Brief:
2 stage low power rocket. Avast! Sustainer is tube fin design

Construction:
T' parts include:

• BT-55 sustainer and booster body tubes
• 6 Balsa fins for booster
• 6 Beveled tube fins for sustainer
• Balsa nose
• Cardboard coupler, centerin' rings and engine block
• 2 Mylar streamers

This be me first Squirrel Works kit, me first staged rocket, shiver me timbers, and me first based around 24mm motors, so I was prepared for possible problems.

I did nay need t' worry though as t' instructions were clear and all parts fit snugly. Ahoy! I built this rocket stock except for t' substitution o' a purple streamer t' match me color scheme. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I used yellow glue for most o' the construction and a drop o' thin CA on t' joint o' each tube fin. Ya scallywag! Begad!

If you have big clumsy hands like mine you may struggle t' apply the fillets in t' smaller than average gaps around t' six finned booster. I used a syringe applicator from Deluxe Materials t' get me glue into t' gaps and this produced excellent results. Ahoy! Blimey!

Finishing:
T' balsa nose cone sanded really well, I hardly needed t' apply any sanding sealer t' get a smooth surface and a painfully sharp point (with a hole in my finger t' prove it!). Blimey!

I could see that it would be very difficult t' fill all t' spirals inside the tube fins, so I decided just t' sand down t' primer coat and live with the lines. Avast! With t' metallic paint I used, shiver me timbers, t' spirals were hardly noticeable.

Paintin' was standard stuff and puttin' t' waterslide decal on be a treat. Blimey!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
As C-11s were nay available for t' first flight, I flew t' sustainer alone on a D12-5. T' motor was friction fit and five sheets o' Estes waddin' be used. T' flight was near perfect with straight boost (to approximately 1000ft accordin' t' t' RSO). Arrr! Avast! Deployment was near apogee, but only one o' the streamers seemed t' deploy. Descent was at a reasonable rate and recovery about 100ft down range. Well, blow me down! Avast! Upon inspection t' supplied red streamer had melted through even though it was packed above me substituted purple one. Blimey! Avast! There be no damage from t' landing, but t' whole body was bent and thar was a crescent shaped hole in t' nose. I seems that at ejection t' nose cone bounced back and hit the launch lug, shiver me timbers, bendin' t' rocket. Luckily t' body tube was strong and the RSO declared that I could fly t' Tuber again without repairs other than replacin' t' damaged streamer.

For t' second flight, arrr, I followed t' instructions and taped a D12-0 t' a D12-7 and installed in t' sustainer, arrr, arrr, then attached t' booster section. The wind had picked up and I was concerned about weathercockin' with t' amount of fin this rocket carries, so we moved t' pad slightly and as soon as a slight lull occurred, I launched it. Ya scallywag! Boost was straight with minimal weathercocking and only a slight kick at separation. Ya scallywag! T' booster tumbled down beautifully to be recovered without any damage. Avast, me proud beauty! T' sustainer climbed out o' sight but was spotted shortly after ejection. Blimey! Both streamers deployed without a problem and the rocket be recovered from nearly t' same spot as t' initial flight.

T' sustainer now awaits repairs t' t' body tube and nose cone.

Recovery:
Given that t' second flight resulted in no further damage, matey, I believe the accident with t' nosecone hittin' t' streamer be a fluke and just bad luck. However, in two different rockets t' supplied streamers have melted whereas the ones I substituted are damage free. Ya scallywag! Avast! This rocket is so strong that it would probably survive a fall from maximum altitude without damage but make sure you substitute a reflective streamer t' allow for easier tracking.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I was impressed by t' performance o' t' Tuber in flight and t' ease of construction. Aye aye! Avast! Although I had never built a 2 stage rocket or attempted t' use 24mm motors, ya bilge rat, matey, everythin' came together flawlessly. T' lack o' available C-11s meant that I had t' jump straight t' D power, arrr, matey, but this kit handles them well. If it had nay been for t' streamer problem I would have given this a ratin' of six.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5