Intro:

T' Aerospace Specialty Products (ASP) V-2 is a scale model rocket kit o' t' German Vengeance Weapon 2 (V-2) that was developed before and durin' World War 2. Ya scallywag! It is approximately 1/40 scale, uses 24mm motors, ya bilge rat, (or 18mm motors with an adapter) and stands just over 14" tall. Begad! This kit requires a 3/16" launch rod as well.

Construction Rating: 5

T' V-2 kit arrived in t' familiar clear plastic bag. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! It was shipped from ASP in an express mail (great service) box that shielded t' components from any shippin' damage. Ahoy! All o' t' parts were in t' kit and none were broken. Begad! Included in t' kit is a pre-weighted balsa nose cone, pre-drilled balsa tail cone, a sheet o' basswood for t' fins, shiver me timbers, two basswood strips for detail pieces, arrr, elastic shock cord, me hearties, me bucko, a heavy duty Mylar parachute kit, and t' usual assortment o' cardboard tubes for t' body, motor mount, and various adaptor rings.

T' instructions are printed on four sheets o' 8.5x11 paper, arrr, me bucko, and thar be another sheet o' instructions that comes with t' parachute kit as well. Ya scallywag! T' instructions are presented in a logical order that was easy t' follow and made sense. There are 20 steps t' build t' rocket, arrr, and 15 illustrations t' help you along t' way. Arrr! There is a sheet o' templates used in t' buildin' o' this kit. Avast! T' templates are included for t' fins and servo pods, matey, and thar are markin' guides for t' fins and tail cone.

This is nay an easy kit t' build. T' instructions rate t' kit as beginner/intermediate, I would rate it as intermediate/advanced. I did nay find it difficult, me hearties, me hearties, but time consumin' in t' build process. Blimey! This kit required patience t' complete as many o' t' steps are time-consuming. Blimey! Aye aye! I shouldn't have t' say this, but, me hearties, read t' instructions thoroughly. Arrr! You will be glad that you did. Well, me hearties, blow me down! If you follow t' instructions thar should be no Gotchas or surprises along t' way. Arrr! Take care in markin' t' tail cone as this be t' critical alignment for t' fins that will be attached later. Begad! T' fit o' t' parts is up t' t' builder. Blimey! Most o' t' wooden pieces are cut, carved, me hearties, sanded, or otherwise shaped by t' builder. Aye aye! So it is up t' t' builder t' ensure that they fit properly.

This is nay your pre-fab- shake-the-bag rocket kit. Begad! This is a kit for a craftsman t' build t' get good results. Ahoy! All that takes is time, do nay rush t' assembly o' this kit. A good suggestion in t' instructions be t' use o' a palm sander for t' shapin' o' t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! This is a real time-saver as t' fins are hard basswood and do nay shape as easily as balsa.

T' only complaint I have be t' relative weakness o' t' balsa nose and tail cones relative t' t' basswood fins. Ahoy! I found myself fillin' and refillin' various dents that randomly adorned those pieces. They are very soft. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! A harder balsa, matey, or even basswood for t' nose cone (it needs t' weight anyway) would be a nice change t' this kit.

No special tools are needed for t' construction o' t' V-2, however as previously mentioned, an electric palm sander really helps in shapin' t' basswood parts. I personally would nay want t' attempt this kit without one.

T' model is finished with your standard rocket techniques. Begad! T' instructions include steps t' guide you through those steps if you are unfamiliar with them. Begad! Ahoy! I used thinned "Elmers Wood Filler Putty" in many places on t' model. Aye aye! There will be gaps around t' servo pods that sandin' sealer will nay fill. I also used t' putty t' create fillets for t' fins. Begad! I followed pictures o' t' real V-2 t' get t' proper lookin' joint. Blimey! While I be at it I also added a rather large fillet around t' launch lug with t' putty as well. Avast! This helps t' lug blend into t' body better.

