Brief:
This is an Estes Rascal Kit #1897 and is silver in color. Arrr! Blimey! It is a pre-assembled kit where t' only thin' you need to do is attach t' parachute t' t' rocket. Ya scallywag! T' parachute is 12" in diameter, and t' kit uses an Estes (rubber band) shock cord attached t' t' launch lug inside t' rocket body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! No paintin' is required. Avast, me proud beauty! T' package says it will go t' 1200'.

Construction:
T' Rascal uses a body tube 0.976" in diameter and has four fins and a plastic nose cone. T' shock cord is approximately 16" long, includin' t' length inside t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Begad! It uses a metal engine retainer clip as in most of t' Estes rockets, shiver me timbers, so no friction fit o' t' rocket engine is needed. Avast! T' 12" parachute is plastic.

Since this is a pre-built rocket kit, it has almost no assembly requirements. Aye aye! I thought t' instructions were good. Avast! Ya scallywag! Only t' parachute needs t' be attached t' t' nose cone. Begad! T' nosecone fit nicely, me hearties, nay loose. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I modified it by usin' a fishin' snap swivel attached t' t' parachute t' connect it t' t' nose cone so it would be able t' twist on the way down after launching. Aye aye! This keeps t' parachute shroud lines less twisted. Begad! Begad! T' snap swivels can be bought in any number o' places--I got mine at Wal-Mart. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' rocket is sturdy. Arrr! Ya scallywag!

Finishing:
There is no finishin' required, I suppose one could clear coat t' rocket if they desired.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' Rascal has a number o' recommended motors. Well, me bucko, blow me down! They are: A8-3, me hearties, B4-4, B6-4, C6-5, matey, me bucko, and C6-7. Ya scallywag! I don't like t' fly my rockets so high that I have trouble recoverin' them, so I've only used t' A8-3, ya bilge rat, B4-4, arrr, me bucko, and B6-4. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' A8-3 flew nicely to I would estimate somewhere about 250', and t' B engines would send it up t' somewhere around 550'. Aye aye! Ahoy! I never measured the altitude so these are just estimates, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but t' package says it'll go t' 1200 feet. Avast! I put about 4 sheets o' Estes Waddin' in it, and t' rocket used a metal motor retention clip. Arrr! It flew straight with a nice parachute deployment and soft landing. Ahoy! I flew it ten times, but t' shock cord separated on t' 10th flight. Ahoy! It always flew well for me. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! No "Cons" for flight characteristics.

Recovery:
I got 9 great flights, however, me bucko, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, on t' 10th flight, t' rubber shock cord separated at t' launch lug inside and the rocket came down in 2 sections. Arrr! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! T' rocket body developed some wrinklin' at t' top o' t' engine mount from hitting the ground. Blimey! It will fly again, but it is a little unsightly. Aye aye! I suspect t' decals wrinkle ever so slightly on the extreme edge (of t' decal) from t' ejection charge heat inside t' rocket body, shiver me timbers, but I could be wrong. Avast! This is the only "con" with t' rocket: t' shock cord separatin' after multiple flights. Blimey! That be t' one thin' that needs t' be improved. I plan on usin' t' Estes tri-fold method o' securin' a new shock cord o' 1/8" elastic about 3' long. I thought t' recovery time be OK with t' present 12" parachute. Well, blow me down! Aye aye!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a very good rocket that needs no assembly except for attachin' t' parachute. Ahoy! Blimey! You can literally be launching in minutes. It looks nice in silver, me bucko, arrr, flies well with decent altitude, arrr, and recovers nicely. It's been a good rocket in my stable. In fact, shiver me timbers, it's t' rocket I've flown t' most. Begad! Blimey! T' shock cord will get brittle and break eventually, matey, and it broke on mine on t' 10th flight. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Blimey! I would say start checkin' it before you fly it after t' 6th flight. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5