Brief:
I think t' Apollo Little Joe 2 is probably me favorite rocket o' all time. 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I think it be t' Apollo capsule and launch escape system (LES) parked on top o' a stubby, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, brute force rocket o' very basic design. T' actual vehicle be 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! And personally I like t' early clean versions o' t' rocket better than t' later much more elaborate versions. Avast! Ya scallywag! 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. This kit is definitely a test o' a modeler's buildin' skills and that was part o' me reason for puttin' off buildin' it. Avast! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This kit has a large tube and t' various parts were packed loosely in t' box. Aye aye! Instructions were a copied multi-page manual with pictures o' t' various phases o' construction. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Parts include:

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

My first step was t' assemble t' engine mount. Avast! T' kit includes a length o' 29mm tube for t' engine. Aye aye! T' tube be longer than I felt necessary so I cut it down t' about 12 inches in length. Begad! Blimey! I then epoxied t' plywood centerin' rings about an inch from each end. Avast, me proud beauty! After these had cured, 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. Avast! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I used a wire crimp t' secure t' braided wire through t' screw eye.

Next up be cuttin' t' main rocket body tube piece from t' cardboard tube. T' cardboard tube was a single piece and t' body tube and nose cone coupler need t' be cut from it. Begad! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Because o' t' thickness o' t' tube t' cuttin' be somewhat difficult. A saw was recommended, but I simply used a heavy duty X-Acto knife with a fresh blade. Arrr! Ya scallywag! It took a number o' rotations around t' tube with t' knife but I managed a good clean cut. I then epoxied t' engine mount into t' tube so that t' engine tube be flush with t' aft end o' t' body tube. 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. 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. Aye aye! Blimey! I filled t' very deep and wide spiral groove with Elmer's squeeze putty and sanded it smooth after it had hardened. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I then applied two coats o' Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish mixed in water t' seal t' tube. Blimey! Blimey! Betwixt each coat I sanded t' rough tube t' a smooth finish. Aye aye! Blimey! I followed this up with two coats o' Coverite balsa prep sandin' betwixt coats. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! 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 was applyin' t' corrugated plastic wrap t' t' body. Well, blow me down! Because o' t' large diameter o' t' body tube, me hearties, me bucko, me bucko, 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. Begad! Arrr! It is a fairly simple task which I performed on me extremely flat kitchen counter. Ya scallywag! I used Tenex liquid plastic cement and applied a coatin' t' both sides o' t' corrugated wraps and then t' t' plastic couplin' strip. Arrr! Aye aye! This does need t' be done very smartly since t' liquid glue evaporates rapidly. Begad! Avast! T' slightly soft plastic strip is lapped across t' two corrugated wraps t' join them. Begad! This worked very well and once t' glue had cured, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' corrugated wrap be a single piece. Blimey! Begad! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' corrugated wrap is then cut lengthwise t' make it t' correct diameter for t' body tube. Arrr! Well, arrr, blow me down! 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. I decided, based on doin' plastic wraps previously, arrr, t' use spray contact cement. Ahoy! 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. Blimey! I then sprayed t' cement onto t' back o' t' corrugated wrap. Ahoy! 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. Ya scallywag! Begad! After t' wrap is on t' body tube I carefully glued down all t' edges with medium thick CA glue. Arrr! Avast! 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. Begad! This provides a nice clean edge for t' wrap.

