This rocket boosted glider was selected for review the moment I saw it. This is one cool looking glider. Getting the Red Baron to look good was a serious concern. It just looked so good on the Squirrel Works web site and I didn't want to be disappointed by the finished model. As this is a glider, you don't want to put on too much paint, which adds to the challenge. Overall, it came out looking good and gets positive remarks at launches. It is reasonably priced at $14.95 and is pretty easy and lots of fun to build and finish. The decals slide easily off the backing paper and are easy to work with. This helps a lot when trying to match the look of the face card.

Parts List

As with most rocket kits, it comes in a plastic bag with a face card. In this case, the graphics on the face card are of very high quality.

- balsa nose cone
- body tube
- center, upper and lower balsa wings (two each)
- 2 balsa rudders
- 2 wing and rudder templates (to be cut out)
- fin marking guide (to be cut out)
- center spar
- launch lug
- water slide decal sheet
- assembly instructions

To build the Red Baron glider, you'll need some basic tools, such as a ruler, hobby knife and sandpaper. Glue and finishing supplies are also required.

Construction

Start by cutting out the fin marking guide and mark the body tube. Glue the launch lug in place, followed by the center wings. Cut these (and other balsa pieces) out of the balsa sheet with a hobby knife to avoid breaking the pre-cut pieces.

Next are the rudders. Cut them out, mark them (see below) and glue them to the center wings. Once the glue dries, attach the bottom wing, followed by the center spar and top wing.

The image on the right shows the two wing templates. Cut them out, place them on the correct wing and make small holes/dents on the dots. Do not make holes through the entire wing, a simple dent will do. Now, simply connect the dots/dents on the wing. This will tell you where to glue it to the rudders.

The rudder templates work the same way as the wing templates. This system makes getting the marks in the correct locations quick and easy. Lastly, the nose cone is glued into the body tube.

Measurements

The completed glider is 9.22" (23.42 cm) long with a wingspan of 9.25" (23.5 cm). The face card lists the weight as 0.5oz. The rocket assembled for this review weighs in at 0.4oz, before any finishing. The weight listed is likely after finishing.

Finishing

The image on the right shows the Red Baron before any sealing or painting. The instructions say to apply two, or more, coats of sanding sealer to all balsa surfaces and to sand lightly between coats. Repeat until smooth. The paint used is Rust-Oleum protective enamel spray as it doesn't tend to get absorbed by the balsa as much as many other paints.

First, the areas where the decals would go were painted white. Next, the areas for the decals were masked off and the rocket glider painted Sunrise Red. Finally, everything below the nose cone was masked off and the nose cone was painted black.

Two decals are needed (one per wing). The decal sheet includes five (yes, 5) sets of two decals each, for a total of ten (10) decals. The sets are fairly similar, yet offer the modeler a choice, which is always nice.

Once you are done finishing the glider, be sure to trim it according to the instructions provided.

Flight Data

This Squirrel Works boost glider can be flown on A8-3, B4-2, B6-2, and B6-4 model rocket engines.

For the maiden flight, an A8-3 was used. The motor kept sliding out of the motor tube, so I wrapped some masking tape around the motor to help hold it in place. It didn't feel tight going in the motor tube.

The glider went up nicely and started to arc when the ejection charge fired. The ejection charge was loud, very loud. The Baron shot forward violently and the wings broke off. The tape almost certainly made it so the ejection charge built up too much pressure when kicking the motor. Either that or there was something wrong with the ejection charge.

It was unfortunate to see this happen as I was really looking forward to watching this one glide. It proved to be an excellent glider when trimming it for flight.