(08/30/05) RocketPad must be doin' somethin' right in their kit designs, me bucko, because, for some reason, me hearties, I keep goin' back t' them t' pick up a kit here and there. This is me third kit and I have a couple more in the queue. I am nay a huge fan o' purchasin' clones, however, matey, when I saw an upscale of t' 1960's Estes Pee Wee, matey, I was compelled t' purchase it. Begad! T' upscaled two-stager really caught me eye. Aye aye! I would probably have over looked t' original 13mm version havin' lost too many single stage 13mm rockets t' altitude, wind, me hearties, shiver me timbers, trees, and such. Begad!

RocketPad is still usin' e-Bay which I'm nay thrilled with because I know t' overhead is made up in t' price o' t' kit. Avast! Aye aye! Then again, shiver me timbers, if they had their own site and had t' pay for space and design, ya bilge rat, me hearties, then I guess I'd be payin' t' same or more for their overhead. Ahoy! Nonetheless, me bucko, I bought it through e-Bay. Well, blow me down! RocketPad is usin' t' "Buy it Now" feature which improves me feelings since I don't have t' manage bids.

T' kit includes a 7" long, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, 1.6" diameter upper stage body tube, ya bilge rat, and a 2.75" long, me bucko, arrr, me hearties, 1.6" diameter booster body tube. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! There is a plastic nose cone (just like an Estes Baby Bertha) and balsa stock t' cut out t' fins from. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' motor mounts are 18mm tubes and t' appropriate black fiber centerin' rings. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' recovery system is made up o' a Keelhaul®©™® shock tether and 25" o' 1/8" elastic shock cord. There is also a plastic streamer, me hearties, me bucko, a coupler, a 3/16" launch lug, arrr, clay nose weight, and a decal sheet t' complete t' make up o' t' kit.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed on a 5 pages of 8½ x 11" paper (single sided). There are 12 more pages with black&white and color photos and some hand drawn illustrations. Arrr! This has been t' typical instruction package from RocketPad: Written instructions followed by photos. Blimey! T' photos are nay interlaced within the instructions.

If you have read me previous reviews of RocketPad kits, you would know that I have commented on t' spellin' and grammar. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I know, matey, based on some o' me reviews, that may be like t' Pot calling the Kettle black. With that bein' said, me hearties, these instructions were t' best that I have had from RocketPad. Ahoy! Blimey! I actually only came across two spellin' errors both of which a spell checker wouldn't have found (step 6, "sue" instead of "sure"; step 8 "pace" instead of "place").

RocketPad rates this kit a skill level 3. Blimey! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I think it is easier than 3.

T' assembly o' this rocket had a couple of interestin' twists in it. Avast! Let me describe t' build:

T' motor tubes are marked for "B"ooster and "2nd" (for Sustainer). Blimey! These are then assembled with t' black fiber centerin' rings and t' thrust rin' for t' Sustainer. Avast, me proud beauty! I like t' black fiber centerin' rings but they get black everywhere! They fit very nicely. Blimey! It is also nice t' have t' upper centerin' rin' pre-drilled for t' attachment o' the Keelhaul®©™® shock tether. Arrr! I did find t' thrust rin' t' be extremely loose! I packed it with enough glue though, so no problem.

Once t' booster motor mount is assembled and the coupler is added, then t' upper stage motor mount is glued in place. RocketPad did a nice job explainin' this assembly step (#17). Ya scallywag! If followed correctly, t' booster motor tube butts up against t' sustainer's.

T' tubes are marked usin' a 2D tube marking guide. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I decided t' hook me booster t' me sustainer and extend t' line in a door jam up both tubes. T' instructions had you do each one separately.

Fin time. Avast! Begad! T' fin templates are on card stock and appear t' be hand-drawn. Nonetheless, they work and allow you t' cut out the 6 needed fins. Avast, me proud beauty!

