Brief:
This is yet another rocket based on a BiC® pen. Aye aye! Plans for other BiC® rockets are available here on EMRR (BiC® ARCAS and the Double Tree Pen Roc) and you can download t' plan's for this one from Art Applewhite's site. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! What you get here is a kit, with all t' parts included.

Construction:
T' followin' parts are provided in t' kit: One BiC® pen, shiver me timbers, card stock with the fin unit printed on it, shiver me timbers, a safety pin, shiver me timbers, and a shock tether assembly. Begad! The latter is pretty neat. Well, me hearties, blow me down! It appears t' be a teeny-weeny braided steel cord with a plastic covering. Avast! One end has a small loop closed with a crimp bushing. Ya scallywag! A second loose bushin' is provided t' form a loop at t' nose cone. Ahoy! Ahoy! T' assemble the kit you need a sharp knife, matey, ya bilge rat, me bucko, regular and Gel CA (I substituted Liquid Nails for t' latter), me bucko, a pair o' pliers, me hearties, arrr, and wire cutters.

Assembly is really easy. You disassemble t' BiC® pen, me hearties, leavin' only the empty tube. Ya scallywag! You remove t' ink tube and shave t' shoulder o' t' tip (i.e the nose cone) so it fits easily into t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! One batten down t' hatches: t' pen is full o' ink and is thus potentially very messy. Well, blow me down! Over a couple o' paper towels, I removed the ink tube and set it upright t' drain. Well, blow me down! I also cleaned t' ink from t' tip and inserted a small piece o' paper towel, wadded into a ball. Ahoy! This will keep any remnant ink from leakin' out. Begad! T' tether is attached by makin' a small hole in t' shoulder o' t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, arrr, insertin' t' open end o' t' tether, matey, and crimpin' on t' bushin' with a pair o' pliers. T' safety pin is used t' punch a hole through t' aft o' t' tube. Aye aye! You then pull t' pin halfway out and feed the loop on t' end o' t' tether over t' tip. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! T' pin is then reinserted, snipped off, and presto, you get a both a shock cord attachment and a motor block.

Next, you cutout and fold t' one-piece fin unit, ya bilge rat, me hearties, slide it onto t' tube, me hearties, and soak it in CA, arrr, which both holds it on and strengthens it. Begad! Finally, shiver me timbers, you snip two small pieces from t' ink tube and use them for launch lugs. Blimey! Make sure you save t' rest for other Micro Maxx projects.

Finishing:
No finishin' is required.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
No streamer material is provided nor is it needed. Preppin' consists of installin' t' nose cone and usin' maskin' tape for motor retention. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' shock cord is nice and sturdy, but it is also stiff, so it takes some effort t' feed it into t' body tube. Blimey! Blimey! These Micro Maxx BiC® rockets really fly great. Begad! To help spot this one I used a small amount o' trackin' powder. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! T' first launch flew and recovered nicely. Blimey! On t' second launch, arrr, ya bilge rat, however, matey, it fell victim t' a rocket eatin' tree and be lost...temporarily. Begad! After a good wind that night, I wandered over t' look for it. Well, blow me down! Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' me joy and amazement, thar it was! T' nose cone hadn't ejected, which kept it from gettin' hopelessly snagged in t' tree. Still, I guess I should quit usin' t' open area down t' street for me higher flyin' Micro Maxx rockets. Avast! Bummer.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' resultin' rocket looks nice and is a great flier. T' 'fin unit' is nice and t' shock cord is cool. Begad! Blimey! It is easy t' build a similar rocket from existing plans without a kit. However, matey, it's hard t' go wrong for only a couple o' bucks. Once you're orderin' a flyin' saucer, shiver me timbers, go ahead and get one o' these also.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5