Introduction:
This is a scale model o' a British surface t' air missile. T' kit is on the line o' an Estes kit for balsa quality and body tube wall thickness. Begad! In other words, it's a lightweight rocket, that looks huge. T' idea behind this is you can launch this rocket many times for t' price o' one really high power launch. However, ya bilge rat, t' rocket is so lightly constructed, arrr, arrr, I doubt it will handle the abuse o' lots o' launches.

There's a lot o' balsa on this kit, so I learned a lot about handlin' and sealin' balsa that I didn't know before. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Also, shiver me timbers, me hearties, ya bilge rat, they use a commercially available plastic nose cone with a paper cone attached t' t' front t' get the desired shape. It's a major chore t' get this put together right. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! If you're lookin' for a fast build, shiver me timbers, keep looking. Begad! If you're lookin' for an impressive rocket for only a little money, me bucko, this is it.

Scale is good...
These guys have one o' t' slickest web pages in rocketry. Ya scallywag! They also have an excellent selection o' scale military kits. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Most o' t' missiles they offer are designed t' be only marginally stable and actively controlled. Arrr! T' means that it's quite a feat t' make them into stable model rockets. All their rockets are based on a BT80 (2.6") or BT60 (1.6") body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! If you're at all interested in gettin' into scale rocket building, matey, get one o' their kits as a second kit. Avast! Aye aye! These are nay easy, or trivial projects most o' t' time and making a successful model will require experience from other kits.

Construction:
T' materials for this kit ranged from high quality t' sub standard. Begad! Blimey!

One o' t' balsa sheets and t' centerin' rings were o' superior quality. T' centerin' rings are made o' heavy card stock and laser cut. Begad! They fit perfectly with no fiddlin' or sanding. One o' t' balsa sheets was better than average: close grained, me hearties, sturdy and flat. Arrr!

T' tubes, matey, nose cone, ya bilge rat, me hearties, balsa strips, launch lugs and parachute kit were all of average quality. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I would have preferred a nylon chute for a rocket this size. Begad! I ended up usin' t' mylar for a streamer for another rocket.

T' other balsa sheet, me hearties, shiver me timbers, motor clip and clay nose weight were o' inferior quality. T' motor clip was already slightly rusted when I got it. Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' kit comes with two pieces o' balsa and t' second sheet was o' very poor quality: much too soft and warped. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I should have replaced it right away, ya bilge rat, arrr, but I didn't. T' clay nose weight was rock hard. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I tried t' remedy this usin' t' kit instructions t' no avail. Begad! Blimey! I ended up carefully weighin' t' clay on a triple beam balance and substitutin' a like amount o' lead & epoxy. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

T' instructions are sparse, but adequate for an experienced modeler. Begad! Also note that unless you are experienced and have good CP program backin' you up (and VCP doesn't qualify for this model), matey, don't modify anything. Ya scallywag! RockSim 3.01 is just enough t' keep you from makin' mistakes. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty!

Construction o' this kit requires a lot o' balsa work. There is no indication o' taper t' any o' t' fins, me hearties, so I didn't taper any o' them. Begad! Blimey! I just cut them square and sanded them this way. Finishin' t' soft balsa fins was a pain. Well, blow me down! I tried a number o' methods. Ahoy! You can wick thin CA into t' balsa to strengthen it, me hearties, matey, but when I tried this with t' very soft balsa, it warped even more. Avast! I ended up buyin' new balsa wood. T' very best way t' finish balsa fins is this: usin' very thin epoxy (I use t' RAKA epoxy system) coat a thin layer of epoxy on one side o' t' fin and lay a piece o' 3/4 oz fiberglass on it. When everythin' is dry cut and sand off t' stuff hangin' off t' ends. Arrr! Arrr! Then do the other side. Blimey! It strengthens t' fins and finishes them with almost no weight increase. Begad! Begad!

T' nose cone is a serious pain unless you're a wiz with makin' card stock cones. Aye aye! I'm nay and had a hell o' a time gettin' this right. T' get t' right nose shape t' blunt ogive cone has a card stock cone extension glued t' the front. Begad! Then you must fill and sand until it all blends together. Ya scallywag! Begad! Steamin' the cone helps. Once I had t' cone formed, me bucko, arrr, I just pressed it in place on t' nose cone. Well, blow me down! Then I put a bit o' soft clay and a dowel up into t' cone. By spinning the cone and notin' if t' cone be off center I finally got it straight. When I got it centered, me bucko, me hearties, I wicked very thin CA into t' base o' t' paper cone to hold it in place. Then I hardened t' cone with CA, me hearties, epoxy (very thin coat) and then I filled it with spacklin' compound which I also hardened with very thin CA. Ya scallywag!

There are three centering rings provided. Avast! Ahoy! T' third acts as a parachute shelf about 12" back from the front end. Blimey! It keeps t' parachute from slidin' back on boost. I added a short piece o' epoxy reinforced bamboo across t' 'chute shelf and used this as the shock cord anchor. Ya scallywag! With t' addition o' a baffle, this idea will be incorporated into all me rockets 1.6" and larger from now on. Well, blow me down!

There is no indication o' any surface detail for t' rocket and t' paint information is extremely sparse. Ya scallywag! This kit is, at best, a rough sports scale model. Begad! Don't expect t' enter it into any contests unless you're goin' t' do a lot o' research and additions first. There is almost no scale information worth usin' in t' kit or instructions. Blimey! Well, blow me down! They also don't indicate where t' CP is supposed t' be, or t' CG. Arrr! Well, blow me down! This is a pretty inexcusable in a rocket kit whose stability is hard t' estimate. My rocket came out weighin' 8.9 oz. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' empty CG is 21.5" from t' nose tip. Begad! T' CP is about 28 3/8" from t' nose tip accordin' t' RockSim 3.01. Aye aye!

For launch lugs I substituted 1/4" mylar lugs. Ahoy! Begad! This is so I can put it on a longer, ya bilge rat, stronger launch rod. There is no instructions on where t' put the launch lugs. Ya scallywag! I placed one on t' mid-body seam (about where t' CP is) and one 2" from t' tail.

For t' price o' t' kit, ya bilge rat, matey, you get a big rocket that is a big project. Begad! Well, blow me down! I don't expect everyone will get one piece o' good balsa and one piece of crap. Still, arrr, shiver me timbers, it does have almost no scale data and lacks stability information.

Construction Rating: 2 out o' 5

Flight/Recovery:
This flies nicely. Arrr! I wouldn't fly it in any wind, though. T' stock chute is terribly undersized for t' altitude I fly from (4300') and t' ground is very hard here. Begad! Blimey! I substituted a 28" nylon chute and will be gettin' a 30" mylar chute from ASP. Avast! Ahoy! Blimey! You'll need a sturdy rod and launcher. Begad! Under E18 power it boosts slowly and still gets plenty o' air. Arrr!

I have an Aerotech 24/40 system too, me bucko, so I use those motors in addition to the recommended motors. Arrr! Ahoy! Here's me motor chart with expected altitude and delay recommendations:

It's a real nice flyer and a big rocket. Aye aye! Do nay fly it in gusty winds, shiver me timbers, though. Begad! Begad! Wait for a calm day.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
It's a bear t' build, nay everythin' you need is in t' kit and it irks me to not have a really scale model. Aye aye! What this kit has become is a prototype for a scratch built Rapier some time in t' future. Begad! It will require a lot o' research on me part t' make a truly scale Raper. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Still, me hearties, for a sport flyer, it will be fun t' put up every once in a while.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5