Brief:
T' Binder Design Samurai is a single stage, high powered sport rocket available with either a 38mm or 54mm motor mount. Arrr! Begad! My kit be t' 38mm version. Begad! T' rocket features 8 cut, matched, and sanded plywood fins with a fin alignment guide, me hearties, me bucko, mid-separation with a 34" payload bay, arrr, me hearties, a pre-marked booster for cuttin' fin slots and placin' lugs or buttons, me hearties, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and a 45" parachute.

Construction:
T' kit comes in t' best packagin' in t' business and with all o' t' components necessary t' complete t' rocket for flight. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' packagin' is very well laid out with all o' t' smaller parts in sub-packages within t' main bag. Avast! Begad! The kit included t' followin' parts:

• 1 Binder Design 4:1 plastic ogive nose cone
• 1 payload tube, 34" long x 4.0" OD heavy kraft paper tube
• 1 booster tube, matey, 34" long x 4.0" OD heavy kraft paper tube, me hearties, pre-marked slots for through-the-wall attachment o' t' main fins, me bucko, and pre-marked for attachment o' t' provided 1/2" launch lug
• 1 6" long heavy paper (kraft) tube coupler
• 1 38mm motor mount tube, heavy kraft paper
• 1 thick paper 1/2" launch lug
• 4 pre-cut and sanded forward fins, me bucko, matey, 3/16" aircraft plywood
• 4 pre-cut and sanded aft fins, ya bilge rat, 3/16" aircraft plywood
• 2 centerin' rings for t' motor mount t' t' 4.0" airframe. Ahoy! Arrr! Mine were made from fiberboard
• 1 bulkhead plate, shiver me timbers, pre-drilled for t' eyebolt, ya bilge rat, matey, 1/4" lite ply, for attachment inside t' tube coupler
• 2 #6 eyebolts for shock cord attachment, complete with 4 washers and 4 nuts
• 20' o' low-stretch tubular nylon for t' shock cord
• 45" premium Top Flite heavy-duty rip stop nylon parachute
• 7 pages o' very well illustrated instructions
• A fin alignment template
• 1 vinyl "SAMURAI" decal. My decal be in block white lettering. Ya scallywag!

T' Samurai be t' fourth Binder Design rocket that I've built. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! That said, my expectations were high goin' in and I be certainly nay disappointed.

T' provided instructions are very thorough and well illustrated without overdoin' it. Ahoy! No longer a "newbie" t' buildin' rockets like this one, I'm fairly certain that I could have successfully built my Samurai without t' instructions and only a dimensional drawing. This time, me hearties, t' instructions felt t' me more like a coach lookin' over me shoulder with words o' encouragement with enough detail t' brin' along t' first timer without bein' too tedious for someone who has done this before. Avast! Truly excellent.

T' build sequence is well spelled out, logical, and without a single "gotcha":

• Build t' motor mount, includin' recovery harness attachment
• Measure and cut t' fin slots
• Install t' motor mount
• Install and fillet t' fins
• Assemble t' coupler and payload (includin' recovery harness attachment)
• Install t' rod/rail guidance (e.g., ya bilge rat, arrr, lugs)
• Finish and fly t' bird!

Sure, this rocket is a nice and big, shiver me timbers, but in t' end, me hearties, it is a simple high powered rocket that goes together easily with a great set o' instructions t' walk you through it.

A couple o' things that I did t' vary from t' instructions:

1. I used wood glue on wood components. Well, blow me down! T' structural components o' this rocket are made from kraft paper and plywood. I did all o' t' fin attachment and fillets usin' wood glue, nay t' recommended epoxy. Arrr! T' result is a light and very sturdy build.
2. I replaced t' 1/2" lugs with ACME conformal rail guides. Begad! Personal preference here. Avast! I attached them t' the airframe on t' pre-marked line with JB Weld after sandin' off t' glassine with 80 grit sandpaper.
3. I omitted t' aft centerin' rin' and replaced it with a machined aluminum ablative plate, me bucko, formerly available direct from Binder Design. Avast! I emailed Mike Fisher o' Binder Design and he was able t' make one for me.
4. I added an Aero Pack 38mm retainer for motor retention as no positive retention is provided with t' kit.

T' use o' wood glue be t' strongest recommendation that this reviewer can pass on t' anyone readin' this. Blimey! Well, blow me down! It is easier t' work with, shiver me timbers, clean up, and be t' strongest adhesive available for t' components provided. Blimey! T' other modifications were strictly personal preference and nay a noted deficiency t' t' kit.

This would also be t' place t' comment on t' excellent customer service and support that Mike Fisher provides for his customers. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! I made a severely failed attempt t' bevel t' provided set o' fins on me bench router. Aye aye! I completely barbecued them. Avast, me proud beauty! An email t' Mike had a fresh set on t' way and t' project was smartly back on track. Ahoy! Well, blow me down!

PROs: T' best packagin' in t' business, instructions that are well suited for a wide range o' experience levels, arrr, and great quality parts make for a sturdy rocket that is easy t' put together.

CONs: If you can't stand cuttin' fin slots, shiver me timbers, you've got 8 on this one. I dig doin' it but some folks don't.

