Brief:
As described by Semroc owner Carl McLawhorn; "a retro reproduction o' an out-of-production model rocket kit." Otherwise, me bucko, A.K.A. Ahoy! Centuri's Laser-X. In simpler terms; this is a single stage 18mm futuristic clone o' t' often coveted Centuri Laser-X kit that recovers on a single 12" plastic chute. Whew!

Construction:
Carl at Semroc has made a truly impressive product in clonin' this kit. Everythin' is top quality and individually packaged. Parts are as follows:

• 1 Upper Body Tube ST5120
• 1 Lower Body Tube ST1380
• 1 Motor Tube ST730E
• 1 Balsa Nose Cone BC524
• 1 Laser Cut Fin set FV33 (2 pieces)
• 2 Tube Couplers HTC13
• 2 Centerin' Rings CR713
• 2 Centerin' Rings CR513
• 1 Thrust Rin' TR7
• 1 Launch Lug LL122
• 1 Engine Hook EH28
• 1 Elastic Cord EC124
• 1 Keelhaul®©™® Thread SCK24
• 1 Plastic Parachute RC12
• 1 Tape Discs TD6
• 1 Shroud Lines SLT6
• 4 Wood Dowels WD230
• 1 Decal Sheet DKV33
• 1 Shroud IKV33S

I was in t' process o' clonin' this kit from scratch when Semroc released their version. Begad! Blimey! Thinking, matey, "why reinvent t' wheel?" I decided t' buy three o' these kits (1 t' build, matey, 1 for a friend, arrr, 1 t' store away). Blimey! At a price of $11.50, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, It seem t' deserve t' "Best Buy" award!

Everythin' in this kit portrays Semroc's attention t' detail and quality includin' t' best lookin' balsa nose cone I have seen in a while, laser cut fins, arrr, and individually packaged parts. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' instructions are a clear, quality reproduced version o' t' original instructions. Easy t' follow and work in a logical assemblin' order, somethin' I rarely do.

No special tools are needed, matey, matey, ya bilge rat, and supplies required are t' usual white glue and paint o' your choice. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Everythin' fits perfect!

T' only gotcha, shiver me timbers, and it's nay really that bad, be t' shroud forming. Blimey! This is probably t' most difficult task in t' kit. Arrr! Formin' a perfect conical shroud from a rather stiff card takes patience, and some luck. Arrr! If absent any of those characteristics, me hearties, then check one o' t' many rocket forums out thar for additional advice. Avast!

My method o' choice came from past experience with another kit that utilizes a paper shroud. Aye aye! Arrr! I preform t' shroud over a steamin' pot o' boiling water. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! This softens t' card and allows a more natural curlin' process. Avast, me proud beauty! Care should be taken t' minimize t' exposure t' t' steam so that t' card doesn't get damp. Aye aye! Finally, me hearties, all errors can be corrected with Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish and a bit o' sanding.

Finishing:
Finishin' can be as simple or as complex as you choose. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' only thin' I do different then t' instructions, arrr, is t' treat t' card shroud with thin CA. Ahoy! This stiffens t' shroud and makes it more resilient t' dents and creases. Begad! Other tricks and opinions are also available out there.

T' only area that required some forethought before paintin' is decal placement. Begad! I would classify this as a gotcha rather than a CON. T' decals are printed on a clear transparent water slide decal paper. Begad! Blimey! Therefore, me hearties, me hearties, if you paint an area black and then place a black outlined decal with clear center on that area it will be lost in t' background. Arrr! Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! My paintin' schemes seemed t' be limited by this factor and was t' controllin' factor in t' paint scheme I chose. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! At one point I considered printin' me own decals on some white background decal slide paper. More classic paint scheme options could then be used.

Regardless, I still will give it a 5 rating.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Recommended motors are t' A8-3, ya bilge rat, B6-4, me bucko, and C6-5. I have yet t' fly mine, matey, me bucko, but I would hesitate t' fly it o' a C6-5 for fear o' losin' it t' t' Rocket Gods.

Preparation be t' standard wadding. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! Motor retention is a standard motor clip.

I flew this rocket on 24 January 2004 in strong gust winds, sub-zero temperatures on an Estes B6-4. Avast, me proud beauty! I chose this motor because o' me experience with my Mars Snooper which I decided t' Laser-X's flight profile would closely represent. Avast, me proud beauty! I felt that an A8-3 flight would be under powered in these strong gusty winds.

T' flight was true and perfect t' an altitude o' about 200 feet. T' chute opened at apogee, and one o' t' 'chutes shroud lines promptly snagged one of the four win' tip dowels. Avast, me proud beauty! Even in this condition t' 'chute remained fully inflated, arrr, and t' rocket's lower body returned t' t' surface in a horizontal recovery state. Begad! At first I thought this was good because it would spread out the impact force.

Imagine me surprise t' discover t' rocket suffered a broken main fin at mid-span. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Decidin' t' investigate t' failed recovery further I decided to weigh t' rocket and check it's recovery weight against it's chute size usin' a descent calculator available on-line. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' end result was at t' rockets recovery weight o' 2.9 ounces t' descent rate be 16.12 feet/second, me bucko, a very acceptable rate. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Therefore t' damaged had t' be written off t' t' rock hard frozen ground, shiver me timbers, and gust winds that resulted in a fast ground speed at touchdown. Arrr! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' fin is easily repairable, arrr, and it will fly again soon.

Recovery:
Semroc has done a great job in this area by upgradin' t' shock cord t' a much improved Keelhaul®©™® & elastic combo that attaches t' t' motor mount and should be more durable.

My only area o' concern in t' area o' flight damage be t' toothpick-like dowels. Ahoy! They snag on everythin' and are assured a future as break off items.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I am left with such strong positive opinion about Semroc's effort in producing this kit that I feel a disclaimer might be in order. "I have no association with Semroc or it's principals, ya bilge rat, in fact I have never met Carl McLawhorn." There, matey, now that's out o' t' way, me bucko, I can't stop sayin' how great a job Semroc has done on this kit.

Finally for you collectors out there, matey, each kit is individually assigned a production number. Aye aye! Blimey! What a great marketin' idea.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5