Brief:
Centuri Engineerin' Company be started in t' early 60s and be one o' t' early pioneers in t' model rocket industry. Centuri be sold t' Damon Corporation in t' late 60s and maintained their product line separately from Estes until 1983. Aye aye! T' Magnum Hornet was produced by Centuri from 1980-1983 and is unique in that it be one o' a handful o' Centuri kits comprised entirely o' Estes parts.

T' Magnum Hornet is a basic 4 fin and nose cone (4FNC) sport flier with a 24mm motor mount. Avast! Released in March 2009, matey, t' Semroc reproduction o' this classic kit includes a few modern upgrades, me hearties, such as laser cut balsa fins, a balsa nose cone, Keelhaul®©™ shock cord, matey, ya bilge rat, and a 12" parachute. One o' t' nicest features o' this kit is that an 18mm motor adapter is included which makes t' Magnum Hornet a very versatile flier.

Construction:
As with every Semroc kit I've encountered, t' quality o' t' parts is first rate. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' kit come packaged in t' standard "hang-tag" plastic bag, me bucko, and t' full color header card is actually t' first page o' t' instructions, shiver me timbers, which includes nay only t' cover artwork but a parts list with an exploded view o' t' rocket and a nicely detailed history o' Centuri Engineerin' and t' Magnum Hornet. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' followin' parts are included:

• BT-55 Body Tube – 14"
• Balsa Nose Cone BNC-55AC
• 24mm x 2.75" Motor Tube
• 2 Centerin' Rings CR50/55
• Thrust Rin' CR20/50
• Standard Engine Hook
• 3/32" Laser Cut Fin Sheet
• Keelhaul®©™ Shock Cord 18"
• Elastic Shock Cord 24"
• Launch Lug – 3/16"
• Small Screw Eye
• 12" Parachute Pak – Unassembled
• 18mm x 2.75" Motor Tube
• 3x Centerin' Rings CR20/50 (one rin' split)
• Thrust Ring
• Standard Engine Hook

As stated right on t' front o' t' kit, ya bilge rat, arrr, t' Magnum Hornet is "Easy t' build". Aye aye! T' 2 pages o' instructions are simple, effective, and very well illustrated. Blimey! T' construction steps are familiar t' anyone who has built a low power rocket before with a couple o' steps unique t' Semroc and/or this kit. Ahoy! T' motor mount is assembled first. T' centerin' rings are laser cut and must be detached from t' supportin' material. At first I thought they were made o' a lite-ply material, but closer inspection showed them t' be made o' a very sturdy paper matte board. Ahoy! T' only unusual step in constructin' t' motor mount is that t' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord is tied around t' upper end o' t' motor hook and then secured with t' aft centerin' rin' and a fair bit o' glue. At 18" t' Keelhaul®©™ included with t' kit is only a few inches longer that t' body tube and is shorter than I would have liked. Aye aye! It will probably do t' job, but I replaced it with a piece about twice as long.

T' fins are laser cut but still need t' be removed from their balsa sheet. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! After gettin' them loose t' fins require minimal cleanup, shiver me timbers, and I decided t' round t' leadin' and trailin' edges. T' instructions do nay make use o' a wraparound markin' guide but rather t' stand up type, me bucko, where you set t' end o' t' body tube over a circle template in t' instructions and mark t' fin positions. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I use a length o' small aluminum angle stock t' extend t' fin placement lines on t' body tube. Avast! T' template in t' instructions does nay have a mark for positionin' t' launch lug, so I just eyeballed a line betwixt two o' t' fin lines.

By now t' motor mount had dried sufficiently t' install in t' body tube. T' installation is a little unique in that t' motor mount does nay slide all t' way into t' body tube but rather only until t' aft centerin' rin' is flush with t' end o' t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Avast! This leaves about 1/4" o' t' motor tube extended aft o' t' body tube and actually creates a nice look.

T' fins are attached next. Begad! My standard routine is t' tack them on with a double glue joint and then add a second fillet o' wood glue. T' launch lug is attached in a similar fashion. Begad! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' instructions mention that this rocket can be built with either a 1/8" or 3/16" launch lug, but only a 3/16" lug is included. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! For a rocket o' this size and weight, I think a 3/16" lug is overkill so I dug out a 1/8" lug. In me opinion it gives t' rocket a slimmer look and o' course knocks down t' drag coefficient just that fraction o' a percent...

