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, and me first based around 24mm motors, so I be prepared for possible problems.

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

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. Ahoy! Aye aye! I used a syringe applicator from Deluxe Materials t' get me glue into t' gaps and this produced excellent results.

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!). Well, blow me down! Avast, matey, me proud beauty!

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, me bucko, t' spirals were hardly noticeable.

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

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
As C-11s were nay available for t' first flight, me bucko, me hearties, I flew t' sustainer alone on a D12-5. Well, blow me down! 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). Aye aye! Deployment was near apogee, but only one o' the streamers seemed t' deploy. Ya scallywag! Descent be at a reasonable rate and recovery about 100ft down range. Begad! Upon inspection t' supplied red streamer had melted through even though it be packed above me substituted purple one. Begad! There was no damage from t' landing, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but t' whole body be bent and thar was a crescent shaped hole in t' nose. Begad! Ya scallywag! I seems that at ejection t' nose cone bounced back and hit the launch lug, bendin' t' rocket. Arrr! 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, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I followed t' instructions and taped a D12-0 t' a D12-7 and installed in t' sustainer, then attached t' booster section. The wind had picked up and I was concerned about weathercockin' with t' amount of fin this rocket carries, me hearties, so we moved t' pad slightly and as soon as a slight lull occurred, ya bilge rat, I launched it. Ahoy! Boost was straight with minimal weathercocking and only a slight kick at separation. Well, blow me down! T' booster tumbled down beautifully to be recovered without any damage. Blimey! T' sustainer climbed out o' sight but was spotted shortly after ejection. Begad! 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, me hearties, I believe the accident with t' nosecone hittin' t' streamer was a fluke and just bad luck. However, me bucko, in two different rockets t' supplied streamers have melted whereas the ones I substituted are damage free. Aye aye! 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. Blimey! Although I had never built a 2 stage rocket or attempted t' use 24mm motors, everythin' came together flawlessly. T' lack o' available C-11s meant that I had t' jump straight t' D power, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, 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