Brief:
T' Semroc cc:SpacePlane glider is an example o' an ingenious marketin' plan and business strategy. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' rocket design is an out-of-production model from another company. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! Semroc puts t' parts together in a kit includin' nice laser-cut fins and some other upgrades from t' original. Blimey! Yet Semroc doesn't include assembly instructions...you have t' download those from an archivin' website. Aye aye! Blimey! Semroc tells you t' look here. Begad! Well, blow me down! I am a big fan o' Semroc. Ahoy! In me opinion, Semroc offers some o' t' best value in t' hobby--great kits with quality parts at very reasonable prices with easy assembly. Well, blow me down! Plus, Semroc's customer service ranges betwixt exemplary and amazing. Ahoy! This small company knows how t' run a business better than most big companies in any arena. Ya scallywag! Considerin' me love o' boost gliders, me hearties, I was ready t' like this kit. Well, blow me down! However, 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. Begad! T' instructions are quite precise and t' assembly order is carefully orchestrated. Begad! One difficulty I had be that t' old instructions did nay include a photograph o' t' finished rocket, especially t' tail area. Instead, matey, me hearties, thar were 2-D drawings o' t' top and aft view. Arrr! Havin' never seen a finished SpacePlane before, me bucko, I was nay entirely clear about how t' motor/elevon system was supposed t' look or function. Blimey! Heck, matey, me hearties, me bucko, I didn't even realize right away that t' motor is supposed t' eject! Anyway, me bucko, this led me t' a couple small points of confusion. Arrr! Blimey! First, me bucko, t' elevon lock tab assembly is easily completed usin' t' drawing, but its function isn't quite clear. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Aye aye! I also had a bit o' confusion about t' placement o' t' elevon stops.

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

T' instructions give very precise instructions on balancin' t' glider. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! I managed t' mess these up in two ways! You are supposed t' measure from t' top o' t' body tube, arrr, nay t' top o' t' nose cone. Begad! Blimey! Also, me hearties, t' balancin' should occur with t' motor installed, nay empty. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I did both o' these wrong, yet t' two mistakes nearly canceled each other out. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! 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. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Blimey! With a little putty and paint touch up, it was good as new. Avast, me proud beauty! I trimmed t' glide before noticin' me balance error and did nay re-check t' glide after t' correction. Avast! We'll see if that was a mistake.

(While preppin' for t' first flight, matey, matey, shiver me timbers, 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. Arrr! T' elevon lock tabs are big enough t' create quite a lot o' pressure when t' motor is installed. Avast! I don't think such pressure is necessary and would suggest that you consider reducin' t' height o' t' lock tabs a bit. Blimey! Begad! I filled t' crack with a little epoxy.)

Finishing:
This is certainly no performance glider, so I went for a smooth look with lots o' filling, me bucko, sanding, matey, priming, and light paint coats despite t' added weight. Ya scallywag! Blimey! All fin edges were beveled. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! 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. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! So t' rocket sat in me basement for another five weeks. Arrr! I had t' repair a win' tip fin broken by shiftin' gear in t' car durin' t' previous trip t' the launch site. Ahoy! Both these events had unfortunate consequences durin' t' first launch in nearly calm conditions with a B4-4. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' cc:SpacePlane shot straight up far higher than I had ever expected: perhaps 800 feet. Blimey! (Semroc's website predicts 400ft with a B4-2, matey, but this can't be right.) Ejection be good, shiver me timbers, close t' apogee. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! T' glider then nosed downward and began a twistin' death plunge and lawn darted in t' prairie dust. Aye aye! Avast! Remarkably, matey, t' glider was completely undamaged despite t' core sample. Begad! Upon inspection, I found that t' elevons had failed t' be pulled into glide position by t' elastic. Well, blow me down! 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. This time, me bucko, t' B4-4 lifted t' cc:SpacePlane up in a tight corkscrew, not as high. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Ejection be again fine. Begad! T' flight was slightly better: a semi-ballistic corkscrew. Despite t' impact, the glider was again undamaged.

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 2 out o' 5