Brief:
This is a semi-scale replica o' NASA's next generation manned launch vehicle. Begad! I say semi-scale, shiver me timbers, as NASA's design is constantly shifting, and this reflects a sort o' blend o' t' various styles. Begad! Currently called t' Ares, me bucko, this vehicle started out as T' Stick and consists o' a single SRB from t' shuttle along with an Apollo-style CEV capsule.

Construction:
Parts were typical Zooch quality: good, me bucko, shiver me timbers, unexceptional. Ahoy! Blimey! T' preprinted wraps are good ink jet resolution and t' balsa parts are a bit rough. Avast! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' goal here is affordable scale modelin' with this kit sellin' for $20-25.

Parts include:

• BT-50 body tube [Note: most Zooch kits are BT-60]
• 18mm motor tube, arrr, centerin' rings
• balsa fin stock
• balsa nose cone
• dowel for LEM tower
• 6" plastic chute
• elastic shock cord
• patter & wrap sheet (color)

See any number o' other Zooch reviews for commentary on t' instructions. They're amusin' and reasonably well written with basic illustrations. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Many folks find them as much fun t' read as t' kits are t' build.

T' SRB tube is a slick lookin' component. It starts with a simple BT-20 tube that is slit for a metal motor clip. Ya scallywag! Avast! Next, me hearties, arrr, slit a short piece o' BT-20 and wrap it around t' main BT-20 with t' exposed slit over t' clip. Next comes formin' a couple o' shrouds for each end. Finally, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, for a very cool effect, shiver me timbers, cut little strips o' paper and wrap them around t' tube at various spacing. This gives t' appearance o' ribs. Note that t' instructions contain an error here, callin' for more strips than necessary, me hearties, ya bilge rat, as t' text was presumably just cut/pasted from t' shuttle kit instructions.

T' upper body assembly couldn't be much simpler: cut out t' wrap and usin' a very thin layer o' white glue, bond it t' t' tube. Begad! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! No finishing/paintin' is needed, arrr, but you might want t' paint t' SRB white before bondin' t' SRB and upper tube together as makin' t' paper wrap would be problematic.

Stability is accomplished via 4 definitely nay scale fins. Ya scallywag! I suppose for $25, one should nay expect active guidance systems. Begad! These are a little tricky as they must conform t' t' taper o' t' lower shroud.

T' finish up, you get t' choose which tower option you want t' go with as thar are multiple versions shown by NASA includin' two different designs posted on t' same week in November 2005. Ya scallywag! Avast! One version shows a Saturn-like tower and another shows a simple dowel/shroud style tower. Ya scallywag! Bein' a glutton for punishment, me bucko, I chose the much more complex tower assembly. Ya scallywag! This is built usin' 4 tiny dowels for legs plus wire cross braces. Begad! This is definitely a tweezer job and left me thinking it might be time t' invest in a jewelers loop. Cap t' tower base with a small formed shroud and plant t' dowel in t' center. Avast! This is then glued with CA to the nose cone.

Finishing:
As previously noted, matey, finishin' is a snap on this thanks t' t' preprinted wrap. T' lower SRB and t' tower assembly are painted white, me bucko, and you should do this before attachin' t' SRB t' t' upper tube.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight, arrr, I went wimpy with an A8-3. Begad! Well, blow me down! Blimey! This is a lightweight and low drag profile and wound up zippin' up a bit higher than I expected. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' flight was perfectly straight though and deployment be right at apogee.

I'll have no problems goin' up t' B6-4s but will hold off on C6-3 unless I'm on a large field or flyin' in calm winds--it will probably make it just about out o' sight on a C.

Recovery:
I was a little put off by what I felt be a skimpy 6" plastic chute given the delicate tower I had labored 2+ hours t' build, so I swapped out for a 12" mylar chute instead. Ahoy! As it turns out, t' 6" would probably suffice as I had very slow descent rate on mine. Arrr! If usin' t' 6" plastic chute though, I'd go short on t' Keelhaul®©™® shroud lines--the supplied material works out t' almost 18" shroud line length.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This be a quick and easy build and I was very pleased with how it turned out. It looks good, flies great, me hearties, me bucko, and as with most Zooch kits, it's t' only replica of this rocket available.

There was one slight disappointment though: I've gotten spoiled by me other Zooch kits that fit back in t' box they came in for easy transport t' the field plus identification (each box has a drawin' and label on t' outside). For this one, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, matey, t' SRB and upper tube are just a bit longer than t' box, so you'll have t' stash this one mingled in with t' rest o' t' regular fleet. If only he'd gone with a solid bulkhead transition and t' rocket separated in the middle...

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5