Brief:
A simple skill level one boost glider with a small Styrofoam glider that separates at ejection - booster recovery by parachute.

Construction:
main body is BT-50
plastic nose cone
one piece plastic tail/fin section
small Styrofoam toy glider
self-adhesive decal set

This is a simple kit with easy assembly.

Booster: The engine mount and rear fin assembly glue together with plastic cement and white glue. The engine hook is installed normally. The nose cone is plastic with the plastic insert glued in with plastic cement. The hardest assembly step is getting the two launch lugs installed lined up and the third launch lug for the glider installed on the opposite side. I used braided Kevlar with epoxy for the shock cord attachment rather than the standard Estes folded paper mount.

Glider: There are just two steps on the glider. A small wooden dowel needs to be glued under the nose as the attachment point to the booster. A small piece of lead is inserted into the nose of the glider to give it better glide balance. I used epoxy for both of these steps for a more permanent attachment. As long as you don't use too much, the balance should remain fine. The finished glider weighs 0.2 oz.

Finishing:
I chose to paint the rocket with Rustoleum chrome to get a glossy silver look. The only caution with chrome paint is that it has a tendency to run or smudge until it has dried for at least a day. The decals go on very easy.

Construction Rating: 3 out of 5

Flight:
It flies well on A8-3 and B6-4. The glider instruction say to bend the Styrofoam to obtain the desired glide profile, but it just cracked when I tried this. I ended up gluing the tip of a wing back on with white glue. My glider tends to fly straight instead of in a descending circle, so the higher I boost it the farther the recovery walk...

Recovery:
Because it has a lot of plastic components, I figured I was safe launching this at our clubs winter launch. Just when the glider separated, I realized I had a white glider coming down on two feet of snow. I followed it's straight flight path and found it though, so alls well that ends well. I also didn't use any chute or streamer for the booster and it tumble recovered fine into two feet of snow.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
This is a perfect first boost glider for kids. It is simple to build and fly, and the glider is even replaceable if lost. I found a pack of three similar gliders in a hobby store for launch by rubber band. They would be easily modified for this rocket. I am even contemplating how to put two more gliders on this thing and taking three gliders for a ride at once.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5