Brief:
The Brighton is an upscaled version of the Estes Ranger. The kit features four different interchangeable motor mount options: 4x18mm cluster, 3x24mm cluster, single 29mm, or single 24mm using a 29/24 adapter. The Brighton includes a baffle system to protect the recovery parachute from the ejection gases.

Construction:
Lots of parts with this kit!

• BNC 80 balsa nose cone
• BT-80 (heavy wall) payload tube
• TC-80 coupler
• BT-80 (heavy wall) main body tube, pre-cut for TTW fins
• Laser cut basswood fins
• 2.25" Inner motor mount receptacle tube
• 24" nylon chute
• heavy elastic shock cord
• waterslide decal
• Baffle system parts:
• 2 series 8 body tubes
• 2 plywood centering rings
• 4x18mm motor adapter parts:
• 4 BT-20 motor tubes
• 4 metal hooks
• 2 plywood centering rings
• 1 BT-70 adapter tube
• 3x24 motor adapter parts
• 3 BT-50 motor tubes (E-sized)
• 3 metal hooks
• 1 plywood centering ring
• 1 BT-70 adapter tube
• 3 TC-50 1" D-E adapter couplers/plugs
• 29mm motor adapter parts:
• 29mm heavy wall motor tube
• 2 plywood centering rings
• 1 BT-70 adapter tube
• 24/29 motor adapter kit parts:
• BT-50 heavy wall tube (E sized)
• metal hook
• motor block
• TC-50 1" D-E adapter coupler/plug
• 2 29/24 heavy wall tubes(centering rings)

The Semroc instructions are excellent and include excellent illustrations. The first part of the construction involves the motor mount, and the parts that make it interchangeable. Semroc provides a wrap for marking the fin lines, and motor mount hook. Be careful and make sure your lines are accurate so the fins will align correctly. Dry fitting this assembly using the BT is a must to make sure everything works out correctly. The fins are TTW and the fit was excellent. Epoxy was used to glue the fins, and epoxy/microballoons was used to create nice fillets. The included launch lugs are 1/4". The upper body is basically a payload bay. Good place for your altimeter, experiments, or cargo. Nothing unusual about the construction in this area so I won't spend to much time here. The nose cone has no retention method other than a friction fit. This works, just be sure you have a secure fit.

The baffle included in the kit a very easy design to build, yet effective. It uses the offsetting tube design that attaches to centering rings. This assembly is slid into the lower body. The baffle also is also used to attach the shock cord. I used a thin coat of epoxy to glue the baffle into the body tube. If you like gluing tubes the various modular motor mounts are going to be perfect for you. It takes a while to get all of the adapters built, but once completed you can use any motor you have in stock.

Finishing:
Following my normal procedures I sealed the fins and nose cone using two coats of Minwax Polyurethane. Once dry they were sanded smooth and coated using thinned spackle that was brushed on to fill the wood grain. The filler was sanded off and the rocket was primed with two coats of Duplicote High Fill primer sanding between coats. The nose cone was painted black using two coats of old formula Krylon spray. The lower body was painted metallic red using two coats of Rustoleum spray. On the upper body I used Valspar yellow. Once dry the lower body was smoothed using super fine steel wool. Once clean and dust free the body was shot with two coats of Rustoleum clear. Overall I'm happy with the finish.

The only con for me is the colors Semroc used for the cover art, one word...ugly. This rocket really does deserve a retro looking finish.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
For the first flight I chose an AT F40-7 load for the 29mm case. The boost was perfectly straight, and fairly quick. No stability issues were noted. The ejection was late, but not by much. I think a six second delay would be perfect. The rocket was recovered with no damage, just a little something missing. The 29mm modular motor mount was gone, along with my case. Basically the single motor hook that holds the modular mounts in the body is just not up to the task. I even added tape to the hook before launching. The baffle also contributes to the issue by creating back pressure that needs a more substantial retention method. For me the fix is easy because I'm going to glue the 29mm adapter in the body. I have no intention of using the clusters.

Recovery:
The shock cord included in the kit should be replaced with Kevlar®, and tubular nylon. It also needs to be longer to prevent the body sections from slamming into each other. The 24" chute is just about perfect for the Brighton, no damage was sustained. The baffle worked with no burn marks on the chute or cord. The baffle makes the rocket a quick setup as well.

Flight Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary:
I think the Brighton is another great product from Semroc. The quality of the materials included in this kit is outstanding. The packaging is a work of art because a lot of tubes are in that bag. However, I do have an issue with the Brighton. The modular motor mount retention method needs to be redesigned. The single small motor hook isn't up to the task of retaining the modular mounts. As a result the flights can be very expensive if it costs you a motor case. Also, the falling motor mount could create a safety issue not to mention it could cause a deployment failure. However, this should be a simple issue for Semroc to fix.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5