Brief:
T' Corona II is perhaps t' sleekest, matey, best lookin' futuristic staged rocket I know. Ya scallywag! In t' summer o' 2005, ya bilge rat, I learned that FlisKits was developin' this kit, and immediately inquired about one after readin' Lance's preview on EMRR. Finally, in February 2006, me bucko, t' model be on t' market and I snapped up one of the first kits.

Construction:
Lance's review covers t' basics o' assembly and finishing. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I will just add a few personal views.

T' components are typical good Fliskits quality. Aye aye! T' tubes have very minimal spirals t' fill. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' chute is typical Estes-style plastic and thread. Arrr! Begad! I hate chute failures so I upgraded t' one from me stash o' stuff.

T' body tube is BT-50 size, me bucko, so t' rocket is long and skinny. Blimey! T' avoid havin' t' fuss with waddin' in t' narrow tube, arrr, I purchased a BT-50 baffle from FlisKits. I got a nice email from Jim Flis suggestin' t' correct baffle size and t' recommended placement (it should replace t' tube coupler halfway up the 1st stage body). Ya scallywag! Avast! Thus, arrr, me box arrived with three separate packaged kits (Corona kit, 2nd-stage kit, shiver me timbers, and baffle kit) and three sets o' instructions. Blimey! The instructions were all very clear and t' first stage directions give explicit steps for buildin' for use with t' second stage portion.

This kit had laser cut fins that provided an amazingly precise fit, even surpassin' t' renowned fit o' Edmonds Aerospace kits. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! T' fins and tubes fit together so perfectly, thar was almost no seam visible when dry fitting. Arrr! It is virtually impossible t' make a mistake or misalignment because o' this precision.

Needless t' say, I did make a mistake. When dry fittin' t' outside stage 2 fins, shiver me timbers, I forgot t' include t' couplin' rin' that slips over stage 1 t' connect stage 2. Ahoy! Thus, matey, me fins appeared t' leave a slight gap. Arrr! Ahoy! So I removed about 1/16" from each and prepared t' glue. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! At this point I had positioned the couplin' rin' and realized me error. T' visual effect o' me error was t' break the straight line formed by t' edges o' t' 1st and 2nd stage fins and to leave a gap at t' seams. Begad! Arrr! I corrected this with another bit o' fin trimming, and if you look closely at me photo you can see I recovered t' intended visual look, but slightly differently than t' original. Begad! This mistake be due entirely my own carelessness.

PROs: Absolutely flawless precision fit o' quality parts.

CONs: None whatsoever.

Finishing:
Detailed paintin' is a bit tricky, especially inside t' 1st stage rin' area. And a kit this cool deserves a nice paint job. Arrr! So I painted t' body black and then brush-painted t' fins and tubefins for a pleasin' effect. Avast, me proud beauty! Clear gloss spray went over everything.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight was on a B6-0/C6-7. Avast! Avast! T' Corona II shot off t' pad and when the sustainer lit, arrr, I knew I'd be lucky t' find it again. Arrr! T' booster tumbled safely down, and t' sustainer vanished into t' stratosphere. Avast! We saw the ejection smoke, and by walkin' in a straight line past t' booster landing site, we eventually found t' sustainer. Ya scallywag! A second flight on t' same motors was similar, but a fin on t' booster stage separated from t' tube and t' ring after t' booster sort o' glided down (no tumble) from a hard impact. This was easily repaired.

Some months later after fixin' me goof with t' baffle, shiver me timbers, we flew it again on B6-0/C6-7. Alas, t' sustainer went unstable after separation. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! It was not because o' t' shortened length--it be because t' body tube had slipped while t' repair glue be drying. I had made t' repair slightly off kilter. Avast! Begad! In me defense, me bucko, alignment was a bit trickier then with t' tail rin' on, but I should have rolled t' tubes on a desk with t' tail hangin' off then supported t' rocket underneath t' prevent slippage while t' glue dried.

Recovery:
T' BAF-50 baffle is great. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' chute hasn't had t' slightest bit of scorching. Ya scallywag! However, this upgrade came back t' bite me. Aye aye! Arrr! While preppin' for a later flight, shiver me timbers, I subconsciously added waddin' before rememberin' it was unnecessary because o' t' baffle. Begad! Instead o' simply leavin' it there, matey, I stupidly tried t' shake it out. Begad! I ended up crimpin' t' main body tube and had to cut out 1.5 inches t' repair t' damage, insertin' a coupler. Arrr! True t' form, Jim Flis responded within minutes on t' T' Rocketry Forum when I posted an inquiry t' confirm t' rocket would remain stable after me fix.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Corona II is a very nice rocket and I'll be sad if it is retired so young. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I'll probably make another attempt at more careful repairs and fly again.

PROs: Sleek, fast, arrr, high, and easy stage separation.

CONs: Booster may nay always tumble well, arrr, and be careful nay t' lose this rocket with extra high motor combos!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5