Introduction:
Scale model o' t' U.S. Ahoy! Army's first guided missile. Arrr! 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. Begad! Begad! It's a basement business, so don't expect call center answerin' systems and full blown retail convenience. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I bought a couple o' Mylar chutes and decided that I'd give one of their kits a try. Blimey!

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

Quality Scale Kit...
This is a scale model o' t' US Army's first guided ballistic missile. Well, blow me down! 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. Avast! It's a great flyin' rocket.

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

I started out wrappin' t' body tube and payload section with 1/2 oz fiberglass. Arrr! I also glassed t' fins. Begad! Blimey! It resulted in a hard, matey, smooth surface. Blimey! I then installed t' motor mount as per t' directions usin' yellow glue. Aye aye! Here my only objection is a lack o' a motor hook. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Arrr! T' only thin' holdin' t' motor in is friction. Ahoy! Begad! 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! Be careful as inexperienced people could have drag separation, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, me hearties, or motor ejection. Well, blow me down!

I attached t' fins with thickened epoxy. Arrr! Ahoy! T' reason I used epoxy be I could get a strong bond, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, matey, but I had some time t' work with it. Avast, me proud beauty! I glued a spent motor onto a scrap piece o' cardboard. I placed t' body tube on t' this. Aye aye! 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. Ahoy! I applied 2 coats o' sanding sealer, sandin' with very fine sand paper betwixt coats. Begad! Well, blow me down! Then I mixed some RAKA epoxy with maple flour until it be as thick as very thick syrup. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! I painted this on t' balsa parts. Avast, me proud beauty! There was no sign o' grain after this. I applied a wrap o' maskin' tape t' t' payload coupler. Ya scallywag! This isn't really a payload rocket. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Payload area is filled with clay.

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

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. Begad! If they would include a dimensioned drawin' and color drawing, ya bilge rat, matey, it would be perfect. Arrr! Ahoy!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight/Recovery:
I only recommend t' A, B and C motors. Avast! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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! Blimey! T' C motor gets it way up there. It flies very straight, even in windy conditions. It's fairly heavy for it diameter and fin area, matey, so it doesn't tend t' weather cock much. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

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

It's a fine flier. Blimey! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5