Brief:
The famous FSI catalogs of the early years featured the very nice looking 1/8 scale model of the Black Brant - II, probably one of the best looking rockets around (maybe, after the Saturn 1-B). I was fortunate to have purchased this kit in the late 1970s or early 1980s before I had to leave the hobby (due to career obligations) in 1982.

The FSI Black Brant - II featured a 22" nylon parachute, precut fins, precut balsa boat tail as well as scale decals. It was catalog number MRK-14. The model is a 1/8 scale model of the Canadian Sounding Rocket of the Black Brant series.

The kit's contents remain in the box for some 20+ years while I was away from the hobby. I became a BAR in late 2003 as well as rejoined the NAR and moved head fast back into the hobby for both sport flying as well as competition. My first NAR contest was coming up (since becoming a BAR) in October 2004. The NASA/Houston Rocket Club was having the Gulf Coast Regional Meet at the Johnson Space Center near Houston and Sport Scale was one of the events on the schedule. The time was ripe to begin the build of this model for that event. It was my summer project for 2004.

Construction:
The parts list for this model is rather extensive, despite the Black Brant - II being just a single stage model of a sounding rocket:

• 1 2.1" x 18" Body Tube
• 1 2.1" x 5" Body Tube
• 1 2.1" x 3" Body Tube
• 1 Split Ring Tube Coupler
• 1 2" dia. Balsa Bulkhead
• 1 Nose Cone
• 1 Balsa Boat Tail
• 3 Pre-cut Fins
• 1 Engine Holder/Stuffer Tube (1.130" x 18")
• 1 Centering Ring (OD 1.4")
• 3 Centering Rings (OD 2")
• 1 22" Nylon Parachute with Shroud Lines
• 1 Thrust Ring
• 1 Plastic Parachute Canopy
• 8 Shroud Lines
• 8 Parachute Tabs
• 2 Snap Swivels
• 1 Screw Eye
• 2 1/4" Launch Lugs
• 1 Shock Cord
• 1 Shock Cord Anchor
• 1 Flame Retardant Wadding
• 3 Antennas
• 1 Set of Decals
• 1 Fin Placement Guide
• 1 Set of Instructions

Of course, by the time I got around to constructing this model in 2004, FSI was no longer in business and their famous 27mm engines no longer in production. Hence, I included a 24mm body tube with an engine block with engine hook so this model could be flown with 24mm engines currently on the market.

Over the years I had been away from the hobby, I had taken out the contents of this kit from the box from time to time and somewhere along the way misplaced the instructions. Thanks to the internet and Scott Hansen of Ye Old Rocket Plans, I was able to download a copy of the instructions and begin construction.

The instructions were very easy to follow, using the cool hand drawn pictures/diagrams that FSI's kits are known for. Unlike some of FSI's kits, there was a separate picture/diagram for every single step for the Black Brant - II kit. The assembly steps was very, very logical and all the parts fit went very smooth.

The only real issues I had was the scale sanding of the three precut fins. I decided to sand the fins to the wedge shape/angles, however, the grade of the wood was more like hardwood so I had a heck of a time trying to do the job. After making a template to draw the lines on the fins, I used a sanding block (along with lots of elbow muscle) to sand the wedge angles of each fin. Due to the hardness of the wood, these precut fins took me nearly three days of hard labor to get them sanded to the desire shape before I was satisfied.

I also had to use the wire from paper clips to make the antennas that go to the payload section near the nosecone. Two of the three antennas that came with the kit were missing. Otherwise I had no problems carefully straightening the paper clips and then bending them to the correct angle for attaching to the model. The instructions has all the patterns needed to get the job done.

For the fin attachment to the body tube, the instructions specify making small holes along the marked fin location on the body tube for added strength after the glue dries.

One other issue that was a question mark was the shock cord provided. It was more like a thick elastic string that had me fearful of a sure zipper during recovery.

Finishing:
Due to the large size of the FSI Black Brant - II, and the difficulty of finding adequate data, how to paint the black/white patterns over the entire model was a big question mark. In doing some searching, I found that the instructions to the Estes Black Brant - II kit had a very nice and helpful diagram near the last page showing the black/white pattern over the entire vehicle. This was a really big help. Of course, with no measurement data, I had to simply eyeball the approximate length/width of the patterns. First I used lots of sanding sealer with sanding between coats on the balsa surfaces. Once done, I spray painted the entire model flat white, which also served as primer where the flat black paint will be applied.

Then I spent an entire evening using a ruler and pencil drawing the lines on the body tube that will separate the black/white. Once that was done, the masking of the white areas was completed and the flat black spray paint went on. After drying and removing the masked areas, I used a paint pen to touch up any black paint that happen to bleed through the masking job to give that sharp lined finish to the model. Then it was time for the decals.

The original decal sheet that came with the model was actually incomplete. There were not that many markings provided (for example, the Black Brant bird decal, only one bird marking was on the decal sheet, not two). However, during the time I was doing the build, master scale modeler John Pursley, who happens to live close by, offered to make me a fresh set of decals for this model. And he did this on one weekend, even though he was very, very busy with the Apollo/Saturn - V restoration work underway at JSC! Pursley's finished decal product provided me with lots of "extras" that will come in very handy later (as we shall see).

After the decals were applied and dried, I used Future Floor Wax with a paint brush to "seal" the decals to the model. The flat finish of the spray paint made it difficult for the decals to "stick" as well as it does to smooth/glossy surfaces.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight and Recovery:
The recommended motors were originally the FSI famous 27mm motors, but since they were no longer made, I substituted the 24mm motors.

The first flight of this model was at the Gulf Coast Regional Meet at JSC on 10/24/04. Using the Estes E9-4, it got a really nice boost despite the windy conditions. A slight weathercock after burnout had the model's ejection charge going off as it was facing into the wind, and the plastic drag chute's shroud lines mostly ripped off from the tape strips and the thin shock cord produced an ugly zipper about 1 1/2 inches from the top of the body tube. The zipper wasn't that bad, so I was able to repair it.

Next flight was on 6/19/05 in McGregor, TX, at the Texas State Championship NAR meet. This time, I tried using the AT E30-4T for power. Big mistake as the ejection charge blew while the BB - II was still racing skyward at a high rate of speed and ripped off the shock cord, taking the nose cone, payload section, and the nylon parachute well downrange where it was given up as lost. The main body section, due to its perfect balance, somewhat glided down and landed close by, breaking one fin in the process. The upper body section had an ugly five inch zipper with the shock cord missing (having floated away with the payload section).

Afterwards, I put out an SOS on the Yahoo Oldrockets Group server asking if any had compatible parts so I could rebuild my model. Carl McLawhorn of SEMROC came to the rescue and provided me with these replacement parts:

• 1 ST-20180 Body Tube
• 1 BTC-20 Balsa Block
• 1 BC-20107 Balsa Nose Cone

I got the elastic nylon material from a local retailer (used the 1/4" wide elastic) and got a new nylon parachute from Hawks Hobby.

After rebuilding the model (had to use new attennas from paper clips) and repainting the rebuilt section, I used some of the extra decals Pursley had made to complete the rebuild. I can safely say the model looks even better than before!

The third and most recent flight took place 8/9/08 at the Challenger 498 Club launch down in Needville, TX. Using the E9-4 again, the E9 gave the BB - II a really nice boost (much higher than I've seen it go before) in very calm conditions and excellent weather. Landing a few hundred feet away, the Black Brant was in excellent condition. I'm planning on using the AT E30-7T the next time I fly this bird.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5