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

Construction:
I built this from scratch. 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. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I used light balsa for t' two vertical fins, me hearties, medium for t' keel, and hard balsa for t' two win' halves and two pylons. All balsa be 1/16". Arrr! Blimey! I put an old 1/8" launch lug on. Blimey! Blimey!

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

1. Make sure t' two wings halves fit together perfectly!
2. Glue t' wings at a slight dihedral, me bucko, then attach t' fins at 90 degrees t' t' wings.
3. Fillet all glue joints
4. Make sure t' pylons fit t' win' exactly. Avast! This will take lots o' sanding, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, 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. Avast! Ahoy!

PROs: Only 7 parts. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Inexpensive parts. Blimey! Well, blow me down! No more butt-gluing!

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

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

Finishing:
T' finishin' I did be t' preexistin' red on t' nose cone. I recommend nay paintin' this rocket t' save weight. Begad! Begad!

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

CON: Plain looks.

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

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

Mine balanced perfectly without any weight. Your results may vary. I estimate a glide ratio o' better than 10:1. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty!

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

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

Recovery:
PROs: Spectacular acrobatics. Avast, me proud beauty! Good glide. Ahoy! Easy t' balance. Arrr! Withstands hard landings. Arrr! Arrr! Needs no wadding--easy flight prep.

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

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

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

PROs: Unique looks. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Simple construction. Unusual acrobatics. Great glides

CONs: Motor ejection. Begad! Difficult balsa joints.