Brief:
A nice-looking and easy to build 2-stage rocket from Squirrel Works. This rocket really screams into the higher altitudes.

Construction:
I ordered this directly from Squirrel-works.com, and everything arrived just a couple of days later in great shape. The components were of good quality, especially the practically seamless body tube and the water-slide decals.

Parts list includes:

• BT-50 body tube 18"
• BT-50 booster tube
• Balsa nose cone
• 2 BT-20 motor tubes
• Tube coupler
• Balsa fin stock (laser cut)
• Centering rings, shock cord, streamer
• Water-slide decal

The instructions on this were well illustrated, clearly written (in a relatively large font size--an added plus!), and easy to follow. The first part of the construction is the booster assembly, which is a straightforward BT-20 mounted inside a BT-50 using a pair of centering rings. Everything fit very well, no sanding or trimming was necessary. The tube coupler is then glued into the BT-50, which enables direct staging to the sustainer.

Fins are then pulled and sanded from the laser-cut sheets provided. I'm not sure if this is a gotcha on the laser-cut fins, the directions, or my less-than-perfectly-identical sanding job, but the booster fins are designed to nest snugly against the sustainer fins, giving the illusion of a single-stage rocket on the pad. I didn't catch this until after I'd glued on the booster fins, and was trying to make sure the sustainer fins were aligned (using a steel ruler and clothes pins as an alignment jig). My fins had slight gaps, for a less than perfect appearance. I'd suggest a note in the instructions prior to sanding, plus an illustration of the interlocking design, so that the builder uses caution for best fit.

The upper stage gets the same BT-20 motor mount with a pair of centering rings, plus an engine block centering ring. Tack on the launch lug, glue a screw eye to the nose cone, and install the streamer and you're ready to prep for paint. I have to ding this kit a half a point though, for the standard modroc weakness of elastic shock cord and tri-fold paper mount. I really prefer Kevlar® running from the motor mount to the end of the tube, followed by elastic, and made this modification to my kit (estimated cost $0.12).

Finishing:
Filling the spirals on this was a breeze, as the seams were miniscule. I was able do effectively kill them with a coat of primer, sanded off with 220 grit. I then followed up with two coats of primer and two coats of gloss white Krylon. The standard color scheme on this has very appealing red and yellow accents, which I went with on mine. Although the humidity level was up a bit that week, I didn't quite get the gloss I expected. Still, it turned out fairly well. After allowing the paint to cure out for a couple of days, I applied the water-slide decals. The color quality of the decals was superb, however, I did manage to tear a corner of one of mine. They're pretty fragile, so be careful with them.

One "gotcha" I ran into on the finishing: I applied a coat of Krylon Gloss clear coat, which did not react well to the decals. They cracked a little bit and faded significantly. I'd recommend either Testors', Frog Spit, or Future polish to protect the finish.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
For the first flight, I went with a B6-0 to B6-6. The two stages are taped together and then loaded into the upper stage, with the boost slipped over the boost motor. I slipped it over the 1/8" rod and hit the go button.

The booster really sent this screaming, and it climbed in a real hurry. Unfortunately, I didn't get the upper stage to light, and the sustainer came down ballistic from a couple hundred feet. It plugged into soft grass, though in a section of field over 3-feet high, so I had a long search.

The damage was minor, considering the fall--about 1/4" of tube crinkled, and the motor mount broke loose. Repairs won't take more than about 30 minutes, and I'll be ready for a second attempt.

Recovery:
I can't really comment on the recovery yet, but I will say the streamer seems a bit short, only about 2 feet long. Considering the altitudes this can achieve, a larger streamer would help for spotting it.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
I love the color scheme and decals, liked the interlocking fin design (though wish it had been more clearly pointed out in the instructions), and impressed with the rocket overall.

I would definitely recommend this 2-stager and would definitely buy from Squirrel Works again.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5