Brief:
T' Phoenix Dark is a two-stage BT-55 downscale o' t' Estes Phoenix. Aye aye! It is named such for two reasons: 1) it is an homage t' t' movie Mystery Men, shiver me timbers, matey, which I saw for t' first time recently, me bucko, and 2) I wanted t' paint it a dark color instead o' white in order t' maximize me chances o' gettin' it back.

Construction:
My primary components were:

• 9" BT-55 body tube (sustainer)
• 2.75" BT-55 body tube (booster
• PNC-55 (Bullpup NC)
• 2 sets o' 4 hand-traced and cut balsa fins
• 2 18mm engine tubes
• 2 sets o' BT-55 t' BT-20 cardboard centerin' rings, scratch made
• elastic shock cord
• 2" x 24" plastic streamer

This be me first attempt t' use RockSim, shiver me timbers, which I did as part o' t' EMRR Challenge. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! I had t' idea o' this rocket (or some variation thereof) for some time and decided that this would be t' perfect time t' do this. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! One reason was to make sure that it would be stable in that t' Phoenix can have some stability issues.

This was a relatively simple and straightforward build. All o' t' construction was done with Elmer's wood glue. Ahoy! To be honest, shiver me timbers, t' quality o' this build was nay quite up t' me usual standards. Well, blow me down! I tried t' get it done smartly t' get in under t' timeline. Begad! Also, ya bilge rat, one o' t' primary things I wanted t' see was whether or nay it was stable as simulated with the largest motor combination. Ahoy! Consequently I was pretty sure that either it would be an unstable disaster and therefore unwanted, matey, or it would fly well and would disappear. Begad! It turns out t' latter was true.

Finishing:
After construction I primed t' rocket with Wal-Mart primer (all t' paint used on this one was from Wal-Mart) and sanded it, followin' with a few coats o' black spray paint.

Flight and Recovery:
I flew this rocket once on a C6-0 t' C6-7 combination. Arrr! Avast! T' flight be nice and straight. Unfortunately it went too high and t' weather be too breezy. Long story short, t' sustainer was lost. Arrr! Begad!

Summary:
This was an enjoyable build for me. I enjoyed workin' with RockSim and look forward t' movin' past t' free trial in order t' use it in t' future. Ahoy! Blimey! While most o' t' rocket be lost, I was still pleased with t' outcome. Begad! Blimey! I will build another version o' this rocket and dress it up a little more. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I'll also be sure t' do a better job o' matchin' up field size, motor options, and weather conditions.