Brief:
Another rocket that has been in me clonin' cross hairs for a long time, the Centuri Vector V always struck me as somethin' o' a complicated project despite it's relatively small size. (Paper transitions have always given me fits.) This changed when a fellow poster in t' OldRockets Yahoo Group mentioned that he had drawn up a plan t' turn t' currently available Estes Vikin' t' a Centuri Vector V. Begad! Nay long after readin' t' post I found a Vikin' at one o' Hobby Lobby's famous 1/2 off sales and decided t' sacrifice it (or so I thought,) in order t' add a real classic t' me fleet. Ahoy!

Construction:
Parts list:

• Nose cone from Estes Vikin' kit
• 10" BT-20
• 2.25" length o' BT-55
• 18mm engine block
• 18mm engine hook
• CR-2055 centerin' rings
• 1/16" basswood fin stock
• 36" Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• Semroc 12" parachute kit
• File card for transition

As it turns out, t' only part I used from t' Vikin' kit was t' nose cone. Blimey! Everything else came from me ever expandin' parts stash. Begad! I decided t' go with a single length o' BT-20 with an engine block instead o' joinin' two pieces together, but I can see t' advantage t' that method also. T' most difficult part o' the project I found be constructin' t' transition. Aye aye! Once I had cut it out from the file card, I curled it under a steel ruler and began tryin' t' make it fit the BT-20 and BT-55 tubes as seamlessly as possible. One mistake I made in the construction was nay leavin' anythin' for t' bottom o' t' transition t' slip over when matin' it t' t' BT-55. Blimey! I used an old set o' cardstock centering rings that had come with t' Designer's Special (that I purchased in 2001 before I knew better). If I were t' do it over again (and at this point it looks like I'll have to), shiver me timbers, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I'd use t' cardstock in conjunction with a CR-5055 to be glued in at t' top o' t' BT-55, just peekin' above t' edge o' the tube. This would have given t' transition somethin' t' be glued t' and made the whole area a little more stable. Begad! As it was, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I counted on a thick layer of glue around t' underside o' t' transition and on top o' t' BT-55 bulkhead. This seemed t' work well enough but it would have been easier t' other way.

After attaching the transition and allowin' for dryin' time for t' thick wad o' glue, I coated the whole transition with several coats o' thin CA t' stiffen it up for the fillin' and finishin' t' come. Begad! Blimey! This worked nicely as t' rather thin transition stood up t' t' punishment that followed. Blimey! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! And while what resulted was nay quite up t' Samsian standards, me hearties, it easily passed muster with me. Begad! Blimey! In retrospect, me bucko, the file card material was probably nay stout enough for t' project at hand. Version two will undoubtedly be built usin' thicker stock in t' area o' the transition.

I was pleased with one construction change I made, which was t' switch from t' cardstock fins o' t' Vikin' t' 1/16" basswood. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I've had difficulties with cardstock in t' past and avoid it whenever possible despite its ease o' finishing. Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I've seen several reviews o' Centuri clones that advocate t' use o' CA-soaked cardstock, me bucko, but I've long been impressed with how well basswood cleans up with minimal effort. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It also allowed me t' better shape the leadin' and trailin' edges o' t' fins and t' fins stood up well t' the landings (two o' them anyway) as well as t' rigors o' storage and transportation. Aye aye! Blimey! Aside from t' switch t' basswood, shiver me timbers, t' switch t' t' single length o' BT-20 body tube and addin' a 36" length o' Keelhaul®©™®, which was tied t' and glued in with t' engine block, construction held no more surprises than that o' a Wizard or t' Vikin' from whence it came.

