Brief:
This is me semi-downscale o' t' old (1965-67) K-19 Astron Invader. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' wings and fins are 2/3 o' t' original, but I kept t' 18mm motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It's a very unique glider with unusual flights and a fairly easy build.

Construction:
I built this from scratch. Ya scallywag! I used a PNC-20 (2.85" long) and 2" o' BT-20 from an Estes Viking. T' wing-fins are 2/3 scale based on t' plans for JimZ's site. Ahoy! I used light balsa for t' two vertical fins, ya bilge rat, medium for t' keel, and hard balsa for t' two win' halves and two pylons. Ahoy! Begad! All balsa was 1/16". Blimey! I put an old 1/8" launch lug on.

I followed t' basic instructions from JimZ's site. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! With t' smaller wings, ya bilge rat, 3" balsa can be used for the wings without havin' t' butt-glue balsa sheets. Blimey! Several points for construction:

1. Make sure t' two wings halves fit together perfectly!
2. Glue t' wings at a slight dihedral, then attach t' fins at 90 degrees t' t' wings.
3. Fillet all glue joints
4. Make sure t' pylons fit t' win' exactly. Ahoy! Ahoy! This will take lots o' sanding, me bucko, but t' pylon must be secure for safe flight.
5. Attach t' launch lug in t' win' joint under t' pod before you attach t' pod.
6. Use wood glue for all joints and fillet or double-fillet everything. Arrr!

PROs: Only 7 parts. Ahoy! Inexpensive parts. Arrr! No more butt-gluing!

CONs: Lots o' sanding. Avast, me proud beauty! Parts must fit perfectly. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Cut your own balsa.

I would call this a Level 3 kit due t' t' tricky balsa joints and amount o' sanding. Blimey!

Finishing:
T' finishin' I did be t' preexistin' red on t' nose cone. Begad! I recommend nay paintin' this rocket t' save weight. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down!

PRO: Easy finishing, me hearties, just paint t' NC red.

CON: Plain looks.

Flight:
Estes recommended t' 1/2A8-2, me hearties, A8-3, me hearties, and B8-2. I'd recommend t' B4-2, B6-2, and C6-3. Avast, me proud beauty! T' 1/2A6-2, me hearties, ya bilge rat, A8-3, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and B6-4 are okay for straight-up launches on windless days. Avast! An adapter for t' 1/2A3-2T would be useful.

Be careful! T' motor must eject out t' back t' glide. Avast! You'll need t' add a streamer for it (wrap it around the motor, me bucko, then insert) t' satisfy t' RSO and NARRRRR flight rules.

Mine balanced perfectly without any weight. Begad! Aye aye! Your results may vary. Avast! Ya scallywag! I estimate a glide ratio o' better than 10:1. Well, blow me down!

T' first flight be on an A8-3 in about 3 mph o' wind. Ya scallywag! It launched straight up, did a horizontal figure-8 at about 40ft, ya bilge rat, then continued vertically t' 100 feet o' so. Blimey! Arrr! T' 3-second delay was too long. Begad! It ejected at 15ft, glided a few feet, and lawn-darted with no damage. Begad! T' casin' landed 20 feet away.

T' second flight was on a B6-4 in t' same conditions. It did rather spectacular acrobatics at about 50 feet then again returned t' normal flight t' about 200 feet. Avast! Ejection was again way past at maybe 50 feet. Begad! It fell t' about 15 feet then settled into a respectable 5-second fast glide. Arrr! Again, arrr, no damage.

Recovery:
PROs: Spectacular acrobatics. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Good glide. Easy t' balance. Begad! Well, blow me down! Withstands hard landings. Blimey! Aye aye! Needs no wadding--easy flight prep.

CONs: acrobatics may result in DQ'd flight. Avast! Blimey! Needs some altitude t' begin glide. Begad! Blimey! Ejects motor casing (intentionally).

Summary:
This is a great rocket t' scratch build. Ahoy! It only takes two manufactured components, it's dirt cheap, me bucko, and it glides great. Blimey!

T' only improvable thin' would be a streamer for t' motor so it can be used in NARRRRR competition. Begad!

PROs: Unique looks. Avast, me proud beauty! Simple construction. Aye aye! Unusual acrobatics. Blimey! Great glides

CONs: Motor ejection. Blimey! Blimey! Difficult balsa joints.