Brief:
Single stage, low powered rocket, recovery via 18 inch parachute.

Construction:
Parts list:

• 1 BNC-55AO balsa nose cone
• 2 BT-55 body tubes - 18"
• 1 BT-20 Engine Holder Tube
• 2 CR-2055 centering rings
• 1 3/16" screw eye
• 1 engine hook
• 1 1/4" x 24' shock cord (elastic)
• 1 18" plastic parachute kit
• 1 3/16" launch lug
• 1 engine block
• 6 laser cut balsa fins
• 1 tube coupler
• 60" Kevlar® shock cord
• 1 pattern sheet
• 1 decal sheet

Comes with very nice assembly instructions with good illustrations. The build is logical and easy. InFlight calls it Skill Level 2. I would guess this is only because of the number of fins and their alignment. Decals are better than the original Estes. The page explaining the paint scheme and decal placement is in color!! I built the entire rocket with Titebond II. Fins are all surface mounted. Be careful when coupling the two body tubes. If glue is spread to thin, the coupler may stick before you have it positioned. Also, make certain both tubes are inline. The only big difference between this kit and the original Bluebird is the balsa nose cone and the use of the Kevlar® shock cord attached at motor mount.

Finishing:
Instead of sealing the balsa, I papered the fins before attaching them. I use double fillets. I first use the Titebond II allowing to dry before rotating. When all fillets are dry, I use Elmer's Carpenter gel on all fillets at once. This stuff is great - it doesn't run! After 24 hours, I sprayed with Rustoleum Sandable Primer, sanded thoroughly and repaired minor spots. Then I primed and sanded again before painting the entire rocket white. Did about 3 coats of white and waited a day. The top of the rocket is blue. I made a clean line with Frog Tape and then wrapped everything below that with a plastic bag. The decals look great on this rocket and presented no problems because they are large. I usually only have difficulties with real small stuff. I usually wait until overnight before applying Future to the entire rocket. This seals the decals and gives the rocket a great shine.

Construction Rating: 3 out of 5

Flight:
Inflight recommends: B4-2, B4-4, B6-2, B6-4, B8-5, B14-5, C6-5 or C6-7

I used "dog barf" for wadding. Engine retention is via clip.

My first flight was a B6-4. This was fine. Chute ejected after apogee. Altitude just over 100'

Second and third flight was C6-5. Rocksim shows both delays of 3 and 7 as causing stress on the recovery system. These flights made it to about 500'. The rocket flew nice and straight on all three flights.

Recovery:
The shock cord works well. It is Kevlar® at the motor mount with some elastic at the top. I had no zippering or damage on the top of the rocket. My motor selections were made using Rocksim and recoveries were about as close as I could get to perfect with black powder motors.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
PROS: A classic rocket that I first built in the 80's. Thanks so much InFlight for bringing it back!

• Easy to build
• Quality parts
• Nice water-slide decals

CONS: I would have preferred a plastic nose cone (not a big deal)

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5