Brief:
The Spartan is a bit of a Centuri orphan. It started out as the Stellar Spartan in 1975 but was later replaced by the Sceaming Eagle, with leftover parts supporting the Flutter-By. Semroc has modernized the reproduction design by supplying laser-cut fins, a true balsa nose cone and Kevlar®/elastic shock cord.

Construction:
Parts are top quality and include:

• Balsa nose cone
• Series 8 body tube (10")
• Laser cut balsa fins
• BT-20 motor tube
• Centering ring/tube
• Metal hook
• 12" plastic chute
• Waterslide decal

Early editions of the kit also include a metal nose weight washer, which is not needed for the construction, so consider it a mystery bonus part.

Instructions follow Semroc's newer format, with perforated pages designed to unfold while building and stash in a notebook when done. They are well illustrated, span about 3 pages/20 steps, and given a multicolor paint scheme, would rate about a skill level 2. I had mine constructed in about an hour plus finishing time.

The motor mount on this is a little unusual, mainly because the body tube is smaller than a conventional BT-50, making centering rings impractical. Instead, the metal hook goes on the BT-20 tube as usual but is held in place by sliding a slightly larger tube over the top of the BT-20. The instructions note to anchor the Kevlar® shock cord by tying a loop around the forward end of the hook. This struck me as a little weak though, so I tied a knot in the end of the Kevlar® and tucked it inside the centering "tube" for a much tighter and more secure fit. Make sure that the tube is set 5/8" forward of the aft end, which is critical for the fin attachment step.

The body tube is then marked for 4 fins and a lug using a template in the instructions. The motor tube is then glued in place with the centering tube flush with the body tube and 5/8" of motor tube sticking out. The fins are cut with steps that hang off the aft end of the body tube, fitting perfectly over the smaller BT-20 motor tube.

Construction wraps up with lug attachment and tying the shock cord to the nose cone screw anchor.

Finishing:
I chose to finish per the cover art, so after the usual grain filling (diluted Fill 'n' Finish) and spirals (smearing on wood filler) I hit everything with two coats of Krylon primer. I then sanded it down very lightly and followed up with two coats of gloss white. I've had fits with the new Krylon formula but decided to try it on this as I needed to burn through the cans eventually. Everything turned out fine.

After allowing a couple days for the white to fully cure, playing it safe, I masked off the fins and painted blue, then hit the nose with a cherry red.

The decals are excellent quality and easy to work with, adding a nice finishing touch.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
For the first flight, I went middle of the road and selected a B6-4. The recommended delay is a -6, but given the 4 fins and slightly draggy profile, I thought a 6 delay would be a bit much. I put it up in 6-8 mph winds.

The flight was excellent--dead straight, no roll, and the -4 delay was perfect.

Recovery:
The 12" chute kept it up for a while, leading to a lengthy recovery walk. After some searching in tall weeds/thistles, I came across the chute, found the rest of the model buried in the weeds without a scratch. It had drifted about 250 yards on that B, so either I'll be reefing the lines a bit or going with an A8 if flying in this level of wind.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
This is a nice little rocket for a basic 4-fin design. I like that the fins are cut to tuck down to the extended motor tube, and the combination of red/white/blue paint scheme with the excellent quality decals make this an appealing design.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5