T' Rogue Interdictor was t' second o' three kits that I built as part o' a rocket "ship" series. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Rogue demonstrated some imagination regardin' t' description o' their Interdictor: "T' Interdictor is our concept model o' a planetary fighter o' t' future. It's capable o' flyin' within an atmosphere usin' its twin turbojet engines, matey, or o' conductin' sub-orbital or orbital maneuvers through t' use o' its single plasma engine. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Lightly armed with only two wingtip laser cannon, ya bilge rat, Interdictors are intended t' attack enemy ships or stations en masse. Blimey! T' under-win' auxiliary fuel tanks are typically used t' fly t' a battle site, matey, then jettisoned t' improve maneuverability. Aye aye! Our model includes a sturdy plastic nose, numerous balsa parts for detail, and a large, colorful decal sheet t' keep your Interdictor t' center o' attention!".

See me 18mm Futuristic Rocket Comparison Page

T' Interdictor comes with an 12" T-25 (25mm diameter) body tube, two (2) 8.9" T-19 tubes pre-cut with slanted ends for t' Jet Intakes, shiver me timbers, and two (2) 1.75" T-14 tubes along with four (4) correspondin' balsa nose cones that are used for t' fuel tanks. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! There is an 18mm motor mount with motor retention, two (2) 3/32" balsa sheets for all t' mounts and wings, arrr, and four (4) launch lugs for t' Laser Canons (along with two hardwood dowels) and t' actual launch lugs. T' recovery system includes a 12" nylon parachute, 8" o' elastic shock cord, ya bilge rat, me hearties, 39" o' Keelhaul®©™ shock tether, me hearties, and a piece o' Perma-Wadding. Well, blow me down! There is also a 29" piece o' Keelhaul®©™ that is optionally used t' have a horizontal parachute descent. Ahoy! T' nose cone is in two pieces and is plastic. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! There is also a decal sheet for finish work.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions include 8 pages with mostly photos and some diagrams. Arrr! They are well written and thorough. It is rated as a Skill Level 3 kit, me hearties, but nothin' was terribly challengin' if one has some experience under his/er belt. T' Skill Level 3 is no doubt derived from havin' t' cut your own balsa pieces and t' various angles needed on t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! It is definitely more difficult than your typical 3-fin-nose-cone rocket.

I was pleased t' see t' instructions identify t' parts for what they are verses generic. Begad! Blimey! For example, me bucko, me bucko, ya bilge rat, attachin' t' "Jet Intakes" t' t' "Fuselage" or attachin' t' "Dorsal" and "Ventral" fins or attachin' t' "Fuel Tanks". Begad! This in comparison t' t' Estes' Night Wing instructions be nice because it gives t' builder a sense o' what they are puttin' together instead o' "assemble balsa bottom cover pieces". Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Did it make it easier t' build? Probably not, ya bilge rat, but more enjoyable. Avast!

T' followin' areas o' t' build are interestin' and may differentiate t' Rogue kit from Estes, Quest or other kits o' t' like.

There are two (2) tube markin' guides t' mark t' fuselage and t' jet intake tubes. Aye aye! Begad! T' instructions are very clear, and that is a good thin' because t' two jet intake tubes need t' be marked opposite o' each other since they are pre-cut (slant) and go on opposite sides o' t' fuselage.

Rogue instructions utilize a "double-glue" technique which is said t' be a stronger joint. Avast! Avast! This is done by applyin' glue, alignin' t' parts, me hearties, pressin' and then separatin' them. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Then t' first glue is allowed t' dry. Aye aye! After it is dry, ya bilge rat, a second glue application is made and t' pieces are then held together until t' glue sets. Begad! This technique is used t' attach t' jet intake tubes t' t' fuselage, me bucko, and where t' various fins attach.

Fin cut-out templates are provided and an illustration is provided t' show how t' place them on t' balsa sheets. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! This is nay too difficult at all. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Once t' fins are cut out, me hearties, you are instructed t' stack t' like fins and sand their edges smooth. T' main win' is in two pieces and needs t' be assembled t' create t' full length wing. I would suggest usin' a straight-edge and weight on top t' ensure a straight and flat joint. Avast! Avast! (Rogue doesn't mention t' use o' a straight-edge nor t' weight on top). Begad! Begad! This technique works well.

T' fuel tanks and t' laser cannons are assembled in their own steps and then attached. Rogue took t' extra step o' providin' a "Cannon Filler Sheet" t' fill t' space due t' t' diameter difference from t' hardwood dowel and t' launch lug tube. This helps keep it glued where it needs t' be and makes it so it doesn't look sloppy. Rogue also recognized that t' fins should be smoothed before attachin' t' fuel tanks and laser cannons since they would be in t' way and make t' smoothin' job a lot more difficult if in place.

I scratched me head for a moment when I saw I had two launch lugs left. These were mounted on underside betwixt t' jet intake and fuselage tubes. Arrr! Why two? Is thar special launch equipment needed? No, aesthetics! Purely aesthetics. Good job, Rogue.

