T' whole U.S. Rockets story makes for good readin' if you have a hankerin' for that kind o' thing, ya bilge rat, but I've always wondered about t' kits thrmselves.  Jerry recently posted a link at YORF t' a hobby shop that sells his kits.  I stopped in for a look and was impressed at t' inventory.  Always on t' lookout for a brick and mortar shop t' support, I decided that I was goin' t' buy somethin' from t' inventory.  T' choices were impressive, but t' one that most appealed t' me was t' USR Sniper.  T' name was what originally pulled me in, but t' Sniper is a great lookin' bird with 18mm, me hearties, 24mm and 29mm capabilities.  Somethin' like that is hard t' pass up.

Several things factored into t' delay in gettin' started with this project. Aye aye!  I missed most o' t' 2014 launch season with me club and got tired o' flyin' by myself.  While flyin' by myself I got tired o' seein' t' trees around me field grow fat on me hard work.  I opened t' kit and was immediately intimidated by t' method for creatin' t' transition.  Whatever t' case, 2015 blew a hot new wind up me skirt, and when I peeked me head out o' t' hole I'd hidden in since late summer I found a new club launch season starin' me in t' face.  I started lookin' through t' kit stash t' see what sounded interestin' and t' USR Sniper turned out t' be exactly what I was lookin' for.

Not complicated by any stretch o' t' imagination, shiver me timbers, t' Sniper goes together quite quickly.  Materials were all very stout, which is nay a surprise considerin' t' motor range that it is designed t' fly on.  Instructions aren't overly detailed, but are more than adequate if you have any kind o' previous rocketry experience. Avast!  T' first order o' business was attachin' t' centerin' rings that would join t' upper and lower body tubes.  As you can see, they mean business.

If I had t' call foul on any facet o' this project, it would be because o' t' transition. Avast, me proud beauty!  Paper transitions are a bit intimidatin' when you're a beginner, but I've conquered me fear over t' last decade plus.  This might have set me back t' 1977.  There's paper involved, but only as a guide.  You use t' guide t' figure out where t' make t' triangular cuts in t' top end o' t' lower body tube.  T' remainin' sections are then bent down and glued t' t' upper body tube t' form t' transition. Avast!  This made sense as an old school way o' makin' a transition that I could see tryin' out on one o' me home brew birds, but nay on a commercial kit. Begad!  Transitions might have made a background in calculus necessary in t' old days, me hearties, but thar are programs that do all t' math for you in 2015. Avast, me proud beauty!  I wrestled with t' problem for several seconds before goin' t' t' Payload Bay and pluggin' in t' numbers.  http://www.payloadbay.com/index.php?page=Tools&action=TRANS

I believe t' sayin' is "No muss, no fuss". Ya scallywag!  That's just how I like it.  I had t' make a couple o' transitions before I got t' this one, but file cards are cheap.  I used 1.22" and 1.0" for t' tube diameters, and .375" for t' length.  YMMV.

Simple, but impressive. Avast!  Dead straight 1/16" ply. Ya scallywag!  Positions marked usin' t' illustration in t' instructions, then eyeballed and attached with Elmer's wood glue. Begad!  T' fins were another thin' that drew me t' t' project. Arrr!  Reminded me o' t' FSI Dart.

I really like this kit, me bucko, but I was nay impressed with t' plastic nose cone that came with it.  Too stubby for me tastes, and t' overall rocket said wooden nose cone t' me. Begad!  Luckily I had a balsa cone in me stash that I really liked in place o' t' plastic one.  Just slightly longer than t' plastic cone, but that 1/2" made a big deal t' me eyes.

I had t' choice o' 18mm, 24mm or 29mm power for this bird. Avast, me proud beauty!  I know Jerry and GH are both proponents o' MAX POWER, but I doubted that I'd ever be in a position t' fly so small a rocket on so big an engine, so I compromised and went with 24mm.  It definitely won't fly at B6-4 Field with this setup, me hearties, but t' cornfields might give me t' needed room t' stretch out and consider an E9-8 flight. Arrr!  If that goes well I'd likely entertain t' idea o' buyin' a second sniper for 29mm flying, just in case I ever find myself flyin' out west. Oh yeah, forgot t' add that I left t' thrust rin' out, so I'm good from C11 t' E12.

Or, shiver me timbers, as me wife likes t' call it, t' side yard.  We hit Hobby Lobby last night after dinner and I decided on t' paint for t' project. Aye aye!  Metallic orange and black, arrr, but I still have t' figure out which color will go where.  I'm leanin' toward orange on t' main body tube with black fins and upper body tube, me bucko, but that's subject t' change. Arrr!  Sorry for t' photo quality, but thar's only so much you can do on a day like this. Blimey!  It's fugly out.

While today doesn't fill me with much hope, I plan t' paint it this week and fly it next Saturday at t' new TORC cornfield.  As always, depends on t' weather.