Finishing:
Finishin' turned out t' be easier than I had thought it might be, but it could have been easier still had I paid more than glancin' attention t' the instructions. I began t' finishin' process immediately after matin' t' BT-55 to t' BT-20 and securin' t' transition betwixt t' two. Begad! Ya scallywag! After coatin' the transition with several coats o' thin CA t' stiffen it up, I sprayed t' whole structure with a coat o' white Valspar primer, which helps t' further toughen things up for t' sandin' t' come. Begad! T' now recognizable rocket was then coated with thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish, sanded, arrr, recoated, and resanded. Begad! This was sufficient for t' body tubes themselves, but t' transition section needed extra special attention and be given several more coats and sandings until the once obvious seams all but disappeared and left t' structure lookin' almost seamless. Ya scallywag! T' fins can be attached in any one o' four different ways, shiver me timbers, matey, but I had long since decided on t' orientation that makes them look upside down compared to t' catalog bird. Once t' fins were dry they were sanded, given a light coat o' Fill 'n' Finish, shiver me timbers, arrr, and sanded again. Well, blow me down! This be where readin' and following the instructions would have made things easier. Begad! T' instructions suggest gluing the lower body tube section on after construction on t' BT-20 section and the transition are together. Begad! This would have been t' perfect opportunity t' paint the bottom section, which is t' be painted a bright blue accordin' t' the instructions. Blimey! I missed out on that opportunity and instead had t' suffer through t' maskin' process, shiver me timbers, which was made all that much more difficult by the fact that t' fins were in t' way o' a clean mask. Blimey! Nevertheless, I pressed onward, me bucko, and somehow managed t' obtain a decent mask with very little effort and a boatload o' dumb luck. Well, blow me down! T' bottom section was sprayed with a bright blue metallic paint that was left over from me car buildin' days and whose label has long since disappeared. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! T' middle section, me hearties, includin' t' transition, was painted a silver metallic, arrr, me hearties, and t' nose cone was painted with Testor's Metal Flake Burgundy. Avast! I printed t' all black decals on me home printer usin' Bel Decal paper and they came out lookin' great. Begad! One odd feature o' t' Vector V is that only a few o' t' decals have a set place t' be applied on t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! The bulk o' them are apparently thar t' add as you choose, as few or as many suits you. Blimey! Begad! I chose t' go with t' "fewer" route, arrr, arrr, which left t' rocket with a cleaner, uncluttered look but feel free t' crank on as many as you deem necessary. Ya scallywag! Once t' decals had been given a chance t' dry, t' entire model was sprayed with a light coat o' clear t' protect t' decals. Well, me hearties, blow me down! From here it was on to t' pad.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Since three flights is considered "nominal" when writin' a review, I chose t' follow t' A, B, C path t' get an idea o' how t' rocket responded under differin' levels o' power. Avast! T' first flight at a small field flight on an A8-3, was beautiful with only a painfully long drift durin' recovery t' add drama. Blimey! T' unreefed 12" Semroc parachute functioned perfectly, me bucko, maybe too much so as t' Vector V drifted back across t' field toward a small copse of trees just over t' hill from t' ball field we launched from. Begad! It landed just a few feet from t' trees but in t' end never really came close t' t' drama that I feared. Begad! Since t' A flight was fairly close t' outflyin' our field, I decided t' wait until t' followin' week t' allow t' rocket t' chance to stretch out on a B and C.

T' second flight was on a B6-4 as planned and really got me fired up for the C6-5 flight t' come. Aye aye! I had taken t' precaution o' cuttin' t' center of the chute out t' cut down on t' drift I had experienced t' previous week, ya bilge rat, and as a result, me hearties, t' flight was picture perfect in all respects. After arcin' into the breeze slightly, ejection came just at apogee and t' rocket recovered within 100 yards o' t' pads. Ahoy!

At this point I was really lookin' forward t' flight #3 on a C6-7, shiver me timbers, matey, me hearties, but I waited until just before t' planned end t' t' launch before takin' it t' t' pad again. I chose this flight t' try t' capture a launch picture so I had one o' me former Quark members take care o' t' countdown and launch while I manned t' camera. I couldn't see much through t' camera viewfinder but immediately looked up to see if I could catch up t' t' rocket after t' picture took. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! As it turns out, I'd have had a better chance o' seein' a part o' t' flight if I had just kept lookin' toward t' pad. T' Vector V had taken a 90 degree turn as it left the pad and continued on a westerly flight path that took it out over an unmowed section o' t' VOA. Avast! Blimey! Much laughter ensued, me hearties, however none o' it mine. Arrr! Blimey! I walked along a line that I had been pointed toward, hackin' me way deep into the underbrush but found exactly what I expected. Maybe things might have turned out differently if I had seen t' flight path, but I seriously doubt it. Arrr! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
While I wasn't as excited by t' finished product as I anticipated being, me bucko, arrr, I'd still consider t' Vector V t' be a worthwhile project based on t' uniqueness of t' design alone. It flew nicely if unspectacularly on 2/3 o' it's flights, but t' paint scheme left a little t' be desired in me opinion. Maybe it was just t' combination o' paints that I chose but nothin' about them suggested anythin' remotely alien. Ahoy! Begad! I'd also prefer a little more guidance on the placement o' t' decals. T' way they did it was fine for someone with a shred of imagination, but guys like me need a little more help.

PROs: Unique stylin' and t' overall mystique o' a seldom seen Centuri classic. Upscale potential?

CONs: Suggested paint scheme suggests that t' Vectorians were a bland race. Well, blow me down! Guess your best decal placement. Uh, C6-7 flights?

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5