Introduction:
Scale model o' t' U.S. Army's first guided missile. Begad! I got t' Aerospace Specialty Products catalog by sendin' e-mail t' them. Well, blow me down! ASP has some really cool products, especially for NARRRRR people gettin' into competition. Avast! It's a basement business, so don't expect call center answerin' systems and full blown retail convenience. Aye aye! I bought a couple o' Mylar chutes and decided that I'd give one of their kits a try. Aye aye!

It's a good solid kit. Quality BT50 size tube with Keelhaul®©™® shock cord anchor, balsa nose cone and basswood fins. It comes with one o' their 12" mylar chutes. Arrr! All in all it's a pretty straight forward and simple kit. Arrr! I'll let you know how it flies later. Avast! I'm sure this is typical o' ASP, me bucko, matey, so I can comfortably recommend them. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I will definitely buy more stuff from them in t' future. Avast!

Quality Scale Kit...
This is a scale model o' t' US Army's first guided ballistic missile. Avast! The Corporal missile was developed about t' time and by t' same folks who developed t' WAC Corporal soundin' rocket (hence t' name similarity). This kit has a minimum level o' detail and no documentation, so you'll have t' dig that up yourself. Ahoy! Begad! It's a great flyin' rocket.

Construction:
Construction is pretty straight forward. Blimey! It use thin basswood for t' fins rather than balsa. Blimey! Arrr! T' conduits on t' sides are balsa strips sanded round. Begad! Aye aye! The nose cone and payload coupler are balsa. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' decals are t' peel and stick on type. Blimey! Ahoy! If you've spent time buildin' paper and wood models, shiver me timbers, this will be a snap. Otherwise, ya bilge rat, it makes a great first kit. Aye aye! Well, blow me down!

I started out wrappin' t' body tube and payload section with 1/2 oz fiberglass. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I also glassed t' fins. Arrr! It resulted in a hard, me bucko, smooth surface. Begad! Avast! I then installed t' motor mount as per t' directions usin' yellow glue. Avast, me proud beauty! Here my only objection is a lack o' a motor hook. Begad! T' 18 mm tube is inside a 24 mm tube and t' two tubes are flush, so thar's no way t' apply an external wrap of tape. Well, blow me down! T' only thin' holdin' t' motor in is friction. Ahoy! T' payload section/nose cone is quite heavy, so this rocket is a good candidate for a drag separation, so you'll want t' coupler t' fit snug too. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Be careful as inexperienced people could have drag separation, ya bilge rat, or motor ejection. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down!

I attached t' fins with thickened epoxy. Begad! T' reason I used epoxy was I could get a strong bond, but I had some time t' work with it. Well, arrr, blow me down! I glued a spent motor onto a scrap piece o' cardboard. Arrr! I placed t' body tube on t' this. Begad! motor such that t' fins would just touch t' cardboard. I was hopin' that I could set t' four finned rocket on a flat surface and it wouldn't rock.

I finished all t' balsa parts t' same way. I applied 2 coats o' sanding sealer, sandin' with very fine sand paper betwixt coats. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Then I mixed some RAKA epoxy with maple flour until it be as thick as very thick syrup. Blimey! I painted this on t' balsa parts. There be no sign o' grain after this. Begad! I applied a wrap o' maskin' tape t' t' payload coupler. This isn't really a payload rocket. Arrr! Payload area is filled with clay. Avast! Ya scallywag!

I applied 2 coats o' scratch fillin' primer, wet sandin' betwixt coats with very fine sandpaper. Well, blow me down! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Finally I applied 3 thin coats o' Krylon White. Ahoy! When this was done I carefully applied t' decals. Avast, me proud beauty! I'm quite pleased with t' results. Won't win any contests, but it looks really nice. Avast!

Materials get a 4 (on a scale o' 1 t' 5). I deduct a half point for t' lack o' a motor clip and a half point because thar be nay scale data for t' rocket included. If they would include a dimensioned drawin' and color drawing, it would be perfect. Begad!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight/Recovery:
I only recommend t' A, ya bilge rat, me hearties, B and C motors. Well, blow me down! Begad! It would handle t' D motors just fine, but it would go very high, shiver me timbers, very fast and be hard t' track. Ahoy! Begad! T' C motor gets it way up there. It flies very straight, shiver me timbers, even in windy conditions. It's fairly heavy for it diameter and fin area, arrr, so it doesn't tend t' weather cock much. Avast!

T' supplied parachute is fine, in fact I'm kinda in love with t' ASP mylar chutes. Aye aye! I attach a snap swivel from a fishin' supply store and use t' ASP parachute on all me model rockets. That parachute has been through a lot. Well, blow me down! Get a red one.

It's a fine flier. Blimey! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a very pretty rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! T' value for your loot if fantastic. It flies well, me bucko, high and straight every time. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It's large enough that you can just see it a t' end o' a C6-5 boost. Aye aye! Blimey! Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! T' take off is nice and slow with t' A motor.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5