T' Rogue Interdictor be t' second o' three kits that I built as part o' a rocket "ship" series. Arrr! Rogue demonstrated some imagination regardin' t' description o' their Interdictor: "T' Interdictor is our concept model o' a planetary fighter o' t' future. Ya scallywag! It's capable o' flyin' within an atmosphere usin' its twin turbojet engines, ya bilge rat, matey, or o' conductin' sub-orbital or orbital maneuvers through t' use o' its single plasma engine. Begad! Lightly armed with only two wingtip laser cannon, me hearties, Interdictors are intended t' attack enemy ships or stations en masse. T' under-win' auxiliary fuel tanks are typically used t' fly t' a battle site, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, then jettisoned t' improve maneuverability. Our model includes a sturdy plastic nose, ya bilge rat, numerous balsa parts for detail, shiver me timbers, and a large, me bucko, 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, and two (2) 1.75" T-14 tubes along with four (4) correspondin' balsa nose cones that are used for t' fuel tanks. Ahoy! There is an 18mm motor mount with motor retention, two (2) 3/32" balsa sheets for all t' mounts and wings, me bucko, and four (4) launch lugs for t' Laser Canons (along with two hardwood dowels) and t' actual launch lugs. Begad! T' recovery system includes a 12" nylon parachute, 8" o' elastic shock cord, 39" o' Keelhaul®©™ shock tether, matey, matey, and a piece o' Perma-Wadding. Avast, me proud beauty! There is also a 29" piece o' Keelhaul®©™ that is optionally used t' have a horizontal parachute descent. Ahoy! Begad! T' nose cone is in two pieces and is plastic. Avast! There is also a decal sheet for finish work.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions include 8 pages with mostly photos and some diagrams. Ya scallywag! Blimey! They are well written and thorough. Avast! Blimey! It is rated as a Skill Level 3 kit, 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. 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. Aye aye! Blimey! For example, attachin' t' "Jet Intakes" t' t' "Fuselage" or attachin' t' "Dorsal" and "Ventral" fins or attachin' t' "Fuel Tanks". Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! 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". Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Did it make it easier t' build? Probably not, me hearties, but more enjoyable. Ahoy! Blimey!

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

There are two (2) tube markin' guides t' mark t' fuselage and t' jet intake tubes. Begad! T' instructions are very clear, me bucko, 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. This is done by applyin' glue, arrr, arrr, alignin' t' parts, pressin' and then separatin' them. Arrr! Then t' first glue is allowed t' dry. Aye aye! After it is dry, a second glue application is made and t' pieces are then held together until t' glue sets. This technique is used t' attach t' jet intake tubes t' t' fuselage, shiver me timbers, 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. Arrr! This is nay too difficult at all. Once t' fins are cut out, you are instructed t' stack t' like fins and sand their edges smooth. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' main win' is in two pieces and needs t' be assembled t' create t' full length wing. Ahoy! Aye aye! I would suggest usin' a straight-edge and weight on top t' ensure a straight and flat joint. Arrr! (Rogue doesn't mention t' use o' a straight-edge nor t' weight on top). This technique works well.

T' fuel tanks and t' laser cannons are assembled in their own steps and then attached. Arrr! 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. Blimey! Ahoy! This helps keep it glued where it needs t' be and makes it so it doesn't look sloppy. Begad! 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. Why two? Is thar special launch equipment needed? No, matey, aesthetics! Purely aesthetics. Well, blow me down! Good job, matey, arrr, Rogue.

T' nose cone is assembled with CA or plastic cement, t' Perma-Wadding™ is attached t' t' shock tether, t' tether t' t' elastic, 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. Begad! A nice extra, but I decided nay t' do it this way.

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

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

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

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Rogue recommends t' followin' motors: A8-3, B4-4, B6-4, and C6-5. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! They also indicate a finished weight o' 2.2 ounces. Well, blow me down! Blimey! My finished in at 2.8 ounces. Begad! Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' 12" parachute is just right for weight o' this rocket and t' descent rate was good.

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

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

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

My third flight, ya bilge rat, although successful, me hearties, was a mistake on a C6-3. Avast, me proud beauty! I meant t' grab a C6-5 and therefore suffered an early ejection. Ahoy! T' launch be great and t' altitude be night but it clearly was still climbin' at ejection. Begad! T' parachute got slightly tangled from this high speed deployment and t' rocket fell t' t' ground under t' partially open parachute. Begad! No damage, ya bilge rat, however, ya bilge rat, me bucko, this situation showed how twisted up t' think Keelhaul®©™ shock cord gets. It be all twisted up and very difficult t' untwist. 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™. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I was concerned what t' motor exhaust would do t' t' side tubes that extend 4½ cm beyond t' center tube. Avast, me proud beauty! After two flights, me hearties, me hearties, 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. 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, I would rate this kit 4 ½ points. I'm only slightly droppin' t' ratin' due t' t' burnin' on t' aft end. Avast, me proud beauty! On one hand, arrr, it looks cool, like a real jet might accumulate from burnin' its jet engines, me hearties, on t' other it's only paper. Well, blow me down! T' rocket flies very nicely and provides a nice recovery system.

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