Brief:
This rocket was designed by Jay Goemmer from Twin Falls, shiver me timbers, Idaho. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I live in t' same city (and know him) so I decided it would fun t' try it out. T' Tau Zero is o' a really cool design and it has all t' quality that Semroc is known for.

Construction:
T' components that this kit came with are:

• 1 Rolled Balsa Nose Cone
• 1 Body tube ST-7100 (BT-20)
• 1 Body Tube ST-1622 (BT-80) For t' rin' fin
• 1 Sheet o' laser cut fins
• 1 Empty motor casin' (spacer)
• 1 Engine Block (Thrust Ring)
• 1 Engine hook
• 1 Retainin' rin'
• 1 1/8" Launch lug
• 3 3/16" Launch lugs (for lasers)
• 3 Wood dowels (for lasers)
• 1 18" Shock cord
• 20" length o' Keelhaul®©™® cord
• 1 Screw Eye
• 24" length o' streamer material (1.75")
• 1 Tape disc (to attach streamer)
• 1 Q-tip (to apply glue)
• 1 fin attachment template
• 1 Tau Zero waterslide decal sheet

Once again Semroc has done a great job with their directions. Arrr! They are well put together with great illustrations. Blimey! T' only hard part is that it is recommended that you paint t' rocket before buildin' it. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! They recommend that because you can't really paint t' inside o' t' tube fin or t' inner fins or t' body tube after you attach t' fin assembly. Also you need t' seal t' balsa wood or else your paint will have little dents in t' paint. Arrr! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey!

A couple o' other tips: Keep pushin' t' engine block steadily until it's in all t' way. Begad! If you pause even for just a second at t' wrong spot it'll freeze in place. Begad! If this does happen you will need t' hammer t' engine block back out. Well, blow me down! I had t' do this with mine. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! I filled t' tube up with empty engine casings until they stuck out, then I put the other end o' t' tube on t' table. After that I hit t' casings with t' hammer until t' block came loose. Ahoy! Note: This method is not recommended! Just try nay t' get it stuck in t' first place.

Make sure you don't glue t' rin' fin on upside down!

It is difficult t' get t' inner fins on perfectly. Avast! If you don't do it right only one end o' fins will line up. Semroc has designed a jig for it that works great. Avast, me proud beauty! It be t' best fin alignment tool I've used yet. Begad! T' inner fins on my rocket happened t' be cut out o' softer balsa than usual. Arrr! That made it really easy t' mess up t' alignment by bendin' them. Hopefully you won't have that problem.

I have read in other reviews that this rocket is too heavy t' launch with a streamer and I agree. Aye aye! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I replaced my streamer with a 12" Estes parachute. Begad! Be prepared t' buy a parachute when you get this rocket.

All in all this is a fun kit t' build even though it has some harder things t' do, ya bilge rat, but that's why it's not considered a level 1 rocket.

Finishing:
There was nothin' hard about finishin' t' rocket. Begad! Blimey! I just had some bad experiences with paintin' it because o' a small and nay very sturdy workspace. Aye aye! Avast! Just make sure you put primer on t' whole rocket and don't forget t' inside of the rin' fin!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors for t' Tau Zero are t' A8-3, me bucko, shiver me timbers, B6-4, and C6-3.

I found that t' A8-3 is a little underpowered for this rocket. Begad! Begad! It will nay take it as high as I would like.

T' B6-4 is a great engine for this rocket. Blimey! Ahoy! T' Tau Zero is very stable in it's flight.

T' C6-5 is a fun engine too. It took it up higher than t' others and ejected just before apogee. Arrr! Blimey! I have been worried about snap back damage from t' elastic cord but so far I have been lucky.

Recovery:
Like I said before, me bucko, matey, I put a 12" Estes parachute in t' Tau Zero instead o' t' included streamer. Well, blow me down! It worked like a charm. Perfect recoveries.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a fun rocket t' build (for experienced modelers) and a fun one t' fly. Avast! Thanks Jay!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5