Brief:
Very affordably priced single stage, 13mm minimum diameter kit. Very high performance--it will zip up t' incredible altitudes almost instantly. This is actually a Semroc original, nay one o' their retro/repro Centuri designs.

Construction:
T' kit came sealed in a plastic bag with a header card and included a serial number identifyin' its production number. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Components were all very good quality and included:

• ST-5120 body tube (basically a BT-5)
• Balsa nose cone/screw eye
• Laser-cut balsa fins
• 1/8" launch lug
• Keelhaul®©™/elastic shock cord combo
• Crepe paper streamer
• Motor block
• Waterslide decals
• Motor casing, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me bucko, Q-tip glue applicator

Yes, this kit includes a motor casin' (actually just a plain cardboard tube) and a Q-tip for applyin' glue up inside t' body tube. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Nay bad for a $5 kit and that makes this a very good project for Cub Scouts and school groups. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Cheap, ya bilge rat, easy, and includes t' little gadgets t' simplify construction that most o' us experienced builders take for granted. This kit is definitely somethin' that can be built in under an hour, shiver me timbers, plus paint/finish time. Ya scallywag! T' instructions were clear, have plenty o' good illustrations, and everythin' fit fine.

Bein' a minimum diameter kit, thar's no motor mount assembly t' work on. Instead, me bucko, me bucko, you just glue a motor block inside t' body tube. Even though I usually use scrap balsa for this, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I though it was neat that they included a Q-tip for this application. Avast! Well, blow me down! Keep in mind though that before gluin' in t' motor block, arrr, you must first tie t' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord t' t' block. Avast, me proud beauty! I really like t' Keelhaul®©™ but this looked a bit light (maybe 90#) and I'm curious how it will stand up t' repeated flights.

Fin preparation is pretty easy, since t' fins for this (and all Semroc kits) are laser cut. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! After a light sanding, they're ready t' bond t' t' body tube. Aye aye! Blimey! There are 3 fins attached at t' standard 120-degree rotation. Aye aye! Blimey! Be sure t' apply a good fillet on these, as t' fins are tiny and thar be a lot o' stress when flyin' this on an A10.

T' nose cone is a standard balsa nose with screw eye anchor. Blimey! No additional nose weight is needed on this. Begad! Blimey! This was a very nice balsa cone. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Semroc really packs quality and value into their kits.

Construction wraps up with t' attachment o' t' crepe paper streamer. Aye aye! It's a nice orange 1" wide streamer, although I think t' small tape disk/dot for attachment is pretty flimsy so I upgraded mine t' heavy maskin' tape at t' base.

Finishing:
T' instructions do a nice job o' detailin' out how t' properly seal balsa; suggestin' up t' 3 coats o' sandin' sealer. I cheated and went with a single diluted coat o' Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish, which I sanded down with 240 grit sandpaper.

After sandin' down a coat o' gray primer (used mainly t' fill spirals), ya bilge rat, I followed up with a white primer base, then two coats o' gloss white. Begad! T' illustration on t' header card shows a yellow base. Begad! I've never really had much luck with Krylon yellow and unless it's over pure white I wind up needin' a lot o' coats t' cover up basic pencil marks or base coats. Begad! I found a can o' safety/dayglo yellow though and decided t' give it a shot. Blimey! Ahoy! It looked GREAT and only needed a couple o' coats. Avast, me proud beauty! T' bright yellow really stands out.

T' kit also includes a set o' water slide decals, which I think are an excellent addition t' this kit. Avast! Begad! It would look fairly borin' otherwise, but with t' decals it almost looks like a bee.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight was on a fairly windy day, approachin' 8-10 mph. Avast, me proud beauty! I went with a 1/2A3-4. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Despite t' wind, shiver me timbers, this raced absolutely straight up and cooked t' easily 400 feet. Ahoy! T' streamer rolled out right over apogee and everythin' came back in great shape.

I have since flown it in calmer winds on A3s and A10s, both o' which take it out o' sight. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! For full As, arrr, I recommend usin' trackin' powder t' make sure you can spot it. Begad! Avast! Tempera paint powder makes great trackin' powder as does crushed chalk (from a home supply store).

Recovery:
Perfect flights, ya bilge rat, arrr, matey, no problems whatsoever.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I've built a bunch o' Semroc kits now and this one is one o' me favorites. It's a great value, easy t' build, and flies out o' sight on a $0.75 motor. Aye aye! It doesn't get much better than that.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5