' rin' back together and have them stay together, I did manage t' glue t' pieces into t' right place on t' motor mount. Begad! Blimey! When dry, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, they even fit well! Blimey! Since the dry fittin' went well, arrr, I swabbed t' tail o' t' BT with yellow glue and inserted t' mount. Begad! Blimey! It seemed steady and I hoped for t' best. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! A few days later, when I next had a chance t' work on this one, arrr, me hearties, me bucko, everythin' seemed fine.

It was time t' start mountin' t' fins. Begad! I removed t' wrap and used an angle t' extend t' fin lines. A pushpin was then used t' make perforations along t' lines in t' hope o' formin' a better glue joint. Avast! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Then it was a matter of beginnin' t' glue on t' fins. Aye aye! I used yellow glue and a double glue joint. Begad! T' gluin' o' t' fins took place over the course o' 3 days. Avast! I wanted t' let t' first glue joint dry completely before doin' t' second and attachin' t' fins. When t' fins had dried in place, me bucko, I began t' process o' filletin' them with white glue.

T' filler on t' nose cone had had a chance t' dry and I sanded it down. Aye aye! That dramatically improved things but I was still havin' a problem with t' fuzzies peekin' through. Begad! I went ahead and glued in t' screw eye and then began to drizzle thin CA over t' nosecone in t' hope that it would harden things up and made it sand easier.

After what seemed like an excessin' amount o' filleting, ya bilge rat, t' Screamer seemed ready t' move t' t' finishing stage.

Finishing:
T' fins had been sealed with Elmer's Wood Filler and sanded durin' construction. Avast! Now what needed t' be done be to prime t' rocket. Aye aye! It be taken t' t' booth and given a coat o' Kilz. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Because o' t' way t' rocket be stood up, it was apparent that another good coat would be needed t' complete t' job. Blimey!

Another coat was applied and then t' rocket be sanded down with #400 sandpaper. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! It was then set up in t' booth and sprayed with me dwindlin' supply o' t' old Krylon gloss white.

I wound up puttin' on three coats o' t' gloss white and t' result be satisfactory. Ya scallywag! T' rocket was then masked for yellow, me hearties, ya bilge rat, leavin' only t' nosecone and fins exposed.

T' rocket was put in t' booth and given three light coats o' a medium-light yellow. Even with t' masking, the added bit o' color really added a lot t' t' appearance.

A few hours later, me hearties, I peeled off t' maskin' and t' rocket was startin' t' look like t' face card.\

All that was left, shiver me timbers, so I thought, was t' apply t' decal. It was t' be a simple matter. T' decal consists just of the rocket name. Avast, me proud beauty! It had been peekin' at me through t' bag since I started this project. Avast! Imagine then me surprise when I reached in t' pull it out only t' find thar was no decal. Arrr! It's a sticker.

It did apply fairly easily, shiver me timbers, arrr, but I sure like waterslides better and, personally, arrr, I am willin' t' pay for them.

As it turns out, arrr, I be nay done. Begad! I realized that, in accordance with me custom, I had again forgotten t' launch lug. Blimey! Aye aye! I scraped off a bit o' paint and applied it with some white glue.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
T' day o' t' maiden flight came and I realized that I did nay brin' me box o' chutes. Well, blow me down! I was nay plannin' on using the plastic chute that came with a kit because I usually substitute nylon. T' box, however, was left behind. Avast! Ya scallywag! I did have a bunch o' 4" streamers from Hartle Engineerin' (Thanks, ya bilge rat, Evil Ed) and decided t' use one o' them.

I loaded a pair o' B6-4s and set t' Screamer on t' pad. Ya scallywag! It took off flawlessly, me bucko, arrr, matey, goin' straight up. Well, blow me down! Ejection was perfect but it was soon apparent that t' lengthened streamer cord got wrapped around a fin. Begad! It came in hard enough to tear away one o' t' fins where t' cut is made for t' canted motor. Begad! It will be repaired but was destined nay t' fly again this day. Well, blow me down! A video o' t' maiden flight can be seen here.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I enjoyed this rocket. It flew well and will be repaired t' fly again. Ya scallywag! Next time, however, I will have a parachute ready for it.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5