Brief:
This is a basic 4-fin and nose cone rocket with a fair amount o' nostalgia mixed in for good measure. This is one o' Semroc's "retro repro" series, me hearties, which is a modern reproduction o' an out-of-production classic. Begad! In this case, t' Magnum Sprint is a reproduction o' a Centuri design from 1982 just before they were folded in with Estes under t' Damon ownership model. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Accordin' t' t' header card background info, t' modern version upgraded t' laser-cut fins and features a balsa nose cone rather than plastic, me bucko, replaces t' streamer with a chute, and upgrades t' recovery system from rubber cord t' combination o' Keelhaul®©™ and elastic.

While t' 24mm motor selection would normally send this t' some altitudes requirin' large recovery zones, me bucko, this kit also features an 18mm adapter which enables flights down t' A's, so it could even be a soccer field flier.

Construction:
T' kit features typically excellent Semroc quality parts, arrr, including:

• BNC55AC balsa nose cone (Cherokee D style), screw eye anchor
• BT-55 main body tube
• 3/32" laser cut balsa fins (4)
• 24mm motor tube
• 50/55 thin cardboard centerin' rings
• 20/50 thick centerin' ring/motor block
• Waterslide decals
• 12" plastic chute
• Keelhaul®©™/elastic shock cord
• 18mm adapter kit (18mm tube, metal hook, centerin' rings, motor block)

As with t' Magnum Hornet, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, this kit features t' modified Semroc instruction format--a single color sheet for header and exploded parts view (front/back) and a couple 8.5" x 11" black and white pages with computer-rendered illustrations. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' sheets are 3-hole punched on one side so that they can be stashed in a notebook for reference or even while building.

Overall, this is a pretty simple build, probably a 1 on t' 5-point difficulty scale. Construction can likely be done in no more than 1-2 hours plus finishing--I think I spent about an hour and a half workin' on this and t' Hornet together, me bucko, plus surface prep/paint/decals.

Startin' with t' motor mount, matey, me hearties, it's a standard style construction with a metal motor hook and a pair o' centerin' rings. Before puttin' on t' forward centerin' ring, be sure t' loop t' Keelhaul®©™shock cord around t' motor tube or tip o' t' hook t' serve as an anchor. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! A thick wound paper 20/50 centerin' rin' serves as t' motor block reinforcement.

Fins are surface mounted and are slightly forward swept, so pay careful attention t' identify t' root and trailin' edges (it's clearly illustrated but nay quite as intuitively obvious as some other designs). Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I scuffed off t' gloss o' t' body tubes then tacked on t' fins usin' CA, followed by wood glue fillets. Blimey! Blimey! Tack on t' launch lug and bond t' nose cone screw eye, and construction is basically done on t' rocket.

T' 18mm motor adapter is a slick little module that belongs in your range box and nay necessarily mated up with this model all t' time. Arrr! It consists o' a standard 18mm motor tube metal engine hook and centerin' rings. Begad! T' aft centerin' rin' has a section removed so that you can mount it at t' very aft end and still lift t' hook t' remove t' motor. Aye aye! Blimey! T' spacin' o' t' centerin' rings allows t' completed assembly t' lock in place inside a regular D-sized 24mm motor mount.

Finishing:
Finishin' is a breeze on this--no maskin' involved if you do it right. Aye aye! I prepped t' tube by fillin' spirals with a little diluted putty, then brushed on thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish t' fill t' balsa grains on t' fins. After a couple coats o' primer, I followed up with two coats o' Rustoleum gloss white. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' nose cone got a finish coat o' gloss red.

T' waterslide decals provide t' finishin' touches and make for a really sharp lookin' finish. Ya scallywag! I applied a couple thin applications o' Future acrylic polish for a nice durable gloss finish.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I had an opportunity t' test t' flexibility o' motor choices. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! After bein' rained out three straight weekends, shiver me timbers, I slipped out early one Saturday mornin' with beautifully clear skies. Avast! But at 8:00am, t' winds were already blowin' at 15 on their way t' 20 mph. Aye aye! Avast! T' soccer teams were startin' t' arrive, matey, wipin' out half t' recovery drift range. Ahoy! Arrr! I put t' D12-7 back in t' range box, pulled out t' 18mm motor adapter supplied with t' kit, and loaded up a B6-4. Aye aye! Sure, arrr, it was a wimpy choice, but I wanted t' make sure I got this one back without bein' trampled on.

T' flight be pretty low, arrr, shiver me timbers, barely hittin' 100-150 feet. Ahoy! So low in fact, ya bilge rat, that I'd question whether or nay an A is even a decent idea. Arrr! Trajectory was straight up, matey, nay even weathercocking, and t' 4 second delay proved t' be perfect.

Recovery:
T' chute deployed fine, arrr, although in those winds t' whole rocket was really gettin' knocked around and blown downwind in a hurry. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Within a few short seconds, it had cleared t' first soccer field (thankfully empty) and wound up landin' about 120 yards downwind. Arrr! No damage, arrr, perfect flight, me bucko, and on a calmer day it will go back up on at least a full C, ya bilge rat, me hearties, shiver me timbers, if nay t' D12...

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Good value, great flexibility, and can practically call your own shot in terms o' altitude. Begad! Come t' think o' it, shiver me timbers, NARAM has a random altitude event this year...

CONs: None. This is a fine rocket though I can't sprin' for a full 5/perfect ratin' for somethin' that is, after all, ya bilge rat, me bucko, still a basic 4FNC design.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5