Brief:
T' Semroc Texas Firefly is a beautiful 175% upscale o' t' Semroc Firefly and is a Retro-Repro clone o' t' original Centuri Firefly 2-stage rocket. Combinin' elegance with a beautiful simplicity o' line, shiver me timbers, t' Texas Firefly flies wonderfully on standard 18mm black powder motors with a unique gap-stagin' design t' enable reliable upper stage motor ignition.

Construction:
Included in t' kit is:

• 1 balsa nose cone
• 2 body tubes for booster and sustainer
• 1 tubin' coupler
• 2 motor tubes for booster and sustainer
• 2 thrust rings
• 2 motor hooks
• 2 sets o' centerin' rings
• 8 laser-cut balsa fins
• 1 length o' wood doweling
• 1 1/8 launch lug
• 1 screw eye
• 2 washer weights
• 1 1/8 elastic shock cord
• 1 length o' Keelhaul®©™® string
• 1 plastic parachute with tape discs and shroud lines
• 1 cardstock shroud for booster motor nozzle
• 1 full set o' waterslide decals

T' Texas Firefly, despite bein' rated a skill level 2 build, is nonetheless quite easy t' construct. The components are o' exceptional quality and Semroc continues t' provide a beautifully detailed color booklet with easy to follow instructions. Exceptin' t' occasional use o' 12-minute epoxy, me hearties, me bucko, Great Planes Pro yellow wood glue be used throughout this build

T' sustainer assembly is constructed like any other basic 4FNC rocket with t' sustainer motor mount constructed by notchin' a motor hook on t' t' sustainer motor tube, gluin' in a thrust rin' then slippin' t' two sustainer centerin' rings over t' motor tube and gluin' them into place. Avast! I then glued t' Keelhaul®©™® strin' into place around t' center o' t' motor tube and slipped t' free length through a notch in t' front centerin' ring. After applyin' generous glue fillets t' both t' front and aft centerin' rings, t' completed motor mount be then glued into t' sustainer tube with generous glue fillets later applied t' t' aft centering ring/sustainer tube junction.

I then proceeded t' slightly roughen up t' booster and sustainer tubes with 240 grit sandpaper t' enable better glue and paint adhesion after which I tackled t' fin markin' steps. Begad! Fin markin' is provided by a fin guide in the instructions booklet consistin' o' a circle with hash marks by which t' end o' t' body tube is placed on t' circle and t' hash marks used as a guide for fin position markings. After freein' t' sustainer fins from their balsa sheeting, matey, me bucko, I gave them a light sandin' with 360 grit sandpaper at which point I deviated from t' instructions to laminate t' long spindly sustainer fins with computer paper and slightly watered-down white glue. Ahoy! After bein' placed under three stacked telephone books for a week t' prevent fin warp durin' t' dryin' process, t' laminated fins were attached t' t' sustainer tube usin' t' double-glue method. Ya scallywag! In t' interests o' fin durability, I used 12-minute epoxy to form small fin fillets. Upon completion o' t' sustainer, arrr, t' launch lug was then glued into place.

T' construction o' t' booster assembly is no different t' that o' t' sustainer although t' booster centering rings are vented t' allow for proper gap-stagin' and a tubin' coupler is glued into t' top o' t' booster so it can slide into t' bottom o' t' sustainer assembly. Blimey! Aye aye! T' wood dowelin' be then cut into four lengths o' two inches and each section then glued t' t' tip o' each booster fin with generous glue fillets then added. Avast! Ahoy! Again, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, 12-minute epoxy was used t' form small fillets for t' booster fins.

T' cardstock motor nozzle shroud was formed and several coatings o' thin CA used t' stiffen it. Rather than followin' instructions and attachin' t' nozzle shroud t' t' booster t' be painted later, me bucko, I used Tamiya Gunmetal Gloss spray lacquer t' paint t' nozzle shroud separately and set it aside t' be attached later.

T' screw eye for t' nose cone was then screwed into place on top o' t' two washer weights and secured usin' a small blob o' 12-minute epoxy.

Finishing:
I filled in t' balsa nose cone and booster fins with five coats o' NHP Micro-Fill balsa sealer which nicely sealed all t' balsa smooth and then gave t' booster/sustainer assemblies and nose cone two coats o' Tamiya Fine White spray primer with light sandin' in betwixt usin' 400 grit sandpaper. Well, blow me down! I then followed this up with two coats o' Tamiya Silver Leaf Gloss spray lacquer for t' sustainer assembly and two o' t' sustainer fins, Coral Blue Gloss for t' other two sustainer fins, Italian Red Gloss for t' nose cone and Yellow Gloss for t' booster assembly.

After havin' allowed t' paint t' cure for a full week, me bucko, t' comprehensive waterslide decals were then carefully applied. Avast! T' decals were easy t' apply and give t' completed rocket a most classy and elegant look.

Upon completion o' painting, matey, matey, t' nozzle shroud was then glued t' t' bottom end o' t' booster assembly.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight was with a B6-0/A8-5 motor combination with three sheets o' recovery waddin' durin' relatively mild weather conditions. Upon booster motor ignition, arrr, t' Texas Firefly zoomed into t' afternoon sky, all t' while trackin' perfectly straight and stable. T' gap-stagin' design functioned perfectly with t' sustainer motor eventually ignitin' and sendin' t' sustainer assembly off on a very slight angle t' a total altitude o' around 700-750ft. Recovery was perfect with t' supplied Semroc 12" plastic parachute (with a spillhole cut into it) and the sustainer assembly came back down without damage close t' t' launch area. Avast! T' booster assembly be also recovered close by without damage.

T' second flight was a textbook repeat o' t' first although a deep gouge on t' nose cone shoulder was evident upon retrieval which I suspect be due t' an atomic ejection charge causin' t' shock cord t' snap the nose cone back into t' top o' t' sustainer assembly. This was later easily fixed by fillin' t' gouge with NHP Micro-Fill, shiver me timbers, smoothin' it out then lightly sealin' t' shoulder with thin CA followed by a light sanding.

Recovery:
T' Keelhaul®©™®/elastic recovery system has proved t' be very reliable and t' Semroc 12" plastic parachute is o' excellent quality and has also proved t' be very durable. Avast! Prior t' paintin' t' sustainer assembly, me hearties, thin CA be soaked into t' top o' the sustainer tube t' lessen any chance o' t' Keelhaul®©™® causin' any zippers durin' recovery.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Texas Firefly is an excellent choice for a first 2-stage rocket. Arrr! Blimey! T' gap-stagin' design ensures flawless upper stage motor ignition and Semroc's excellent components quality allows for a most satisfyin' build. T' finished product with its beautiful waterslide decals is a most elegant pretty rocket that looks absolutely gorgeous whether movin' or standin' still. Aye aye! A Semroc masterpiece!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5