Introduction:
Scale model o' t' U.S. Ahoy! Army's first guided missile. Ya scallywag! 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. Begad! It's a basement business, ya bilge rat, 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. Avast, me proud beauty!

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

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

Construction:
Construction is pretty straight forward. It use thin basswood for t' fins rather than balsa. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Blimey! T' conduits on t' sides are balsa strips sanded round. The nose cone and payload coupler are balsa. Arrr! Arrr! Blimey! 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, it makes a great first kit.

I started out wrappin' t' body tube and payload section with 1/2 oz fiberglass. I also glassed t' fins. Begad! Ya scallywag! It resulted in a hard, smooth surface. Begad! 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. Well, blow me down! T' payload section/nose cone is quite heavy, me bucko, so this rocket is a good candidate for a drag separation, so you'll want t' coupler t' fit snug too. Ahoy! Ahoy! Be careful as inexperienced people could have drag separation, or motor ejection.

I attached t' fins with thickened epoxy. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' reason I used epoxy be I could get a strong bond, shiver me timbers, but I had some time t' work with it. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I glued a spent motor onto a scrap piece o' cardboard. Ahoy! Blimey! I placed t' body tube on t' this. Blimey! Blimey! 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. Begad! Blimey!

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. Then I mixed some RAKA epoxy with maple flour until it was as thick as very thick syrup. Blimey! I painted this on t' balsa parts. Begad! There was no sign o' grain after this. Avast! Well, blow me down! I applied a wrap o' maskin' tape t' t' payload coupler. Begad! This isn't really a payload rocket. Payload area is filled with clay.

I applied 2 coats o' scratch fillin' primer, me bucko, wet sandin' betwixt coats with very fine sandpaper. Avast! Finally I applied 3 thin coats o' Krylon White. Blimey! 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.

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. Avast, me proud beauty! If they would include a dimensioned drawin' and color drawing, ya bilge rat, it would be perfect. Blimey! Avast!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

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

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

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5