Brief:
Not too long ago, I won several kits from West Coast Rocketry on eBay. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Nay long after, I built me Screamer II, matey, affectionately known as John Deer. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Since me John Deere yellow and green paint cans have about one rocket left in them and I need t' shelf space, ya bilge rat, I decided t' build t' Screamer which will be called t' Jane Doe and painted with t' contrastin' paint scheme o' t' other one.

T' Screamer is a basic 4FNC with a 29mm motor mount and a payload bay. Aye aye! T' instructions are even more minimalist than those for t' Screamer II and are printed in such fine print that readin' them does nay seem t' be worth t' effort.

Construction:
Construction began by markin' t' motor tube at 1/8" from one end and 3/4" from t' other. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' two centerin' rings were then epoxied in place. Begad! Blimey! Both needed quite a bit o' sandin' t' fit around t' tube.

As I waited for t' epoxy on t' motor mount t' set up, I turned me attention t' t' nosecone. Well, blow me down! It had a 3/4" diameter hole drilled t' a depth o' about 2". Into that hole, I was instructed t' mount a lead fishin' weight that came with t' kit. Blimey! Begad! I mixed some more epoxy, me hearties, poured some in t' hole, set t' weight and then poured t' remainder over t' top.

T' fin lines were marked on t' BT with a butt template. Aye aye! Begad! They were then extended with an angle and 5" slots were cut out with a X-Acto knife.

With t' fin slots cut, I test fitted t' motor mount t' find that it be goin' t' need substantial sandin' t' fit either rin' into t' BT. Avast! T' sandin' was done and t' mount was epoxied into place with t' motor tube bein' flush with t' aft end o' t' rocket. Epoxy was then used t' fill space betwixt t' centerin' rin' and t' end o' t' BT.

After a long hiatus, matey, me bucko, I managed t' put a little more work in on t' Screamer. Usin' 5 minute epoxy, me bucko, matey, I glued one pair o' fins in place. Ahoy! Begad! I filleted them with more epoxy usin' a gloved finger dipped into alcohol t' smooth t' fillets. Arrr! These were allowed t' set up overnight.

T' payload bay is joined t' t' lower part o' t' rocket with a tube coupler. Arrr! Blimey! T' kit comes with a plywood bulkhead t' go on one end o' t' coupler and that is probably me biggest gripe about t' kit. T' bulkhead is a surface mount. Ahoy! Blimey! I would much rather have had one that fits in t' coupler. Be that as it may, I epoxied t' bulkhead in place and tried t' ensure that it be even with t' edges.

With t' epoxy on t' bulkhead coupler dry, I used some sandpaper t' trim down t' edges where they protruded past t' coupler. Avast! When it fit easily into t' body tube, me bucko, I called it finished. I then took t' screw eye and screwed it into t' pre-drilled hole in t' coupler. It seemed like a strong connection but I doused t' pointed end with some glue t' make sure.

T' coupler tube be marked at its halfway point and then a rin' o' glue be slathered into t' base o' t' payload section. Arrr! Blimey! T' coupler be then inserted t' t' mark and set aside t' dry.

Finishing:
T' balsa NC and plywood fins were sealed with Elmer's Wood Filler. Arrr! It be sanded down smooth, dusted off, and t' Screamer be put in t' spray booth. Blimey! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! There it be primed with Kilz.

After t' priming, ya bilge rat, t' rocket sat for a couple o' months before I could give it any more attention. I then sanded down t' primer and began paintin' with John Deere Yellow. Ahoy! Arrr! My target was t' BT. Avast! T' fins and NC would be covered up later.

For t' John Deere green, I decided t' do t' nose cone, me bucko, a rin' just below t' nose cone, t' fins and a narrow strip around t' fins. T' rocket be masked accordingly and sprayed. Ya scallywag! When t' maskin' came off, arrr, I decided that I rather liked t' result.

While assemblin' t' rocket after painting, ya bilge rat, I realized that I had overlooked t' recovery system. Avast! I would have like t' have attached directly t' t' motor mount but that was a moot point now. Avast, me proud beauty! I fashioned a LOC style mount with a loop o' heavy nylon cord and some maskin' tape. Ya scallywag! It be taped down below t' level o' t' NC shoulder and epoxy was slathered on t' keep it in place. Arrr! Ahoy! I then tied some heavy Keelhaul®©™® t' t' loop and attached a length o' 3/8" sewin' elastic.

One thin' I did save intentionally for after paintin' was t' installation o' a linear rail lug. I put it is place and started t' hole for t' upper screw only t' realize that I had placed it too high. Aye aye! Blimey! It interfered with t' payload bay coupler. Aye aye! Blimey! I moved it down about an inch and found t' same problem! Blimey! I finally got it placed right and tapped t' holes. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' lug be then epoxied on and t' screws inserted. Avast! Blimey! T' backs o' t' screws took up t' remainin' epoxy and t' Jane Doe was ready t' go.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
T' first flight o' this rocket took place long after construction had been completed. Begad! Aye aye! It was set up with an F25-4 and t' Copperhead igniter that came with it. T' Copperhead failed t' ignite t' motor and be replaced with a First Fire. Aye aye! That did t' trick and t' rocket took off with as nice a flight profile as I have ever seen. Blimey! A video o' t' flight can be seen here.

Ejection and deployment were all textbook. Well, blow me down! I expected t' fly t' rocket again but be mystified t' see that it had suffered some bucklin' in t' airframe. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I can fix it but wonder what caused it since t' thrust was nay all that heavy.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This be a very basic kit with a minimal approach t' instructions, matey, small print and illustrations that added little. Ahoy! Arrr! That said, it went together fine and flew very well.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5