Brief:
The Estes Scamp hearkens back to the days when an introductory kit from Estes meant a plain cardboard body tube, balsa fins and cones, and waterslide decals instead of pre-colored tubes, plastic fins and cones, and stickers. I always thought of the Scamp as the little brother to the brawnier Goblin, and because of this, it was an early favorite of mine. (I've also long had a soft spot for rockets with the simple yellow and black paint scheme.)

Construction:
First you need the plans. Then you need the following parts:

• BT-50W main body tube
• BT-20J engine tube
• BNC-50X nose cone
• 18mm engine hook
• Engine block
• 2 AR-2050 adapter rings
• 3/32" basswood fin stock
• 24" Kevlar shock cord
• 24" x 1/16" sewing elastic shock cord
• Launch lug
• 18" streamer
• Decal

With the exception of the nose cone, this project was built straight out of my spare parts box. The nose cone was supposed to be a PNC-50X, a cone that was also used by a variety of other Estes kits, none of which happen to be currently in production. Not being the overly picky type of cloner, I decided to go with a BNC-50X, a BMS cone that I just happened to have on hand. I cut the fins from 3/32" basswood for added strength (which was a good thing as it turned out), cut the body tube to the correct length, then lost interest in the project when my original decal experiments failed to turn up something presentable. The fins and tubes languished in a box for a year before I discovered the secret to cleaning up decal scans: find someone who knows how to do it for you. (That said, thanks Steven.) With a great looking set of decals handy, I found myself with renewed interest in the project over the winter and from there I had it finished within a week's time. Construction could barely be simpler. The Scamp is a 3FNC rocket from the days when that didn't necessarily mean boring. The only place where I deviated from the instructions was in the area of the shock cord. Kevlar® is too easy to come by and it's use makes too much sense to consider going back to the old Estes paper mount, so I went with the tried and true method of attachment between the motor tube and the forward centering ring. Elmer's Wood Glue was used in all phases of the project.

Finishing:
After the Scamp was put together and ready for finishing, I sprayed the rocket with a coat of primer to allow it to withstand the sanding to come, hopefully without fraying. Using basswood made finishing a much simpler proposition because it's tighter grain made for less sealing and sanding with thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish. I managed to get by with only one coat of Fill 'n' Finish, which is never a bad thing because it lessens the amount of sanding you have to do. I then re-primered and lightly sanded before attaching the launch lug with gel CA. The rocket was painted with Valspar Bumblebee Gloss, then completely masked except for one fin and the nose cone, which were painted with Valspar gloss black. Decals were made using Bel Decal paper and my inkjet printer, then sprayed with several light coats of Valspar clear. Although somewhat cartoonish and done only in black, the decals really add personality to this rocket. Application of the decals was followed by another coat of Valspar clear over the whole rocket. Although fairly simplistic, the Scamp turns out looking great with the paint and the decals applied. There's definitely something to be said for simplicity.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
2004 wasn't the greatest year for me from a flight standpoint. Despite recording fewer flights than the previous year, I lost a lot more rockets. The Scamp would unfortunately be one of the earliest losses of the season, disappearing on it's second flight. The first flight came at a freakishly warm Leap Day launch. I was quite proud of how the Scamp looked and wanted to get some pictures for the review I had planned, so I called some friends and headed out for a local soccer/baseball field. We were made to leave before I had a chance to launch the Scamp, so we made a mad dash to another field, racing the setting sun the whole way. As I hurried to get the two rockets that I still wanted to fly ready, I apparently made a mistake in packing the Scamp's streamer. The first flight, on a A8-3 started off looking like a textbook low level flight, but at ejection things went quickly bad. To begin with, the ejection charge caused the streamer to completely disengage from the rocket. It floated out across US-27 and eventually lodged high up in a tree. Under normal circumstances, this would have only been a minor irritation since the Scamp is a fairly light rocket, easily capable of a soft landing on a soccer field employing nose blow recovery. This wasn't normal. The same breeze that blew the streamer into the tree across the road blew the Scamp toward the gravel parking lot. Rick and I made a mad dash to try to catch the rocket before it hit the gravel, but years of manly pursuits like baseball, football, basketball, and roller disco had taken their toll on our knees and we were a step slow in our recovery effort. The Scamp landed hard in the gravel lot, directly on the black fin, the edge of which was all but turned to powder by the impact. Clearly the Leap Day deities were not thrilled about me desecrating their day by launching rockets, even if it was for a good cause.

The next flight came almost a month later on a similarly warm day. Since I was flying on the big VOA field, I decided that it would be a good idea to stretch the Scamp out with a C6-5 flight, much the same as I had done previously with my cloned Sprint. The flight was great, arcing slightly into the clear sky because of the light winds. The entire flight line watched the flight, saw the tracking smoke, and heard the ejection charge. After that though, nothing. Not even a speck in the sky that quickly disappeared, it just ceased to be.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
Except for my unfortunate penchant for launch fever and overpowering the field that I most often fly on, the Scamp was a thoroughly enjoyable project. Minimal work produces a great looking little rocket that is a credible performer to boot. Except for the episodes of cranial flatulence on the part of the owner, it still would be to this day. Mark the whole project as a PRO for me. Mark my personal decision making mechanism a definite CON.

And before anyone comments, I was kidding about the roller disco. Never had the coordination personally.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5