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

It was now time t' attach t' fins t' t' tube. Blimey! I attached t' fins with 12 minute epoxy and once t' epoxy cured, me hearties, matey, I filleted t' joint with medium CA glue. Begad! Arrr! This provided a fairly strong joint and hopefully t' landings won't break t' fins off. Ya scallywag! Arrr! If they do, it should be fairly easy t' glue them back on. Avast! Blimey! T' final step for t' fuselage was t' glue t' launch lugs on usin' t' small spruce standoffs. 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. Begad! Blimey! This is a completely do it yourself build, me bucko, ya bilge rat, meanin' no molded parts. It is nay for t' light hearted or craftsmanship challenged. Arrr! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! It starts with construction o' t' capsule. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' capsule cone is cut from t' 0.030 inch thick styrene usin' t' template. Aye aye! Blimey! After cuttin' it a rectangular joiner strip is also cut from t' styrene. Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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. Blimey! Blimey! After doin' this I glued t' joiner strip down one side with t' Tenex glue. Arrr! Blimey! Once this had cured sufficiently, I applied t' Tenex t' t' joiner strip and t' opposite side o' t' capsule. I smartly joined t' edges and clamped them with some small clamps I have. Well, blow me down! Blimey! As t' glue started curing, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I pressed t' edges o' t' joint as flush as possible t' get a good even joint. Begad! Blimey! After t' glue cured I had a nice strong joint with only a minor lip and gap. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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! Blimey! When this had hardened I sanded t' joint smooth and ended up with a very good smooth joint, matey, barely visible t' t' eye. Arrr! Blimey! 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. Avast! Blimey! After completin' this I installed it in t' hole in t' nose o' t' capsule tip usin' more o' t' Aves epoxy putty. Arrr! Blimey! When t' putty had cured I strengthened t' internal joint betwixt t' styrene and dowel with a liberal dowsin' o' CA medium glue. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! For t' outer joint where t' dowel met t' styrene, 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. Aye aye! Sheri provides pieces o' styrene rods for t' tower structure. Avast, me proud beauty! There were two templates provided for buildin' t' tower. Aye aye! Arrr! I glued one o' them down on a piece o' thick cardboard for pinnin' t' struts t' as I built. I cut t' plastic rod t' t' sizes o' t' strut pieces and pinned t' two length wise sides into place. I then cut t' braces and glued each into place with t' Tenex glue. Blimey! Begad! I continued this process for t' entire quarter panel. Begad! Ahoy! Sheri's directions said t' use t' sheet styrene for t' very bottom strut but I did mine usin' t' rod. On this original Little Joe she modeled it may have been sheet metal but I went with t' rod as be used in later versions. Aye aye! I had also noted prior t' t' build that t' LES tower was much different in configuration then later Little Joes and t' final LES tower. I also believe that this first LJ2 was strictly t' test flight worthiness and did nay fire t' LES rocket so t' LES rocket nozzles were also missing. Avast! I built t' two halves o' t' tower this way and then prepared t' join them. Arrr! Well, blow me down! 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 was solid after doin' this, I started cuttin' and gluin' t' various struts into place. Arrr! My method o' doin' this was 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. Ya scallywag! 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. Blimey! This basically completed t' tower.

Next up was buildin' t' escape rocket itself. Arrr! A hardwood dowel cut t' t' correct length is included with t' kit. Begad! T' directions are t' carve or cut as necessary one end t' t' shape o' t' LES rocket. Ahoy! 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. Arrr! Ahoy! I took me heavy X-Acto knife and after drawin' a line for t' lower end o' t' taper, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, attacked t' dowel. I basically whittled away t' dowel t' obtain t' same general shape as t' actual LES rocket tip. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! 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! Ya scallywag! 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. Ahoy! T' aft tapered shroud on t' escape rocket is then cut from styrene usin' t' template. I glued t' shroud together with a small tab o' t' thin' styrene and then fit checked in on t' escape rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Arrr! 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! 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. Aye aye! I then placed it on t' LES rocket base and marked t' strut locations while centerin' it. I then drilled small holes matchin' t' diameter o' t' tower struts at each marking. Ya scallywag! Next up was carefully locatin' t' tower struts into these holes and while makin' sure everythin' be level and aligned, matey, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I used medium CA t' permanently attach t' tower t' t' rocket. T' assembly turned out t' be good and strong. 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. Begad! There was nay a pre-made coupler included so this required buildin' as well. Arrr! Blimey! I have done this with regular type tubes in t' past but this one was a bit more difficult. Blimey! Sheri's directions build one from a two-inch length o' body tube which is what I did. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! I first cut t' piece from t' remainin' body tube. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! I then sliced it vertically so it could fold on itself. Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! 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. Blimey! After this is completed, me hearties, me bucko, it is joined with a tab cut from t' body tube as well. Ya scallywag! 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. After doin' this, I carefully drilled holes in t' capsule for t' struts. Well, blow me down! Begad! 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, matey, I used medium CA glue again t' permanently glue t' tower into place. Avast, me proud beauty! After it was securely held in place, ya bilge rat, I carefully filled any gaps in t' tower t' capsule holes with medium CA glue and permanently glued t' capsule into place. While this capsule/tower assembly was a tedious and difficult build, ya bilge rat, me bucko, it actually turned out very nicely and I was rather proud o' me accomplishment.

