Brief:
T' Stinger is an easy t' build, me hearties, entry level rocket that actually requires some simple building. Ahoy! Avast! T' design is simple, ya bilge rat, as are construction, prep, flight, and recovery. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' result is a nice lookin' but simple rocket that performs well.

Construction:
T' package be beautiful as is t' be expected from Squirrel Works. When opened, all components were present and consisted o' t' following:

• Balsa Nose Cone
• Engine Mount Tube
• 1/8" Launch Lug
• Elastic Shock Cord
• Engine Hook
• Streamer
• Engine Block
• Screw Eye
• 2 Adapter Rings (Engine Tube t' Body Tube)
• Body Tube
• Balsa Fin Sheet
• Tape Strip
• Decal Sheet
• Instruction Sheet

All components seemed t' be o' good quality, shiver me timbers, but thar be no Keelhaul®©™®. I have learned from bitter experience now that if I do nay add any, shiver me timbers, arrr, t' life o' t' rocket will be short.

T' instructions were printed on both sides o' a single, legal sized sheet and presented in tri-fold fashion. Aye aye! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! They were easy t' follow and adequately illustrated.

Construction began with t' buildin' o' t' motor mount. Blimey! Well, blow me down! An engine block is glued into one end. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' provided engine block was a very loose fit. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! I gave it a few extra applications o' glue t' make sure it stays put. After gluing in t' engine block, arrr, a slit was made t' accommodate t' engine hook. Avast! It is held in place with a piece o' maskin' take and t' adapter rings are glued in place one half inch from either end. Begad! In contrast t' t' engine block which was very loose, t' adapter rings were very tight and needed significant sandin' t' fit around t' engine tube. At this stage, me hearties, I tied a 14" length o' Keelhaul®©™® around t' engine tube and threaded it through one o' t' adapter tubes. T' entire engine assembly is then glued in place in t' body tube in t' standard fashion.

T' fins were easily removed from t' laser cut balsa sheet and t' quality o' t' laser cuttin' be first rate. T' instructions said t' round t' leadin' and trailin' edges but indicated that that t' outer edges should be left square. Arrr! I guess that fits well with t' visual design o' this rocket. Begad! T' first 2 fins sanded easily but t' third one snapped as I was tryin' t' round t' leadin' edge. Begad! I repaired t' damaged with some CA and t' result was visually indistinguishable from t' other two.

T' instruction provide a wraparound markin' guide for t' fins. Begad! Aye aye! I did nay use it. Arrr! Instead, me hearties, I used an Art Rose jig which defaults t' a 3FNC configuration. Well, blow me down! Blimey! So it was then that I popped t' body onto t' jig and then proceeded to affix t' fins with CA. Aye aye! After a few minutes, me bucko, matey, I filleted t' joints with carpenter's glue and affixed t' launch lug.

T' remainin' assembly steps were short. Ya scallywag! I screwed an eye into t' balsa nose cone, tied t' provided elastic shock cord t' me previously installed Keelhaul®©™® and tied t' elastic t' t' nose cone. Avast! I prefer t' put t' recovery device (mylar streamer) in place when at t' field ready t' fly.

PROs: Good instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Logical construction order.

CONs: Very loose engine block. Very tight adapter rings. No Keelhaul®©™®.

Finishing:
Preppin' t' Stinger for finishin' was easy. Avast! A single coat o' Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish did t' trick for both t' nose cone and t' fins. T' spirals on t' body tube were tight enough that I didn't bother with them. A coat o' white Krylon spray paint was used as a primer and then t' entire rocket was sprayed yellow. Begad! I applied 2 coats o' t' yellow and then masked t' upper body above t' launch lug and t' fin opposite t' launch lug for paintin' black. Avast! Well, blow me down! Two coats of black were applied and t' maskin' was removed. Ahoy! Arrr! I be disappointed. I knew it was a simple scheme but this just didn't look very good t' me. Aye aye! It was too plain. That changed with t' addition o' t' decals.

Each side o' t' yellow fin got a decal o' a bee. Begad! That helped a little bit but it be t' rin' decal that really made all t' difference t' me. Avast, me proud beauty! T' rin' decal consists o' several parallel black lines o' diminishin' thickness that wrap around t' body tube circumferentially. Well, blow me down! Arrr! They blend well with t' black body below and make t' model look sharp. All that be left be t' apply t' decal sayin' "Stinger" on t' upper body. Blimey! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! This simple rocket was now lookin' good and needed only some clear coat t' complete it.

PROs: Very simple. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Looks Good with simple paint scheme.

CONs: none.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Recommended Motors: 1/2A6-2, me bucko, A6-4, A8-5, arrr, B6-6, C6-7

I started off small with an Estes 1/2A6-2. Arrr! Begad! T' motor be a little snug but thar were no real problems. Ahoy! In place of wadding, ya bilge rat, I used some dog barf and inserted t' rolled up streamer. Ya scallywag! I set t' rocket on t' pad, hooked her up and fired her off.

As t' be expected, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I achieved no phenomenal altitude with a 1/2A, but t' rocket boost straight. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Ejection took place at apogee and t' rocket started down under t' streamer. Everythin' looked fine until I realized that it was goin' t' land on t' hood o' me Excursion. Blimey! Begad! It bounced nicely and t' snappin' o' t' fins really helps t' absorb the energy o' impact. Aye aye! Needless t' say, that be t' last flight for this rocket on this day but it will fly again.

Recovery:
T' automobile collision avoidance radar did nay work properly. Ya scallywag! Other than that, arrr, everythin' seemed t' work fine.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Easy, sporty, and good looking.

CONs: Does nay handle impacts with large SUVs well.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5