Brief:
Absolutely t' most INNOVATIVE commercial kit I've ever seen in rocketry, this rocket looks like Wyle E. Blimey! Coyote has built and flown it a few too many times. Aye aye! You won't believe it flies nor will anyone else at t' pad, me bucko, yet you'll all be laughin' your fannies off when you witness its perfect flight path. Well, blow me down! I witnessed t' prototype o' this kit in action at NSL this May and have been chompin' at t' bit ever since then t' get me hands on one. Ahoy! While #4 sits in me private collection (this is a signed/numbered limited edition), #51 was smartly built for flight.

Construction:

• BT-70 (highly butchered)
• BT-50 motor tube
• Fin pattern sheet
• Shroud & nose cone template sheet
• Body tube cuttin' patterns
• 16" plastic chute
• misc recovery supplies, shiver me timbers, centerin' rings (highly customized), weight, me bucko, lugs, etc.

There are no especially difficult skills required t' build this kit, me bucko, but if you've got experience buildin' model rockets (and I've built around 250 now), then you might find yourself at a significant disadvantage. Blimey! Arrr! Every step o' t' way me experience be tellin' me, me hearties, "That can't be right!" Trust in t' force (and t' very clearly detailed instructions) and you'll be fine. Ahoy! Don't expect centerin' rings t' be centered, fins t' balance, me bucko, etc. right away.

Before beginnin' construction, me hearties, I highly recommend makin' a critical finishin' decision. Begad! Ahoy! FlisKits has free "skin" downloads available on their website which can be used instead o' paintin' but these skins should be applied before bondin' t' tube sections. Blimey! You will find that they cover up all t' alignment marks you make if you follow t' instructions so you need t' mark t' INSIDE o' t' tubes t' use t' wraps. Arrr! You can certainly express your creativity by paintin' this on your own, but personally I think Jim Flis has expressed his creativity extremely well and t' wraps offer a wonderful visual style t' this rocket, complete with weld marks, matey, me hearties, bullet holes, and duct tape. Aye aye! You can save yourself t' fin sanding/finishin' if you go with t' wraps.

Construction, ya bilge rat, me bucko, as noted, is fairly easy if you forget t' customary alignment practices. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! You cut t' BT-70 into 4 odd pieces usin' provided templates, arrr, carefully markin' two different alignment lines on each, along with a top & bottom mark. Aye aye! Ahoy! Flis recommends usin' red and black markers, matey, which is a good way o' mistake-proofing. Well, blow me down! T' tubes are then stacked and bonded one-by-one around a 24mm motor tube that runs t' length o' t' rocket usin' custom laser cut centerin' rings. Well, blow me down! And if you're very careful and pay attention t' t' instructions and t' alignment lines, you will find everythin' fits very well (well, "fit" for a rocket like this takes on a different meaning). Arrr! There's also a shroud transition at t' bottom that is intentionally long, arrr, me hearties, t' be glued then trimmed resultin' in a stronger bond t' t' centerin' ring. Aye aye! Flis has called this t' "Tulanko tail" and it's a new technique I'd never tried before.

Fins are cut from heavy 1/8" balsa stock from 4 custom patterns. Arrr! You read that right: no two fins are alike. Begad! In fact, one o' t' fins is actually angled t' bond across t' bend betwixt tube #1 and tube #2.

T' nose cone is rolled from a custom template, and has a balsa plug that fits into t' 24mm motor tube. Arrr! Shock cord is 1/2" elastic usin' an Estes-style motor mount, which was me biggest disappointment about this kit. Blimey! Usin' D power I would much rather see Keelhaul®©™ mounted t' a centerin' ring, and most other Fliskits I've built have featured Keelhaul®©™. Avast! I finished up by makin' t' 16" plastic chute (Fliskits standard chutes are patterned for 9, matey, 12, or 16" configurations).

There are two launch lugs. Ya scallywag! One is mounted on t' edge o' a fin and t' other is mounted with a balsa offset t' an upper tube. Arrr! If you follow t' directions carefully, you'll find thar really is one straight line on t' outside o' t' tubes for t' lugs. Avast, me proud beauty! In me case, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I blew t' orientation o' t' shroud, resultin' in fins that weren't quite where they were supposed t' be, and had t' customize t' mountin' o' t' lugs a bit, as me rocket has NO straight surfaces. O' course, with a rocket like this, who's goin' t' notice me goof?

Finishing:
As previously mentioned, shiver me timbers, you can either choose t' paint this, shiver me timbers, or go with free wraps. I chose t' wraps, printed them usin' an inkjet printer onto cardstock (shroud/nose cone) and white label paper (tube & fin wraps). Avast! This covered just about every inch o' t' surface with very slight seams on t' wraps. Avast! Ahoy! Some edges o' fins were nay covered (an easily corrected issue with t' wrap if Jim's lookin' for improvement on this) and thar's about a 1/4" gap betwixt t' shroud and t' edge o' t' tall side o' body tube #1. Arrr! These were colored with magic markers.

One finishin' tip I'd suggest, me bucko, though I wimped out and didn't try it, ya bilge rat, would be t' "weather" t' inkjet wraps with a fine mist o' water. Jim's prototype be inadvertently weathered this way, and t' inkruns and fadin' actually improve t' visual effect for this rocket.

One note on t' finished product: me rocket, built usin' sparin' amounts o' white & yellow glue and t' clay provided for nose weight, came in at 4.3 ounces versus t' manufacturer's spec o' 2.9 ounces.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For it's maiden flight, matey, I chose t' drag race with another ACME built by Carl Tulanko. Avast, me proud beauty! I chose a D12-3 and he flew on a D12-5. Ya scallywag! (Carl had already flown on a D12-3 which he felt was too short a delay.) T' drag race was very close but I think Carl got first motion, matey, I reached almost double his altitude (I'd guess I hit around 450 feet) but I managed t' beat Carl back down when two o' me shroud lines came unstuck and me chute turned into a streamer. Begad! Carl's weathercocked a bit in our 8 mph winds but mine flew straight up without even a spin. Unfortunately, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I hit t' frame o' me canopy/tent and broke two fins. Avast! Ya scallywag! After a quick repair, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I flew it later t' same day on another D12-3 with a slight spin but great flight. Blimey! Flight #2 suffered some significant damage--the ejection kicked t' motor retainin' clip completely out (along with t' motor), t' balsa plug in t' nose cone got burned, shiver me timbers, leadin' t' separation, and t' shock cord while still intact be charred enough t' warrant replacement before I attempted another flight. Arrr! T' nose cone separation seems t' be a problem on this kit, me hearties, arrr, as Carl's also separated after his second or 3rd flight. Avast! I'd recommend a strong epoxy fillet when bondin' this unless a more reliable retention method is introduced.

Recovery:
Flights with this are incredible. It's got t' be an optical illusion because thar's no way this thin' should be stable! It flies as well as (or better) than most o' me normal rockets. Well, blow me down! T' only con would be t' Achilles heel o' t' elastic shock cord and nose cone plug.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I have built more than 250 model rockets at this point, me bucko, includin' just about everythin' in t' Estes/Quest lines and have scoured every available archive o' plans and designs for "classic" kit ideas t' clone. Begad! Arrr! Let me tell you that thar's NOTHING like this on t' market. Aye aye! No company has ever introduced as radical a design as this, and I am absolutely awed by t' innovation and creativity o' Jim Flis. Avast, me proud beauty! I can't imagine how in t' world he's goin' t' follow up on this design, me bucko, but can't wait t' see what's next.

Give yourself a whack on t' head, me bucko, get out o' t' 3fnc standard mode, arrr, and build yourself an ACME!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5