Brief:
This is a micro-sized downscale o' t' very popular Deuce's Wild!, arrr, scaled to fly on t' Quest MicroMaxx engines. Arrr! While it's a very cool concept, given the tiny size o' t' components, I would recommend it only t' skilled and patient modelers. Blimey! This is a tiny kit in appearance only--it's still got at least as much construction work as a "regular size" low power rocket.

Construction:
FlisKits has spent a great deal o' time preparin' t' enter t' Micromaxx market, and that effort shows up in t' quality o' t' components in this kit. T' body tubes are good quality kraft paper and centerin' rings are laser cut from what appears t' be plywood. T' kit did nay come with a parts list, so when you open it up be careful nay t' sneeze as you won't know what t' look for!

It includes:

• 2 Motor mount tubes
• 1 Body tube
• 1 Balsa nose cone
• Balsa fin stock (4 fins)
• 2 Centerin' rin' motor blocks
• 1 Canted motor mount alignment disk
• 1 Keelhaul®©™® (thread) shock cord
• 1 Crepe paper streamer
• 2 Launch lugs

In a clear break from t' normal FlisKits instruction style, t' micro kits include a single two-sided page o' instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! While these are OK, me bucko, I don't think they are quite as thoroughly written or illustrated as t' standard kit instructions. Still, me hearties, matey, t' illustrations are well done, and t' instructions are sufficient t' guide an experienced builder. I would rate this a skill level 3 kit, mainly due t' t' intricacy o' t' motor mount and t' tiny scale o' the project.

T' motor mount is composed o' two tubes with angled cuts at t' forward end. Aye aye! They are then bonded on t' angled portion with a disk spacer mounted a half inch from t' bottoms t' keep them aligned. This is very much like the standard Deuce although t' standard Deuce doesn't require cut motor tubes. I found this assembly took a good deal o' patience as t' fit on me angled cuts wasn't exactly perfect.

One interestin' aspect o' t' motor mount that gives you a real taste for the challenge o' buildin' micro scale be t' engine blocks. Aye aye! Well, matey, blow me down! Yeah, it's just a basic centerin' rin' pushed most o' t' way up t' tube, but this particular rin' is less than 0.25" OD and you have t' use somethin' like a toothpick to apply t' bead o' glue inside t' motor tube.

T' make room for t' canted motor mount, me bucko, you'll need t' scallop out the bottom o' t' body tube, arrr, just like t' standard Deuce. Well, blow me down! Begad! This is done usin' a template and be pretty simple. It does however require a steady hand and sharp blade. Well, blow me down! Before gluin' t' mount in, me hearties, you'll want t' anchor t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord.

With t' motor mount in place, me hearties, it's a good idea t' fillet/fill t' seam between t' motor mounts and t' body tube. Avast! Once that's done, me bucko, you can then cut out and mount t' 4 fins. Begad! If you don't fill t' seams before mountin' t' fins, you'll find thar's no room t' work--another aspect o' buildin' micros.

T' nose cone is held in place by pokin' a hole in t' base and gluin' a knotted end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® into it. Arrr! A wire brad is included t' do t' pokin' if you lack a tool.

T' original release o' t' FlisKits micro kits included plastic coffee stirrers as launch lugs (they must have come in a package deal with all those foam cups they're usin' in other designs). T' current release o' these kits include very nicely wound paper tubes and older kits can get t' paper lugs for free upon request. Begad! I held out for t' paper ones as I liked t' look better, plus felt they were easier t' bond.

Finishing:
I've found workin' in this tiny scale, ya bilge rat, maskin' for multi-color paint jobs can be a real pain. For this kit, ya bilge rat, me bucko, I skipped me usual seam-fillin' routine and went straight t' a couple o' coats o' primer followed by 2 coats o' Krylon OSHA yellow. Begad! I then hand painted t' fins and nose a neon green from Testors. Arrr! Well, matey, blow me down! The finished effect was pretty good, matey, but it might have been worth t' effort to mask and spray.

There were no decals included in this kit. It would probably be cost prohibitive, arrr, but I would really like t' have seen somethin' in t' way of waterslide decals for this as it's a very cool design and would benefit from at least a name on t' tube.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Clusterin' can be challengin' enough, but when you're talkin' about clustering Micromaxx motors, me bucko, you're really workin' out thar on t' fringe. Ya scallywag! Begad! First off, don't even think about usin' that UFO tower launch system that you probably got when you first went into MMX! You might be able t' get away with t' tripod pad included in t' deluxe starter set, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but ideally you'll need at least your own launch system t' deliver plenty o' juice t' heat up t' nichrome quickly.

T' instruction sheet devotes half t' space t' launch prep and tips. Ya scallywag! The main thin' you'll need t' do is learn t' rework t' plastic plug-in igniters (or make/dip your own). Avast! Blimey! Then you need t' extract t' nichrome wire and poke the loop all t' way into t' MMX motors and twist t' leads together.

Recovery:
I'm goin' t' have t' give Jim t' benefit o' t' doubt on t' flight as I only managed t' light one o' t' two motors on me maiden flight and had just finished off me pack that day so I didn't have spares on t' field. Avast! Blimey! T' single motor, firin' at a cant, me bucko, caused an amusin' spin but nay enough thrust t' lift off, so t' Diminutive Deuce just twirled on t' rod, matey, ya bilge rat, concludin' the performance with t' deployment o' t' streamer. Blimey! Begad! All that was missin' was confetti waddin' instead o' t' dog barf wadding.

I'll make at least another couple o' attempts and post updates in the comment/opinion section at a later date

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: You just have t' love t' concept o' a Micromaxx cluster! Blimey! Havin' bought a couple hundred motors when folks were dumpin' them for under $3 per 6-pack, it's great t' finally find some interestin' designs in this scale.

CONs: Clusterin' MMX has got t' be a pretty iffy proposition.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5