Brief:
This is a single staged MPR/HPR rocket from LOC/Precision. This kit is a stretched Norad with t' motor mount upgraded t' 38mm.

Construction:
T' kit contains a 3" booster airframe, shiver me timbers, two 2.5" upper airframes, two plywood centerin' rings, 4 plywood fins, ya bilge rat, plastic nose cone, me bucko, parachute, ya bilge rat, matey, elastic shock cord, launch lug, arrr, shiver me timbers, shock cord mountin' kit, and assorted hardware for bulkhead assembly. Avast, me proud beauty! All components were in great condition and typical LOC/Precision high quality.

T' build for this kit was fairly straightforward, arrr, however, thar are a few steps t' be mindful of. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! T' kit starts with t' buildin' o' t' motor mount. You notice that t' two centerin' rings contained in this kit are different sizes. Ya scallywag! This is because t' motor tube extends through t' plastic transition and ends in t' smaller airframe tube above t' transition. Ahoy! Begad! So to start t' build, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, t' upper (smaller) CR is attached t' t' motor tube. Ya scallywag! I deviated from t' instructions a bit here, ya bilge rat, as I added a third centerin' rin' so I could sandwich me fin tabs betwixt two centerin' rings. Ya scallywag! After t' upper CR was attached, t' transition was slid onto t' motor tube and held below the upper CR. Ahoy! I then attached me middle CR, arrr, trappin' t' transition betwixt t' two rings while t' epoxy set up. Begad! T' booster body tube was then slid over the lower CR and t' lower shoulder o' t' transition and t' assembly be epoxied into place.

While this was curing, me hearties, I journeyed t' t' second deviation from t' norm for this kit. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Instead o' usin' t' stock SC mount, me hearties, I built a bulkhead from plywood and drilled ejection vent holes around t' perimeter o' t' bulkhead. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I also inserted a screw eye into t' center o' this bulkhead and secured it with a washer, shiver me timbers, arrr, nut, ya bilge rat, and JB weld, arrr, me bucko, and t' shock cord was tied t' this screw eye. Ahoy!

Once everythin' had cured, arrr, shiver me timbers, I fed t' shock cord through t' lower section of t' upper body tube and epoxied it into place over t' upper CR and upper shoulder o' t' plastic transition. While that be curing, t' nose cone was attached t' t' payload tube with screws (I wanted t' maintain access t' the payload section for future payloads). Ya scallywag! I also attached t' screw eye t' the upper bulkhead and epoxied t' bulkhead into t' tube coupler that holds the two upper body sections together. Then, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' upper end o' t' SC was attached to this screw eye (after a quick link was attached about two feet from t' top end of t' shock cord). Airframe complete!

T' fins were attached and filleted usin' 15 minute epoxy. Ahoy! Blimey! Three blind nuts were added t' t' lower CR for motor retention and t' lower centerin' rin' was then attached. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Instead o' usin' t' enclosed launch lug, arrr, I installed two rail buttons--one in t' lower shoulder o' t' transition, and one in t' middle centerin' ring.

PROs: Great components, ya bilge rat, easy fit, fairly easy build for someone who's built a few MPR/HPR kits.

CONs: Somewhat sparse directions that were kind o' confusin' in spots but were still workable. Ahoy! Arrr! Nay really a great choice for someone's first larger kit.

Finishing:
I filled t' spirals with some spackling, me bucko, me hearties, shiver me timbers, sanded t' whole thin' down, matey, and hit it with two coats o' primer. Ya scallywag! Begad! I kind o' liked t' paint scheme on t' card in the kit but wanted a few changes. I painted t' whole thin' silver--the bottom would remain silver, however, me hearties, t' top would be metallic black so I wanted a shiny undercoat. Begad! Instead o' maskin' directly at t' top o' t' transition, shiver me timbers, arrr, I masked just above t' transition t' add somethin' different t' t' look o' the rocket. T' rest o' t' transition/booster be masked off, then t' fins and airframe above t' transition were painted metallic black. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! It still needed something: lettering! I bought some self-stick Monokote trim in bright lime green and cut out letters t' spell t' name o' t' rocket. T' green looks awesome against t' metallic black airframe!

PROs: Kit looks great when finished!

CONs: There are fairly deep tube spirals t' fill.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight o' this bird was t' be on a very busy day for me. Begad! Blimey! T' weekend before Memorial Day, me bucko, me hearties, I was goin' t' get me L1 certification on a different rocket at t' same launch. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I prepped a 38mm/120 G61W, arrr, me first ever 38mm reload. Aye aye! I added an RMS+ kit t' brin' it t' about a 7 second delay. Begad! Avast! Blimey! T' motor was prepped and inserted into t' Norad Pro Maxx, then secured with three brass strips screwed into t' aft CR. Begad! I loaded onto t' rail and hooked up t' clips. T' button was pushed, and it roared off t' pad with a brilliant white flame behind it. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! She flew arrow straight with no spin and ejected t' parachute right at apogee t' recover about 200 feet from t' pad. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This rocket has since flown on a G77 and most recently on an H180 for a fabulous flight t' about 1800 feet or so! Blimey! Each time, me bucko, it has recovered with no damage whatsoever.

Recovery:
T' recovery system on this rocket is typical LOC: elastic shock cord and nylon parachute. Avast, me proud beauty! I don't like t' standard shock cord mount for LOC (the nylon string epoxied t' t' airframe), me hearties, so I changed that durin' t' build, me bucko, and a lot of people don't like t' elastic shock cord. Well, blow me down! I don't mind it, ya bilge rat, but in t' future I might change it out t' tubular nylon for added insurance.

While buildin' t' rocket, I looked at t' seemingly huge orange nylon parachute and thought thar was no way it was goin' t' fit in t' airframe and allow t' coupler from t' payload section t' go all t' way in, especially with enough dog barf in thar t' protect it. Ahoy! I was right--I couldn't pack it small enough for t' payload section t' properly mate up with t' rest o' the rocket. T' kit says it comes with a 36 inch chute. Avast! That seemed rather big for a rocket that was about t' same size and slightly lighter than me PML Small Endeavour, so I use t' parachute from me Small Endeavour when flyin' this kit.

PROs: Easy t' prep, ya bilge rat, no special steps.

CONs: Stock chute is way too big t' fit and would drift forever if used. Some may also view t' elastic shock cord as a con.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
I'm very happy with this kit. Ahoy! It builds well and allows you t' think about it instead o' mindlessly followin' instructions. Avast! It looks great, arrr, matey, has a pretty impressive profile on display, shiver me timbers, and also looks fabulous in t' air on both G and H loads. Begad! All in all, this kit would be an asset t' anyone's collection.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5