T' Tiger Streak is one o' t' kits from t' wanin' days o' Centuri, t' time period when parts and designs were bein' shared with Estes because o' the common Dana parent company.  T' Tiger Streak be t' fraternal twin t' t' Estes Apache-2, me bucko, and always interested me because it was built usin' Estes parts.  I've been lookin' for a lightweight two-stager t' fly at B6-4 Field and since I've had t' plan for t' Tiger Streak printed off for several years now, shiver me timbers, I think it will meet me needs nicely.

I bought t' laser cut fins from Semroc earlier this spring.  As you'd expect, they're nicely done, me hearties, with excellent, hard balsa and sharp features.

Pretty easy, this.  Unless you screw up like I almost did.  Since t' Tiger Streak fin markin' guide is missin' in action, I went lookin' for another BT-50 rocket that also had a three fin setup. Ya scallywag!  I tried t' Estes Apache-2 first. Avast, me proud beauty!  No luck.  Tried t' Estes Alpha. Avast, me proud beauty!  Ditto.  I finally settled on t' Astron Shrike. Begad!  Perfect.

Uh, shiver me timbers, no. Ya scallywag!  I already had t' fins marked on t' booster tube when it struck me that t' Shrike was a 4fnc bird. Avast!  In me mind, I heard Homer Simpson. Ahoy!  DOH!!  Luckily, I was alone.  In t' end, t' Estes Astron Constellation became t' donor, matey, and except for some extra lines on t' booster, everythin' turned out great.

I've had trouble with past two-stagers because t' fins failed t' line up on t' booster and sustainer.  Since these are meant t' look like a seamless set, I wanted t' make sure they were as close t' perfect as possible. T' that end, t' laser cut fins make that a lot easier, arrr, but I rigged up a fancy custom rig t' make me chances o' success even greater.

Like t' rest o' t' project, t' motor mounts were scrounged from various shop junk, in this case probably leftovers from one o' t' Red Arrow Tube Assortments http://redarrowhobbies.com/kits/body_tube_assortment/body_tubes.htm that I've bought over t' years.  I'm due for another one. Ya scallywag!  It didn't occur t' me that t' motor tubes might be different sizes, but I can handle that kind o' diversity.  Sustainer be t' standard 2.75" while t' booster is 2.25".

T' finished booster.

As you can see from t' dry-fit, arrr, it's very close t' bein' flightworthy.  T' launch lug will go on this morning, so that I can spray on a coat o' primer this afternoon.  

Scant time t' work on this o' late, but I had some time in t' last couple o' days and managed t' slog me way through t' prime, Fill & Finish, arrr, and sandin' parts o' t' build. Avast, me proud beauty!  I first sprayed t' bare balsa and body tube with Valspar primer, sanded, me bucko, reprimed, sanded some more, slathered on t' first coat o' Fill & Finish, sanded more, slathered more, and finally added t' last coat o' primer.  I wasn't completely sure which orange I was goin' t' go with, arrr, flourescent or metallic, but it became a moot point when I couldn't find a metallic orange at Hobby Lobby. Arrr!  I settled for Sunburst Orange and a black metallic. Begad!  T' first coat o' orange should hit tomorrow.

And just for somethin' different, I actually remembered a launch lug for a change.

Not Painted Butt. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!  That would be gross.  Orange went on yesterday, and t' black today.  Both nice colors, ya bilge rat, but they don't work together for me. Begad!  I think t' metallic black would have worked better with metallic orange.  Whatever t' case, t' paint is done except for t' nose cone.  Somehow I convinced myself that it was supposed t' be black.  Well. Avast, me proud beauty! I convinced myself WRONG!  It gets sprayed tomorrow, shiver me timbers, then I get t' see if t' decal I printed just looks big, or is big.

Not t' greatest o' pictures, me bucko, but it's midnight.  I should have taken a shot o' it masked, but I forgot.  Profuse apologies. Avast!  It was a rough day.

Yeah, I know. Avast, me proud beauty!  Finally, eh?  T' weather cooperated this weekend, arrr, so I got t' nose cone painted, then got t' decals on tonight after dinner.  T' decals were from a PDF, but printed slightly oversized. Begad!  I had t' cut a notch in t' wrap decal t' allow for t' launch lug.  There be some overlap, matey, so t' area around t' lug isn't perfect, ya bilge rat, but from ten feet on t' pad, it'll look pretty decent.  I picked up some A8-0s from our onfield vendor on Saturday, so I'll be keepin' an eye on B6-4 Field for a launch opportunity in t' comin' weeks.