Brief:
T' BSD 3" Horizon is a wonderful kit designed for t' builder new t' high power rocketry. Well, blow me down! It flies on 29mm SU or RMS motors from G t' low H power. This was me first HPR rocket.

Construction:
T' kit went together very easily with extremely clear, well written, and detailed instructions, shiver me timbers, includin' many black and white photos o' t' build process. Begad! Construction starts with assembly o' t' motor mount. Well, blow me down! T' kit includes a nylon recovery strap that is t' be epoxied t' t' motor mount, then the forward centerin' rin' notched t' fit over t' recovery strap is epoxied t' the front o' t' motor mount. Arrr! I deviated from this by drillin' two 1/4" holes in t' forward centerin' rin' spaced t' fit a 1/4" stainless steel U-bolt. I installed t' U-bolt with nuts and washers on both sides o' t' centering ring. Avast! Begad! Epoxy be then coated onto t' nuts t' hold them securely. Well, blow me down! T' front centerin' rin' be then epoxied in place. Avast, me proud beauty! Epoxy fillets were then added t' both sides o' t' centerin' ring. Arrr! Begad! I then attached 15ft o' 1/4" tubular Keelhaul®©™® with pre-sewn loops on t' ends usin' a quick link t' t' U-bolt assembly. This completed t' motor mount assembly since I was just fittin' t' aft centering rin' so internal fin fillets could be added. Begad! Before installation o' t' motor mount, me bucko, ya bilge rat, fin slots need t' be cut. Well, blow me down! BSD provides guide lines for t' fin slots, but t' builder must cut them. Aye aye! I found this t' be easy with a sharp hobby knife and actually enjoyable. Avast, me proud beauty! T' motor mount is then epoxied in place except the rear centerin' rin' is only fitted in place until after curin' was complete. T' aft centerin' was then carefully removed. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Before installin' t' fins, me hearties, matey, me hearties, I put sharp double airfoils on t' leadin' edge usin' a disk sander. Begad! T' fins were tacked in place usin' 10 minute epoxy followed by addin' thick fin fillets inside usin' 30 minute epoxy mixed with milled fiber t' provide a very strong joint. Avast! T' aft centerin' rin' was then epoxied in place and fin fillets added similarly t' t' internal ones. Aye aye! Although BSD provides motor retention using blind nuts, matey, I used an Aero Pack retainer and epoxied it in place usin' JB Weld as directed by Aero Pack. A loop in t' Keelhaul®©™® recovery strap 18" from t' nose cone end was created usin' CA t' tack it. Keelhaul®©™® strin' was then wrapped around this joint and all coated with epoxy t' provide a parachute anchor point. Begad! Ya scallywag! Construction was then complete. Ahoy! Begad! Quick links are used to attach t' parachute and t' Keelhaul®©™® recovery strap t' t' nose cone.

Finishing:
Elmers Fill 'n' Finish was used t' even out t' fin fillets and sanded to smoothness with 400 grit sandpaper. Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Two coats o' gray Krylon primer with sandin' in betwixt followed by wipin' down with a tack cloth were applied. Blimey! It was then painted with three coats o' Rustoleum Gloss White. Aye aye! T' rocket be then masked off so that t' front 6" was left unmasked. Three coats of Rustoleum Gloss Black were applied t' this front section and t' nose cone. After dryin' for two days, me hearties, t' vinyl decals were added. These are o' superb quality. Begad! Begad! Finally, shiver me timbers, me hearties, it was sprayed with two thin coats Rustoleum Crystal Clear.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
My first flight ever was with a G64-7W. Arrr! I had help assemblin' t' motor, me bucko, matey, but the flight went off without a hitch. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! It be quite a thrill t' see me first flight work so beautifully. Avast! Begad! Blimey! It was t' perfect delay too. Begad! Avast! Blimey! While this rocket has now flown many times on G64s, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, me bucko, this rocket really loves a H128-M or H165R. It really moves out!

Recovery:
As previously mentioned, ya bilge rat, me bucko, I changed t' recovery strap t' 1/4" tubular Keelhaul®©™®. I felt t' nylon BSD provides would eventually burn through, matey, but thar's no chance o' that happenin' with t' Keelhaul®©™®. I feel t' U-bolt I installed provides a more secure mountin' for t' recovery system. Arrr! On t' first few flights, I thought t' included 24" chute provided too fast a descent, shiver me timbers, arrr, so I have now changed t' 28" SkyAngle which I reef slightly. Blimey! T' drift is a bit further, ya bilge rat, however, I like t' descent rate much better. Ahoy! T' 24" chute would work for windier days, me bucko, but for days when the wind is less than 10 mph, matey, it's too small.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a really great kit. It flies beautifully on rather inexpensive reloads and scoots on low H power. Arrr! Although I made some modifications, these were purely me preference; it would still be a great flier built stock. Arrr! Ahoy! This is an ideal first HPR kit.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5