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

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

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

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

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

I attached t' fins with thickened epoxy. Ya scallywag! T' reason I used epoxy was I could get a strong bond, ya bilge rat, but I had some time t' work with it. I glued a spent motor onto a scrap piece o' cardboard. I placed t' body tube on t' this. motor such that t' fins would just touch t' cardboard. I be hopin' that I could set t' four finned rocket on a flat surface and it wouldn't rock. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Blimey!

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

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

Materials get a 4 (on a scale o' 1 t' 5). Arrr! 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. Avast! If they would include a dimensioned drawin' and color drawing, it would be perfect. Well, blow me down!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

T' supplied parachute is fine, matey, in fact I'm kinda in love with t' ASP mylar chutes. Avast! 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. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Get a red one. Avast!

It's a fine flier. Avast!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5