Brief:
I think t' Apollo Little Joe 2 is probably me favorite rocket o' all time. Begad! I am nay sure why but I liked t' appearance o' it back in t' late '60s when I purchased me first Estes kit durin' me high school days. Arrr! I think it be t' Apollo capsule and launch escape system (LES) parked on top o' a stubby, brute force rocket o' very basic design. T' actual vehicle was a conglomeration o' solid motors assembled in an airframe for acceleratin' t' Apollo/LES combo t' simulate actual Saturn flight conditions for testin' t' LES. Arrr! Begad! And personally I like t' early clean versions o' t' rocket better than t' later much more elaborate versions. Well, blow me down! I recently built t' Semroc small version and decided it was time t' pull out t' large scale kit that I had purchased from Sheri a few months back but hadn't started yet. Arrr! This kit is definitely a test o' a modeler's buildin' skills and that was part o' me reason for puttin' off buildin' it. But it looked t' be a great scale model and impressive flyin' model o' t' Little Joe.

Construction:
T' rocket came from Sheri in a cardboard box. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This kit has a large tube and t' various parts were packed loosely in t' box. Blimey! Blimey! Instructions were a copied multi-page manual with pictures o' t' various phases o' construction. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Parts include:

• Large heavy duty, ya bilge rat, carpet tube type body tube
• 29 mm engine tube
• Plywood engine centerin' rings
• Plywood capsule base disk
• Sheet o' styrene for t' fins and capsule
• Corrugated plastic body tube wrap (2 pieces)
• Plastruct round tubin' for escape tower
• Plastruct small square trim strips
• Large screw eye and lockin' nut
• Wooden dowel for escape tower
• PVC launch lugs
• Wooden launch lug standoffs
• Small wooden dowel for capsule tip

Lookin' through t' box o' parts me first impression be this was goin' t' be a significant construction task, arrr, probably more than I had assumed when I purchased t' kit but still manageable. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Everythin' involved in construction be goin' t' require building, thar were really no pre-made or molded parts other than t' corrugated wrap and launch lugs. Well, blow me down! I also immediately noted t' body tube which appeared similar t' t' tubin' you see used for carpet rolls. T' tube had a deep spiral groove, t' surface was fuzzy and very rough, arrr, and t' tube be very heavy which could be considered as much a plus as a minus. Blimey! I suppose I be rather unimpressed by this and realized this tube was goin' t' take some real work t' obtain a smooth surface finish. Avast, me proud beauty! I actually put off buildin' this model for some months after openin' it once I discovered this durin' me initial inspection.

My first step be t' assemble t' engine mount. Aye aye! T' kit includes a length o' 29mm tube for t' engine. T' tube was longer than I felt necessary so I cut it down t' about 12 inches in length. I then epoxied t' plywood centerin' rings about an inch from each end. Arrr! After these had cured, shiver me timbers, I drilled a small hole in t' forward centerin' rin' and installed t' screw eye and nut for t' recovery system epoxyin' t' nut after threadin' it on t' prevent t' possibility it would come loose in t' future. Aye aye! I also attached a 15 inch long piece o' braided wire cable I had bought at t' hardware store for attachin' t' recovery system later. I used a wire crimp t' secure t' braided wire through t' screw eye.

Next up was cuttin' t' main rocket body tube piece from t' cardboard tube. Ahoy! T' cardboard tube was a single piece and t' body tube and nose cone coupler need t' be cut from it. Begad! Aye aye! Because o' t' thickness o' t' tube t' cuttin' be somewhat difficult. A saw be recommended, arrr, but I simply used a heavy duty X-Acto knife with a fresh blade. Aye aye! It took a number o' rotations around t' tube with t' knife but I managed a good clean cut. Ahoy! I then epoxied t' engine mount into t' tube so that t' engine tube be flush with t' aft end o' t' body tube. Aye aye! Avast! I finished by applyin' epoxy fillets around t' aft centerin' ring.

