Leadin' Edge came out o' t' shoots producin' a night-flyin' rocket called t' Night Skeeter which is new, me hearties, unique and interesting. Arrr! Blimey! Their theme is "Fly t' Edge". Begad! Blimey! So, shiver me timbers, although I was nay interested in a night rocket, arrr, shiver me timbers, I did want t' sample at least one o' their kits. I purchased t' X-10 Express. T' X-10 is part o' their Sportser series o' rockets, for which thar are now five (5) and I'm told more t' come! Blimey!

T' X-10 claims t' have "Retro Style, Precision Detail, me bucko, me hearties, and Laser cut parts". Begad! Begad! I agree. T' fin shape (and apparently t' holes within t' fins) give t' rocket a "retro" look. Avast, me proud beauty! T' "detail" comes in t' instructions and t' laser cut parts... Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! well, are laser cut. Begad! Ya scallywag!

T' rocket included a 0.736" diameter body tube with a 13mm motor mount (includin' t' motor clip), me hearties, a balsa nose cone and 3 (made from 6 parts) balsa fins. Well, blow me down! T' shock cord is Keelhaul®©™®-to-elastic which is attached t' t' motor mount and nose cone eye-screw. Arrr! A streamer is attached t' t' shock cord for recovery. Arrr!

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed in a small booklet that is very profession and worthy o' notice (by comparison and stand-alone). There are 17 pages o' instructions in this form coverin' parts, me bucko, tools needed, step-by-step directions and flyin' information includin' t' NARRRRR code. Aye aye! There are graphics illustrations that make t' buildin' directions easy to follow. Begad! Here's a small sample:

Leadin' Edge calls this kit a Skill Level 1, but because o' t' 2-piece fin and t' Keelhaul®©™® shockcord mount t' t' motor tube (have t' cut t' centerin' rings), matey, matey, I think it may fall into t' Skill Level 2 when compared t' Estes or Quest. Arrr! Regardless, it is nay too difficult t' build and with t' instructions it is a straightforward kit.

T' instructions say t' use wood glue. Ya scallywag! I followed that direction. T' kit even came with 3 toothpicks and calls out usin' them for glue placement (that's a first!)

T' motor mount is built first. It is a typical except that you must cut t' notches into t' paper centerin' rings usin' your hobby knife. T' first notch is cut on t' inside o' one rin' for t' motor hook. Aye aye! Begad! T' second notch is on t' outside o' t' other rin' t' allow t' Keelhaul®©™® shock tether t' pass by into t' body tube.

T' body tube fin alignment markin' guide is cut out from a piece o' card stock and is wrapped around t' body tube. Arrr! Ahoy! After this is done, t' fins are added. Aye aye! Avast! They are cut so precisely that as long as you align t' t' marks on the body tube, they will look like one continuous fin.

My fins extended about 3/32" beyond t' top o' t' body tube when aligned t' t' aft o' t' body tube. Ya scallywag! I didn't like this, but left it.

T' launch lug is glued in place after t' fins are complete. Ahoy! Arrr! Then all t' joints get a fillet o' glue.

T' eye-screw is attached t' t' nose cone, t' elastic is tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™® shock tether and it is then tied t' t' nose cone. Begad! T' plastic streamer is then taped t' t' elastic shock cord.

I finished t' rocket usin' me basic techniques with Plasti-Kote primer. Aye aye! I followed that with Krylon Gloss Red paint. My only complaint was, again, me bucko, me bucko, that t' fins extended beyond t' top o' t' body tube and therefore created 3 spots that were "masked" while primin' and paintin' t' rocket. Ya scallywag! Begad! For t' last coat o' Red, ya bilge rat, I had t' nose cone stickin' out slightly t' cover those spots. (I regret nay takin' a picture durin' this portion o' t' build for show-n-tell.)

There are no decals provided with this rocket kit.

NOTE: One more thin' on t' fin length... Begad! if it was intentional, it did nay detract from t' looks o' the rocket and may have actually created a better lookin' transition into t' nose cone.

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 3 ½ points. Arrr! Some o' t' best instructions I've seen in a while make this a great build. Ahoy! T' provided parts are high quality and t' precision cut o' t' fins be impressive. I be a bit disappointed with t' length o' the fins, matey, shiver me timbers, but maybe I'm just bein' too picky and thar were no decals.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Leadin' Edge recommended t' 1/2A3-4T, matey, A3-4T, and A10-3T motors for t' X-10 Express.

I happened t' have a pack o' A10-3's and was ready t' put this rocket in t' air. Aye aye! Avast! I added about 3 squares of waddin' for t' rocket's first two flights.

T' first flight (pictured) was perfectly straight and stable. Begad! Begad! Blimey! Due t' t' rocket's weight, me bucko, arrr, it did nay go that high. Arrr! I found this t' be an excellent feature o' this rocket! Blimey! A small rocket usin' 13mm motors that doesn't go out of site. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! I would recommend this rocket for anyone that does demonstrations.

T' second flight was exactly as t' first. T' streamer is orange and can be seen easily.

T' third flight be also on an A10-3, matey, me bucko, however, shiver me timbers, it was in our front yard and unfortunately is be blown into the nearby trees and is now lost. Too bad!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this rocket 5 points. T' Keelhaul®©™® to elastic shock cord system is excellent along with t' streamer recovery. T' weight o' t' rocket allows it to perform well on 13mm motors. Begad! If built correctly t' rocket is stable.

I give t' rocket an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 ½ points. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I would recommend this kit as a school yard flier or t' have as a demo rocket. Begad! Blimey! It has unique looks and doesn't fly out o' sight on 13mm motors. Begad! Blimey! It is also priced in a range that makes sense (to me) comin' in at $12. Ahoy! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I will look forward t' future Leadin' Edge rockets.