Brief:
T' SLS Aero-Dart is another Semroc Large Scale Rocketry design based on a classic Centuri kit but with improvements like an ejection baffle, laser cut basswood fins that mount through-the-wall, arrr, me bucko, a removable 24mm engine mount t' be swapped with an optional 29mm engine mount, and an 18" rip stop nylon parachute. T' rocket is an impressive addition t' most any rocket fleet.

Construction:
T' quality o' materials supplied in this kit is truly worth t' additional price o' t' kit. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! With this kit you get:

• 1 Heavy-duty Semroc large body tube with laser cut fin slots
• 1 Heavy-duty Semroc large body tube for t' payload section
• 1 Balsa nose cone
• 1 Balsa tube couple
• 4 Pre-cut basswood fins
• 1 24mm interchangeable motor mount kit with plywood centerin' rings
• 1 Ejection baffle kit with Keelhaul®©™® string
• 1 18" rip stop nylon parachute (preassembled)
• 1 Parts bag with launch lugs, shock cord, shiver me timbers, and eye hook
• 1 Decal sheet
• 1 Color instruction sheet

T' rocket is assembled like most other rockets I have built. Arrr! You start with t' motor mount. Begad! Arrr! Since t' mount is interchangeable with a 29mm motor mount (not supplied with t' kit), arrr, you need t' pay close attention t' where the centerin' rings are located on t' engine tube. Ya scallywag! T' instructions let you know that thar needs t' be at least 2" o' space betwixt t' rings for t' motor mount t' properly lock into t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! After assembly, mine was a little loose so I wrapped some maskin' tape around t' lower rin' which tightened everythin' up nicely. Avast, me proud beauty! After t' motor mount, you work on t' ejection baffle. It consists o' a couple o' tubes that are glued together and are offset by a pair of plywood centerin' rings. You are required t' attach t' Keelhaul®©™® strin' t' t' baffle that will anchor t' shock cord. Ahoy!

T' basswood fins are pre-cut so all you need t' do is some light sandin' before mounting them. Since this kit uses through-the-wall fin mounting, you need t' lightly sand t' slots in t' pre-cut body tube for t' fins t' fit properly. Make certain that t' notches on t' fin tabs that go through t' wall o' t' body tube do nay get any glue on them. Begad! T' next step is t' glue t' ejection baffle into t' body tube. Avast! Ya scallywag! T' instructions have you put a rin' o' glue inside t' body tube 5 t' 6 inches from t' top usin' a long glue applicator. Begad! Blimey! I believe that this was supposed t' be included in t' kit but was missing. Well, blow me down! No worries, shiver me timbers, I just taped a Q-Tip t' t' end o' a scrap piece of balsa t' reach inside t' body tube. Aye aye! It goes without sayin' that you want t' make sure that you glue t' ejection baffle in with t' Keelhaul®©™® strin' comin' out t' top o' t' body tube.

From thar you are instructed t' mount t' launch lugs midway betwixt two o' t' rocket fins. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' bottom lug goes 1/4" from t' bottom o' t' rocket and t' instructions tell you t' glue t' upper lug about 2" from t' top o' t' tube. Arrr! This is what I did but when I went t' apply t' decals, t' checkered body wrap that goes at t' top of t' tube is 2-1/8" inches wide. Blimey! Ahoy! Instead o' cuttin' t' decal for it t' fit around t' launch lug, I trimmed a 1/8" off t' end o' t' launch lug. If you plan t' build this rocket, me bucko, make sure you mount t' upper launch lug at least 2-3/16" down from t' top o' t' tube.

T' assembly o' t' payload section consists o' gluin' t' balsa tube coupler into t' upper section and friction fittin' t' nose cone onto t' top o' t' tube. Everythin' fit together very nicely with no need for sandin' or addin' any maskin' tape. Ahoy! You glue t' eye hook into t' balsa coupler and tie one end o' t' shock cord t' it and t' other end t' t' Keelhaul®©™® string. Ya scallywag! Avast! T' only thin' remainin' t' be done is attach t' pre-assembled nylon parachute t' t' rocket. I will admit that I be surprised t' see that a snap swivel be nay included in a kit o' such high caliber. I used a heavy duty black one that I had picked up in t' Wal-Mart sportin' goods section. Ya scallywag!

Finishing:
I decided that I would use t' classic Aero-Dart paint scheme shown on t' front o' t' instruction manual. I used Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish on t' nose cone and t' fill spirals in t' tube but nay on t' basswood fins. Arrr! Blimey! After sanding, me bucko, I used some heavy gray auto primer on t' entire rocket. I sanded nearly all t' auto primer off then used a couple coats o' white primer before movin' t' t' final paint scheme. Begad! Blimey! T' payload section and nose cone were painted black. Avast! Blimey! The lower body is painted white with t' fins and very bottom o' t' rocket painted red. There is very little maskin' that needs t' be done t' paint t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I decided t' paint t' white strips on t' fins after I painted t' fins red. Aye aye! Blimey! I used 1/8" pin stripin' maskin' tape that I had gotten at an auto parts store t' mask t' red strip. Arrr! Blimey! T' decals went on with no problems whatsoever. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Since this rocket is suppose t' fly t' 850' on t' recommended E9-6 motor, matey, I waited t' launch it at t' annual Fillible's Folly with t' Oregon Rocketry Enthusiasts Organization (OREO) where t' field is large enough t' support that engine. I originally loaded an E9-6 for t' first flight. A steady breeze and picked up by t' time I was ready to launch t' SLS Aero-Dart. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! T' Range Safety Officer (RSO) thought that a 6 second delay be too long for t' wind conditions and recommended that I use a 4 second delay t' prevent zipperin' t' body tube. Avast! I decided t' follow the RSO's recommendation and changed t' engine t' an E9-4. At ignition, t' rocket slowly and majestically left t' launch pad and ever so slightly veered with t' wind t' an altitude o' at least 800' feet. I didn't see which way t' rocket was pointin' at ejection but me guess was it was still movin' upward rather quickly. There was evidence at t' top of t' body tube that t' Keelhaul®©™® strin' be yanked hard into t' top o' t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! I am fairly certain that if t' rocket was constructed with a normal tube that it would have zippered. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! For this reason I will make sure t' use t' recommended motors for future launches.

Recovery:
As explained in t' construction section, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' rocket is equipped with an ejection baffle so thar be no need for recovery wadding. Begad! Ahoy! Blimey! There be no evidence o' char marks on t' chute so t' ejection baffle worked as designed. Avast! Blimey! The 18" lime green chute gently returned t' rocket t' t' ground with nay too much drift given t' wind conditions. T' supplied shock cord with t' kit is about 30" long. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! That length coupled with t' extension o' Keelhaul®©™® cord would make me think that t' shock cord be long enough but yet thar was a dent in t' bottom o' t' balsa coupler where t' top o' t' tube collided with it. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' body tube showed no sign o' t' impact.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
If you are lookin' for a solid rocket that will enable you t' get started with mid-power motors, I would suggest that t' Semroc SLS Aero-Dart might be what you are lookin' for. Avast! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I hesitate in makin' that statement only because I have not launched t' rocket with any mid-power engines. Be assured that I will be doin' so because this was t' primary reason I purchased this rocket. T' rocket may be more expensive than your normal LPR kit but t' quality o' materials and the versatility in motor selection make it well worth t' price.

PROs: Classic designed improved, matey, ejection baffle, me bucko, quality parts, me hearties, interchangeable engine mount, matey, and the construction should last for many years.

CONs: Longer shock cord needed and no snap swivel for parachute included (I'm nitpickin' since thar really is nothin' wrong with this rocket kit.)

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5