Introduction:
Scale model o' t' U.S. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Army's first guided missile. Ahoy! 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, 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. Well, blow me down!

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

Quality Scale Kit...
This is a scale model o' t' US Army's first guided ballistic missile. The Corporal missile be developed about t' time and by t' same folks who developed t' WAC Corporal soundin' rocket (hence t' name similarity). Begad! Begad! 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. Well, blow me down! Arrr! It use thin basswood for t' fins rather than balsa. Begad! T' conduits on t' sides are balsa strips sanded round. Begad! The nose cone and payload coupler are balsa. Ya scallywag! T' decals are t' peel and stick on type. If you've spent time buildin' paper and wood models, ya bilge rat, matey, shiver me timbers, this will be a snap. Otherwise, matey, shiver me timbers, 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! It resulted in a hard, smooth surface. Blimey! I then installed t' motor mount as per t' directions usin' yellow glue. Blimey! Arrr! 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, so thar's no way t' apply an external wrap of tape. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' only thin' holdin' t' motor in is friction. Blimey! 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! Well, blow me down! Be careful as inexperienced people could have drag separation, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, 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, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but I had some time t' work with it. I glued a spent motor onto a scrap piece o' cardboard. Begad! I placed t' body tube on t' this. Avast, me proud beauty! motor such that t' fins would just touch t' cardboard. Begad! Aye aye! 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, 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. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I painted this on t' balsa parts. Begad! There was no sign o' grain after this. Ahoy! Begad! I applied a wrap o' maskin' tape t' t' payload coupler. Aye aye! This isn't really a payload rocket. Payload area is filled with clay. Ahoy! Ya scallywag!

I applied 2 coats o' scratch fillin' primer, wet sandin' betwixt coats with very fine sandpaper. Ahoy! Finally I applied 3 thin coats o' Krylon White. Blimey! When this was done I carefully applied t' decals. Ahoy! 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. If they would include a dimensioned drawin' and color drawing, me hearties, arrr, arrr, it would be perfect. Blimey!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight/Recovery:
I only recommend t' A, arrr, B and C motors. Arrr! 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. Blimey! It flies very straight, even in windy conditions. Begad! It's fairly heavy for it diameter and fin area, arrr, so it doesn't tend t' weather cock much. Ya scallywag!

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

It's a fine flier. Begad! Well, blow me down!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5