At this point t' rocket is ready for finishin' and thar are a couple o' steps that happen later, me bucko, such as installin' t' screw eye in t' nose cone. This is accomplished by screwin' t' eye part way in, me hearties, removin' it, addin' a generous drop o' medium thick CA glue, matey, ya bilge rat, and then screwin' t' eye all t' way down. Aye aye! Finally t' elastic shock cord is tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™® cord and t' t' nose cone with a drop o' CA glue on all t' knots.

Even though t' rocket is essentially complete, thar be another assembly job t' tackle. Parts for an 18mm motor adapter are included with t' Magnum Hornet, and t' assembly steps are part o' t' instructions. Blimey! T' adapter is a little different from a standard engine mount in that thar are three centerin' rings, one o' which has a gap cut in it t' accommodate t' motor hook. Blimey! Two o' t' centerin' rings are glued flush with each end o' t' motor tube with t' third in t' middle. In essence this creates an 18mm motor mount which loads up like a 24mm x 2.75" engine.

Finishing:
Finishin' t' Magnum Hornet is fairly simple. My standard routine involves layin' down nice smooth fillets along t' fin and launch lug joints usin' Elmer's Wood Filler and then sealin' t' balsa fins and nose cone with one or two coats o' wood filler thinned down with water. Ahoy! Avast! When I'm happy with t' surface, I start with two coats o' primer followed by two coats o' gloss enamel paint, ya bilge rat, workin' down t' 400 grit sandpaper in betwixt coats. Begad! T' Magnum Hornet gets a yellow base coat on t' rocket, then one fin and t' nose cone get gloss black. Begad! Arrr! T' decals included with t' kit are first rate and do nay require any special treatment. Aye aye! Aye aye! I had no trouble applyin' them. Arrr! Ahoy! They laid down well and looked great after they had set. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I did apply a coat o' Future Floor Polish t' t' finished rocket t' give it a little extra shine, arrr, shiver me timbers, and I am very happy with t' way this particular rocket turned out.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Obviously with a 24mm motor mount and a finished weight o' 2 ounces or less, shiver me timbers, this is a screamer o' a rocket. Well, blow me down! Includin' a motor adapter with this kit is a stroke o' genius since it allows you t' fly t' Magnum Hornet in just about any type o' weather on any size field. Avast, me proud beauty! I have flown me Magnum Hornet on a B motor in a small schoolyard, a C motor on windy days, and a D motor on t' sod farm. It flies fast and straight every time, and keeps comin' back for more. Blimey! It could easily handle composite E motors if you had t' room and t' courage.

Recovery:
T' Magnum Hornet comes with an unassembled 12" Chute Pak. I'm afraid I must take away cool points here because when I dumped out me parts t' chute was red and yellow, which just doesn't sit right with me idea o' a yellow and black rocket, I mean style counts after all (say what you want but you can stuff a big motor in an ugly rocket and it still comes back ugly...) What puzzled me t' most was that I know Semroc produces a nice black & yellow chute pack... Blimey! It just didn't make sense. Begad! Luckily I needed t' order some stuff from Semroc anyhow (probably their plan all along) and with me black and yellow Semroc chute in hand, all was right with t' world. Begad! Aye aye! T' 12" chute is about right for this bird, me hearties, arrr, although I have swapped it out for a 9" chute on windy days. Well, matey, blow me down! I also added a small Nomex heat shield t' protect t' chute in place o' wadding. In all cases so far, ya bilge rat, I've had no issues with deployment or recovery and t' Magnum Hornet has come through without a scratch.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Classic 4FNC rocket with a great look, me hearties, simple construction, and an awesome range o' flyin' potential with t' included motor adapter. Avast! Ahoy! This is a well thought out design, me hearties, and Semroc has fielded another winner with this addition t' their "Retro-Repro" fleet.

CONs: Keelhaul®©™ shock cord is too short for me taste, and what's up with t' red and yellow chute?!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5