Brief:
T' Renegade is a cool staged rocket featurin' a tumble recovery for t' booster and a parachute recovery for t' 2nd stage. Avast! It also flies great as a single stage rocket.

Construction:
T' kit came with a whole lot o' parts, includin' two lengths o' BT-60 body tubes (one o' them was much shorter, me hearties, o' course, ya bilge rat, for t' booster section), a tube coupler, ya bilge rat, me bucko, a couple different types o' nose cones, two BT-20 engine mount tubes, me bucko, two short BT-5 tubes and two BT-50 tubes for t' boosters, 8 fins, a decal sheet, 4 centerin' rings, elastic shock cord, arrr, a 12" parachute, as well as some other little couplers and adapters.

T' instructions were very easy t' follow and all I used be Elmer's white glue. Well, blow me down! This actually was me first rocket ever. Arrr! My wife gave it t' me as a birthday gift and I was thrilled with its looks. Aye aye! Buildin' t' model went well but thar was one thin' that lookin' back, matey, I would have changed: t' "boosters." T' "boosters" that attach t' t' booster section fit betwixt fins on either side and are easy t' attach, ya bilge rat, but after t' glue dried I tried t' fit t' two stages together and found it t' be a tight fit since those pesky "boosters" were nearly touchin' t' upper stage. Blimey! Well, blow me down! This really became a factor once a couple layers o' primer and paint were applied. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Aside from t' "boosters" though, everythin' else was fine with kit assembly and all parts fit perfectly.

Finishing:
I primed t' entire rocket with grey primer, arrr, then painted t' whole thin' with a blue-black pearl paint. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! After t' paint was dry I put on t' decals, ya bilge rat, arrr, then sprayed it all down with Krylon clear coat. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Decals went on fine, me hearties, but I had t' do a little trimmin' on t' fin decals. Again, me hearties, t' paintin' is where t' "boosters" were a problem. It be difficult gettin' paint down into t' spaces betwixt t' "boosters" and t' fins/body tube. Avast! Blimey! Anyway, it worked out. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Paintin' t' "boosters" prior t' attachin' them t' t' lower stage would take care o' that headache.

Construction Rating: 4

Flight:
Motor retention is friction fit with maskin' tape. T' prep it, me hearties, you use Scotch tape and tape t' booster motor onto t' bottom o' t' upper stage motor. Well, blow me down! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! Then you fit it into t' upper stage. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! Once that is securely in place, ya bilge rat, you slide t' lower section into t' upper part (the booster section has a motor block in t' lower engine tube t' prevent t' motor from fallin' out t' back). Avast! Blimey! I first flew this baby on a C6-0 in t' booster and a C6-7 in t' upper body. Ya scallywag! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! I wanted t' see it fly, and that's what it did. Aye aye! Blimey! Rather slow lift-off due t' t' weight and a great first flight t' an unknown altitude.

Next flight was on t' same configuration and it again flew perfectly. Arrr! Since those first few flights I have always used a C6-0 in t' booster section but have tried B6-4s and C6-5s in t' upper section as well. Aye aye! I have flown it many time as a single stage on C6-7s and C6-5s. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I even tried it once on an A8-3, but that be a nail-biter and t' chute barely deployed with 20 feet t' spare. Luckily I flew it over a grassy baseball field and it suffered no damage.

This is a picture o' t' Renegade launchin' after bein' modified. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' booster is bein' powered by 3 Estes D12 motors, and t' sustainer flies on a C6. Aye aye! Avast! Blimey! Flight be spectacular t' well over 1200'. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! Booster suffered damage t' one fin durin' launch, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but it is repairable and will fly again

Recovery:
T' shock cord attaches t' t' inside wall o' t' body tube with regular white glue. Ahoy! Aye aye! I have never had it pull away or fail in any way and this rocket has flown over a dozen times. Begad! T' upper stage recovers via a small 12" parachute. Arrr! It comes down faster than I would like, but I have nay lost any fins yet and we fly in t' desert in southern New Mexico where t' dirt is rather unforgiving.

T' booster uses a tumble recovery but it is so stable that it comes down rather straight and fast, shiver me timbers, me hearties, causin' me t' wince every time. T' booster section began showin' serious signs o' wear after about t' 4th flight, when t' BT-50 tubes began crumplin' slightly. Well, blow me down! I still flew it and it did fine. Finally, matey, however, me hearties, t' shock from t' 8th tumble recovery caused t' motor mount centerin' rings t' fail and break away. T' booster section itself be fine, except t' BT-50s were also destroyed. Fins were all still good and t' upper stage was still intact.

Flight Rating: 3

Summary:
I like this rocket and it looks cool when fully assembled for staged flight. Begad! Aye aye! It is nice t' be able t' fly it as a single stage in case you are out o' booster motors (or money). Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! It flies great either staged or single and all flights are fairly straight. Ahoy! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! T' abuse that t' booster takes is a drag. Ya scallywag! Some form o' a streamer recovery would be great if you could swin' that one.

Overall Rating: 4