Brief:
This is yet another rocket based on a BiC® pen. Begad! Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! What you get here is a kit, with all t' parts included.

Construction:
T' followin' parts are provided in t' kit: One BiC® pen, card stock with the fin unit printed on it, me bucko, a safety pin, and a shock tether assembly. Begad! The latter is pretty neat. Begad! 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. Begad! A second loose bushin' is provided t' form a loop at t' nose cone. Aye aye! Begad! T' assemble the kit you need a sharp knife, regular and Gel CA (I substituted Liquid Nails for t' latter), me bucko, a pair o' pliers, and wire cutters.

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

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

Finishing:
No finishin' is required.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
No streamer material is provided nor is it needed. Begad! Preppin' consists of installin' t' nose cone and usin' maskin' tape for motor retention. Avast! Begad! T' shock cord is nice and sturdy, arrr, but it is also stiff, shiver me timbers, me bucko, so it takes some effort t' feed it into t' body tube. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! These Micro Maxx BiC® rockets really fly great. Well, blow me down! To help spot this one I used a small amount o' trackin' powder. Arrr! T' first launch flew and recovered nicely. Avast! Ya scallywag! On t' second launch, ya bilge rat, however, it fell victim t' a rocket eatin' tree and was lost...temporarily. Begad! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! After a good wind that night, shiver me timbers, I wandered over t' look for it. 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, me bucko, I guess I should quit usin' t' open area down t' street for me higher flyin' Micro Maxx rockets. 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. It is easy t' build a similar rocket from existing plans without a kit. Arrr! However, matey, it's hard t' go wrong for only a couple o' bucks. Once you're orderin' a flyin' saucer, go ahead and get one o' these also.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5