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

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

T' instructions give very precise instructions on balancin' t' glider. Ya scallywag! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Also, t' balancin' should occur with t' motor installed, matey, nay empty. Ya scallywag! Begad! I did both o' these wrong, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, yet t' two mistakes nearly canceled each other out. Begad! After paintin' and photos were all done, me bucko, me hearties, I realized me error and drilled a small hole in t' nose cone t' add a bit o' extra weight t' correct matters. Begad! Ahoy! With a little putty and paint touch up, me bucko, it be good as new. Ahoy! I trimmed t' glide before noticin' me balance error and did nay re-check t' glide after t' correction. Begad! Blimey! We'll see if that be a mistake.

(While preppin' for t' first flight, shiver me timbers, matey, 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. Avast! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' elevon lock tabs are big enough t' create quite a lot o' pressure when t' motor is installed. Well, blow me down! I don't think such pressure is necessary and would suggest that you consider reducin' t' height o' t' lock tabs a bit. Ya scallywag! 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, me bucko, priming, ya bilge rat, and light paint coats despite t' added weight. Blimey! Blimey! 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 be canceled due t' 20+mph winds. Blimey! So t' rocket sat in me basement for another five weeks. I had t' repair a win' tip fin broken by shiftin' gear in t' car durin' t' previous trip t' the launch site. Avast! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Both these events had unfortunate consequences durin' t' first launch in nearly calm conditions with a B4-4. Arrr!

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

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 2 out o' 5