Brief:
_Space Twins_ is (are?) a nifty rocket that spawned a bunch o' imitators through t' years, arrr, shiver me timbers, rangin' from t' MPC Lunar Patrol t' Estes' own "A.R.V. Arrr! Condor." It features a finless central core that is recovered by parachute, me hearties, plus two "parasite" gliders that detach on ejection. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' _Space Twins_ plans were distributed by Estes Industries as part o' their "Free Plan" program. Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' plans may be found at: http://www.dars.org/jimz/eirp_41.htm.

Construction:
T' _Space Twins_ gliders and booster-core are made from very conventional materials. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' booster-core is based on t' BT-20 body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It's basically a finless, parachute-recovered model rocket. It has two unusual features: A set o' "fenders" made from scraps o' balsa, and two pegs, for mountin' t' gliders, made from 1/8" dowels. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' dowels are glued into holes drilled in t' body tube; a tube coupler is glued into t' mountin' spot first, t' reinforce t' dowel/body tube joint. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' gliders are lengths o' BT-5 tubing, with balsa nose cones and 1/16" balsa wings and rudders. Arrr! Blimey! Short lengths o' 1/8" launch lug are mounted on t' "ventral" surface o' t' gliders, arrr, me hearties, just t' t' aft o' t' nose cone; these fit over t' booster-core's dowels. While t' plans specify balsa cones and lead weights, arrr, you should have no trouble usin' plastic cones and clay nose weight.

T' gliders and boosters went together fairly easily. Well, blow me down! T' instructions are fairly dense, and might be a little dauntin' t' those unfamiliar with early rocket construction techniques. Arrr! As with many from-plan kits, buildin' t' Space Twins requires you t' cut t' fins and other parts from balsa sheets, usin' templates cut from t' plans. Begad! Ya scallywag! In order t' produce sturdier templates, I reprinted t' plans on t' heaviest cardstock that me printer would accept. Blimey! Begad! There were two tricky bits: Mountin' t' dowels into t' booster and insertin' t' launch lugs into t' gliders. Well, blow me down! This requires cuttin' both lugs and dowels at fairly exact angles. Avast! Be really patient, shiver me timbers, arrr, "measure twice, me bucko, me hearties, cut once," and test fit t' parts first. If you do things right, me hearties, t' gliders should slip onto t' dowels easily, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and stay on and straight until t' model is turned upside down and "rapped" in t' rear. Arrr! I test-flew t' gliders by tossin' them around me livin' room. Begad! Arrr! They glided really well; I did have t' adjust t' elevons on one, shiver me timbers, t' get a less-steep glide; I accomplished this by holdin' t' joint over a incandescent light bulb until t' glue softened a bit.

Finishing:
T' _Space Twins_ plans don't include a standard paint scheme, decals, etc. Avast! I decided t' use dope t' finish me _Space Twins_. Dope is hard t' work with, matey, and requires a very carefully sanded and filled surface, me bucko, but when done well results in a nice, me bucko, slick, matey, durable finish. Ahoy! I used balsa fillercoat on both gliders and core, ya bilge rat, and did lots o' sandin' t' eliminate balsa grain and generally smooth things out. Begad! Avast! At this time, t' finish isn't complete. Well, blow me down! T' core and gliders are overall white, with t' underside o' t' glider wings painted black. I hope t' paint each glider with a unique, ya bilge rat, bright color; t' booster core will be white with a black nose.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' _Space Twins_ plans don't have a suggested motor list. Begad! I decided t' test fly it with Quest A6-4 motor, then follow up with a B4-4 motor. Aye aye! I decided that t' longer delay on these motors would result in ejection happenin' "on t' way down," givin' t' gliders a better chance o' bein' knocked free. Flight prep is really easy. Ahoy! T' booster is prepped just like a normal rocket. I placed t' gliders on t' core after I'd slid it onto t' launch rod and hooked up t' igniter. Ahoy! Blimey! T' _Space Twins_ flew GREAT. Begad! T' boost was very straight. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Altitude reached was moderate (perhaps 200' on t' A6-4); t' model had arced over and was startin' t' "plummet" downwards when t' ejection charge went off.

Recovery:
On me initial flight, t' booster core's parachute didn't unfurl fully. Blimey! Well, blow me down! However, me bucko, shiver me timbers, it be light enough that it landed without damage. Ahoy! I think a streamer would do as well as a parachute. Blimey! Well, blow me down! T' glider "twins" separated cleanly and began circlin' downward in a fast, me bucko, spiral trajectory. Aye aye! T' crowd seemed t' enjoy t' "show" they put on. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! They landed within about about five feet o' each other, about 50' from t' launch pad.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I flew t' _Space Twins_ twice more on t' day o' its inaugural launch. T' second flight, shiver me timbers, with an A8-5, me bucko, was very similar t' t' first, although t' booster parachute deployed fine this time. Once more, t' gliders separated cleanly, me bucko, flew well, and landed close t' each other. Ahoy! Aye aye! I tried a B4-4 next. Ya scallywag! It flew a lot higher, and t' gliders had a lot more time t' swoop around. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! But, arrr, as before, matey, t' gliders landed quite close t' each other. Begad! I really liked that!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5