Brief:
With more and more old rocketeers rediscoverin' t' hobby and Estes seemingly intent on remainin' a shadow o' its former self, ya bilge rat, it was only a matter o' time before other, more BAR friendly companies arrived on t' scene t' fill t' void. Ya scallywag! One o' t' more recent o' these companies is Semroc. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Blimey! More "experienced" fliers will recognize t' Semroc name from their brief stint in t' rocketry world 30+ years ago, me bucko, but it would be a mistake t' think o' them based on this alone. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' new Semroc is a self contained model rocketry history lesson, arrr, with planned offerings from as far back as Orville Carlisle's 1957 Roc-A-Chute Mark II and from long lost companies like Model Missiles, matey, Flight Systems, Canaroc, me bucko, Rocketry Development Corporation, Centuri, and their own Semroc products. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Blimey! (They even have a token Estes kit, ya bilge rat, t' Sky Hook from t' Astron days.) Like many others, when t' new Semroc lineup o' rockets be announced a few months ago, I smartly put t' Laser X at t' top o' me "can't wait t' build" list. Aye aye! Avast! Blimey! While t' Laser X project turned out t' be an enjoyable one that produced a great lookin' rocket (despite me efforts t' t' contrary), I was surprised t' find that I enjoyed buildin' t' Astro-1 quite a bit more. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! I had always assumed that t' Astro-1, a stocky, sturdy, me hearties, arrr, 3FNC rocket, was in t' same ballpark as t' Estes Alpha from a size standpoint, matey, but I was surprised t' find that it be considerably bigger than it's Estes counterpart.

Construction:
T' kit contains:

• ST-1095 body tube
• ST-730E engine tube
• BC-1052 nose cone
• FV-30 laser cut fins
• 2 CR-710 centerin' rings
• TR-7 thrust ring
• LL-122 launch lug
• EH-28 engine hook
• SE-10 screw eye
• EC-124 shock cord
• SCK-24 Keelhaul®©™ cord
• RC-12 parachute
• TD-6 tape discs
• SLT-6 shroud line
• DKV-30 decal

T' Semroc version o' t' Astro-1 comes in t' traditional hangin' bag with t' parts clearly visible through t' bag back. Ahoy! T' instruction booklet doubles as a face card and inside t' instruction sheet, one finds a mini-history lesson on both t' rocket and t' company that originally produced it, somethin' I consider a nice touch. There's also a well detailed assembly guide and an exploded view o' t' rocket (in a "centerfold" that only a BAR could love.) T' parts are nicely done and include what has become a mod-roc staple o' late; laser cut fins and a Keelhaul®©™-based shock cord system. Avast! Ya scallywag! T' fin sheet be t' most impressive part o' t' unbuilt kit, almost an art piece unto itself with t' laser etched Semroc logo and kit name. Aye aye! Blimey! T' balsa itself is fairly hard, arrr, shapes easily, me bucko, and needs little in t' way o' cleanup after removal from t' spar. Begad! Begad! Overall t' feelin' o' quality permeates this kit and t' three other Semroc offerings that I've built. T' rocket is a legitimate skill level one project with t' most complicated step in t' instructions bein' t' installation o' t' motor mount and Keelhaul®©™ shock cord, me hearties, nay a step likely t' cause a panic attack even in a beginner. Blimey! After this is completed t' project is a simple 3FNC build and it progresses quickly, but I did things a little backward for a change.

Finishing:
Followin' t' advice o' a fellow OldRockets poster, ya bilge rat, I sprayed t' body tube with a coat o' Valspar primer before I attached t' fins or started t' sealin' or sandin' process. Begad! Ahoy! Theoretically this be supposed t' toughen t' body tube for t' sandin' process. Turns out it works. Avast! Even at t' top o' t' body tube where I had become accustomed t' some frayin' t' tube held together well. Well, blow me down! T' primer be followed by t' requisite two coats o' thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish with each coat followed by a brisk sandin' with very fine grit sandpaper. Nay only did this hide any tube spirals, it also roughened up t' body tube and gave t' fins a little more t' bite onto once they were glued in place. T' fins were attached usin' t' double glue method usin' Elmer's Wood Glue and were also finished as t' body tube was with Fill 'n' Finish. Blimey! Ahoy! After t' fins were sanded, me hearties, t' entire rocket be re-sprayed with primer, matey, then with a base coat o' ValSpar gloss white. Ahoy! Once dry, me bucko, t' fins were masked and sprayed with ValSpar Cherry Red, while t' nose cone was sprayed with ValSpar gloss black. After a light coat o' acrylic clear t' decals were applied. They went on with ease and nicely completed t' look. Begad! Once everythin' was dry I applied another coat o' clear and called t' project finished.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first launch be a rarity, matey, a Leap Day launch, but that fact passed me by until that evenin' when I was enterin' t' flights into t' flight log. Like I said earlier, I expected t' Astro-1 t' be much like t' Estes Alpha in it's flight characteristics, but as it turned out, me hearties, I liked it even better. Blimey! For t' size o' t' field I was flyin' on, t' Astro-1 is tough t' beat. Avast! T' added size cuts down on t' height while makin' t' whole flight visible. Flyin' on a B6-4, ya bilge rat, t' rocket flew t' a respectable height and managed t' recover on t' field despite t' full chute and constant breeze. Aye aye! Havin' proved it's small field worth, ya bilge rat, arrr, I looked forward t' a chance t' try it out with a C engine on a big field. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! A month later I finally got around t' launchin' it on t' big field at VOA with t' Cincinnati Quark group. Begad! Avast! Since I had a lot more room t' work with, I loaded up a C6-5 and let 'er rip despite t' relatively heavy breeze. Begad! Avast! T' Astro-1 arced into t' wind and flew t' a nice altitude with ejection comin' right before apogee (so a C6-7 might have been a better choice.) Again under a full chute, t' rocket began driftin' with t' wind t' t' northwest, well away from our launch site. Ya scallywag! From where we stood it looked like it might land near t' park's edge, ya bilge rat, arrr, so I decided t' drive t' t' landin' site instead o' plowin' through t' thistles and swampy spots that lay betwixt me and t' rocket. Arrr! Begad! I drove t' t' site and began walkin' along t' sight line, me hearties, but found no rocket. Thirty minutes later I disappointedly decided that I had indeed been beaten, arrr, but on t' drive back I realized that t' row o' cars I had been usin' as a point o' reference were nay parked on t' Quark flight line, matey, so I decided t' try again. Begad! Again nothing, so then I really gave it up. Well, blow me down! Apparently that was what did it. I hadn't moved t' van 100 feet when I saw t' Astro-1 hangin' from a thistle a mere 25 feet from t' road, arrr, but completely on t' opposite side o' t' access road. Avast, me proud beauty! I guess t' drift only looked extreme from where I stood because I was a good 1/4 mile away from where I had been searching.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs:

• Great flier with a range o' engines that make it a good choice for fields o' varyin' sizes.
• Classic simplicity o' t' paint and decal scheme produce a great looking, uncluttered kit.
• Updated version o' a classic beginners kit.

CONs:

• None

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5