Brief:
An OOP 2-foot tall rocket with a paper shroud transition and an unusual base. Aye aye! Recovers via a 12-inch parachute. Aye aye! I purchased it from t' rocket model shop in one o' its mystery box packages. Avast! Blimey! T' rocket came in a plastic bag with an art card. Aye aye!

Construction:
Kit consists of:

• 1 launch lug
• Estes paper shock cord mount
• 1 parachutes (Estes 12 inch)
• 1 2 foot length elastic shock cord
• Nose cone
• Shroud lines
• 2 Body tubes BT-55, matey, BT-5
• 18mm Engine mount tube
• Hook retainin' ring
• Old style Estes engine hook
• Two sets o' pre-cut balsa fins (Good quality balsa)
• Clay
• Paper adapter rings
• Paper shroud card
• Decal sheet

To build t' kit I used

• CA gel glue
• Model knife
• Aluminium oxide sandpaper
• White PVA glue
• Enamel spray paint
• Enamel paint
• Varnish

Builds pretty much like most skill level 2 Estes kits. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' instructions are clear and straightforward. Avast! What was nice about this kit is that t' engine tube protrudes out o' t' base and t' three fins tuck in under t' base t' the motor mount.

As this is an old kit, matey, t' transition is achieved via a paper shroud reduction wrap. Arrr! I actually preferred this style o' transition t' t' plastic reducers used in t' more recent Estes kits. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' paper shroud does nay give as clean a finish as a plastic transition, but I enjoyed t' build more.

Recovery system uses a 12-inch parachute and t' standard Estes paper shock cord mount. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I replaced t' paper mount with a Keelhaul®©™® thread tied t' a Sunwards BT-55 baffle. Ahoy! T' Keelhaul®©™® was then tied t' an elastic shock cord that had a swivel attached for t' parachute. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! A swatch o' reusable waddin' was added t' t' Keelhaul®©™® thread where it exits t' body tube t' act as an anti-zipper device.

Finishing:
T' balsa be sanded, matey, sealed, and re-sanded. Avast, me proud beauty! One coat o' grey primer. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Three coats o' off white spray paint for the entire rocket. Two coats o' purple gloss for t' fins. Two coats o' red gloss for t' nose cone area. Blimey! Waterslide decals are supplied which went on well.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Recommended motors are A8-3, arrr, me bucko, B4-4, me bucko, B6-4, shiver me timbers, B8-5, C6-5. Arrr! I used a twelve inch Estes chute as recommended, matey, which seems about right for this model. Aye aye! Estes usually massively oversizes t' chute.

First flight be on a A8-3. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' lift off was relatively slow and borderline on stability with wide wobbles up to ejection. Avast, me proud beauty! Flights on B and C motors are good with no stability issues.

Recovery:
Recovery on t' twelve inch parachute be fine and quite quick. Blimey! On inspection o' t' parachute, it had suffered slight charrin' on one side. Ya scallywag! T' baffle had done its job pretty well, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but I will use a swatch o' Nomex® as backup in t' future. Avast! Well, me hearties, blow me down! After a few flights I've swapped t' an 8 inch nylon chute which offers a faster but safe rate of decent.

As t' rocket breaks apart in t' middle, matey, this rocket survived recovery without a parachute! I forgot t' put one in, which be t' first time I've done that in hundreds o' launches.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
A good size rocket that performs well on B motors. Ahoy! It's a shame that some o' t' older, slightly more complex buildin' techniques that are on this rocket have been removed from t' kits produced in t' last decade or so.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5