Introduction:
Scale model o' t' U.S. Avast, me proud beauty! Army's first guided missile. Ya scallywag! I got t' Aerospace Specialty Products catalog by sendin' e-mail t' them. Ya scallywag! ASP has some really cool products, especially for NARRRRR people gettin' into competition. Begad! It's a basement business, ya bilge rat, me bucko, 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. Avast!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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. Blimey! If they would include a dimensioned drawin' and color drawing, me hearties, it would be perfect. Avast!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

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

It's a fine flier. Avast! Avast!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5