Brief:
Jim Flis is up t' his usual shenanigans again with this one. Arrr! This "Big Honkin' Rocket" is a mere 3.25 inches tall, me hearties, and weighs 1.3 grams (after heavy painting). Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' punchline comes when, at a club launch, ya bilge rat, you call for t' heads up flight (so everyone can help you recover it) and announce that you're flyin' a Big Honkin' Rocket that in fact, can't likely be seen from more than about 50 feet away. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Ever recovered an Estes Mosquito? Then step up t' t' challenge o' flyin' and recoverin' a Big Honkin' Rocket!

Knowin' how challengin' it will be t' recover these, you at least get materials t' build a total o' 3 o' these for your $10.95, ya bilge rat, so t' first two are for practice.

Construction:
Kit comes packed in a tiny self-closin' baggy and includes:

• 3 balsa nose cones
• 3 BT-2.5 body tubes (about 1" long)
• 3 launch lugs
• 2 1/16 balsa sheet stock for fins

Instructions are printed on one side o' an 8.5" x 11" sheet, arrr, matey, clearly written, and with decent computer-drawn illustrations. This is probably a skill level 2 kit, me bucko, arrr, simply because o' t' small scale o' t' materials you're workin' with.

I began by sandin' down t' body tubes for improved bond surface and ease in marking. Aye aye! Fin lines are marked usin' a template on t' instruction sheet, matey, which is tricky t' get precisely right with such a tiny tube. Arrr! I would recommend usin' t' online template widget (linked under EMRR's tools section) t' print out a 3-fin wraparound pattern for 0.281" OD tubing. Avast! Aye aye! I used a small piece o' angle (molding) t' mark t' fin lines.

Fins need t' be cut by hand, and t' pattern is cut from t' instruction sheet. Pay careful attention t' t' suggested layout and leave as slight a gap betwixt fins as possible. Arrr! Blimey! Otherwise, you'll never fit 6 fins t' a sheet. Well, blow me down! There is plenty o' extra fin material (covers 12 fins/4 rockets), but if you're nay efficient with t' layout, arrr, you'll find yourself short o' even coverin' t' 3 rockets.

I tacked t' fins on with CA then used yellow glue for fillets. Arrr! Begad! I put t' launch lug in t' fin/tube joint.

T' nose cone is permanently attached, me bucko, as this is designed t' spit t' motor for recovery. Arrr! At 3.25" long, arrr, thar's simply no room for a recovery device anyway.

Finishing:
I normally am anal retentive and even on Micromaxx models take t' time t' fill grains and spirals, but lookin' at these, I decided thar really be no point t' that, as they likely would never return t' t' fleet anyway.

I shot everythin' with a light coat o' gray primer then tried hittin' them with either o' two fluorescent colors--yellow or orange. Ahoy! T' Krylon fluorescent wasn't very opaque and thar was still plenty o' gray showin' after two coats, matey, so I went back t' a white primer coat then two more coats o' yellow/orange. Begad! That was much better.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Motor choice is limited on this one t' just t' Quest MMX (1/8A). Well, blow me down! Begad! I tried out one o' t' new non-dipped Q2 igniters also purchased through FlisKits. Begad! These igniters are very nice--straight nichrome wire without Pyrogen so they fit inside t' tiny MMX nozzle, me bucko, me hearties, and they also feature a small plastic bead that keeps t' wires separated. Ya scallywag! They don't come with a plug, but a tiny bit o' waddin' inserted with a toothpick works fine.

T' first flight be on a somewhat breezy day, 8-10 mph winds. Aye aye! Blimey! I made sure t' fly on a baseball field (short grass) t' aid in recovery.

T' motor lit right away, matey, and t' rocket simply vanished. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! No chance o' actually watchin' it in action, arrr, shiver me timbers, though I did catch a trace o' it because t' wind knocked it around a little and it looped durin' t' boost. Ahoy! I heard t' ejection, me bucko, but had no idea where t' rocket was headed other than a general direction.

Recovery:
This is tiny enough that t' tumble recovery is sufficient, me hearties, but you'll either need a good eye, good luck, me bucko, or fishin' line t' retrieve it. Begad! In me case, shiver me timbers, I must have packed luck, me bucko, as after ony a brief search o' t' field I was able t' spot t' bright orange model. No damage at all.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
While this is a cute little rocket, matey, shiver me timbers, and an amusin' name, shiver me timbers, I think it's too small and overpowered as a result, matey, makin' this almost always a one-and-gone flyer unless flyin' on somethin' like a soccer field with a good sized landin' zone o' cut grass. Ya scallywag! I'm also a little worried about t' stability, though in me case it be probably due t' t' wind and relatively long fins. Since I did manage t' recover it, me bucko, me hearties, plus have t' other two spares, I will certainly have t' fly this again, though I prefer t' bigger and more visually interestin' micros from Fliskits over this.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5