Brief:
A very basic 3FNC rocket that doesn't quite perform as advertised. Begad! Supposedly the rocket will feature helicopter recovery at motor ejection, shiver me timbers, but doesn't.

Construction:
T' basic kit consists o' a short piece o' 18mm body tube, matey, shiver me timbers, a real balsa nose cone, a sheet if pre-cut balsa fins, a launch lug, decal, and 3 wooden dowels. T' kit is very similar t' t' Rogue Gnat, but larger and with wooden dowels.

T' instructions were about as simple as they could get, shiver me timbers, and were pretty easy t' follow if I had chosen t' do so. This kit is so simple instructions are not required. Everythin' fit perfectly, t' balsa was a better grade than I've ever seen from Custom, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and t' assembly steps were in a somewhat logical order. Most basic model buildin' tools would suffice; however, shiver me timbers, you could get by with nothin' more than a piece o' sandpaper and some Elmer's wood glue.

There are only a couple o' CON's: T' body tube seems a little thin when compared t' other kits, matey, and t' instructions mentioned nothin' about why the rocket was supposed t' spin on recovery. Begad! I would have t' deduct points for the fact that this rocket will nay spin, twist, or tumble if it is built per the instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! And since t' instructions never give any indication o' why it is supposed to, me bucko, arrr, it could be confusin' for a beginner. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Blimey! This thin' simply lawn darts. Ya scallywag! T' alleviate t' lawn dartin' tendencies, ya bilge rat, I sanded each fin into an asymmetrical airfoil, in hopes that it would induce spin. Begad! Blimey! I figured that the rocket would be travellin' too fast on t' way up for t' airfoil t' induce any spin, since t' airfoil would stall, matey, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, but on t' way down, shiver me timbers, arrr, it should be going slow enough for t' airfoil t' induce a low pressure region that would induce "lift", thereby spinnin' t' rocket. Well, blow me down! Avast! Blimey! At least it was good in theory.

Finishing:
Finishin' this rocket in t' suggested paint scheme o' black looked a little drab t' me, matey, so I went back and coated t' upper half and one fin o' t' rocket with Elmer's Squeeze Creations we had layin' around t' house. Arrr! Basically, matey, this stuff is colored glue with glitter in it, me hearties, me bucko, and goes on like glue. Ahoy! So, after coatin' t' upper with red and t' lower with gold, ya bilge rat, I now have a highly visible rocket that sparkles in t' sun. Ya scallywag! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' glue also added a little more strength.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Custom recommends a really low powered 18mm motor. However, I prefer t' use a 13mm A motor with an adaptor, shiver me timbers, since they are a little cheaper and come in a pack o' 4 instead o' 3, arrr, me hearties, so thar's a little bit o' savings there. Ahoy! OK, so I'm cheap.

Preparation for flight couldn't be easier: Just pop in a motor, shiver me timbers, add the ignitor and launch. Motor retention is friction fit, matey, with t' nose cone acting as t' motor block. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' motor is supposed t' eject, shiver me timbers, and by some mythical process, t' rocket is supposed t' spin comin' down, me hearties, though Custom never addresses t' issue. Arrr! Expect straight, shiver me timbers, rapid flights on a low powered A sized motor. Begad! I wouldn't launch it on anythin' larger than a B6-6, arrr, or you'll never see it again, even if covered in glitter. Ya scallywag! But t' thin' needs t' be built as sturdy, me bucko, because it'll lawn dart every time. Arrr! Aye aye! My little airfoil experiment is a mixed bag o' success and failure; it'll induce some spin, but t' fins are too small and thin t' produce anythin' like what Custom describes on t' package. My suggestion is t' cant t' fins a few degrees off center, inducin' spin. Blimey! Blimey! The recovery will make for a "heads-up" launch every time, matey, and is why I rated flight so low. Ahoy! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! If it weren't for t' lawn dart, I'd give this rocket a 5 for flight, me hearties, but an object can only stand t' fall from so high up a finite number o' times, and even fewer if it burrows into t' ground each time. So, expect a short lifespan.

Recovery:
There are no PROs t' flight recovery on this rocket, other than t' fact it needs no wadding. Blimey! Blimey! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! It preps quickly, me hearties, flies quickly, me hearties, and crashes quickly.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
In me opinion, this kit needed more R&D before Custom released it t' the public. Begad! It flies great, on t' way up. Aye aye! Unfortunately, arrr, it flies great on t' way down too. Aye aye! Begad! It is reminiscent o' t' old Estes Scout, which was a dynamite little rocket, but loses a lot in t' recovery system. Ya scallywag! I would definitely recommend this rocket t' anyone lookin' t' buy a kid their first or second rocket, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but would add that t' fins need t' be attached off center t' aid in recovery. Begad! all in all, me hearties, t' Custom Twister is an exercise best summed up as Caveat Emptor.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5