Brief:
T' Estes Scamp hearkens back t' t' days when an introductory kit from Estes meant a plain cardboard body tube, ya bilge rat, balsa fins and cones, arrr, and waterslide decals instead o' pre-colored tubes, me bucko, plastic fins and cones, and stickers. I always thought o' t' Scamp as t' little brother t' t' brawnier Goblin, matey, and because o' this, arrr, shiver me timbers, it was an early favorite o' mine. Arrr! (I've also long had a soft spot for rockets with t' simple yellow and black paint scheme.)

Construction:
First you need t' plans. Then you need t' followin' parts:

• BT-50W main body tube
• BT-20J engine tube
• BNC-50X nose cone
• 18mm engine hook
• Engine block
• 2 AR-2050 adapter rings
• 3/32" basswood fin stock
• 24" Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
• 24" x 1/16" sewin' elastic shock cord
• Launch lug
• 18" streamer
• Decal

With t' exception o' t' nose cone, this project was built straight out o' me spare parts box. Ya scallywag! T' nose cone was supposed t' be a PNC-50X, a cone that be also used by a variety o' other Estes kits, me hearties, none o' which happen t' be currently in production. Ahoy! Ahoy! Nay bein' t' overly picky type o' cloner, shiver me timbers, I decided t' go with a BNC-50X, a BMS cone that I just happened t' have on hand. Blimey! I cut t' fins from 3/32" basswood for added strength (which was a good thin' as it turned out), ya bilge rat, cut t' body tube t' t' correct length, then lost interest in t' project when me original decal experiments failed t' turn up somethin' presentable. Begad! T' fins and tubes languished in a box for a year before I discovered t' secret t' cleanin' up decal scans: find someone who knows how t' do it for you. Aye aye! (That said, shiver me timbers, thanks Steven.) With a great lookin' set o' decals handy, matey, I found myself with renewed interest in t' project over t' winter and from thar I had it finished within a week's time. Well, blow me down! Construction could barely be simpler. Avast! T' Scamp is a 3FNC rocket from t' days when that didn't necessarily mean boring. Well, blow me down! T' only place where I deviated from t' instructions was in t' area o' t' shock cord. Ahoy! Keelhaul®©™® is too easy t' come by and it's use makes too much sense t' consider goin' back t' t' old Estes paper mount, so I went with t' tried and true method o' attachment betwixt t' motor tube and t' forward centerin' ring. Blimey! Elmer's Wood Glue was used in all phases o' t' project.

Finishing:
After t' Scamp be put together and ready for finishing, arrr, I sprayed t' rocket with a coat o' primer t' allow it t' withstand t' sandin' t' come, hopefully without fraying. Ahoy! Usin' basswood made finishin' a much simpler proposition because it's tighter grain made for less sealin' and sandin' with thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish. Begad! Ahoy! I managed t' get by with only one coat o' Fill 'n' Finish, which is never a bad thin' because it lessens t' amount o' sandin' you have t' do. I then re-primered and lightly sanded before attachin' t' launch lug with gel CA. T' rocket was painted with Valspar Bumblebee Gloss, me bucko, then completely masked except for one fin and t' nose cone, me hearties, which were painted with Valspar gloss black. Decals were made usin' Bel Decal paper and me inkjet printer, then sprayed with several light coats o' Valspar clear. Although somewhat cartoonish and done only in black, t' decals really add personality t' this rocket. Well, blow me down! Application o' t' decals be followed by another coat o' Valspar clear over t' whole rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Although fairly simplistic, arrr, t' Scamp turns out lookin' great with t' paint and t' decals applied. There's definitely somethin' t' be said for simplicity.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
2004 wasn't t' greatest year for me from a flight standpoint. Blimey! Despite recordin' fewer flights than t' previous year, I lost a lot more rockets. Begad! Begad! T' Scamp would unfortunately be one o' t' earliest losses o' t' season, matey, disappearin' on it's second flight. Aye aye! T' first flight came at a freakishly warm Leap Day launch. I was quite proud o' how t' Scamp looked and wanted t' get some pictures for t' review I had planned, so I called some friends and headed out for a local soccer/baseball field. We were made t' leave before I had a chance t' launch t' Scamp, arrr, so we made a mad dash t' another field, racin' t' settin' sun t' whole way. Avast! As I hurried t' get t' two rockets that I still wanted t' fly ready, I apparently made a mistake in packin' t' Scamp's streamer. Blimey! T' first flight, me bucko, on a A8-3 started off lookin' like a textbook low level flight, but at ejection things went smartly bad. Well, blow me down! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' begin with, t' ejection charge caused t' streamer t' completely disengage from t' rocket. Begad! Well, blow me down! It floated out across US-27 and eventually lodged high up in a tree. Well, blow me down! Under normal circumstances, arrr, this would have only been a minor irritation since t' Scamp is a fairly light rocket, shiver me timbers, easily capable o' a soft landin' on a soccer field employin' nose blow recovery. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! This wasn't normal. Blimey! T' same breeze that blew t' streamer into t' tree across t' road blew t' Scamp toward t' gravel parkin' lot. Avast, me proud beauty! Rick and I made a mad dash t' try t' catch t' rocket before it hit t' gravel, me hearties, but years o' manly pursuits like baseball, matey, matey, me hearties, football, ya bilge rat, arrr, me hearties, basketball, and roller disco had taken their toll on our knees and we were a step slow in our recovery effort. Avast! T' Scamp landed hard in t' gravel lot, me hearties, directly on t' black fin, arrr, t' edge o' which was all but turned t' powder by t' impact. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Clearly t' Leap Day deities were nay thrilled about me desecratin' their day by launchin' rockets, shiver me timbers, even if it was for a good cause.

T' next flight came almost a month later on a similarly warm day. Avast! Ahoy! Since I was flyin' on t' big VOA field, matey, I decided that it would be a good idea t' stretch t' Scamp out with a C6-5 flight, ya bilge rat, much t' same as I had done previously with me cloned Sprint. Begad! T' flight was great, arcin' slightly into t' clear sky because o' t' light winds. Begad! Begad! T' entire flight line watched t' flight, saw t' trackin' smoke, and heard t' ejection charge. Begad! Aye aye! After that though, nothing. Avast! Nay even a speck in t' sky that smartly disappeared, shiver me timbers, it just ceased t' be.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Except for me unfortunate penchant for launch fever and overpowerin' t' field that I most often fly on, t' Scamp was a thoroughly enjoyable project. Begad! Minimal work produces a great lookin' little rocket that is a credible performer t' boot. Avast! Except for t' episodes o' cranial flatulence on t' part o' t' owner, arrr, shiver me timbers, it still would be t' this day. Blimey! Mark t' whole project as a PRO for me. Ya scallywag! Mark me personal decision makin' mechanism a definite CON.

And before anyone comments, arrr, I was kiddin' about t' roller disco. Begad! Never had t' coordination personally.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5