Brief:
Originally a Centuri kit circa 1971-77, the Centurion was perfectly sized to fit in with the Estes Big Bertha and Semroc Vega. With 18mm power and an ejection baffle that all but eliminated the need for recovery wadding, the Centurion was another choice in the crowded field of skill level one birds that were perfect for flights from smaller fields. The Semroc version also includes the ejection baffle, and adds a second parachute for cool dual-chute recovery.

Construction:
Parts list:

• BC-1636 balsa nose cone
• ST-1690 body tube
• ST-16120 body tube
• ST-730E engine tube
• HTC-16 tube coupler
• TR-7 thrust ring
• CR-KV-40 centering ring set (this includes the parts for the baffle)
• EH-28 engine hook
• LL-2A launch lugs (2)
• SE-10 screw eye
• EC-124 elastic cord
• 2 RC-12 12" parachutes

Semroc's instruction manuals are excellent, well illustrated, and all the steps are adequately explained. That said, there is very little else to add about the construction of the Centurion as it is a relatively simple 4FNC build. The baffle also acts as the connector between the upper and lower tubes and the only change I made was to anchor a 2 foot length of Kevlar® shock cord to the upper baffle instead of going with the bare elastic that is provided. (Not that I don't trust Carl's judgment. It's just a personal preference.) The only "gotcha" that I encountered was self-created and a result of not paying attention to the instructions. As a result, my Centurion has the upper and lower body tubes flipped around. Unless you're looking for it, it's barely noticeable.

Finishing:
Painting was blessedly simple. After ridding the project of tube spirals and balsa grain with thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish and sanding and priming with Valspar primer, I painted the bottom section gloss white and the upper section gloss black. Although it isn't mentioned in the instructions, I found that the painting was most easily accomplished before joining the upper and lower halves of the rocket together. (Be sure to mask off the tube connector/baffle or install it after painting.) Decals are minimal, but in this case that's a good thing as they don't detract from the Centurion's clean lines.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight and Recovery:
First flight was delayed several times by high winds that canceled our club launches, and had it not been for a missing launcher, the first flights might well have been made at pseudo-legendary B6-4 Field near my home. As it was, the first two flights were at the VOA on a warm, breezy Sunday in May. Flight #1 was on a B6-4 and proved my suspicion that this rocket would be perfect for small field flights, something that it's likely to see quite a few of before the end of this flying season. Pointedly loaded without ejection wadding, the Centurion wind-cocked off of the pad in the stiff breeze, ejected just as it lost momentum, and floated to within 100' of the pad, a perfect recovery despite one of the chutes failing to open. (The chute was in perfect shape, it just failed to unfurl.) No damage or discoloration was noted on either chute or on the elastic shock cord, so the baffle obviously worked like a charm. Flight #2, on a C6-5, was a carbon copy of the first, only with greater altitude, dual parachute recovery, and a somewhat longer walk into the veggies.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
PROs: Cool vintage looks. Baffled ejection. Dual chutes.

CONs: Ease with which I screwed up the placement of the two tubes.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5