When this was completed I marked off roughly where t' forward edge o' t' corrugated plastic wrap would come t' on t' body tube. Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I performed me finishin' on t' body tube only t' a point slightly below where t' corrugated wrap would end which saved a significant amount o' work finishin' t' tube. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! I filled t' very deep and wide spiral groove with Elmer's squeeze putty and sanded it smooth after it had hardened. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I then applied two coats o' Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish mixed in water t' seal t' tube. Begad! Betwixt each coat I sanded t' rough tube t' a smooth finish. I followed this up with two coats o' Coverite balsa prep sandin' betwixt coats. Begad! Finally I painted t' tube with three coats o' Rustoleum gray auto primer sandin' betwixt coats. This completed t' tube prep and I had a fairly good smooth finish on t' upper portion o' t' tube.

Next up be applyin' t' corrugated plastic wrap t' t' body. Begad! Because o' t' large diameter o' t' body tube, t' wrap comes in two pieces. Ya scallywag! They need t' be joined with a thin strip o' plastic that is supplied with t' kit. It is a fairly simple task which I performed on me extremely flat kitchen counter. Begad! I used Tenex liquid plastic cement and applied a coatin' t' both sides o' t' corrugated wraps and then t' t' plastic couplin' strip. Ya scallywag! This does need t' be done very smartly since t' liquid glue evaporates rapidly. Aye aye! Avast! T' slightly soft plastic strip is lapped across t' two corrugated wraps t' join them. Blimey! Begad! This worked very well and once t' glue had cured, t' corrugated wrap was a single piece. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' next step t' prepare for gluin' t' wrap t' t' tube be t' tightly wrap it around t' tube and mark where t' joint will be. Blimey! T' corrugated wrap is then cut lengthwise t' make it t' correct diameter for t' body tube. Begad! This is fairly simple since t' corrugations provide a perfect markin' line for t' cut. Sheri recommends attachin' t' wrap t' t' body tube with CA glue. Blimey! I decided, matey, based on doin' plastic wraps previously, t' use spray contact cement. I masked off t' forward end o' t' body tube with paper t' protect it from contact cement overspray and sprayed t' cement onto t' lower tube. Ahoy! I then sprayed t' cement onto t' back o' t' corrugated wrap. I had also penciled a lengthwise line on t' body tube t' line up t' wrap with prior t' sprayin' t' contact cement on. I very carefully lined up one edge o' t' wrap t' this line and workin' from that edge around tightly pressed t' wrap onto t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! This needs t' be done very carefully t' get t' correct alignment and because bucklin' or misalignment o' t' wrap would be very difficult if nay impossible t' fix. Begad! Begad! After t' wrap is on t' body tube I carefully glued down all t' edges with medium thick CA glue. T' final step is t' use CA glue t' attach some small strips o' square plastruct around t' top and bottom edge o' t' wrap. This provides a nice clean edge for t' wrap.

In parallel with t' body tube prep, shiver me timbers, I had also started workin' on t' fins. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' fins are built up usin' 0.030 inch thick styrene. Ahoy! I cut t' fin template from t' instruction sheet and penciled t' template onto t' styrene for all eight fins. Sheri recommended that a knife be used t' scribe t' styrene and then breakin' t' fins from t' styrene. Aye aye! Blimey! I found that a good pair o' scissors worked fine and cut all me templates and strips from t' styrene with t' scissors. Aye aye! After t' fin panels are cut, shiver me timbers, it be necessary t' cut some strips o' styrene 1/4 inch wide. These are used for t' fin edges. Blimey! T' inboard side and bottom are made from t' strip while t' tip edge needs t' be cut t' a triangular shape. With all t' parts cut I glued t' fins together with Tenex liquid plastic glue, which was nay too difficult t' use. Arrr! Begad! T' Tenex literally melts t' plastic together which provides a relatively strong joint when completed. Well, blow me down! After readin' Andrew Connor's review I purchased some foam spray insulation at t' hardware and filled t' fins with t' foam. Avast! If you do this one thin' t' note is that I probably only got one fin completely filled with t' foam, matey, t' others were partially filled, me bucko, me hearties, but it still made all o' t' fins much more solid and I would recommend it. Finally, me hearties, I sanded down all t' edges on t' fins t' get a smooth joint.

It be now time t' attach t' fins t' t' tube. Ahoy! I attached t' fins with 12 minute epoxy and once t' epoxy cured, arrr, me hearties, I filleted t' joint with medium CA glue. This provided a fairly strong joint and hopefully t' landings won't break t' fins off. Aye aye! If they do, it should be fairly easy t' glue them back on. Aye aye! T' final step for t' fuselage be t' glue t' launch lugs on usin' t' small spruce standoffs. Ahoy! Begad! I attached them with medium CA glue and then filleted t' joints with 12 minute epoxy.

