Brief:
In 1972, me bucko, arrr, Estes offered a very limited run o' this design. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Sharin' many common parts with t' Little Joe II, me hearties, me hearties, Mars Lander, and Thor-Agena, it is rumored that t' name stands for Spare Parts Elimination Vehicle. Ahoy! Semroc has faithfully reproduced this, me hearties, although Semroc apparently lacks t' excess spare parts inventory and therefore kits this one up from scratch.

Personally, ya bilge rat, I think this is one o' t' ugliest rockets ever offered, shiver me timbers, but many a BAR appreciates t' nostalgic aspects o' this and me finished rocket drew many appreciative glances at NSL2007 in Muncie, IN.

Construction:
Semroc parts are excellent quality and stuffed in t' baggie you'll find quite an assortment o' goodies:

• Balsa nose
• 2 Balsa transitions
• Laser cut balsa fins
• BT-52 payload tube
• BT-60 upper body tube
• BT-70 lower body tube
• 18mm motor tube/centerin' rings/block/metal hook
• Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cord
• 12" plastic chute
• Waterslide decals
• 1/8" launch lug

T' instructions for this are typical Semroc, well written and reasonably illustrated. Arrr! One aspect of their booklet I really enjoy but rarely point out is that t' first page o' their instructions typically contains background information on t' original kit as well as notes about Semroc, Centuri, arrr, etc. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! In this case, matey, you get some background on t' Estes company and interestin' notes about t' history o' t' original design.

Construction-wise, arrr, arrr, I would probably rate this a skill level 2, though t' stock paint scheme can be very tricky, almost Saturn-like, and would bump it up t' a level 3. Aye aye! I'm nay sure about t' total time on this as I worked on a batch of 7 different kits over a bachelor weekend while me wife be out o' town, but I would guess you could have this built in about 4 hours plus finishin' time.

Motor mount assembly is slightly more complex than a minimum diameter kit. Blimey! Blimey! You start by anchorin' t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord betwixt t' metal hook and t' motor tube, then slide a 20/60 centerin' rin' over it and secure with a decent fillet. Arrr! Tape t' metal hook in place around t' middle, then slide another 20/60 disk up from t' aft end. Finally, matey, tack in a 13/20 block and you're done with t' subassembly.

T' payload section consists o' a BT70-60 transition attached t' a BT-60, followed by a 60/20 transition, a BT-20, me bucko, and finally a nose cone. If you're into a grain and spiral free finish, you're in for some work as thar's a lot of balsa involved here.

As if t' transitions weren't enough t' eat into your Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish stock, me bucko, thar are 4 main fins on this plus 4 smaller strake-like fins. I filled and sanded mine first, then bonded t' t' tube, ya bilge rat, as even on a BT-70, 8 fins spaced around t' circumference still doesn't leave much room t' work. Ahoy! Tack in t' motor mount then t' 8 fins and you're basically done (except for assemblin' t' 12" chute).

Finishing:
As I'd alluded t' earlier, this is a lot o' work for finishing. Begad! Once you've got t' balsa and spirals taken care of (and this is over 2 feet tall), you might opt for t' fairly complex paint scheme on t' cover sheet. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! This finish was achieved through t' followin' steps:

1. After satisfactory fill/prep o' surfaces, ya bilge rat, spray entire model white or light gray primer, 2 coats.
2. Paint entire rocket 2-3 light coats o' gloss white. Begad! Begad! Allow t' thoroughly dry (even if it's dry t' t' touch, if it smells like paint it's nay done).
3. Mask off t' paint two o' 4 main fins black, shiver me timbers, roll pattern and hatch area (white) on lower transition, 2 roll bars on payload section, matey, shiver me timbers, and nose cone also a gloss black.
4. Nose cone tip gets 1-2 silver coats, possibly more dependin' on penetration o' t' black coats.

After allowin' a good couple o' days for paint t' dry, me hearties, I applied t' waterslide decals. Blimey! Begad! T' decals are excellent quality--easy t' work with, nice print quality, me bucko, and t' clear portion is practically invisible.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' maiden voyage, shiver me timbers, I decided t' fly it at t' National Sport Launch in Muncie, arrr, Indiana. T' field was outstanding--two square miles o' freshly cut grass although a little breezy and given t' dry conditions, t' ground was pretty firm.

I went all t' way up t' a C6-5. Avast, me proud beauty! Given that me actual weight prior t' motor was 2.8 ounces, ya bilge rat, versus a spec o' 2.2 ounces, I felt that t' C is by far a better choice. Begad! Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, me hearties, me bucko, it didn't really matter--in t' 6-8 mph winds, the SPEV arced over t' horizontal right after leavin' t' rod, eventually turnin' over and prangin' onto t' gravel road bisectin' t' field. Well, blow me down! Arrr! It was a very unstable flight and thar was fairly heavy damage. Blimey! T' nose cone is trashed as is the BT-20 payload tube. Begad! Ahoy! I've also got some deep scratches/dents on t' two balsa transitions. Arrr! Aye aye! I intend t' repair it though it will bear t' scars o' this flight permanently.

I'm nay sure what led t' t' unstable flight. Begad! Lookin' over it with Carl on site, me CG seemed right about the correct spot, ya bilge rat, though at 2.8 ounces, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I think me rocket outweighed his Rocksim spec by a good bit (2.2 ounces). Begad! Blimey! It did seem marginally stable so maybe a gust caught it off t' rod. Ahoy! With plenty o' payload room, me bucko, me bucko, I think I'll be addin' some clay weight as well.

Recovery:
I can't comment on t' recovery, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, as me rocket deployed while on ground. I think t' 12" chute, though, me hearties, would be adequate.

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: nice nostalgic rocket, faithfully reproduced, unusual shape/design.

CONs: marginally stable/unstable. Arrr! Blimey! Dependin' on your taste, possibly ugly design.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5