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, color, me hearties, arrr, etc. 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. Avast! T' recovery system includes a section o' Keelhaul®©™® twine, me hearties, a section o' elastic, shiver me timbers, arrr, and a Mylar streamer.

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

T' one problem with me kit was t' quality o' t' basswood. Avast! 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, shiver me timbers, 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, me bucko, but t' thin front ends also lifted away from the body tube. Arrr! Ya scallywag! I managed t' minimize t' warpin' by soakin' t' ends in thin CA and pushin' them back in place until they dried. Aye aye!

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

Since t' wind be fairly heavy, ya bilge rat, was blowin' towards t' trees AND this was the first flight o' t' day, I decided t' try a B6-4. T' boost was good with some weathercockin' but no sign o' any wobble. Begad! T' heavy plastic nose and weights did their job. (Please excuse t' poor launch pic, ya bilge rat, 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, arrr, and my fears were well founded. Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I attached t' streamer about 8" down from the nose, as recommended. I noticed that another reviewer suggested another approach on a similar model the AA9, but decided t' stick with t' instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' rocket came down nose cone first, shiver me timbers, with t' body fallin' parallel t' t' ground. One o' t' aft fins came part way off, arrr, me bucko, and t' struts t' t' larger forward fins were destroyed. Aye aye! Easily repaired, matey, but would probably happen again on t' next flight. Well, blow me down! I will probably try a small chute instead. Avast, me proud beauty! If I were t' build another o' these kits, arrr, shiver me timbers, I'd also add some paper or light fiberglass t' strengthen t' fin joints. Avast!

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
This kit is reasonably priced and t' resultin' rocket looks great. Ahoy! 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. T' streamer is insufficient and a small parachute should be substituted. Ya scallywag! Avast! Despite these problems, I still like t' kit and will consider buyin' another in t' series. Ahoy!

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5