T' boiler plate Apollo capsule be t' next step in t' build. This is a completely do it yourself build, meanin' no molded parts. It is nay for t' light hearted or craftsmanship challenged. It starts with construction o' t' capsule. Blimey! T' capsule cone is cut from t' 0.030 inch thick styrene usin' t' template. Avast! After cuttin' it a rectangular joiner strip is also cut from t' styrene. Well, me hearties, blow me down! I then took t' capsule piece and did a bit o' "shaping" by forcin' it into t' cone shape and carefully bendin' in some o' t' shape. Ahoy! Ahoy! After doin' this I glued t' joiner strip down one side with t' Tenex glue. Once this had cured sufficiently, matey, I applied t' Tenex t' t' joiner strip and t' opposite side o' t' capsule. Arrr! I smartly joined t' edges and clamped them with some small clamps I have. Begad! Ya scallywag! As t' glue started curing, me bucko, ya bilge rat, arrr, I pressed t' edges o' t' joint as flush as possible t' get a good even joint. After t' glue cured I had a nice strong joint with only a minor lip and gap. Avast! I sanded down t' joint t' get a flush surface across t' joint and then usin' Aves epoxy putty I filled t' small gaps. Aye aye! When this had hardened I sanded t' joint smooth and ended up with a very good smooth joint, barely visible t' t' eye. T' form t' tip o' t' capsule Sheri provides a small dowel about a half inch in diameter. I carved it t' t' triangular point and sanded it down t' t' final shape. Arrr! Blimey! After completin' this I installed it in t' hole in t' nose o' t' capsule tip usin' more o' t' Aves epoxy putty. Well, blow me down! When t' putty had cured I strengthened t' internal joint betwixt t' styrene and dowel with a liberal dowsin' o' CA medium glue. Aye aye! For t' outer joint where t' dowel met t' styrene, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I sanded down t' epoxy t' dowel joint and ended with a fairly smooth joint.

T' tower was next and was a significant scratch build as well. Begad! Well, blow me down! Sheri provides pieces o' styrene rods for t' tower structure. Arrr! Arrr! There were two templates provided for buildin' t' tower. I glued one o' them down on a piece o' thick cardboard for pinnin' t' struts t' as I built. Well, blow me down! I cut t' plastic rod t' t' sizes o' t' strut pieces and pinned t' two length wise sides into place. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I then cut t' braces and glued each into place with t' Tenex glue. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I continued this process for t' entire quarter panel. Ahoy! Arrr! Sheri's directions said t' use t' sheet styrene for t' very bottom strut but I did mine usin' t' rod. Arrr! On this original Little Joe she modeled it may have been sheet metal but I went with t' rod as was used in later versions. Ahoy! I had also noted prior t' t' build that t' LES tower be much different in configuration then later Little Joes and t' final LES tower. Avast! I also believe that this first LJ2 be strictly t' test flight worthiness and did nay fire t' LES rocket so t' LES rocket nozzles were also missing. Begad! Blimey! I built t' two halves o' t' tower this way and then prepared t' join them. Begad! I cut t' individual tower rods and while holdin' t' tower in place glued a two o' t' horizontal pieces at t' top and bottom into place on each side usin' CA glue. Avast, me proud beauty! Once t' tower structure be solid after doin' this, I started cuttin' and gluin' t' various struts into place. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! My method o' doin' this be t' first attach t' strut and lock it into place with CA glue and then t' go back and saturate t' joint with t' Tenex styrene bonder. Well, blow me down! T' Tenex also helps in actually causin' t' styrene t' "melt" and flow across t' joint for a nice flush joint as well as very strong joint. Ahoy! Aye aye! This basically completed t' tower.