Finishing:
I ordered me Samurai from a distributor/vendor rather than from Binder directly. Begad! Ahoy! This be about t' time that Binder Design switched t' a new website and/or upgraded their original site. That said, matey, matey, all o' t' pictures that I'd seen of the Samurai were o' a red and black rocket with a lot o' decals. Aye aye! When me kit arrived, ya bilge rat, it had one decal that be simply the word "SAMURAI" in block white lettering. Avast! I emailed Mike Fisher and he explained that t' rocket I had in mind had t' "advanced decal package" that be nay advertised on his old site but would be on his new one. Arrr! Aye aye! I wanted it. Aye aye! I ordered that package and asked if I could get it in silver rather than t' red I had seen before. I'm so glad that I did.

T' "advanced package" includes 24 cut vinyl decals for t' booster and fins plus a sweet "SAMURAI" decal in a very appropriate "Asian" font for t' payload. Too sweet. Goin' with the silver just made everythin' stand out. Black booster with silver decals. Blimey! Blimey! Silver payload with black decals. Aye aye! T' chrome wrap on me rocket is somethin' I added myself although a chrome wrap is pictured on a lot o' Binder Design rockets. Mike explained that t' chrome decal gets scratched too easily and has been dropped. Arrr! I like t' look o' it so I put one on myself.

It should be noted that t' "advanced decal package" is now directly available on Binder Design's website in any color that they have. You get t' pick at t' time o' order!

PROs: T' suggested two color scheme is easily achievable with standard spray paints and no crazy maskin' because of t' construction o' t' rocket. Begad! Avast! Blimey! T' advanced decal package sets t' rocket apart from any other--it just looks fast and mean loungin' in t' basement, waitin' on t' flight line, matey, or sittin' on t' pad. Ahoy! Blimey! What a sweet lookin' bird.

CONs: If you do go with t' advanced decal package, you've got 24+ cut vinyl decals t' apply. Again, patience and tedium. I dig it, some don't.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
My first planned flight(s) for t' Samurai were rained out, ya bilge rat, so naturally I was very excited t' get t' fly it at the next month's club launch. Blimey! I couldn't decide what t' fly it on though. Ya scallywag! After completely finishin' and weighin' me rocket in flight ready configuration (minus motor), ya bilge rat, I ran all t' sims on RockSim and figured that just about any load for the AT 38/600 case would be ideal.

When I arrived at t' club launch, I found that Wildman's (Tim Lehr, our on-site vendor) had received a new AT shipment that included t' (relatively) new "black max" reloads for t' 38mm line. Begad! Blimey! When I saw t' box of I305FJ reload kits, matey, me hearties, I had t' have one. FJ means gray/black smoke and I've got a silver/black rocket, so I decided to stay with t' theme and go for it. T' I305 was assembled and loaded in no time, arrr, me hearties, and t' Samurai was on t' pads.

Boost be nice, shiver me timbers, if nay a shade wobbly. Ahoy! There was a slight spin on t' way up, but I get that a lot with split fin designs. Ahoy! I'm thinkin' it is builder/flier error (due t' fin misalignment down at t' nth degree.) Sweet whistle on the way up.

On t' I305, me hearties, t' smoke and boost were super impressive. Ya scallywag! At apogee, me hearties, t' Samurai laid over, separated smoothly, and drifted down on that 45" chute. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Mine landed precariously on some power lines but that wasn't that big o' a deal. I got it all back with no electrocutions or anything. Avast! Aye aye! Nice, nice flight.

T' second flight be t' next day (our club does 2-day weekend launches). Ya scallywag! Blimey! This time I went with t' I366R-M, also for t' 38/600 case. Much snappier boost on t' 5 grain Redline--no wobble at all--but still t' spin (surely it's my fault) and that killer whistle. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Deployment seemed a shade early for me. Begad! Blimey! We'll call it "deployment at apogee, nose up" but an otherwise perfect and nominal flight.

PROs: I was complimented on this rocket before it flew, after it flew, and while it sat on t' flight line. Begad! Aye aye! Gotta love t' whistle and any rocket that flies this good. Arrr!

CONs: None.

Recovery:
T' provided Top Flight parachute is very nice. Blimey! T' delay selections on me flights were spot on and deployment was nice and gentle. Begad! Begad! I used a Sunward Nomex® parachute protector and everythin' worked out great.

PROs: My flights recovered perfectly with acceptable drift and no damage. Blimey!

CONs: Can't think o' any!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Samurai is yet another solid and stunnin' offerin' from Binder Design. T' rocket has excellent stylin' and is a real attention grabber at t' launch. Aye aye! T' design is expandable for even more versatility--the addition o' an electronics bay (available from Binder Design) would easily convert this into a very capable dual-deploy rocket for the experienced flyer. Avast! Blimey! T' standard 38mm mount gives some nice power options for t' high-powered (Level 1/Level 2) sport flier. Ya scallywag! Avast! Based on me flight experience I am confident that it will easily handle t' 38mm J motors, includin' t' big 9 grain AT reloads (although a longer delay would probably be better for those.) T' optional 54mm mount would provide even more punch for those that want it. This rocket has been a part o' t' Binder Design stable for some time now, arrr, me hearties, and I highly recommend it anyone lookin' for a stylish sport rocket t' add t' their high-powered fleet!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5