Brief:
T' Phoenix Dark is a two-stage BT-55 downscale o' t' Estes Phoenix. Begad! Ahoy! It is named such for two reasons: 1) it is an homage t' t' movie Mystery Men, shiver me timbers, which I saw for t' first time recently, matey, 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 was me first attempt t' use RockSim, shiver me timbers, which I did as part o' t' EMRR Challenge. Aye aye! 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. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! One reason be 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. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! All o' t' construction be done with Elmer's wood glue. To be honest, t' quality o' this build be nay quite up t' me usual standards. I tried t' get it done smartly t' get in under t' timeline. Also, one o' t' primary things I wanted t' see be whether or nay it be stable as simulated with the largest motor combination. Ya scallywag! Consequently I be pretty sure that either it would be an unstable disaster and therefore unwanted, ya bilge rat, or it would fly well and would disappear. Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! 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 be from Wal-Mart) and sanded it, arrr, 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. T' flight was nice and straight. Unfortunately it went too high and t' weather be too breezy. Long story short, arrr, t' sustainer was lost. Arrr! Ya scallywag!

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