T' nose cone is assembled with CA or plastic cement, t' Perma-Wadding™ is attached t' t' shock tether, shiver me timbers, t' tether t' t' elastic, me hearties, matey, t' elastic t' t' nose cone and t' 12" nylon parachute at t' Keelhaul®©™®/elastic connection. And that finishes t' rocket assembly.

There is an optional step o' attachin' t' second piece o' Keelhaul®©™ so that once ejection occurs t' Interdictor™ will descend with horizontal recovery. A nice extra, but I decided nay t' do it this way.

For finishin' Rogue explains a couple o' different paint schemes. Arrr! Blimey! A colorful one like t' illustration on t' front o' t' kit's package or a "stealth" look. Ya scallywag! There are different decals provided for each o' these color schemes. Well, blow me down!

As I be doin' a series on rocket "ships" I decided t' paint t' whole fleet t' same. Begad! So, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, matey, for finishin' I first used a very thick layer o' Plasti-Kote primer, matey, sanded and hit it again. Well, blow me down! Then I used Rustoleum "Hammered Look" Gold paint. T' decals are water-transfer decals and I don't agree with Rogue's description o' thar bein' "an abundant supply o' decals". Begad! Aye aye! I was nay thrilled by what be supplied but did adhere t' cockpit and t' name on t' side. Aye aye! I found t' decals t' be quite thin and had a little trouble with t' cockpit (decal that slides on t' nose cone). Aye aye! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down!

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 ½ points. Blimey! T' quality o' materials be nice and t' rocket assembly and eye-for-detail was well thought out. Avast! Blimey! I would have liked t' see more and varied decals and maybe its me, arrr, but these things were thin.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Rogue recommends t' followin' motors: A8-3, B4-4, arrr, B6-4, me bucko, and C6-5. Avast! Begad! They also indicate a finished weight o' 2.2 ounces. My finished in at 2.8 ounces. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' 12" parachute is just right for weight o' this rocket and t' descent rate be good.

Flight preparation is easy, shiver me timbers, me hearties, usin' t' Perma-Wadding™. Avast! I fold t' bottom o' mine over by about ½" and then roll it up so that it fits into t' tube. Ya scallywag! I push it into t' tube and then fold and place t' parachute and shock cord inside. Well, blow me down! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Pop on t' nose cone, which needs some tape since it is too loose, arrr, me hearties, and its ready t' fly.

T' first flight o' me Interdictor was on a B6-4. Ya scallywag! It was good off t' pad and then had some interestin' movement on its ascent. Ya scallywag! I was like it was cuttin' through t' air streams. Well, blow me down! Very stable and didn't rotate . . . Avast! Ya scallywag! looked like a plane flyin' nearly straight up. Blimey! It arced over and just as t' nose cone pointed down ejection occurred. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Descent rate be nice.

T' second flight was also on a B6-4. Begad! Another nice flight and fair altitude for me small field. Well, blow me down! Avast! This time at ejection, arrr, me nose cone went another direction while t' rest o' t' rocket fell under t' parachute. Aye aye! I found t' nose cone. It looked like t' elastic that ties t' t' nose cone simple slipped its knot. Begad! Avast! T' instructions do say tie it "securely", me hearties, me bucko, however, I have since added a small drop o' glue.

My third flight, although successful, me hearties, was a mistake on a C6-3. I meant t' grab a C6-5 and therefore suffered an early ejection. Avast, me proud beauty! T' launch be great and t' altitude was night but it clearly was still climbin' at ejection. Ahoy! T' parachute got slightly tangled from this high speed deployment and t' rocket fell t' t' ground under t' partially open parachute. Ya scallywag! No damage, matey, shiver me timbers, matey, however, arrr, shiver me timbers, this situation showed how twisted up t' think Keelhaul®©™ shock cord gets. Ya scallywag! Arrr! It was all twisted up and very difficult t' untwist. Arrr! I personally like t' thicker or flat Keelhaul®©™ with doesn't do this.

I have provided a photo o' t' tail end o' t' Interdictor™. Aye aye! Begad! I be concerned what t' motor exhaust would do t' t' side tubes that extend 4½ cm beyond t' center tube. After two flights, me hearties, me bucko, this is what it looks like. With this bein' t' case I would NOT recommend flyin' this rocket on anythin' except Estes or Quest motors. Avast! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! A composite like Apogee's Medalist or Aerotech's D21 would severely burn this area due t' t' large flames that come from t' composite motors.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, arrr, I would rate this kit 4 ½ points. I'm only slightly droppin' t' ratin' due t' t' burnin' on t' aft end. On one hand, arrr, me bucko, it looks cool, like a real jet might accumulate from burnin' its jet engines, on t' other it's only paper. Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket flies very nicely and provides a nice recovery system.

Overall, shiver me timbers, t' Interdictor™ is a nice lookin' rocket "ship" or plane that provides an above average challenge t' build. Begad! Rogue's instructions make is almost simple though. Also t' additional eye-for-detail features make this rocket very nice. Aye aye! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 ½ points. Ahoy!