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

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

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! This kit has a minimum level o' detail and no documentation, so you'll have t' dig that up yourself. Well, blow me down! It's a great flyin' rocket.

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

I started out wrappin' t' body tube and payload section with 1/2 oz fiberglass. Avast! Ya scallywag! I also glassed t' fins. It resulted in a hard, smooth surface. Well, blow me down! I then installed t' motor mount as per t' directions usin' yellow glue. Here my only objection is a lack o' a motor hook. Well, blow me down! T' 18 mm tube is inside a 24 mm tube and t' two tubes are flush, shiver me timbers, so thar's no way t' apply an external wrap of tape. Begad! Arrr! T' only thin' holdin' t' motor in is friction. Avast! T' payload section/nose cone is quite heavy, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, me bucko, 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. Blimey!

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. Begad! Arrr! I glued a spent motor onto a scrap piece o' cardboard. Well, blow me down! I placed t' body tube on t' this. Aye aye! Arrr! 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. Begad! Ya scallywag!

I finished all t' balsa parts t' same way. Aye aye! I applied 2 coats o' sanding sealer, arrr, ya bilge rat, sandin' with very fine sand paper betwixt coats. Begad! Then I mixed some RAKA epoxy with maple flour until it was as thick as very thick syrup. I painted this on t' balsa parts. Ahoy! There be 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. Begad! Begad! Payload area is filled with clay. Ahoy!

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

Materials get a 4 (on a scale o' 1 t' 5). Well, blow me down! 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, ya bilge rat, me hearties, it would be perfect. Aye aye! Blimey!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

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

It's a fine flier. Avast, me proud beauty!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5