Next up was buildin' t' escape rocket itself. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! A hardwood dowel cut t' t' correct length is included with t' kit. Ya scallywag! T' directions are t' carve or cut as necessary one end t' t' shape o' t' LES rocket. I was a bit reluctant thinkin' I might make a mess and destroy t' dowel but figured I could always purchase another at t' hardware store. I took me heavy X-Acto knife and after drawin' a line for t' lower end o' t' taper, attacked t' dowel. Begad! Ahoy! I basically whittled away t' dowel t' obtain t' same general shape as t' actual LES rocket tip. Avast! O' course carvin' alone did nay give me what I needed but I managed t' get close enough that with a lot o' elbow grease and sandpaper I actually ended up with a very good tip on t' dowel. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Once this is complete, a disc is cut from t' styrene usin' t' template for t' base o' t' LES rocket. I then epoxied t' dowel centered onto t' styrene disc. Begad! T' aft tapered shroud on t' escape rocket is then cut from styrene usin' t' template. Blimey! I glued t' shroud together with a small tab o' t' thin' styrene and then fit checked in on t' escape rocket. Begad! Arrr! It fit almost perfectly and after a minor bit o' sandin' I glued it t' t' disc with t' Tenex glue and t' t' dowel with medium CA glue. There are also four structural square beams simulated on t' LES rocket tail cone usin' t' square styrene included with t' kit. I was actually rather pleasantly surprised that it all turned out so well. T' finish up t' LES rocket I gave it three coats o' Rustoleum primer and sanded betwixt each coat t' fill t' wood and joints. Begad! Avast! It looked pretty good when I completed it.

I returned t' t' tower after this and did a bit o' sandin' and gluin' at t' various structural joints t' clean it up. Well, blow me down! I then placed it on t' LES rocket base and marked t' strut locations while centerin' it. Ya scallywag! I then drilled small holes matchin' t' diameter o' t' tower struts at each marking. Avast! Next up was carefully locatin' t' tower struts into these holes and while makin' sure everythin' was level and aligned, I used medium CA t' permanently attach t' tower t' t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! T' assembly turned out t' be good and strong. Ya scallywag! At this point I decided since t' tower and LES rocket are white and t' rest o' t' LJ2 is aluminum I would first paint both before attachin' t' tower t' t' capsule.

A coupler is needed t' mate t' capsule t' t' body. Arrr! Blimey! There be nay a pre-made coupler included so this required buildin' as well. Avast! Blimey! I have done this with regular type tubes in t' past but this one be a bit more difficult. Sheri's directions build one from a two-inch length o' body tube which is what I did. Arrr! Blimey! I first cut t' piece from t' remainin' body tube. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I then sliced it vertically so it could fold on itself. It was then inserted into t' body tube and marked so that it could be cut t' match t' inner diameter o' t' body tube. After this is completed, it is joined with a tab cut from t' body tube as well. You then effectively have a self-made stage coupler which is then epoxied t' t' base o' t' capsule.

Once I had completed t' paintin' o' t' capsule and tower, I fitted t' tower t' t' capsule. Sheri provides a template which fairly closely matched t' base o' me tower but I decided t' simply align t' tower on t' capsule and mark where t' struts touched t' capsule. Well, blow me down! After doin' this, I carefully drilled holes in t' capsule for t' struts. Begad! Well, blow me down! I then placed t' tower struts into t' holes and aligned t' tower t' be as vertical as I could determine. With t' tower in position, me bucko, I used medium CA glue again t' permanently glue t' tower into place. Avast! After it be securely held in place, arrr, I carefully filled any gaps in t' tower t' capsule holes with medium CA glue and permanently glued t' capsule into place. Well, blow me down! While this capsule/tower assembly was a tedious and difficult build, shiver me timbers, it actually turned out very nicely and I be rather proud o' me accomplishment.

At this point t' only thin' remainin' be t' install a recovery system. Sheri did nay include anythin' in this department so I purchased 12 feet o' tubular nylon cord so that I could prevent any rebound causin' damage t' t' rocket, arrr, particularly t' LES tower and t' fins. Arrr! I also used a 60-inch cloth chute from another kit and will purchase a dedicated chute later.

Finishing:
I wrote a bit about finishin' this model in t' construction section. I will therefore highlight some o' me specific thoughts. Begad! Blimey! First off be finishin' t' body tube. It had an extremely rough and porous surface as well as a deep spiral groove. I filled t' groove first with Elmer's putty and then put a couple o' coats o' water diluted Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish on it. Begad! Blimey! After this and a good sanding, arrr, I applied two coats o' Topflite balsa finisher. I also only performed this process on t' upper section o' t' tube that t' wrap did nay cover t' minimize t' work. Overall it produced a reasonably good surface although nay perfect. Blimey! Blimey! T' remainder o' t' rocket be made o' t' styrene sheet material that required no paintin' prep. Aye aye! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' hardwood LES rocket be given a couple o' coats o' Rustoleum gray primer and sandin' betwixt coats produced a sealed surface for painting. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I painted t' overall rocket with Kyrlon flat aluminum paint and t' LES rocket and tower with Krylon white. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' tower was attached after paintin' since paintin' t' cone and tower as one piece would have been basically impossible.

