(Contributed - by Andy Hobbs - 01/17/07)

Brief:
Lance covered t' components and construction o' t' rocket very well in his excellent review. Begad! I also built t' model exactly t' t' plans t' kit is rated skill level 5. Begad! I agree with this, ya bilge rat, matey, although it maybe is nay as detailed as a Saturn V, but it's probably nay recommended for t' impatient type builder.

Construction:
T' components are top quality. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! All o' t' tubes are thick wall 3" with a 3 x 12 LOC nose cone. Avast! Blimey! T' canopy is a Sig WW-2 style 7". Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' kit includes a 29mm x 17" motor mount tube, me bucko, shiver me timbers, 2 chutes, lots o' nose weight, shiver me timbers, bulkheads, and centerin' rings. Aye aye! Blimey! Those last 2 items are made o' 5 ply aircraft grade plywood. Ya scallywag! Blimey! There are lots o' other parts and details as noted. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Most wood parts are pre-cut but, t' wings, shiver me timbers, rudder, tailplane, me bucko, shiver me timbers, finette, arrr, etc., me bucko, have t' be edged with 1/4" hardwood, shiver me timbers, rounded, and all trailin' surfaces have t' be heavily beveled. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' rudder alone requires 1/4" balsa, shiver me timbers, hard wood, matey, and ply t' complete--that's me kind o' kit! Blimey! I used yellow wood glue througout t' construction except for t' canopy attachment and nose weight. Ahoy! Blimey! I used epoxy in those cases. Blimey! Blimey! I am very impressed with t' quality and fit of components and t' inclusion o' 2 ripstop chutes (they appear t' be standard Top Flight brand.) Cuttin' t' shapes from the heavy wall tubes for t' intakes with a X-Acto was nay fun, but I couldn't think o' an easier way, however, arrr, after several passes they were done.

On t' busines end, I lined t' interior with aluminum tape from t' hardware store. Ya scallywag! This helps t' aft end from gettin' charred. Avast! Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' tape be applied with a very thin coat o' epoxy. Ahoy! T' adhesive on t' tape was strong but started t' unpeel after a few days, so I knew it wouldn't hold up t' heat well, hence the epoxy. Begad! Problem solved. Lastly, I used a T-nut and mirror clip for motor retention.

T' model has an integrated 1/4" launch lug. Blimey! I would have preferred rail buttons but I stuck t' t' stock kit instructions and it has worked very well.

Finishing:
Phred o' Excelsior decals did an amazin' job o' creatin' a decal sheet for me from some vector files I combined together. Ahoy! Blimey! He is typically very busy and I appreciate him takin' t' time out t' get it done. He runs a top notch service!

I opted for a military scheme. Ya scallywag! For t' canopy glass I masked off t' frame structures, cleared t' tape t' reduce leaking, me hearties, shiver me timbers, then I sprayed a Duplicolor chrome. Avast, me proud beauty! Once that dried a bit, I sprayed iridescent blue with t' airbrush. It's hard t' tell from t' pic, but it has a sort o' glass-like sheen from a distance. Ahoy! (That's t' idea anyway.) The Excelsior decal worked very well by followin' t' included tips. They have a "painted on" quality. Begad! I put my NAR# on t' tail.

Flight and Recovery:

I flew it first on t' G64-7W and t' delay be way too long. Ahoy! Blimey! It barely inflated t' chutes in time and t' shock cord broke both aft wings from t' abrupt seperation.

I repaired it and flew again on t' G64 drilled t' a 5 second delay and it was beautiful. Well, blow me down! It was a perfect flight. Begad! Begad! T' body chute be a little slow comin' out so I will pack it on top o' t' nose cone chute next time. Avast! However, me bucko, me bucko, it recovored just fine this time around as it even went into a short horizontal glide before ejection...

Summary:
This is an excellent and very cool kit. I would really like t' see Fat Cat return t' t' rocketry world with their very interestin' line up o' kits!