Brief:
UFO, me bucko, oddroc, practically ready t' fly, 13mm motor, aerobrake recovery.

T' Invader is a simple, almost ready t' fly, entry level UFO rocket. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! It is made almost totally from Styrofoam and is really ready t' fly except for t' paint job and stickers.

Construction:
T' "kit" consists o' a foam UFO, a cardboard motor tube, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, some stickers and an Estes safety sheet. Well, blow me down! There was goin' t' be less t' this "build" than I had imagined.

There be no real construction. In fact, matey, arrr, arrr, t' rocket could have been flown plain without any paint. Begad! All that is really needed is t' friction fit t' motor tube. It's a blocked length o' BT meant t' protect t' foam from ejection gases when t' motor is spit.

I wanted t' do somethin' so I investigated t' paint options. Arrr!

Finishing:
T' instruction make provision for spray paintin' but warn t' test t' paint first t' make sure it does nay attack t' foam. Avast! I chose a maroon from Rustoleum and sprayed a bit on t' back o' me spray booth. Blimey! I then wiped some up with me finger and applied it t' a discreet piece o' t' foam. After a while, it looked as if this was a safe paint.

Still, ya bilge rat, t' be cautious, I approached t' sprayin' with a method I learned from Art Applewhite. Begad! I merely dusted t' rocket with t' lightest coatin' I could. Arrr! Blimey! After t' pass, all I could see for me efforts were a few dark freckles. Hopefully, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, arrr, t' paint was almost dry by t' time is landed. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! I be dry 10 minutes later when I did t' same thing. Begad! In this way, I slowly built t' paint up providin' complete coverage only after about a dozen light mistings. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! My hope was that as t' paint underneath dried, it would form a protective barrier for later, me bucko, heavier (but nay heavy) sprays.

T' first thin' I did when t' paint be dry be t' test fit t' plugged motor tube. Blimey! T' instructions say that t' friction fit may need t' be made with tape but that be nay t' case with mine. Ya scallywag! Begad! It fit in snugly.

I am nay a great fan o' crack and peel stickers but I expected nothin' more from a kit o' this type. Begad! I be pleasantly surprised at their quality. Begad! They lifted from t' sheet without too much trouble and went into place and stuck well. Aye aye! I used t' edge o' a toothpick t' burnish them and they seem like they will stay put alright.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
T' only recommended motor be t' A10-PT, me bucko, but I didn't have any o' those for t' maiden outing. Ahoy! I loaded up first with an A10-3T. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' help protect t' foam from t' ejection charge, I stuffed a piece o' waddin' in t' top o' t' motor. Avast! T' rocket was loaded, ya bilge rat, set on t' pad and off it went, me bucko, just as advertised. Begad! Well, blow me down! It didn't go too high, ya bilge rat, inverted, shiver me timbers, spit t' motor and drifted down. Aye aye! Here is a bad video o' t' maiden flight can be seen here.

Just t' push t' boundaries a bit, matey, I tried t' next flight on a 1/2A3-2T. As expected, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, this one went even lower, me hearties, but it did invert and spit t' motor before t' charge went off. Ahoy! Again, me bucko, I had stuffed a piece o' waddin' in t' ejection end o' t' motor and that seemed t' work just fine. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! A video o' t' spectacularly low second flight can be seen here.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket is nay a grand piece o' work, it's just somethin' simple that can be flown in crowded situations with little time. That makes it worthwhile all by itself. Begad! Blimey! Anyone can fly it and even a finishin' moron like me can make it look fairly decent. Arrr! Usin' a bit o' waddin' stuffed over t' ejection charge increases t' motor options as well.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5