Brief:
BT-50 based scale model o' t' AIM-4C Falcon that flies on 18mm motors and recovers on a streamer.

Construction:
This kit comes with paper tubes and rings. Well, blow me down! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' light BT-50 body tube appears to be t' same as Apogee's tubin' - weight, shiver me timbers, matey, me hearties, color, etc. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' scale nose cone is solid plastic and two ballast washers are provided t' keep t' rocket stable. You cut t' fins from two sheets o' basswood and thin strips o' balsa provide the fin details. Arrr! T' recovery system includes a section o' Keelhaul®©™® twine, me bucko, a section o' elastic, and a Mylar streamer. Well, blow me down! Begad!

T' instructions are pretty good and are more than sufficient t' build this kit. T' most challengin' parts o' its construction were cuttin' t' small front fins from t' brittle basswood, me bucko, and alignin' t' three sets o' fins (12 total). Well, blow me down! I be surprised when I saw calipers mentioned in t' instructions. In order t' get a true scale model, shiver me timbers, I suppose, matey, they specify t' fin placement to three decimal places! I rounded t' t' nearest 1/16". Begad! Arrr!

T' one problem with me kit was t' quality o' t' basswood. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Both pieces were warped and even though I tried t' straighten them, t' long fins re-warped after bein' exposed t' t' carpenter's glue (I used t' waterproof variety). Because o' t' length o' t' middle set o' fins and t' way t' fin stock was cut, t' grain had t' be placed perpendicular t' t' body tube. T' long fins not only warped side t' side, arrr, but t' thin front ends also lifted away from the body tube. I managed t' minimize t' warpin' by soakin' t' ends in thin CA and pushin' them back in place until they dried. Arrr! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey!

Finishing:
T' basswood had quite a deep grain and required a lot o' filling. Blimey! Blimey! I used Krylon primer and paints t' approximate t' color scheme identified in the instructions. Ahoy! Blimey! T' kit also includes a full set o' decals. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! These are *very* small and are nay easy t' cut out or manipulate.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' kit relies on friction fittin' t' motor. I should have scrounged a motor clip from t' ol' parts bin, but thought o' it too late. Arrr! T' recommended motors for this kit include: EST A8-3, arrr, B6-4, C6-5; APO C4-5, me bucko, C10-7, matey, me bucko, D3-7, arrr, D10-7; AT D13-7. Ahoy!

Since t' wind was fairly heavy, matey, me bucko, was blowin' towards t' trees AND this was the first flight o' t' day, I decided t' try a B6-4. Well, blow me down! T' boost was good with some weathercockin' but no sign o' any wobble. Ahoy! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' heavy plastic nose and weights did their job. Begad! Avast! (Please excuse t' poor launch pic, but I just had to include it since it be t' first one I've caught.)

Recovery:
I be worried that t' provided streamer would nay slow t' model enough, arrr, and my fears were well founded. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I attached t' streamer about 8" down from the nose, ya bilge rat, as recommended. I noticed that another reviewer suggested another approach on a similar model the AA9, but decided t' stick with t' instructions. Begad! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' rocket came down nose cone first, with t' body fallin' parallel t' t' ground. Arrr! One o' t' aft fins came part way off, shiver me timbers, and t' struts t' t' larger forward fins were destroyed. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Easily repaired, shiver me timbers, but would probably happen again on t' next flight. I will probably try a small chute instead. Avast! If I were t' build another o' these kits, matey, I'd also add some paper or light fiberglass t' strengthen t' fin joints. Ya scallywag!

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
This kit is reasonably priced and t' resultin' rocket looks great. Well, blow me down! Avast! I was disappointed at t' quality o' t' fin stock, arrr, which did affect t' looks o' the final product. It doesn't appear, however, me hearties, matey, that others have experienced this problem with t' small Aardvark kits. Arrr! Begad! T' streamer is insufficient and a small parachute should be substituted. Ya scallywag! Despite these problems, ya bilge rat, I still like t' kit and will consider buyin' another in t' series. Well, blow me down!

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5