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. T' light BT-50 body tube appears to be t' same as Apogee's tubin' - weight, color, etc. Aye aye! Blimey! 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! Blimey! T' recovery system includes a section o' Keelhaul®©™® twine, a section o' elastic, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, arrr, and a Mylar streamer. Arrr! Avast!

T' instructions are pretty good and are more than sufficient t' build this kit. Avast, me proud beauty! 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). Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! I was surprised when I saw calipers mentioned in t' instructions. Blimey! Begad! 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".

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

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

Since t' wind was fairly heavy, 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. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! T' heavy plastic nose and weights did their job. Begad! Begad! (Please excuse t' poor launch pic, arrr, 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, shiver me timbers, and my fears were well founded. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I attached t' streamer about 8" down from the nose, as recommended. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I noticed that another reviewer suggested another approach on a similar model the AA9, but decided t' stick with t' instructions. Avast! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' rocket came down nose cone first, matey, with t' body fallin' parallel t' t' ground. Arrr! Blimey! One o' t' aft fins came part way off, and t' struts t' t' larger forward fins were destroyed. Easily repaired, me hearties, but would probably happen again on t' next flight. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I will probably try a small chute instead. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! If I were t' build another o' these kits, I'd also add some paper or light fiberglass t' strengthen t' fin joints. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
This kit is reasonably priced and t' resultin' rocket looks great. Begad! 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. Ahoy! Despite these problems, shiver me timbers, I still like t' kit and will consider buyin' another in t' series.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5