I didn't like t' arrangement o' t' upper fins. Ya scallywag! I have always been taught t' ensure that your balsa grain is parallel t' your leadin' edge. Begad! In this case, ya bilge rat, me bucko, RocketPad had t' balsa grain perpendicular t' the leadin' edge. Aye aye! Perhaps thar are other schools o' thought, me hearties, but I didn't like it. I didn't notice it until I had finished cuttin' them out and was sanding them.

With t' above grain problem, perceived or not, and me desire t' try t' have a better way t' finish balsa fins, I decided to try a new technique. Well, blow me down! Avast! I first took t' fins and cut out newspaper covers. Then, I used a foam brush and brushed on Modge Pog evenly on each fin, arrr, covered it with t' newspaper cover. Well, me hearties, blow me down! I then slipped it betwixt some wax paper and pressed with t' edge o' a paperback t' squeegee excess glue out. Aye aye! I then moved to new wax paper and put under a few books for a day.

Once dry, matey, each fin be glued into place and a fillet was added usin' wood glue.

T' recovery system includes a Keelhaul®©™® shock tether. Avast! Begad! Blimey! This is tied through two pre-drilled holes in t' upper centering ring. Ya scallywag! Blimey! A 25" piece o' 1/8" wide elastic shock cord it tied t' it. Aye aye! Avast! Blimey! This is tied t' t' nose cone. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! T' 37" long, me hearties, ya bilge rat, 1.25" wide bright orange plastic streamer is attached t' t' shock cord.

T' nose cone is finished after t' clay nose weight is packed into its tip.

RocketPad gives some basic guidance to finishing, includin' sandin' and sealing. Aye aye! Aye aye! They suggest paintin' t' rocket all white except t' nose cone, which should be red.

I finished this rocket rather smartly due to the newspaper coverin' for t' fins and t' plastic nose cone it came with. Avast! I used me typical multiple coats o' Plastic-Kote Primer and sandin' in-between. T' fins finished great, ya bilge rat, with just a bit o' clean up t' do on t' edges. Avast, me proud beauty! I then used Walmart White and Yellow paint (additional comments about Walmart paint).

T' decals were water-transfer decals and they look and applied nicely.

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 points. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' instructions are capable o' walkin' a novice builder through t' assembly o' this rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' quality o' parts is good. T' fit of the parts, ya bilge rat, other than t' very loose thrust ring, arrr, was good. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' balsa fin grain concerns me, ya bilge rat, me bucko, me hearties, but I took steps that strengthen t' fins anyway. Recovery system is set up nicely. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! Love t' decals.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

RocketPad recommends t' B6-0 or C6-0 for the booster and an A8-5, arrr, B6-6, or C6-7 for t' sustainer.

RocketPad indicates t' finished rocket should weigh 2.7 ounces. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! My finished rocket weighed 3.1 ounces.

My first flight was on a Quest A6-4 in a single-stage configuration. I did this primarily because I wanted t' test altitude. Arrr! T' sustainer flew great and recovered smartly on t' streamer. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! I'm ready for t' 2-stage configuration!

My next flight was in t' 2-stage configuration. Begad! I used me first ever Quest B6-0 for t' booster and a Quest A6-4 for the sustainer. Begad! I didn't want this thin' t' go out o' sight. Blimey! Arrr! So, t' flight was set up and ready t' go. Avast! Upon ignition t' rocket lifted straight and at maybe 50 feet t' sustainer ejected and t' A6 took off. Blimey! Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' booster fell just t' the right o' me, me bucko, while t' sustainer kept on going. Ya scallywag! Begad! Glad I used an A6. Begad! With the streamer it was easy t' track and recover. Nice flight.

I'm lookin' forward t' flyin' some more and after a few flights, me bucko, I'm goin' t' try a C6 t' C6 combination. Avast! Outta-here!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this rocket 5 points. This is a nice little flier. Begad! T' booster adds enough weight to ensure that you can see t' stagin' and allow recovery o' it. Ya scallywag! I'll add information as I get more flights.

I give t' rocket an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 points. Aye aye! Again, shiver me timbers, a nice little rocket with some nice decals. Avast, me proud beauty! Needs some refinement t' be perfect, arrr, but I'd recommend it.