Brief:
T' Estes Scamp hearkens back t' t' days when an introductory kit from Estes meant a plain cardboard body tube, balsa fins and cones, and waterslide decals instead o' pre-colored tubes, arrr, matey, plastic fins and cones, ya bilge rat, and stickers. Well, blow me down! I always thought o' t' Scamp as t' little brother t' t' brawnier Goblin, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and because o' this, me hearties, it was an early favorite o' mine. (I've also long had a soft spot for rockets with t' simple yellow and black paint scheme.)

Construction:
First you need t' plans. Then you need t' followin' parts:

• BT-50W main body tube
• BT-20J engine tube
• BNC-50X nose cone
• 18mm engine hook
• Engine block
• 2 AR-2050 adapter rings
• 3/32" basswood fin stock
• 24" Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
• 24" x 1/16" sewin' elastic shock cord
• Launch lug
• 18" streamer
• Decal

With t' exception o' t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, this project was built straight out o' me spare parts box. Avast! Avast! T' nose cone be supposed t' be a PNC-50X, matey, matey, a cone that was also used by a variety o' other Estes kits, none o' which happen t' be currently in production. Avast! Nay bein' t' overly picky type o' cloner, I decided t' go with a BNC-50X, shiver me timbers, a BMS cone that I just happened t' have on hand. Avast, me proud beauty! I cut t' fins from 3/32" basswood for added strength (which be a good thin' as it turned out), cut t' body tube t' t' correct length, shiver me timbers, then lost interest in t' project when me original decal experiments failed t' turn up somethin' presentable. Blimey! Arrr! T' fins and tubes languished in a box for a year before I discovered t' secret t' cleanin' up decal scans: find someone who knows how t' do it for you. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! (That said, arrr, thanks Steven.) With a great lookin' set o' decals handy, me hearties, I found myself with renewed interest in t' project over t' winter and from thar I had it finished within a week's time. Arrr! Construction could barely be simpler. T' Scamp is a 3FNC rocket from t' days when that didn't necessarily mean boring. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' only place where I deviated from t' instructions was in t' area o' t' shock cord. Keelhaul®©™® is too easy t' come by and it's use makes too much sense t' consider goin' back t' t' old Estes paper mount, me hearties, matey, ya bilge rat, so I went with t' tried and true method o' attachment betwixt t' motor tube and t' forward centerin' ring. Aye aye! Avast! Elmer's Wood Glue be used in all phases o' t' project.

Finishing:
After t' Scamp was put together and ready for finishing, matey, I sprayed t' rocket with a coat o' primer t' allow it t' withstand t' sandin' t' come, me bucko, arrr, hopefully without fraying. Blimey! Blimey! Usin' basswood made finishin' a much simpler proposition because it's tighter grain made for less sealin' and sandin' with thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I managed t' get by with only one coat o' Fill 'n' Finish, shiver me timbers, which is never a bad thin' because it lessens t' amount o' sandin' you have t' do. I then re-primered and lightly sanded before attachin' t' launch lug with gel CA. Blimey! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' rocket was painted with Valspar Bumblebee Gloss, then completely masked except for one fin and t' nose cone, which were painted with Valspar gloss black. Decals were made usin' Bel Decal paper and me inkjet printer, then sprayed with several light coats o' Valspar clear. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Although somewhat cartoonish and done only in black, t' decals really add personality t' this rocket. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Application o' t' decals be followed by another coat o' Valspar clear over t' whole rocket. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Although fairly simplistic, me hearties, t' Scamp turns out lookin' great with t' paint and t' decals applied. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! There's definitely somethin' t' be said for simplicity.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
2004 wasn't t' greatest year for me from a flight standpoint. Begad! Despite recordin' fewer flights than t' previous year, matey, I lost a lot more rockets. Arrr! T' Scamp would unfortunately be one o' t' earliest losses o' t' season, disappearin' on it's second flight. Blimey! T' first flight came at a freakishly warm Leap Day launch. Avast, me proud beauty! I was quite proud o' how t' Scamp looked and wanted t' get some pictures for t' review I had planned, me bucko, so I called some friends and headed out for a local soccer/baseball field. Ya scallywag! Arrr! We were made t' leave before I had a chance t' launch t' Scamp, so we made a mad dash t' another field, racin' t' settin' sun t' whole way. As I hurried t' get t' two rockets that I still wanted t' fly ready, I apparently made a mistake in packin' t' Scamp's streamer. Avast, me proud beauty! T' first flight, on a A8-3 started off lookin' like a textbook low level flight, arrr, but at ejection things went smartly bad. Begad! Begad! T' begin with, t' ejection charge caused t' streamer t' completely disengage from t' rocket. Ahoy! Blimey! It floated out across US-27 and eventually lodged high up in a tree. Well, blow me down! Under normal circumstances, this would have only been a minor irritation since t' Scamp is a fairly light rocket, easily capable o' a soft landin' on a soccer field employin' nose blow recovery. This wasn't normal. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! T' same breeze that blew t' streamer into t' tree across t' road blew t' Scamp toward t' gravel parkin' lot. Rick and I made a mad dash t' try t' catch t' rocket before it hit t' gravel, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, but years o' manly pursuits like baseball, football, me bucko, ya bilge rat, basketball, ya bilge rat, and roller disco had taken their toll on our knees and we were a step slow in our recovery effort. T' Scamp landed hard in t' gravel lot, shiver me timbers, directly on t' black fin, me hearties, t' edge o' which was all but turned t' powder by t' impact. Clearly t' Leap Day deities were nay thrilled about me desecratin' their day by launchin' rockets, arrr, arrr, even if it was for a good cause.

T' next flight came almost a month later on a similarly warm day. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Since I was flyin' on t' big VOA field, ya bilge rat, me bucko, I decided that it would be a good idea t' stretch t' Scamp out with a C6-5 flight, arrr, much t' same as I had done previously with me cloned Sprint. T' flight be great, arrr, arcin' slightly into t' clear sky because o' t' light winds. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' entire flight line watched t' flight, arrr, matey, saw t' trackin' smoke, and heard t' ejection charge. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! After that though, ya bilge rat, nothing. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Nay even a speck in t' sky that smartly disappeared, arrr, shiver me timbers, it just ceased t' be.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Except for me unfortunate penchant for launch fever and overpowerin' t' field that I most often fly on, me bucko, t' Scamp be a thoroughly enjoyable project. Avast, me proud beauty! Minimal work produces a great lookin' little rocket that is a credible performer t' boot. Arrr! Arrr! Except for t' episodes o' cranial flatulence on t' part o' t' owner, it still would be t' this day. Aye aye! Arrr! Mark t' whole project as a PRO for me. Avast, me proud beauty! Mark me personal decision makin' mechanism a definite CON.

And before anyone comments, I was kiddin' about t' roller disco. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Never had t' coordination personally.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5