Brief:

A lightweight, minimum diameter egg lofter with an efficient aerodynamic design.

Construction:

T' kit comes in t' typical "hangin' bag" style package. Avast! As such, me bucko, it doesn't protect t' kit from any damage incurred in shipping, and this one was indeed damaged in shipment, though I couldn't tell until t' package be open. Well, blow me down! T' kit featured a length o' 18mm tubing, a very unusual plastic nose cone, a very good mylar parachute, a laughably short shock cord, and a bit o' grainy, shiver me timbers, me hearties, flimsy balsa. Avast, me proud beauty! Motor retention is simply friction fit, with a paper motor block inside t' body tube. Avast! Blimey! Hardly earth-shatterin' stuff here, but different enough t' be interesting.

T' kit comes with two sets o' instructions, me bucko, one for assembly, and one set for flight. Arrr! Unfortunately, nothin' is mentioned on t' package that tells you t' rocket will nay fly without a cackle fruit or other similar weight payload. Ahoy! Blimey! Regardless, shiver me timbers, t' instructions are logical, and only feature a couple o' typographical errors. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! T' fins, arrr, arrr, while grainy and a bit flimsy, shiver me timbers, me hearties, popped out o' t' die-cut sheet very easily, and featured good, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, straight lines. Ahoy! Blimey! And t' quality o' t' mylar parachute blew me away - far above what I expected. Avast! Avast! Blimey! Like all o' t' other Custom rockets I've built, this one featured a loose nose cone. Avast! Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! This one is a unique type o' plastic that is really thin, flexible, and lightweight, but surprisingly durable. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' shock cord and parachute attachment points are horribly small and look weak, yet so far they've held up. Well, blow me down! I used small snap swivels t' attach t' 'chute and shock cord, ya bilge rat, which I highly suggest doin' on any kit you build. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Things don't seem t' get tangled as often. Aye aye! Blimey! As I mentioned earlier, t' body tube be crushed in t' center, arrr, so I upgraded with some 18mm tubin' I had left over from ASP. Avast! Blimey! T' ASP tubin' was much sturdier, had less o' a spiral, and took up t' slack in t' nose cone department, shiver me timbers, and thus, t' nose cone fit perfectly. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I'll use t' Custom tubin' as a basis for another project. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Like I always do with Estes and Custom kits, arrr, I threw t' supplied shock cord in t' parts bin and used some elastic thread, in triple t' rocket's length. T' shock cord attaches with t' old tried-and-true paper fold method, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and works well in this case. Aye aye! But a word o' caution - make sure it doesn't stick out too far! Blimey! Nay much room in thar for a parachute.

Finishing:
Unlike me normal practice o' coatin' t' whole rocket in epoxy, I just painted this one as-is. T' much higher quality ASP tube was already white, matey, and only needed two light coats o' enamel t' cover. Ya scallywag! I painted t' fins contrastin' colors, in an attempt t' make it more interesting. Avast! As a result, it bears a passin' resemblance t' t' old Estes Camroc, me hearties, which was intentional. T' lone decal went on without a hitch. Aye aye! Overall, me finishin' technique resulted in a lightweight, yet strong rocket that looks great. Ahoy! Unfortunately, arrr, t' little rin' that holds t' two halves o' nose cone together swelled up when I painted it, me bucko, and it won't fit anymore. Avast! So I just use a piece o' electrical tape cut into a 3mm strip. No problem.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
If launchin' an egg, don't try an "A" motor at all. In fact, skip right on up t' a "C" right off t' bat. Aye aye! Blimey! T' rocket isn't particularly heavy, matey, even with a cackle fruit aboard, and flights will be great. Begad! Blimey! T' small fins impart a slight wobble with wind, but nay enough t' worry about. Just make sure t' motor is friction fit well; otherwise, it'll kick out t' motor and come in ballistic. Ya scallywag! Hasn't happened t' me on this rocket, but it has happened before on another rocket. Care must be taken in packin' t' parachute. It won't pack as tight as a plastic 'chute, and will hang inside t' body tube. Blimey! This rocket's so light that no damage will occur if you get a "streamer" or a "hung" parachute, but it is messy!

Recovery:
T' original shock cord is a pitiful joke. Arrr! Throw it away or into a parts bin, ya bilge rat, arrr, but do nay use it. Aye aye! Arrr! I used elastic thread, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and it takes up less room than t' original, ya bilge rat, despite bein' about four times longer. Ahoy! Care in packin' t' 'chute be t' key t' success: fold it small, matey, don't ball it up. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Roll it only once, and use a good bit o' cellulose insulation for wadding. Arrr! It'll recover well, won't get damaged, and will drift a good distance in any sort o' wind.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I think Custom came up with a great little egg lofter for a good price. There are some things I'd change, me bucko, like t' pathetic shock cord and t' wobbly nose cone, me bucko, but I could overlook t' coarse fins, ya bilge rat, since I fill and sand mine anyway. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I would recommend this rocket for a first time egg lofter, but don't expect it t' be an easy build for a beginner. Begad! Blimey! Still, ya bilge rat, it's t' best Custom kit I've built.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5