Brief:
T' BSD Diablo is a short, fat, 3 finned rocket with a wicked look. Blimey! With its 38mm motor mount, it definitely is designed for HPR. Ahoy! Aye aye! However, with a 29mm adapter this rocket can be flown on some G motors without any problems due to its relatively low weight.

Construction:
T' kit has relatively few parts. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! They include: a 17" LOC style body tube, a 20" nose cone (4" is shoulder), three 3/16" plywood fins, shiver me timbers, matey, me hearties, two 1/8 plywood centerin' rings, one 1/2" paper launch lug, shiver me timbers, one 8" long 38mm motor mount tube, one 1/4" eye bolt with washers and nut, one 3/16" quick link, one 30" parachute, one 4' long, matey, 1" wide, grommeted nylon strap, one 10' long, 1" wide elastic shock cord, me hearties, arrr, and a motor retention system that consists o' two T-nuts, two 6-32 hex head bolts, and two metal clips. I also purchased BSD's 29mm adapter with me kit.

This is a fantastic, easy kit t' build. Well, arrr, blow me down! In fact, I had t' consciously slow myself down because it is so easy t' follow the excellent instructions and assemble t' excellent components that I found myself gettin' too far ahead o' where I should have been. Aye aye! All o' t' components fit together well with only a little sandin' o' t' centerin' rings. Avast, me proud beauty! When I received me kit, ya bilge rat, t' body tube be nay marked with t' fin alignment lines or the launch lug line. However, a quick email t' Scott Binder at BSD and the problem be resolved. Scott sent me a new body tube that had been marked and threw in a 4" bulkhead assembly in addition. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Now that's great customer service! Havin' t' cut t' fin slots yourself is a little tedious but, nay a big deal.

I deviated from t' instructions in a few ways. First, when buildin' t' motor mount, I didn't secure t' aft centering ring. Aye aye! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I did this because instead o' creatin' internal fillets with epoxy I used 2-part expandin' foam t' fill t' fin can. Avast! Second, me hearties, after epoxyin' t' forward centerin' rin' and motor mount tube in, arrr, I dry fitted t' fins. Blimey! Begad! With t' fins in place, I drew a pencil line on t' fins along t' outside body tube joint. Thus, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, when I removed t' fins, I had how much o' t' fin would be inside the body tube. Arrr! I then drilled a 5/8" hole in t' center o' t' fin root. Aye aye! Blimey! This hole is t' allow t' expandin' foam t' flow through t' fin root and lock it into t' fin can. Blimey! Arrr! I then epoxied t' fins t' t' motor mount. Arrr! Three 1 ounce applications o' 2-part foam filled t' fin can. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! After cleaning/shapin' t' foam on t' aft o' t' fin can, me bucko, ya bilge rat, arrr, t' aft centerin' rin' was attached with epoxy.

My only complaint about t' construction is that t' motor retention comes with a separate set o' instructions. Begad! Blimey! If you don't read those instructions first, you won't notice t' bold batten down t' hatches that you should install t' retention hardware before assembly! Luckily, shiver me timbers, matey, I be able t' still attach t' hardware after assembly.

Finishing:
Since I be plannin' on usin' this rocket for me Tripoli Level 1 certification, I glassed t' entire airframe usin' 2 ounce fiberglass cloth and 30 minute slow-cure epoxy. Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! After glassing, matey, fillets were added t' t' fin/body joints and along t' launch lug usin' 30 minute epoxy and micro-balloon filler. Begad! Blimey! Some sandin' with 80 grit sandpaper and it be ready for some primer. I used Rustoleum gray automotive sandable primer. Begad! Blimey! This primer is nice because it fills a lot o' t' imperfections. Sand, prime, shiver me timbers, sand, prime. You know t' drill. I also used some Elmer's sandable wood filler putty t' fill some o' t' larger imperfections. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Eight coats o' primer later, me hearties, ya bilge rat, ready for color coat. Begad! Blimey! I chose Rustoleum Safety Red. Begad! Blimey! Two coats o' color and then t' decals. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' decals were definitely t' hardest part. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' decals are beautiful but, matey, they're long, skinny, and very sticky. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! A friend o' mine suggested that I dip them in water with dishwashin' liquid t' allow me t' slide t' decals in place. I was too chicken t' try though. Blimey! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' decals turned out OK but it takes a lot o' patience. After decals, arrr, I shot it with 2 coats o' Rustoleum clear enamel.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' Diablo's first flight be t' be me Level 1 certification flight. Begad! I had an H128W lined up for me 29/180 casing. Ya scallywag! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' clips provided with t' motor retention kit wouldn't fit with t' 29mm adapter so, me bucko, I had t' fashion some new clips out o' some flat brass stock. Ahoy! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! When I arrived at t' launch site t' pick up me motor, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, thar be no H128 t' be found! Thankfully, ya bilge rat, me hearties, t' vendor had some H165 Redline motors that would do just fine. I used a Top Flight Keelhaul®©™® chute protector and shock cord protector instead o' wadding. Begad! T' H165 was prepped with a 10 second delay and placed on a 3/8" launch rod. Begad! That Redline will move fast! It boosted straight up t' probably just over 2000 feet. It was a beautiful launch.!

Recovery:
I tied loops into both ends o' t' elastic shock cord and one loop about 1/4 from one end. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! These loops were used t' attach t' elastic t' t' nylon strap, the nose cone, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and t' parachute usin' quick links. Ahoy! Blimey! I also included a swivel to keep t' chute shroud lines from tangling. Begad! T' recovery system worked great. T' descent be a bit fast but, that's probably because me rocket is towards the upper end o' BSD's expected weight. A bit larger chute could solve this but, me bucko, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I'm happy with t' faster descent. Avast! Aye aye! Blimey! T' glassin' that I did makes it able to withstand a rougher landin' and I get less wind drift this way. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I love this rocket. T' main pro's are it's ease o' building, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, t' clear instructions, ya bilge rat, and t' tremendous customer support that you get from BSD. The main con's are t' separate instructions for motor retention and t' retention system's inability t' accommodate t' 29mm adapter.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5