Brief:
This is a tumble recovery Micromaxx oddball rocket.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 1 laser cut basswood sheet
• 1 MMX motor tube
• 1 BT-20 body tube
• 1 BT-60 ring
• 1 balsa head cone, arrr, launch lug

T' kit contains 12 steps o' easy t' follow instructions with clear illustrations. Arrr! T' instructions have a printed tube markin' guide for t' motor tube. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I glued a 1/4" dowel t' t' guide, which held t' tube as I marked it.

T' laser cut fins are a nice feature, matey, because I would nay want t' cut these arms/legs by hand. Avast! T' 4 legs are glued on t' motor tube as in any other rocket, me bucko, then t' nose cone/head is glued in.

T' next step is t' mark and cut slots into t' BT-20 for t' arms and legs. Ya scallywag! Avast! Everythin' worked as in t' instructions, but t' tube markin' guide printed on t' instructions was hard t' use. Begad! It has 4 slots cut in t' bottom for t' legs and 2 in t' top for t' arms. T' problem be t' BT-20 is small and t' guide has 6 cuts in it so t' guide does nay want t' lay flat. Begad! Avast! I had t' wrap it around t' tube and hold it down as I marked each slot. Blimey! Aye aye! Maybe thinner paper would make it easier, but everythin' worked out okay.

After markin' t' tube, matey, matey, I used a razor saw t' cut t' slots 2 at a time. T' slots were nay quite wide enough, arrr, me bucko, so I used a sharp X-Acto t' trim them wider. Well, blow me down! T' body is then glued over t' motor tube with t' 4 legs inside t' 4 slots. Avast, me proud beauty! I used a toothpick t' glue t' legs on t' inside.

T' arms are made by gluin' an upper arm t' a lower arm. I used wax paper t' lay them on as they dried. Well, blow me down! This worked well. Begad! Begad! Jim supplies a third set o' arms as a spare in case they are needed, ya bilge rat, me bucko, which I thought be a nice touch. Ahoy! T' arms attach t' t' motor tube, ya bilge rat, BT-20, shiver me timbers, and 2 legs.

It is important at this stage t' make sure t' "hands" are glued t' t' same side o' t' 2 legs. Avast, me proud beauty! This becomes t' front o' t' Space Man.

T' rin' is glued on next, matey, and it fit perfectly. Blimey! T' last step is t' glue t' launch lug inside t' BT-20 along a leg.

Finishing:
I did nay seal his legs and just sprayed it with 2 coats o' silver spray paint. Ahoy! Then I let him dry for a few days and brush painted his head and hands flesh with black for hair.

Jim includes some very nice waterslide decals for his face and other details. Begad! Well, blow me down! They go on smooth and I did nay use any settin' sotution. Well, blow me down! I thought it was a nice touch t' include a space cannon decal. T' last step was a brush coat o' Future floor wax t' seal t' decals. Begad! Arrr! When done he looks great.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I launched this guy on t' Quest MMXII-1 (0.31 N-sec) motor that I bought from FlisKits. FlisKits recomends only this motor.

Prep is more involved than a standard size rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! T' Quest launch system uses an igniter that plugs into t' launcher and t' rocket then slides down t' launch rod t' sit on top o' t' igniter. Ahoy! Begad! This will nay work with t' Man o' Space due t' t' base rin' keepin' t' motor tube well above t' igniter. Blimey! FlisKits has clear instructions on how t' remove t' igniter from t' plug housing. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' igniter is then held in place with a toothpick that also acts as a spacer t' hold him up high enough t' attach launcher clips t' t' igniter. It sounds complex but is really very easy. Avast! No waddin' is needed either.

Be warned, me bucko, T' Intergalactic Man o' Space really moves! Blimey! He flew straight up t' about 90ft and he got thar in about 1/2 a second! Blimey! For such a small rocket this is very high and it is hard t' keep track o' him.

T' featherweight recovery worked good. Ya scallywag! It be a little windy when I launched so he landed about 60ft from t' pad.

Recovery:
T' only problem I had was gettin' power t' t' igniter. Begad! T' MMX system uses 9 volts. Arrr! My 6 volt Estes controller would nay put out enough power t' ignite t' motor. Ya scallywag! I rigged up a quick and dirty 12 volt system t' launch. Arrr! Begad! No damage t' t' little guy and I expect many more flights.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I liked this build a lot. Aye aye! Everythin' is very high quality. Begad! T' only thin' that I could come up with even remotely negative would be t' BT-20 markin' guide, but that is really nit picking. Arrr! He looks great and flies great!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5