T' decals were next. Sheri provided t' United States letterin' for t' side o' t' rocket as decals. Begad! Aye aye! These were fairly simple t' apply although when dryin' one off, it came free o' t' rocket and was destroyed. Sheri kindly sent a replacement. Avast, me proud beauty! I used decal solution t' get t' decals t' conform better t' t' corrugations on body wrap. T' block patterns on t' forward end o' t' rocket came as very thin stick-ons. Well, blow me down! I did nay really want t' use these as I was concerned as they aged they would start t' peel. Ahoy! I therefore used t' stick-on blocks t' layout t' pattern on t' rocket and then masked and painted t' block patterns usin' Krylon black paint. Ahoy! Overall t' paint scheme was duplicated and I be very pleased with t' results.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' engine mount is a 29mm diameter so it limits t' selection o' engines and bein' a rather heavy rocket a minimum o' a medium power G should be used. Arrr! Sheri recommends t' single use Aerotech G40-4 engine for flyin' t' LJ2. Well, blow me down! Begad! I could have bought one o' these but had in stock an Aerotech RMS G64-4W. Avast, me proud beauty! Also t' G64 costs less t' fly and has 12 Ns greater impulse than t' G40. Ahoy! I flew t' LJ2 for t' first time at t' 2008 Bunnell Blast in Florida. Nay havin' an engine lockin' system installed, I wrapped maskin' tape around t' engine for a tight fit and then also threaded a screw into t' wooden centerin' rin' next t' t' engine tube with t' lip o' t' screw over t' notch in t' reload casing. Aye aye! I didn't want t' have a possible misfire, which in t' past I frequently had usin' Copperhead igniters, me bucko, ya bilge rat, so I used a small electric match t' light t' engine. Aye aye! I packed a 60" chute from me PML Black Brant as Sheri recommended and used a Nomex cloth parachute protector t' protect t' chute from t' ejection charge. Ahoy! T' rocket flew off a quarter inch rod about four feet long. Well, blow me down! T' wind was blowin' about 5 mph at liftoff and t' rocket weather cocked slightly into t' wind at about a 20 degree angle off vertical but flew t' about 250 feet. It descended a bit more than I liked prior t' t' ejection charge goin' off, a bit typical o' AeroTech engines, ya bilge rat, me hearties, but t' chute then popped and blossomed immediately. Aye aye! It floated gently t' t' ground with one fin joint fracturin' at touch down. I will fly it again and probably use t' same engine. Begad! Avast! T' engine mount tube is long enough that I might consider a longer reloadable 29mm engine in t' future as well.

Recovery:
As noted previously I used a 60-inch parachute from me PML Black Brant. I plan on buyin' a 60-inch chute t' permanently assign t' t' LJ2 in t' future. Begad! Sheri did nay include a chute or shock line system so I also installed a 12 foot length o' LOC tubular nylon cord for t' shock cord system which I tied t' t' braided wire I had previously installed in t' rocket. Durin' t' flight, t' shock system worked perfectly and t' chute blossomed almost immediately after deployment. T' rocket is a bit on t' heavy side weighin' over 2.5 pounds for flight and t' 60-inch chute worked perfectly.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
While bein' a bit let down upon me initial look at this kit when I opened t' box and saw t' parts, I ended up quite happy with t' finished rocket. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! It be a true builders rocket as you can tell from t' article. Avast! About t' only pre-made part was t' corrugated wrap and that required a bit o' work as well. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! I personally actually like rockets like this as I enjoy buildin' probably more than flying. Ahoy! I did spend a good amount o' time buildin' this rocket but t' finished bird was well worth it. Begad! I got a few nice compliments at t' launch site and had a good first flight. Begad! Avast! I think t' big thin' now is I hope I never get a bad flight and crash it, nay because o' t' cost involved in cash but because o' t' time involved in building.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5