In t' instructions thar are two different paintin' diagrams. T' simpler one is a version used by t' Germans in testin' o' t' rocket. T' more complex one is a version that was test fired at White Sands. Aye aye! There are almost as many paint patterns for this rocket as thar are pictures o' it. T' Germans had many various versions for their test firings, me bucko, and at least four completely different camouflage schemes before they settled on a basic olive drab durin' t' last weeks o' t' war. Well, blow me down! I chose t' second "ragged camouflage" scheme as illustrated in t' book "V- Missiles o' t' Third Reich T' V-1 and V-2" By Dieter Holsken, ya bilge rat, me hearties, a book worth gettin' if you are interested in t' V-2, as it is full o' good photographs, arrr, and diagrams.

It stands t' reason since thar are many paint configurations o' t' V-2, that thar are no decals included in this kit.

Take your time buildin' this rocket and t' result is one beautiful V-2. I'm almost too scared t' fly it.

Flight Rating: 4

T' recovery system in this rocket is your standard elastic shock cord that is attached t' a screw eye in t' nose cone, shiver me timbers, and t' t' outside top o' t' engine mount. Arrr! I have me concerns here since I have seen many a shock cord burned through by t' ejection gasses. Avast! I would be more comfortable seein' a Keelhaul®©™ tether attached t' t' engine mount. Ahoy! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' Parachute is a 15" mylar heavy duty ASP kit. Aye aye! Begad! T' heavy duty kit has shroud lines that go over t' top o' t' canopy for added strength. Ahoy! t' parachute comes with a heavy duty swivel snap for ease o' removal o' t' parachute.

Preparation follows t' standard procedure, matey, but includes insertin' t' waddin' into t' engine tube. Begad! Blimey! This is a necessity as thar be nay much room in t' body for t' parachute, or anythin' else. Take extra care t' ensure that t' shock cord is well protected from t' ejection gasses.

Motor retention is by friction fit. Arrr! ASP recommends t' D12-5, ya bilge rat, E15-7, and E30-7 motors. Begad! They also suggest t' use o' t' B4-2, arrr, B6-2, matey, C5-3, and C6-5 motors with t' appropriate adapter installed.

T' first flight used t' C6-5 motor with t' 24mm t' 18mm adapter. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! There was a slight wind and t' pad was set slightly into t' wind. Avast, me proud beauty! T' V-2 weather-cocked and launched on a ballistic path, arrr, ya bilge rat, me bucko, much like t' real rocket, fortunately ejection was still high enough in t' air for a good recovery, me bucko, unfortunately t' parachute tangled and t' model hit t' ground rather hard. Ahoy! Blimey! Damage consisted o' t' loss o' t' first 1/2" o' t' nose cone, and t' rest o' t' rocket was in good shape. T' assembly o' t' parachute has t' shroud lines goin' over t' top o' t' canopy o' t' parachute, these are held in place by squares o' tape at four points on their path. Arrr! I concluded that these shroud lines must be taped t' entire length o' t' run t' eliminate t' possibility o' future tangles, me bucko, t' last thin' I want t' see is this rocket headin' t' t' ground without a parachute, again. Arrr! A trip t' t' local hobby shop provided me with a roll o' gold mylar pinstripe tape that did t' trick. Well, blow me down! Once t' parachute be fixed then I added some more putty t' t' nose cone t' eliminate t' truncated shape and make it look BC, shiver me timbers, or Before Crash.

T' second flight used t' modified parachute and a D12-5 motor. Launch was spectacular, shiver me timbers, fast, straight, me hearties, arrr, and nearly out o' sight. Avast! At apogee, me hearties, or very close, t' parachute was deployed and this time it worked (yea!). Ahoy! T' parachute gives this model a pretty good rate o' descent, and it floated clear over t' junior high school and landed on t' football field on t' other side. Aye aye! T' only damage from this flight was a small scorched section o' one fin, next time I will put t' rocket higher off o' t' blast deflector. Avast! Arrr! I also noted that t' shock cord is a little singed. Arrr! It will be a matter o' time before this part fails.

Overall Rating: 4

Everythin' considered, this is a very nice kit o' a historic rocket that most everyone will recognize. Ahoy! Take your time and this is a kit t' proudly display, matey, and fly. Begad! Replace t' elastic shock cord with a nice long Keelhaul®©™one and this will be a great kit. Well, blow me down! As it stands, take care in launch preparation, shiver me timbers, especially if you are usin' those D or greater motors, and inspect t' shock cord often and you should be fine.