At this point t' only thin' remainin' be t' install a recovery system. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! 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. Begad! Blimey! 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. Arrr! I will therefore highlight some o' me specific thoughts. First off be finishin' t' body tube. It had an extremely rough and porous surface as well as a deep spiral groove. Ahoy! 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. Ya scallywag! After this and a good sanding, me hearties, I applied two coats o' Topflite balsa finisher. Aye aye! Aye aye! I also only performed this process on t' upper section o' t' tube that t' wrap did nay cover t' minimize t' work. Blimey! Begad! Overall it produced a reasonably good surface although nay perfect. T' remainder o' t' rocket be made o' t' styrene sheet material that required no paintin' prep. Avast, me proud beauty! T' hardwood LES rocket be given a couple o' coats o' Rustoleum gray primer and sandin' betwixt coats produced a sealed surface for painting. Ya scallywag! I painted t' overall rocket with Kyrlon flat aluminum paint and t' LES rocket and tower with Krylon white. Arrr! 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. Begad! Sheri provided t' United States letterin' for t' side o' t' rocket as decals. Begad! These were fairly simple t' apply although when dryin' one off, it came free o' t' rocket and be destroyed. Ahoy! 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. Avast! Ahoy! T' block patterns on t' forward end o' t' rocket came as very thin stick-ons. Ya scallywag! I did nay really want t' use these as I be concerned as they aged they would start t' peel. Avast! 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. Begad! Aye aye! Overall t' paint scheme be duplicated and I was 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Sheri recommends t' single use Aerotech G40-4 engine for flyin' t' LJ2. Aye aye! I could have bought one o' these but had in stock an Aerotech RMS G64-4W. Arrr! Also t' G64 costs less t' fly and has 12 Ns greater impulse than t' G40. Ya scallywag! I flew t' LJ2 for t' first time at t' 2008 Bunnell Blast in Florida. Ya scallywag! 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. Avast! I didn't want t' have a possible misfire, ya bilge rat, me hearties, which in t' past I frequently had usin' Copperhead igniters, so I used a small electric match t' light t' engine. Arrr! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket flew off a quarter inch rod about four feet long. 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It descended a bit more than I liked prior t' t' ejection charge goin' off, ya bilge rat, a bit typical o' AeroTech engines, ya bilge rat, but t' chute then popped and blossomed immediately. Begad! Avast! It floated gently t' t' ground with one fin joint fracturin' at touch down. Arrr! Begad! I will fly it again and probably use t' same engine. Begad! 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. Ahoy! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Durin' t' flight, t' shock system worked perfectly and t' chute blossomed almost immediately after deployment. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! 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, matey, I ended up quite happy with t' finished rocket. Ya scallywag! It be a true builders rocket as you can tell from t' article. Begad! Blimey! About t' only pre-made part was t' corrugated wrap and that required a bit o' work as well. Avast, me proud beauty! I personally actually like rockets like this as I enjoy buildin' probably more than flying. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! I did spend a good amount o' time buildin' this rocket but t' finished bird was well worth it. I got a few nice compliments at t' launch site and had a good first flight. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I think t' big thin' now is I hope I never get a bad flight and crash it, ya bilge rat, nay because o' t' cost involved in cash but because o' t' time involved in building.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5