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. Avast! T' light BT-50 body tube appears to be t' same as Apogee's tubin' - weight, me bucko, color, etc. Begad! Avast! 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. T' recovery system includes a section o' Keelhaul®©™® twine, a section o' elastic, arrr, and a Mylar streamer. Well, blow me down!

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, me bucko, and alignin' t' three sets o' fins (12 total). I be surprised when I saw calipers mentioned in t' instructions. In order t' get a true scale model, I suppose, they specify t' fin placement to three decimal places! I rounded t' t' nearest 1/16". Aye aye!

T' one problem with me kit was t' quality o' t' basswood. Both pieces were warped and even though I tried t' straighten them, ya bilge rat, 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. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' long fins not only warped side t' side, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, arrr, but t' thin front ends also lifted away from the body tube. Begad! I managed t' minimize t' warpin' by soakin' t' ends in thin CA and pushin' them back in place until they dried. Avast, me proud beauty!

Finishing:
T' basswood had quite a deep grain and required a lot o' filling. Ahoy! Begad! I used Krylon primer and paints t' approximate t' color scheme identified in the instructions. Arrr! T' kit also includes a full set o' decals. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! I should have scrounged a motor clip from t' ol' parts bin, me bucko, but thought o' it too late. Ya scallywag! T' recommended motors for this kit include: EST A8-3, ya bilge rat, B6-4, C6-5; APO C4-5, C10-7, me bucko, D3-7, D10-7; AT D13-7. Begad!

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

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

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
This kit is reasonably priced and t' resultin' rocket looks great. Blimey! I was disappointed at t' quality o' t' fin stock, which did affect t' looks o' the final product. It doesn't appear, however, that others have experienced this problem with t' small Aardvark kits. Aye aye! T' streamer is insufficient and a small parachute should be substituted. Aye aye! Despite these problems, me bucko, I still like t' kit and will consider buyin' another in t' series. Aye aye!

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5