Brief:

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

Construction:

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

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

Finishing:
Unlike me normal practice o' coatin' t' whole rocket in epoxy, me bucko, I just painted this one as-is. Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' much higher quality ASP tube was already white, ya bilge rat, and only needed two light coats o' enamel t' cover. Begad! Avast! I painted t' fins contrastin' colors, me bucko, in an attempt t' make it more interesting. Ahoy! Avast! As a result, me hearties, it bears a passin' resemblance t' t' old Estes Camroc, which was intentional. T' lone decal went on without a hitch. Begad! Overall, me finishin' technique resulted in a lightweight, me bucko, yet strong rocket that looks great. Well, blow me down! Unfortunately, me bucko, shiver me timbers, t' little rin' that holds t' two halves o' nose cone together swelled up when I painted it, ya bilge rat, 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, matey, ya bilge rat, don't try an "A" motor at all. Arrr! Avast! In fact, skip right on up t' a "C" right off t' bat. Avast! T' rocket isn't particularly heavy, even with a cackle fruit aboard, and flights will be great. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' small fins impart a slight wobble with wind, but nay enough t' worry about. Aye aye! Ahoy! Just make sure t' motor is friction fit well; otherwise, me hearties, ya bilge rat, it'll kick out t' motor and come in ballistic. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Hasn't happened t' me on this rocket, matey, but it has happened before on another rocket. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Care must be taken in packin' t' parachute. It won't pack as tight as a plastic 'chute, me bucko, and will hang inside t' body tube. Well, blow me down! 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! Begad! Throw it away or into a parts bin, arrr, but do nay use it. Well, blow me down! I used elastic thread, and it takes up less room than t' original, matey, ya bilge rat, despite bein' about four times longer. Avast, me proud beauty! Care in packin' t' 'chute be t' key t' success: fold it small, ya bilge rat, don't ball it up. Aye aye! Blimey! Roll it only once, and use a good bit o' cellulose insulation for wadding. Blimey! Begad! It'll recover well, shiver me timbers, won't get damaged, arrr, shiver me timbers, 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. Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! There are some things I'd change, like t' pathetic shock cord and t' wobbly nose cone, arrr, but I could overlook t' coarse fins, since I fill and sand mine anyway. Begad! I would recommend this rocket for a first time egg lofter, but don't expect it t' be an easy build for a beginner. Still, arrr, me bucko, it's t' best Custom kit I've built.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5