Brief:
T' Semroc cc:SpacePlane glider is an example o' an ingenious marketin' plan and business strategy. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket design is an out-of-production model from another company. Aye aye! Semroc puts t' parts together in a kit includin' nice laser-cut fins and some other upgrades from t' original. Yet Semroc doesn't include assembly instructions...you have t' download those from an archivin' website. Ya scallywag! Semroc tells you t' look here. Begad! Blimey! I am a big fan o' Semroc. Well, blow me down! Begad! In me opinion, me hearties, Semroc offers some o' t' best value in t' hobby--great kits with quality parts at very reasonable prices with easy assembly. Well, arrr, blow me down! Plus, matey, Semroc's customer service ranges betwixt exemplary and amazing. Avast! Ya scallywag! This small company knows how t' run a business better than most big companies in any arena. Ahoy! Avast! Considerin' me love o' boost gliders, me bucko, me bucko, I was ready t' like this kit. Aye aye! However, shiver me timbers, I would recommend that you try some o' Semroc's other kits since the cc:SpacePlane didn't work very well for me.

Construction:
Assembly is mostly straightforward. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions are quite precise and t' assembly order is carefully orchestrated. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! One difficulty I had was that t' old instructions did nay include a photograph o' t' finished rocket, especially t' tail area. Instead, arrr, thar were 2-D drawings o' t' top and aft view. Avast, me proud beauty! Havin' never seen a finished SpacePlane before, I be nay entirely clear about how t' motor/elevon system be supposed t' look or function. Begad! Heck, I didn't even realize right away that t' motor is supposed t' eject! Anyway, ya bilge rat, this led me t' a couple small points of confusion. Begad! Ya scallywag! First, t' elevon lock tab assembly is easily completed usin' t' drawing, me hearties, me hearties, but its function isn't quite clear. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Because o' this, I carelessly put t' lock tabs on backwards at first but caught me mistake while t' glue was still wet durin' a final check o' t' figure. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! I also had a bit o' confusion about t' placement o' t' elevon stops.

Regardin' assembly order, matey, arrr, t' glide control tabs are supposed t' be attached after t' wings. Begad! However, this is a little tricky if you have big fingers or you want t' make clean fillets. It seems that nothin' would go wrong if you glued these tabs first. Begad! Also, I did nay install t' elastic elevon sprin' until after paintin' be completed (as the instructions ask you t' do it much earlier). Begad! Ahoy! My approach avoided foulin' t' elastic with paint.

T' instructions give very precise instructions on balancin' t' glider. I managed t' mess these up in two ways! You are supposed t' measure from t' top o' t' body tube, nay t' top o' t' nose cone. Also, arrr, t' balancin' should occur with t' motor installed, ya bilge rat, matey, nay empty. I did both o' these wrong, me bucko, arrr, yet t' two mistakes nearly canceled each other out. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! After paintin' and photos were all done, I realized me error and drilled a small hole in t' nose cone t' add a bit o' extra weight t' correct matters. Begad! With a little putty and paint touch up, it be good as new. Aye aye! Blimey! I trimmed t' glide before noticin' me balance error and did nay re-check t' glide after t' correction. We'll see if that be a mistake.

(While preppin' for t' first flight, me hearties, I noticed that t' aft 0.5in o' t' seam betwixt t' elevon stops had split from t' pressure o' t' motor installed t' previous night. Ahoy! T' elevon lock tabs are big enough t' create quite a lot o' pressure when t' motor is installed. Ya scallywag! I don't think such pressure is necessary and would suggest that you consider reducin' t' height o' t' lock tabs a bit. I filled t' crack with a little epoxy.)

Finishing:
This is certainly no performance glider, ya bilge rat, so I went for a smooth look with lots o' filling, sanding, arrr, priming, me bucko, ya bilge rat, arrr, and light paint coats despite t' added weight. All fin edges were beveled. T' decals were great but limit you t' a white bird if you want good contrast.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first opportunity t' fly t' cc:SpacePlane was canceled due t' 20+mph winds. So t' rocket sat in me basement for another five weeks. Blimey! I had t' repair a win' tip fin broken by shiftin' gear in t' car durin' t' previous trip t' the launch site. Both these events had unfortunate consequences durin' t' first launch in nearly calm conditions with a B4-4.

T' cc:SpacePlane shot straight up far higher than I had ever expected: perhaps 800 feet. Arrr! (Semroc's website predicts 400ft with a B4-2, but this can't be right.) Ejection was good, close t' apogee. T' glider then nosed downward and began a twistin' death plunge and lawn darted in t' prairie dust. Remarkably, t' glider was completely undamaged despite t' core sample. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Upon inspection, arrr, I found that t' elevons had failed t' be pulled into glide position by t' elastic. Arrr! T' problem be that one elevon had been stuck in boost position by an errant drop o' glue durin' repair. T' other elevon had been set in boost position for 5 weeks with t' motor installed and was a bit stiff.

I fixed these problems and tried again. Begad! This time, arrr, t' B4-4 lifted t' cc:SpacePlane up in a tight corkscrew, ya bilge rat, not as high. Ejection be again fine. T' flight was slightly better: a semi-ballistic corkscrew. Avast, me proud beauty! Despite t' impact, the glider was again undamaged.

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 2 out o' 5