Introduction:
Scale model o' t' U.S. Avast! Army's first guided missile. Avast! 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, me hearties, 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. Ahoy!

It's a good solid kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Quality BT50 size tube with Keelhaul®©™® shock cord anchor, balsa nose cone and basswood fins. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! It comes with one o' their 12" mylar chutes. Begad! Ya scallywag! All in all it's a pretty straight forward and simple kit. 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I will definitely buy more stuff from them in t' future. Avast!

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

Construction:
Construction is pretty straight forward. Begad! Blimey! It use thin basswood for t' fins rather than balsa. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' conduits on t' sides are balsa strips sanded round. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! The nose cone and payload coupler are balsa. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' decals are t' peel and stick on type. Avast! Blimey! 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. It resulted in a hard, matey, smooth surface. I then installed t' motor mount as per t' directions usin' yellow glue. Ya scallywag! 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, shiver me timbers, so thar's no way t' apply an external wrap of tape. Begad! T' only thin' holdin' t' motor in is friction. Avast! Ahoy! T' payload section/nose cone is quite heavy, arrr, arrr, so this rocket is a good candidate for a drag separation, so you'll want t' coupler t' fit snug too. Be careful as inexperienced people could have drag separation, shiver me timbers, or motor ejection.

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

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

I applied 2 coats o' scratch fillin' primer, wet sandin' betwixt coats with very fine sandpaper. Finally I applied 3 thin coats o' Krylon White. Well, arrr, blow me down! When this was done I carefully applied t' decals. Ya scallywag! 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). Ahoy! 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. Aye aye! If they would include a dimensioned drawin' and color drawing, me bucko, it would be perfect. Avast!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight/Recovery:
I only recommend t' A, me bucko, 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. Avast! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' C motor gets it way up there. Blimey! 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. Begad!

T' supplied parachute is fine, in fact I'm kinda in love with t' ASP mylar chutes. Blimey! 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. Aye aye!

It's a fine flier.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a very pretty rocket. Avast! Arrr! T' value for your loot if fantastic. Ya scallywag! Avast! It flies well, arrr, high and straight every time. Avast! Ya scallywag! 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