T' Scorpion (7232) is one o' two rockets I got for Christmas and one o' two new Estes rockets that features a futuristic sci-fi design with twin scoops but in a smaller size than is normal for a skill level 3 build. Avast, me proud beauty! This is a 13mm rocket that measures 13.4 in. in length, me bucko, a dia. o' .74 in. Arrr! and a wt. Ahoy! o' only 1.1 oz. Altitude is predicted at 400'. T' Scorpion and her sister Man-O-War T' Lynx (7233) share all t' same basic parts but just have different styled wings.

On a side note: This be t' second new kit that I've built that shares t' same name as a previous release but has nothin' in common with its predecessor other than name and manufacturer. Ahoy! Estes needs t' start researchin' their own records better and start comin'  up with more original names for their new rockets.

Scorpion

As is typical o' most Estes build this kit starts with t' motor mount. Now if you're all thumbs as I tend t' be at times, ya bilge rat, a pair o' tweezers will help with this section o' t' build as thar are 8 tiny parts that need t' be glued on t' end o' t' mount. On a side note here: Check t' green centerin' rin' that you split before gluin' it on t' ensure proper length for wood pieces.

Scorpion motor mount

Win' assembly consists o' three pieces for each wing, with t' tips o' each win' angled downward. T' top fin is made up o' two pieces. Aye aye! Here's a shot o' them before I paper coat them. I have been givin' all me rockets this treatment regardless o' size for several years now with great success.

Wings & Tail Assembly before paper coating

Boy am I behind. So t' next step in t' build was t' mark t' body tube for all t' fins and such. Blimey! After markin' it I then marked t' white tube for t' intakes. Well, blow me down! I was able t' cut both pieces from one tube leavin' t' other tube for another project.

Tubes marked

After that I started on t' paper coverin' on all balsa parts. Aye aye! Once they were covered I grabbed a new blade for me Exacto-knife and cut t' two scoops from one o' t' two white tubes provided in t' kit.

Balsa paper coated & scoops cut

Next up was t' top fin attachment. Now I normally would go with white glue throughout a build o' this size, but this time I just happened t' have a brand new bottle o' yellow wood glue so I went with it. Well, blow me down! I figured with thinner balsa wood it wouldn't hurt t' have a little extra bondin' strength. Aye aye! After top fin was attached I then attached t' wings. One o' t' Pros: here. I like t' little guide pieces that Estes now includes in some o' their kits. Well, blow me down! It made settin' t' fin angles a snap.

Guide piece tacked on t' BT t' set win' angles

After t' wings were glued on t' two front fins were glued on. Ya scallywag! These were followed by t' two aft bottom fins again usin' one o' two balsa guides provided in t' kit and shown in t' instructions t' set their angles. 

Front fins glued on

Scorpion bottom fins

All was then left overnight t' cure.

T' next day I glued on t' launch lugs. Begad! After givin' them a couple hours t' set I applied white glue as shown in t' instructions t' t' inside o' t' BT and installed t' MM. This was t' only time I used white glue in this build as I knew t' yellow would grip t' fast t' get t' MM in properly.

Scorpion MM

Note: NC was temporarily put in place t' help balance rocket on glass candle for photos. 

Now this is where t' fun, ya bilge rat, er- all Hell broke lose. Blimey! Up t' this point this has been an easy build. Avast! Even cuttin' t' two scoops from one tube wasn't that hard. Aye aye! But when it came time t' attach t' scoops t' t' BT, me bucko, what a headache. My biggest mistake be usin' t' yellow glue at this point. Begad! I thought I could get a better bond by usin' it as opposed t' t' white glue but only ended up with a mess as I seemed t' be all thumbs. It was at this point, after much cursin' both out loud and under me breath, that I was ready t' rip them off and finish t' build without them. Arrr! After some more cussin' and fussin' they finally weren't lookin' half bad. Aye aye! At this point I left them t' set overnight.

Scoops attached

T' followin' day I started on finishin' t' scoops. Begad! I grabbed t' Elmer's wood filler and a putty knife and leveled in t' back end around t' scoops. Blimey! I then took a brush and thinned wood filler and went over all seams o' t' scoops. Once satisfied with t' results I again set it up t' dry for t' afternoon before givin' it a light sandin' t' see how it looked. Blimey! It's gettin' thar but still needs some touch up.

Wood filler added t' tailend o' scoops

T' next step was t' cut t' included wood stick into two 1" pieces for t' wig tips and one 1 1/2" piece for t' top o' t' tail. After they were glued on I added t' clay t' t' NC as per instructions. This is as far as I'm goin' for now till sprin' when I can start primin' as wife complains about odor comin' from basement when I try and do it this time o' year. Arrr! Also I have 3 other projects waitin' in t' wings one o' which I had already started (Estes Cosmic Interceptor) before I got this one and another one (Estes Magician) for Christmas. Avast! On me Birthday (01/10) I got t' Estes Mega Der Red Max. Ahoy! Boy am I behind. (I think I said that already).

Scorpion top shot 

Scorpion bottom shot 

Closeup finished scoop end 

Scorpion ready for primer 

Couldn't wait any longer for weather t' warm up so broke out t' small space heater and headed for t' basement. Wife was nay happy when she found out what I was up to! After basement warmed for a while I shut down t' space heater opened t' windows and grabbed the primer. A quick coat o' primer was applied and after allowin' air t' vent windows were closed and space heater turned back on. Begad! After a light sandin' I went thru t' whole process again. Nose cone was then painted black and left and everythin' left t' dry overnight.

Scorpion primed

Note: Background is an old blanket me wife had

NC painted black

I actually let 2 days pass before I masked off t' NC canopy and applied another coat o' white primer t' it. I then painted entire rocket with two coats o' Rust-Oleum Fluorescent Neon Green t' make it stand out.

Rust-Oleum Fluorescent Neon Green

Bein' as I'm doin' this in t' basement durin' a typical Michigan winter, matey, I again gave it a couple o' days t' let t' paint cure before bringin' it upstairs t' apply t' decals. T' decals went on without any trouble at all and look great against t' Neon Green paint job. Well, blow me down! Blimey! All that is left now is t' clear coat it with me infamous Dupli-Color Clear Effex t' make it really pop. Ya scallywag! Blimey! That won't be done till t' weather warms though as I have tried in t' past t' do it in t' basement but it always fogs so nay doin' it again. Will wait.

Scorpion decals applied 

Sorry I'm so late in gettin' this launch photo posted. On July 9, 2016 I loaded up t' Scorpion along with several other rockets and headed south t' Brooklyn, me hearties, MI for a club launch across from Michigan International Speedway at Graves Farm Campgrounds.

Scorpion goin' in 5...4...3...